Cataloochee Ranch, the well-known Haywood County vacation destination on top of Fie Mountain, will make its national debut on HGTV in January.

Vaya Health has received statewide honors for its work to prevent fatal opioid drug overdoses throughout western North Carolina.

Buncombe County is taking a crucial step toward holding accountable the companies responsible for dumping millions of dollars’ worth of prescription opioids into the community by filing a public nuisance lawsuit against the drug manufacturers and wholesale drug distributors that made the opioid epidemic possible.

With the arrival of 2018, the time to submit applications for 1% partnership funding for July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, through the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is right around the corner.

Haywood Regional is ringing in 2018 with the year’s first bundle of joy. Weighing 7 pounds and 12 ounces and measuring 20 inches, Baby Donna was born Monday, Jan. 1, at 6:22 a.m.

Collaboration between Mission Health and Macon County leadership, with support from the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Foundation, Mission Health Department of Philanthropy and community donors, has resulted in the fully funded purchase of a much-needed, brand new ambulance for emergency patient transport in Macon County.

The summer before Christopher Lile graduated from Gardner-Webb University, he spent five weeks studying small mammals on the Broad River Greenway and the surrounding area.

Western Carolina University faculty members Kelly Kelley and David Westling have learned a lot about assisting individuals with intellectual disabilities as they transition into the world of work and independent living over the past decade through the University Participant Program that they co-direct on campus.

Myth: We should only eat food with a short (4 or 5) list of ingredients.

Waynesville Police Department is looking for any information from the public that might help them with a recent suspicious death investigation.

To the Editor:

After 29 years as a pediatrician in Western North Carolina, with over 120,000 patient visits under my belt, I can say that I have never felt so disheartened and, frankly, disgusted by the action and inaction of our elected representatives as far as the health of our children and many pregnant women are concerned.

I have a young patient with a rare, probably lifelong and potentially life-threatening infection. His medication costs thousands of dollars a month. He has Health Choice (CHIP) insurance, funded mainly by the U.S. Congress. Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, assured me on Oct. 24 that CHIP would be funded within a week or two at the most! It has NOT been funded and 9 million children in the richest country in history are about to be thrown to the wolves.

Our local state representatives: Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Burnsville, and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, have as far as I know said nothing about the hundreds of families in their district about to be affected. Will our elected representatives step up and pressure Congress to get this done?

And I also ask congressmen Meadows and Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-Gastonia, to publicly pledge that they will oppose any attempt to pay for the tax cut by cutting Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP or Social Security!

Stephen Wall, MD FAAP

Waynesville

To the Editor:

How can anyone call themselves a Christian and support President Trump and his Republican cronies in Congress who are willing to send thousands of people to their deaths?

There are two places these “warm-hearted, compassionate, family-value, evangelical” hypocrites need to visit. One is the Duke Children’s Hospital located in Durham, North Carolina. The other is the Brenner Children’s Hospital located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Are these cold-hearted people saying they don’t have any problem putting these pitiful, sickly, beautiful children under a gravestone?

Thanks to the grace of God, good doctors, and great staff members at these two hospitals, our family now has a healthy 10-year-old.

Thank God and the Democrats for Medicaid.

Charles Miller

Waynesville

To the Editor:

My daddy served in the U.S. Army. My oldest brother retired from the U.S. Air Force. One brother served 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. His twin brother served three years in the U.S. Army. I served four years in the U.S. Navy.

Who, then, merits admiration when I study two prominent men in America today? One is Donald Trump. He either could not or would not wear a uniform during the Vietnam War. Instead he stayed at home and amassed a fortune off the fat of this great land.

The other is Robert Mueller, a U.S. Marine Corps officer during the Vietnam War. Mueller also served our country as Director of the FBI from 2001-2013 (under George W. Bush and Barack Obama).

Now the world is witnessing the concentrated effort by Donald Trump to discredit Mueller as special counsel whose duty is to discover the truth regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election as well as the possibility that members of the Trump Presidential Campaign colluded with Russian operatives.

