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To the Editor:
There were 8,820 bills and joint resolutions submitted to Congress in 2019. Two-thirds were submitted in the House. Our representative should be someone who has shown the ability to study, analyze, and has the initiative to act in the best interest of Western North Carolina’s citizens and not be a rubber stamp for a political party.
To the Editor:
Filling a Supreme Court vacancy a week before the election is wrong. Spray as much rose water on it as you want, it still stinks.
To the Editor:
Don’t you get it? Mask (keep your germs to yourself), socially distance (don’t stand close to each other), wash ( send germs down the drain), stay home (unless absolutely necessary). As of this morning (October 19), no matter how you choose to rationalize it, there are almost 221,000 deaths from Covid in the United States — our formerly United States of America.
To the Editor:
Do you believe that your vote doesn’t matter? Your vote doesn’t matter to the Democrats. Here’s an example. The Green Party spent tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours gathering tens of thousands of signatures to gain ballot access in Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Then the Democrats, with their well-financed lawyers, took the Greens to court to have ballot access denied over technicalities.
To the Editor:
In my faith tradition when someone is baptized, everyone in the congregation renews their promises to God and their neighbors. I love the service of Holy Baptism. For me the most powerful line is “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” The congregation responds, “I will with God’s help.” This line informs how I try to walk in the world.
To the Editor:
Madison Cawthorn’s website states: “Send a fighter to Congress.”
To the Editor:
I keep hearing conservatives say that the Democratic Party is the party of hate and divisiveness. However, I recently learned from a friend of mine, whose family immigrated from Mexico, about a scary encounter her mother recently had with a group of Trump demonstrators.
To the Editor:
If you believe permanent one-party rule is desirable; big cities should always determine who becomes President; the judiciary should be stacked to ensure the “correct” ruling; there is no need to be concerned about election irregularities involving “privileged” candidates;
To the Editor:
I must have been 7 or 8 years old when I first realized my grandma hung out a special flag every July 4, Memorial Day — any national holiday. It was simply four stars representing my dad and his three brothers who all enlisted after Pearl Harbor to fight for democracy. One wounded shortly after landing on Omaha Beach. One survived 25 bombing raids over German held Italy … and so on.
To the Editor:
In normal times, we are not unduly impacted by the actions of our elected officials, whether they are state or national officials. But these are not normal times.
To the Editor:
It’s so past time we shared health care with all North Carolinians
To the Editor:
I am not a big Donald Trump fan. However, this man is the one who proved in 2016 that America was sick of business as usual in Washington.
To the Editor:
I have a tendency to speak my mind. I have intentionally not done so during this election as I believe that there are enough opinions flying around. I have held my tongue and kept my peace. But after seeing the advertisement taken out by the Jackson County Republican Party in the Sylva Herald and The Smoky Mountain News, I can no longer be silent.
To the Editor:
How insulting Joe Biden is to the American public … us the voters, the ones who deserve to know what our candidates think, how they speak, what they look like and who they are.
The number of political letters we have received from readers in our coverage area (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties, along with the Qualla Boundary) during this election season has been almost overwhelming. We’ve worked to get all of them in print, but we’re not quite going to make it. If you submitted a letter and it is not in this edition, it will be in this section of our website.
After seven years spent laying the groundwork, the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded an honor that Director Rhett Langston likens to the “Heisman Trophy” of the parks and recreation world.
Allen Nicholas retired in September after nearly five years in charge of North Carolina’s national forests, and James Melonas will now take his place as forest supervisor for the National Forests in North Carolina.
Fifty people participated in the Big Sweep trash cleanup Haywood Waterways Association hosted Sept. 19, removing 1,500 pounds of trash from roadsides and stream banks across the county.
A plan to host a sculpture of Harriet Tubman at Bridge Park next year met enthusiastic approval from the Sylva Board of Commissioners Oct. 22.
The Jackson County Department of Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster associated with a social gathering.
By Kristina Smith
Jan. 30, 2020 — My genetic test came back positive for BRCA2. A genetic mutation. The doctor explained how BRCA was the breast cancer gene and that they were tumor-suppressing proteins. Mine, however, were mutated, and may not do their job. He continued, calmly and slowly, with the next steps, the referrals he was making to oncology, geneticist, surgeons, and the list continued.
By Boyd Allsbrook
Agriculture has always been an integral part of the North Carolina culture and economy. Every year, farming and agribusiness bring in over 90 billion dollars—a sixth of the state’s net income. Here, more than in most states, it matters who we elect to oversee this massive industry.
After months of delay, jury trials resume on a limited basis this week in the 43rd Prosecutorial District, made up of the state’s seven westernmost counties and overseen by District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch.
Smaller, less-profitable hospital nets twice the price
By Peter H. Lewis
AVL Watchdog
Years from now, the decision in 2018 by the directors of Mission Health to sell to HCA Healthcare might be seen as a brilliant strategic maneuver, one that guaranteed affordable, high-quality healthcare for future generations of western North Carolinians. This was, and still is, the position of the directors and executives who pushed the deal.
More than 2 years later, secrets and silence continue
By Peter H. Lewis
AVL Watchdog
The news stunned Asheville and Western North Carolina, where Mission Health System Inc. was the area’s largest employer, its main healthcare provider, and a long-time source of civic pride. Seemingly out of the blue, Mission’s directors publicly announced on March 21, 2018, that they had voted to sell the 133-year-old nonprofit to HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, for an estimated $1.5 billion.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Jackson County Department of Public Health wants to shine a light on the importance of this month.
