Lake Junaluska has won six awards from the United Methodist Association of Communicators for video production, publications, social media, photography and campaign planning.

Cleanse - As in “I’m going on a 30-day cleanse so I’m not eating____.”

To the Editor:

Regarding Mr. Martin Dyckman’s op-ed published in the March 8 issue of The Smokey Mountain News, I found his historical comments on Hitler’s rise to power to be quite accurate and thought-provoking. The comparison to President Trump’s rise to power is indeed interesting. 

However, his allegation that the people that voted for him were “more interested in throwing bombs than in building bridges” is inaccurate. His assertion regarding “the great moral character” of Trump’s opponent is unquestionably inaccurate. Hillary Clinton possesses many characteristics, none of which could be described as “great moral character.” Rather, she appears to be self-absorbed, imbued with a sense of entitlement (thought she deserved the presidency), a proven liar (email server, Benghazi),  an ineffective leader (Benghazi), a dirty tricks dealer (Sanders), an opportunist and an influence dealer (Clinton Foundation) and a poor judge of character (Bill and Monica).

It wasn’t just the “deplorables” and the “bomb throwers” that voted for Donald Trump — it was also those for whom there was no viable alternative. In addition, those voters were sick and tired of the leadership during the last eight years. They felt that if they were unhappy with the last eight years, then the next four would be even worse. 

Mr. Dyckman is correct in that there is little similarity to the conditions in Germany in the 1930s and the conditions in our country in the 2000s. We are fortunate to have a system of checks and balances that hopefully will preclude any rise of authoritarianism.  

There is a practical reason that the Electoral College exists — it prevents the greatly populated states from forcing their will on the remainder of the country. Whether one feels that is a good thing or not depends, I suppose, upon where one resides. In any event, it is our system as it exists today.  

Hopefully, Mr. Trump will prove to be a good president for our country. If not, then there is always 2020.

Stephen Thomason

To the Editor:

 The other day I read something that chilled me to the bone, especially considering the direction the new administration is taking our country. After living in Germany for 13 years and touring the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Dachau and Buchenwald that were liberated at the end of World War II and remembering the Japanese-American internment camps, I am becoming fearful.

I urge you to read the following quotation attributed to Martin Niemöller (1892-1984), who was a prominent German Protestant pastor and, as an outspoken foe of Adolf Hitler, spent the last years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. He believed that through their silence many German and Protestant leaders were complicit in the ensuing Holocaust:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out —

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out —

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out —

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

What if you were to change these groups to: Catholics, Mormons, Mexicans, Italians, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, LGBTQ, etc.? We need to strongly reject and speak out against any such discrimination of any and all people. 

Nancy Copeland

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I was born in a steel town in 1948. When I was 2, we moved to a textile town. I remember my mother telling me that in the steel town, she checked the wind direction before she washed clothes since if the wind was blowing toward our house, the clothes would just get dirty when she hung them out to dry. Growing up in a textile mill town, I remember the creeks running the color of whatever dye was used that day.

The air was unhealthy to breathe in the steel town, and the water was unsafe to contact in the textile town. There were no fish, or pretty much anything else, living in those creeks. A pond downstream from those mills was later declared unsafe for fishing or swimming because of high concentrations of toxic metals.

I lived on the Hudson River for a few years. Indiscriminant dumping of waste to that river had eliminated several profitable fisheries and killed those jobs. PCB releases from a General Electric plant subsequently shut down a profitable striped bass fishery. Acid rain did the same thing to recreational fisheries in Upstate New York lakes.

The creation of the Environmental Protection Agency under a Republican president and subsequent authorization of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts eliminated the worst of those abuses.

Adapting to these and subsequent regulations added costs to these industries and municipalities. What seems to be lost in the conversations are the jobs that were created to develop technologies to prevent the pollution, build the equipment to meet the requirements and monitor the results. Those are real jobs that contribute to the economy.

What is also lost in the current conversation is the improved human health associated with the reduction in air and water pollution. This includes both the reduction in premature deaths and health care costs to treat the diseases caused by bad air and water.