Neither Trump nor Mueller is un-flawed. Neither are you and I. But, if I had to hunker down in a foxhole in defense of our democratic republic I would pick the man who has already served over the one who audaciously claims he is serving us now.

Now, how would you choose your man?

Dave Waldrop

Webster

Winter volleyball is starting up in Waynesville, with options available for pickup and team play alike.

A bill to extend authorization of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area by four years has been filed in the U.S. Senate under the name “Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act of 2017.”

An eight-week training course for anyone interested in operating an agriculture-based business will kick off Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Southwestern Community College in Sylva.

Third-grader Emily Prince, of Fletcher, won the North Carolina contest in the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program when she grew a 32-pounds cabbage this summer.

A nine-minute tour of the 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail is now available from the comfort of any couch within reach of an internet connection.

Angela Gee, district ranger on the Cheoah and Tusquitee Ranger Districts of the Nantahala National Forest, has left the position after accepting a job on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado.

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office detectives continue to investigate two deaths that occurred in the Fines Creek area last week.

The search for a ceramic Christmas tree led Sharon Frizzell of Canton to a $200,000 lottery win.

North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission Chairman Zander Guy met with Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed and other representatives of the Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians during a Dec. 4 visit to Cherokee.

Western Carolina University announced the appointment of a 21-member search committee that will recommend a successor to Chancellor David O. Belcher.

A plan is in place to re-open N.C. 28 in Graham County by the end of February.

Myth: Processed foods are bad!

Myth: Gluten-free products are healthier and if you eat them it will make you lose weight.

District 50: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties

December 14, 2017

Dear Senator Davis:

Perhaps relations between the two political parties would improve if their leaders were to apply the Golden Rule: Do unto others what you would have others do unto you.  Please ask your Republican colleagues on the judiciary committees how they would respond if they were the minority party: if Democrats barred them from meetings to change the law for selecting state judges, what would they be telling the press?

We are indignant that a North Carolina General Assembly group is meeting in secret, excluding all Democrats and reporters as well, in violation of our individual rights as citizens to know what our elected officials are doing.

We are even more indignant that the Republican supermajority has been holding those meetings to change the process for selecting state judges to appointment by the NCGA.  It is an insult to all the people of North Carolina that NCGA Republicans are stealing individual voters’ power to weigh the merits of candidates for judgeships.

We expect you to do your duty to protect North Carolinians from this flagrant, un-American power-grab, which takes away every voter’s rights and freedoms as individual citizens to elect the most qualified people for judgeships.

We would appreciate a reply telling us what you are doing to keep this despicable action.  Please do not write to rationalize taking voting power from citizens because we have done research enough to know that it is an untenable position.

Stephen B. and Mary Jane Curry

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Kudos to Smoky Mountain News Staff Writer Cory Vaillancourt on his story, “Homeless in Haywood for the Holidays.” Cory came out of his comfort zone to see what it was like to live on the “fringe.”

As the wife of a pastor and member of one of Haywood’s many churches, it warms my heart to hear that Cory had meals to eat and a bed to sleep in. I especially appreciated Cory’s observation, “Aside from some very small grants given to some of these organizations by some municipalities, the entire time I was out there the vast majority of the assistance that kept me alive came directly from the hearts and homes of Haywood County churchgoers.”

I have lived in Haywood County for the past 10 years, having lived in many other places prior to that. I became involved in and volunteered for several projects for the needy and homeless, mainly through churches I have been a member of. I honestly don’t know how our community organizations would survive if not for the generous donations of time, food and money from so many of our local churches. Haywood County residents and church members are a special kind of people — warm, caring, generous. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

It is very hard to put yourself in the shoes of a person who has no permanent home, or is living on public assistance and just can’t seem to break the cycle. The majority of people in these situations have the biggest hearts and would give you the shirt off their back. If we — just for a day or two, as Cory experienced — would walk in their shoes, we would learn a whole lot and maybe change our attitude and way of thinking when it comes to those who find themselves in a tough situation. I hope Mr. Vaillancourt’s story has opened the eyes of those who look through the homeless and disadvantaged as if they didn’t exist.

