Haywood County offers warning amid tick season

Spring and summer mean more time outdoors, but they also mean tick season. Ticks can carry serious diseases like Lyme disease, so take these steps to protect yourself and your loved ones. Haywood County Environmental Health offers these simple tips: 

• Dress Smart:

Wear long sleeves, long pants and closed-toe shoes. Tuck pants into socks to keep ticks from crawling up your legs.

• Use Repellent:

Apply EPA-registered insect repellents that contain DEET, picaridin or permethrin (on clothing only).

• Stay on Trails:

Avoid tall grass, brush and wooded areas where ticks thrive. Stick to the center of hiking trails.

• Check Yourself and Pets:

After being outdoors, do a full-body tick check. Don’t forget behind the knees, underarms and scalp. Check pets, too.

• Shower Soon:

Showering within two hours of coming inside can help remove ticks and reduce your risk of infection.

• Remove Ticks Promptly:

Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick close to the skin and pull upward steadily. Clean the bite area with alcohol or soap and water.

• Stay safe, stay vigilant and enjoy the outdoors responsibly.

For more information, visit cdc.gov/ticks.

Police seeking help for bomb threats

A series of recent bomb threats to multiple targets across Waynesville has law enforcement asking for tips that could help with arrests. 

On April 14, the Hazelwood Ingles was evacuated due to a threat, the seventh in 10 days according to Waynesville Police Chief David Adams. Previously, Walmart had been evacuated at least twice.

“We don’t have any leads right now,” Adams said. “We definitely need the public’s help.”

Adams said his department had received assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation and that they were reviewing videotape from the incidents, which appear to involve written threats in bathrooms.

Anyone with information about the messages can submit an anonymous tip through the town’s police app, by calling Crime Stoppers at 877.92.CRIME or the WPD at 828.452.2491 or through WPD’s Facebook page.

On March 19, a threat cleared out the Haywood County Courthouse in the early afternoon; however, a suspect was apprehended less than four hours later.

Sheriff Bill Wilke said the courthouse threat was different from the others in that it was submitted by phone.

“Not to reveal too many methods, but with the utilization of witnesses and technology, that came to a close very quickly,” Wilke said.

— Cory Vaillancourt, Politics Editor

Stand against partisanship in schools

It’s been a few weeks since I wrote a column for this space. Instead, we’ve been fortunate enough to print your opinions. 

I take it as a sign of a newspaper’s health relative to its relationship with readers when we have a lot of letters to the editor or guest columns coming to my inbox.

Gas station would be a big mistake

To the Editor:

I used to go to the old Jack the Dipper building between Cullowhee and Sylva. It was a produce stand at the time; the fellow running it sold great watermelons. Traffic was usually a problem (the spot is at the bottom of a hill, there are two intersections, a bend, a left turn lane, and a bridge). If things were too hectic, I just kept going rather than skid to a screeching halt. 

Some waterways remain dangerous post-Helene

Officials at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) report there are still areas that are unsafe to participate in water activities due to remaining debris from Hurricane Helene. Some locations are inaccessible to emergency responders in the event an incident occurs. 

Reminder: burning trash is against state law

The open burning of trash, metal, plastic and all other man-made materials not only harms the environment and poses a public health risk, it’s against state law. 

Wildfire season is here. Helene and DOGE could make it worse.

Limited resources and tricky topography already pose challenges. Now those problems have been exacerbated.

When Chris and Sara Evensen bought their home off Elk Mountain Scenic Highway in 2018, they felt like they’d hit the natural beauty jackpot: a nice home on two acres, ensconced in a gorgeous hardwood forest. 

Commissioners address library security

A Jackson County commissioner brought up the issue of library security during the commission’s March 4 meeting, citing safety concerns for staff at the Jackson County Library in Sylva.

Haywood EMS considers how to navigate I-40 ahead of partial re-open

It’s been about five months since the 20-mile stretch of Interstate 40 in Haywood County up to the Tennessee state line has been shut down due to massive damage over a span of about three miles, but as of now, one lane of travel in each direction is expected to be restored next week. 

Wildfire danger high in WNC

The N.C. Forest Service has designated the fire danger for the state’s far western counties as high.

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