Clean air and water have its own associated industries. What would rural Western North Carolina be without tourism, outdoor recreation and clean-environment related retirees? A recent analysis by WCU showed that tourism alone generated $154 million in spending and produced $27 million in worker income in 2015.

Thank the EPA for our economy while we still have it.

John Gladden

Franklin

To the Editor:

Please don’t even try to convince most people that Republicans are slow to change due to some long-standing conservative ideology or a spiritual (Christian) base which they claimed only a few years ago with their “Contract with America” and/or “Moral Majority.” Think back a few months to the Republican campaign. Republican establishment leaders were doing everything they knew how to prevent Donald Trump from becoming their nominee for President of the United States. Little did they realize (or want to admit?) how keenly Trump sensed the mood of rural Americans. It seems now that rural Americans as well as establishment Republican leaders knew very little about how closely Donald Trump associated with Vladimir Putin on a personal/business basis. This potentially dangerous relationship will now play out during Trump’s presidential term.

Fast forward to Trump’s grab for power by winning the Republican primary. Once Trump benefited from the devious “Christian” influence of Franklin Graham asking his followers to “hold their noses” and FBI Director James Comey mailed his damning letter undermining Hillary Clinton, most of the erstwhile Trump critics lined up in support of their brand-new, billion-dollar hero. This success at the voting booth was enhanced by massive advertising dollars from the National Rifle Association as well.

Fake news, false statements from Trump, devious utterances from the FBI Director, sheep-herding by a famous evangelist’s son, hacking by Vladimir Putin will all be accepted now by Republican leaders in the Congress of the United States. Why? Christian values? American values? Dedication to Democracy? Insistence on fair voting in every precinct? Making every vote count? Hardly! The answer is Republicans won the fraudulent election. They not only maintained power in Congress, they gained coveted seats giving them enormous political power. But, political power does not automatically confer moral influence to those holding the power.

Do Republicans want to investigate the influence of hacking by Vladimir Putin? Few of them have shown any inclination. And, most are fighting the idea of a bipartisan special committee and disclosure to the American people. If they do agree with an investigation they will try to hide the truth from us (the American citizens who are told “Your vote counts”). But, how can every vote count if they have been tainted by the hacking of a foreign power? We are left to ponder — Who elected the President of the United States?

What Americans believed to be a bedrock, a cornerstone of our system of transferring power has shifted like mercury on slick glass-much like the speed with which Republicans rushed to get on the Trump wagon. Now, instead of Republicans joining Democrats and demanding the suspension of all subsequent legal moves until we can feel assured of the validity of this election, they have moved swiftly to install the man they once labeled as a fraudulent, racist, unfit, womanizing buffoon.

Has there been that much of a moral shift within the Republican Party in the last decade? Has there been that much of a shift with most Americans? Do we prefer political party power at the expense of the voting power of all Americans? 

Are there other people who are getting bored with the false claims that Republicans are more patriotic, stronger Christians, more dedicated to constitutional principles? Could Franklin Graham possibly be acting Christ-like when he calls Democrats “atheistic, godless progressives”? Is it not getting clear as a bell that what they strive for is Republican Party power at any cost? Democrats need not get pious now. They can be just as guilty of the same excessive struggle for power. 

Perhaps politics has always included chicanery. If so, why do Christians rush headlong into it? Can they really uphold biblical principles while seeking earthly power? Few expect that Republicans will change like mercury on slick glass. But, would it not be wonderful for America if enough listened to their consciences and decided to do what is right morally rather than what is politically expedient in this crucial hour? Democracy could use a little good news like that.

Dave Waldrop

Webster

Despite some negative publicity last month when spikes were planted along the trails at Pinnacle Park in Sylva, turnout was high for the grueling Assault on Blackrock trail race Saturday, March 18, at Pinnacle Park.

The WNC Nature Center will launch a regional education outreach program thanks to a $52,000 grant Friends of the WNC Nature Center received from the N.C. Science Museums Grant Program.

Lake Junaluska will hold a memorial service for Rev. Dr. Jimmy Carr at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 30, in Stuart Auditorium.