Rose Rich

Waynesville

Tips are needed related to a human-caused fire that resulted in damage to cabins in the Elkmont Historic District of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A proposal to reauthorize prescribed burning on 19,038 acres in Jackson, Macon and Swain counties is open for public comment through Jan. 19, 2018.

Environmental groups across Western North Carolina got a boost from this fall’s Pigeon River Fund Awards through the Community Foundation for Western North Carolina, with grants totaling $347,000 in funding toward water quality projects in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has released the final versions of five game land management plans, including the plan for the 5,000-acre Needmore Game Lands straddling Swain and Macon counties.

Three new elk have arrived at Grandfather Mountain State Park’s environmental wildlife habitats.

Former Carolina Mountain Club president George Oldham received the organization’s highest award last month when he was presented with the Honorary Lifetime Membership recognition.

The recent passing of longtime Clyde Mayor Jerry Walker left a hole not only in the hearts of residents, but also on the board of aldermen.

After receiving applications from three people, the Haywood County School Board has selected Bethel’s David Burnette to fill the seat of a board member who resigned in October.

Services are available for those suffering from substance abuse through the following providers in Western North Carolina:

A Jackson County landmark has changed hands.

Laura Lynn milk tastes so good! Is the date on the milk a “sell by” or “best buy” date?

To the Editor:

An American coup d’etat is in progress. There are no guns being fired, no booting out of the president. This coup is being orchestrated in daylight right before our eyes and there seems to be no way of stopping this juggernaut.

Someone who studied authoritarian regimes said, the trouble is, once the public wakes up to realize their country has become a dictatorship, it is too late,

This is happening here and nodw. We have a president who loves powerful authoritarian leaders, calls journalists the enemy, and pretty much does whatever he so desires from day to day with zero understanding of the or the gravity of the office he holds. He admits he doesn’t read, and forms his opinions from the last person he talks to. And people blindly worship him!

Are you scared yet?

This week there was an uptick in the chaos and distractions, which conveniently takes our attention away from a budget that contains every right wing wish dreamt up in the last 40 years. It gives a massive holiday gift to the ultra rich and major corporations that our children and grandchildren will have to pay for. Why do they need this give-away? It makes no sense. The stock market is booming, these criminals hide money overseas to avoid taxes and we reward them. Everyone should be outraged!

This inhumane budget is being rammed through Congress at record speed, with zero input from the Democrats and from over half of our country’s people.

When Trump was asked about the hollowing out of State Department, here is what he said: “But we have some people that I’m not happy with there. Lemme tell you, the one that matters is me. I’m the only one that matters, because when it comes to it, that’s what the policy is going to be.”

We need action. Please call your representatives in Congress and tell them what you think about their budget.

• Rep. Mark Meadows, District 11, meadows.house.gov/contact, 202.225.6401.

• Rep. Patrick McHenry, District 10, mchenry.house.gov/contact, 202.225.2576.

• Sen. Thom Tillis, www.tillis.senate.gov/contact,  202.224.6342.

• Senator Richard Burr, www.burr.senate.gov/contact, 202.224.3154.

Caryl Brt

Waynesville

To the Editor:

No one wants to talk about this question, least of all the folks who make our laws. But isn’t this the question that underlines the ongoing “debate” about “repeal and replace” — or just “repeal” — the Affordable Care Act? Is health care just another product that has to be purchased — if you can afford it — or is it a duty that arises from the nature of this country and its people?

We are not people who let poor people die for want of food, hence the food stamps program; or for a place to live, hence the public housing and other subsidies in the housing market. These are not perfect solutions, but their very existence shows that we are not heartless people.

Perhaps people are afraid to tackle this question because of the furor that would likely arise from those who call themselves conservatives. They wail about government taking on these problems. They believe that everything should result from the activities of a private market.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was not afraid of “big government” solutions to social problems, nor was President Lyndon Johnson. Their courage, and their ability to appeal to “the angels of our better nature” in addressing the problems gave us Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and a host of other programs. How many of you would want these programs repealed? The screams would be deafening.