By Leigh-Ann Renz
You know those moments when you had something to say but kept your mouth shut? You let the truth get lodged in your throat and stopped yourself: in order to keep the peace, because you were legitimately afraid, or maybe you just felt too tired to “get into it.”
The first thing you should pay attention to on the Nutrition Facts panel (the black and white panel on the side or back of an item) is the SERVING SIZE. The Nutrition Facts panel represents a breakdown of the nutrition of an item for a specific serving.
The N.C Tobacco Trust Fund has awarded $1.5 million in grants this year, and one of the 15 applications granted came from the Swain County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Fall wildfire season is underway in North Carolina, and the N.C. Forest Service together with the U.S. Forest Service is urging visitors and North Carolinians alike to be careful with campfires and debris burnings.
Outdoor Mission Community, formerly known as Outdoor Mission Camp, is seeking volunteers to aid in trip planning, leadership, skills certifications and more, with a pair of training trips now on the calendar.
Western Carolina University Professor Emeritus Maurice Phipps has released a new book aimed at people who are working or training to work as outdoor instructors.
By Terri Henry • Guest Columnist | When President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sen. Mitch McConnell did an about-face on his past policy to deny consideration of Supreme Court nominees in an election year. As you may recall, Sen. McConnell refused to consider the nomination of Merrick Garland back in 2016 on the basis that the American people should be able to opine on the next Supreme Court justice through their vote. Sen. Thom Tillis agreed. At the time, Sen. Tillis said, “We are in the middle of a presidential election, and the Senate majority is giving the American people a voice to determine the direction of the Supreme Court. This is about the principle, not the person.” At that time, the election was still eight months away.
By Larry Bryson • Guest Columnist | Vice President Mike Pence has stated, “I am a Christian, conservative, and Republican, in that order.” He might want to add politician to his list. I’ll leave it to you to decide its place in the hierarchy.
Jesus, however, reminds us, “By their fruits you shall know them.” When Pence engages in misleading, partisan rhetoric, it is difficult to see Christian principles at work. Generalizations such as, “You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” “President Trump is a truth-teller,” and “President Trump marshalled the full resources of the federal government from the outset of this pandemic,” lack the honesty Pence’s faith calls for.
To the Editor:
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage throughout the U.S. as people continue to contract the illness, require hospitalization and die. Rates of infection are rampant in many states, predominately those with Republican governors and/or legislatures that are following Trump’s insistence on not taking appropriate steps to curb the spread of infections.
To the Editor:
I support the candidacy of Tausha Forney for a position on the Haywood County Board of Education. I retired recently after 15 years as a professor of social studies education. Prior to that I began as a Title One math teacher and then taught a self-contained sixth-grade classroom.
To the Editor:
As a Waynesville resident, I’m a bystander in the NC House District 118 race, and it’s a shame, because it’s a race I’d like to cast a ballot for. In some ways, the two candidates running share a similar pedigree. Alan Jones and Mark Pless were both raised in Haywood County and both currently reside in Canton. After that, I’d say the similarities end. I wouldn’t chalk this race up to an apocalyptic battle of good versus evil, but I would say that the choice couldn’t be more stark.
To the Editor:
As a conservative, it is encouraging to see the unprecedented vandalism of campaign signs in the county. Illegal spray painting, taping over, uprooting, and actual stealing of campaign signs for conservative, law and order candidates is occurring more than I have seen in decades of elections.
To the Editor:
Here’s a message to the “concerned Republicans of Haywood County” who have paid for the “Law and Order Trump 2020” billboards I’ve seen. I don’t know what your concerns are, but what you really need to be concerned about is the unlawful acts Trump supporters are committing.
To the Editor:
How do we decide whom to vote for? As a recent letter to the Smoky Mountain News says, we should examine actions, not just words. My criteria:
Western Carolina University will pop up the tents for prospective students and their families and friends as the university holds Open House on Saturday, Oct. 24, with a new outdoor format to meet safety protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early voting began across North Carolina on Oct. 15, and since then, large numbers of voters have descended on their polling places to cast their ballots early.
Despite the setbacks and challenges the COVID-19 Pandemic brought about in March, a surprising number of businesses in different industries have been able to weather the storm with quick-thinking, innovative changes to their operations. In some cases, businesses have made a full rebound and are reporting their best numbers ever.
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | When the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns hit Haywood County in March, business owners braced for the worst. Some closed their doors forever, while others scrambled for ways to reopen under the new normal. Months later, local entrepreneurs were able to give a retrospective on how they survived and changed with the times.
Wreath laying on the graves of veterans buried at Greenhill Cemetery in Waynesville will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. This is part of the National Wreaths Across America event.
At approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday search teams located the body of missing hiker Chad Seger. He was found in an off-trail area near the Art Loeb trail in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area.
Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in an area church located in Franklin.
Town Manager Robert Hites announced that he has appointed Jesse D. Fowler as Waynesville’s Assistant Town Manager. Fowler is currently serving as a Planner for the Town.
Western Carolina University is among the institutions of higher education that will be participating in “North Carolina Countdown to College,” an annual campaign to support college access through the waiving of standard application fees.