Question: My son who is 17 years old was recently advised by his dermatologist to eliminate some foods to see if they help with a skin condition.  Currently he is supposed to avoid wheat, dairy, eggs and oats as well as shrimp.  I am at a loss of what to fix for him. Can you give me some ideas?

By Paul Strop • Guest Columnist

Last summer when we returned to this country, the presidential election was in full cry, and almost every day (it seemed) we heard, “lock her up,” and “build a wall.” The first, I assume referred to the candidate’s opponent, and the second, I assume, referred to the rally-goers’ demand for protection.

Walls have been built for centuries by kings, sultans and dictators for the purpose of protecting their territories and their royal cities from marauding armies who would pillage and destroy these cities. Moulay Ismael in the 17th century built walls to protect his royal city of Meknes. Today, thousands of visitors travel to Morocco to marvel at these structures which still stand. The Great Wall of China was built hundreds of years ago for protection against raiders from Eurasia. Millions of tourists every year walk on these existing walls.

By Joseph Trisha • Guest Columnist

So who else is tired of negative politics and the constant negative President Donald Trump reports every time you turn on the news channel? The news media should just stick to the facts — whether good or bad — without the spin or half truths.

Wouldn’t it be great no matter who was in office if the representatives would just concentrate on helping the people who placed them there? Wouldn’t it be nice if the news outlets would just cover the news with truth and without the constant negativity focused on those who are opposite of their party?

To the Editor:

After reading the letter “You can’t fix stupid” in the March 15 edition of The Smoky Mountain News, I agree with the title. The letter proves it. After all that’s gone on, it’s hard to imagine someone would degrade themselves by writing such. 

The reason this is so short? It’s for those in the Trump audience who apparently lose track in their thinking if things are longer than a Trump tweet.

Tom Boyd

Iron Duff

The Blue Ridge Parkway welcomed 15.18 million visitors in 2016, a slight increase from the 15.05 million who visited in 2015.

The Great Smoky Mountains Association took home top honors from the Public Lands Alliance’s annual awards this year.

Gayle Woody has been named the new president of the Jackson County Arts Council. 

Western Carolina University’s student-run Mountain Area Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic has set a goal to expand the availability of its services in 2018.

To the Editor:

I sure enjoy the opinion columns by Chris Cox in The Smoky Mountain News. I enjoy reading it as no holds are barred and the paper tells it like it is. Keep them coming on our one-term (or less) President Donald Rump.

Yes, how can one not help to realize he will do anything to stay in the daily press.

Sure wish you would also write about our N.C. legislature obstructionist, Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville. Now she will see to it that the Haywood County School board will become partisan. As if she has not done enough to block making the tax collector an appointed position and blocking the Waynesville-Lake Junaluska merger, etc. She is almost as bad as our President. 

If only the voters would look at the issues and not vote party line. Just too many uniformed voters. 

Ron Rookstool

Maggie Valley

Editor’s note: Recent columns by Chris Cox about Donald Trump have been creating a frenzy of responses online. We asked two of those who took part in the online conversation if we could use their pieces as letters to the editor, and they agreed. 

To the Editor:

First off, no anonymous person here. My name is Sandy Sanders. I read Chris Cox column a few weeks ago and started to write you but figured why bother. But after reading today’s bull crap column I couldn’t resist. 

Cox is nothing but another hater who can’t face the fact that Trump won and Clinton lost! Thank God because four more years of the Obama way would have destroyed this country! That Muslim communist spent eight years trying to destroy this country and almost did. 

I sent articles to your worthless editor about Obama and Clinton and he refused to print any of them. He just dogged Trump like you do. You two are prime examples of worthless journalists. The sad fact is that you are allowed to teach any of our children. Only in America, right? 

If losers like you would just sit back, shut the f-up and let the man do his job, maybe you would be surprised. You didn’t dog Obama and he did nothing; oh wait, he tripled our debt! Feel free to respond anytime. There is a saying which fits you and Scott McLeod perfectly: you can’t fix stupid.