Legislators are not answering these “why” questions by laying out the principles that would undergird whatever program is finally adopted. Instead, what we hear is point-scoring: how much or how little public health can we get away with paying for. The Affordable Care Act is viewed by many legislators as just another “big government” program that has to be reduced — with the apparent consequence that many millions of Americans who now have health insurance will lose it.

Let’s have public debate about the principles that should lead us to some form of universal health insurance for all Americans, a condition that exists in all other industrialized countries from Japan to Canada to most of Europe. Let’s figure out a way to prevent people from dying or going bankrupt because they could not pay for treatment they need. We can do this, but only if the Congress reverts to the normal process of governing — hearings where different ideas are explored and solid legislation is developed.

John Vanderstar

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I’m confused! The stock market is at all-time high and unemployment is lower than we have seen in decades. More wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals than any time since the years leading up to the Great Depression. Major corporations have excellent profits with large amounts available for investment.  he effective corporate tax rate (what they actually pay) averages below 25 percent and many pay no federal taxes at all.

The source of my confusion is why Republicans are ramming through a major revision of the tax code that primarily benefits those who already have most of the money. Normally, a country will implement tax cuts in response to economic distress. Such was the intent of the Reagan and the Obama tax cuts.

The initial Reagan tax cut was based on “Trickle Down” theory, was targeted to the same wealthy population that the proposed cuts benefit, didn’t work very well and was followed by multiple tax increases as record deficits occurred. In contrast, the Obama tax cuts were modest, targeted to those who pay the payroll tax (i.e. Social Security tax) and was coupled with a spending package that kept millions of middle class citizens out of unemployment.

So here we are. The economy is growing. Unemployment is low. Corporate profits are strong and wealth continues to accumulate at the top at the highest rate in almost 100 years. What has not happened is the increase in wages to match the increases in the stock market and the overall economy. Nor have the strong corporate profits resulted in significant investment in high-wage jobs.

Think about it. If I have a business and my customers’ wage increases have not kept pace with their increases in rent, utilities, food and a host of other costs, they don’t have the extra cash to spend on my product. I’m certainly not going to spend large amounts of money for a factory to make more of that product. Corporate executives recently told the White House just that. They would use their tax cut to buy back stock and increase dividends to their investors.

This tax bill is not about creating jobs. This effort should be retitled the “Our Big Donors Appreciation Bill of 2017” and then killed before it creates a trillion-dollar hole in the economy.

John Gladden

Franklin

To the Editor:

Unless Congress comes to its senses and rejects the misguided tax legislation currently being considered, working people — the solid middle class — of Western North Carolina and throughout the United States will be hard hit during the next 10 years. On the other hand, the wealthy — those with incomes of more than $1 million a year and the super wealthy, those with incomes of more than $10 million a year — will reap enormous benefits from having bought and paid for so many members of Congress.

Will some working people see a modest reduction in income taxes from this bill? Yes. But many won’t see any, and nearly everyone except the top 10 percent will lose those gains because individual tax reduction provisions are temporary while corporate tax reductions are permanent.

But it gets worse. In order to pay for those “temporary” reductions, the country will add more than $1 trillion to its debt. And, as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan noted recently, there will be severe reductions to Medicare, Medicaid and scores of other programs that serve deserving working people, their parents, their grandparents and their dependents.

We must stand up against this stealth attack on working people. Voters who have never contacted a senator or congressman are now demanding they vote against the tax bill. Everyone should make that call.

Phillip Price, a working man who stands up for working people, is running to “repeal and replace” Congressman Mark Meadows. Price is right on “real” tax breaks for the middle class. He’s right on healthcare reform. He’s right on the environment. He’s right on equality and equal treatment for all. Price offers a pivot in the right direction.

Dennis Frobish

Maggie Valley

Boom axe operations along the Blue Ridge Parkway will result in closures at various locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the coming weeks.

Buncombe County Commissioners voted to commit to complete transition to clean and renewable energy during a meeting Tuesday, Dec. 5.

A portion of the Rim Trail near Hayesville that’s been closed since 2010 has now reopened to the public.