Sandy Sanders

Otto

Editor’s note: Recent columns by Chris Cox about Donald Trump have been creating a frenzy of responses online. We asked two of those who took part in the online conversation if we could use their pieces as letters to the editor, and they agreed.

To the Editor:

Does opening your email or Facebook feed or nightly news programs make your blood pressure go up? Does the flood of the political turmoil coming out of the President’s office, the Senate, the House, and North Carolina Legislature leave you “Dazed and Confused”? Join the crowd. Maybe it is because we have not told them what we expect and what our families and communities need. 

The One Equal World organization suggested that people mail a postcard to Trump on March 15th opposing his administration. The idea was to flood his mailbox. That may feel good to some, and it is easy to do, but it really does not address the family and community concerns we want addressed.

Why not create a family portrait postcard with your family on one side and your handwritten requests or concerns plus the address and stamp on the other side? That way your senators, your representative, President Trump, Speaker Paul Ryan, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will have a picture and know that this letter represents a whole family of voters. There is no time limit on mailing these cards. You can even send emails with your family portrait attached. This is your way of speaking for your family if they agree.  

Local print shops can make cards inexpensively if you provide the photo. Your county library can show you how to do it on your own. It is time for you to tell it like it is. Speak for yourself. And keep speaking out. 

Newton Smith

Tuckasegee

To the Editor:

As a journalist and former member of the working press, I continue to be appalled and frankly disgusted at President Trump’s daily assault on the media. I began my career as a reporter for a Scripps-Howard newspaper in South Florida. My beat was politics. In addition to feature writing, I covered city, county, and special district meetings and the Florida Legislature.

My training (BA in Journalism), my city editor, and my personal integrity demanded the truth, the utmost accuracy, and as the old “Dragnet” character Joe Friday used to say, “The facts ma’am, just the facts.” My livelihood depended on it.

President Trump’s overblown ego, his obsession with ratings, and his personal attacks on anyone who happens to disagree with him do nothing to advance this nation’s substantial agenda. His CODL strategy (confuse, obfuscate, distract, and lie) doesn’t work (although it seems to work for him), won’t work, and only serves to bolster his questionable base of adoring lemmings.

 Sen. John McCain commented on Trump’s labeling of the media as “the enemy of the people.”

“This is how dictators get started,” McCain said. So if this is what Trump’s loyal cadre want, let’s then all ignore these enemies and believe only the pre-packaged drivel of Trump’s Svengali Steve Bannon. 

 Hopefully, the majority of educated, thinking, and independent Americans will see through the smokescreen and reject Trumpworld and the alternate universe in which this president lives.

Kurt J. Volker

Otto

Ingles Markets, 630 Champion Dr., Canton. Thursday, March 23 · 3 to 6 p.m.

To the Editor:

Among the many sources available to explain current events in Washington is an excellent recent book that looks provocatively into the past rather than the present or future. Titled Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939 by the German author Volker Ullrich, it explains in well-documented detail how history's most evil man came to murderous power and, more importantly, why Germans let it happen.

The N.C. Arboretum in Asheville recently completed several upgrades to its facilities, including conversion to LED lights in all indoor fixtures. These lights consume 80 percent less energy than conventional light bulbs. The majority of the campus’s indoor lighting has been converted to LED bulbs as well.

The Blue Ridge Breakaway, which would have celebrated its eighth year in August, has been canceled for this year with the possibility of disappearing altogether following a review for the 2018 season.

The 2017 Polar Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek and Environmental Education surpassed its goal to raise $30,600 this year, with 145 people braving Lake Junaluska’s chilly waters Feb. 4 to participate. 

A future addition to Western Carolina University’s gallery of presidential portraits was recently unveiled for the first time as the WCU Board of Trustees got a sneak peek at the recently completed likeness of Chancellor David O. Belcher.

Correction: In the March 1 issue, The Smoky Mountain News incorrectly reported that Jackson Neighbors in Need requested funding from the Jackson County Commissioners. The Southwestern Child Development Commission is the entity that requested the funding, as management of Jackson’s homeless shelter has transitioned from Neighbors in Need to the SWCDC. SMN regrets the error.

At approximately 11:40 a.m., Haywood County Schools Superintendent Anne Garrett received a call from the Haywood Community Learning Center in Waynesville. Learning Center staff reported hearing noises that sounded like gunfire in the distance. The Learning Center went into lockdown, notified law enforcement and notified the superintendent.

An "agvocate" is someone who advocates for agriculture. I didn't grow up on a farm,  perhaps like some of you. I had been caught up in myths and inaccuracies, some romantic and some just negative, about farming. This was thanks in part to clever marketing by brands, watching fearmongering documentaries, and reading books and articles that perpetuated either romantic or needlessly negative and inaccurate views about agriculture.

To the Editor:

Obviously, the GOP has won control of government for a brief while. The use of such language as “Obamacare has been a disaster from the beginning, and Americans can no longer sustain the crushing weight of its failures” just makes you look worse than you need to. Many people have benefited tremendously from Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), so it's too bad the GOP has an entrenched dogma that won't let them work to improve it. Let's try and move beyond haranguing and do what's best for the country. 

Having said that, we will continue to broadcast the Trump Organization's most egregious lies and gaffes, as well as his general lack of knowledge, skills, and abilities, given that he provides them in video format for us all to enjoy.

The Trump Organization's allegations of voter fraud should be investigated. They should not be allowed to make those allegations unchallenged, for it has a chilling effect on our democracy. Maybe that's their intent?

Bil Aylor

Swain County

To the Editor:

Everyone wants to feel safe. We want to protect our lives, our property and our jobs. When we see a threat to our safety, we react. Politicians know this and have used it to get elected since Roman times. Donald Trump has said immigrants are a threat, they are criminals, they steal our welfare and take our jobs. I promise you I will send them all home and build a great wall to keep them out, and America will be great again. This works on a gut level, no proof needed, “Everyone” knows it’s true.  

But of course it is not true. What follows are facts. If you don't believe in facts just skip to the last paragraph. “With few exceptions, immigrants are less crime prone than natives or have no effect on crime rates.” This is the conclusion of the Cato Institute, which was founded by Charles Koch — the same Charles Koch that liberals love to hate. You don’t need a think tank to know that this is true. If you are here illegally the last thing you want is any contact with any authorities.

Undocumented immigrants do not qualify for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits. These programs require proof of legal immigration status. They do send their children to school, they do use the emergency room, and access other local services, so there is a cost to the taxpayer. 

But they also pay lots of taxes; in 2010 they paid over $10.6 billion in state and local taxes. They are also paying over $15 billion a year in Social Security taxes with no intention of ever collecting any benefits. In fact, without that $15 billion a year Social Security would already be facing a shortfall to cover existing payouts.

My parents used to run motels, and their biggest problem was always finding women to clean the rooms every morning. If you grow vegetables, run a packing plant, need apples pickers, or kitchen help, most of the people willing to do this kind of work are here illegally. Why? Because they will work for less.

If you got laid off from your dry wall job because some Mexican will do it for less, whose fault is that? They are taking advantage of a system we created. As long as business want cheap labor and we want cheap apples, there will be a demand for undocumented labors who can be exploited.

Threatening to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants and build a beautiful wall will not solve any of these problems. In fact it will drive these workers deeper underground. That will inevitably increase crime and social unrest. It appears that Donald Trump does not really want to solve this problem, he is happy to let the big lie fester and keep his base happy.

Louis Vitale

Franklin

To the Editor:

People do not appear to understand how important it is that Obamacare be repealed with no replacement. Here is how it works. 

As a senior I live on Social Security with no raises for several years because 94 million people are not working enough, that is half time or not at all. That means the tax receipts are down and less money for government to spend.

When these working age people get a job, then money from payroll taxes will begin to refill federal and state coffers. But that will not happen because small businesses, the backbone of all business, will not hire due to this confiscatory and unreliable health care provisions.

So, people are still not working and small businesses are still not hiring. Elders still do not have an adequate income. School systems do not have enough working resources, newspapers reduce the number of pages because ads are off, and we who depend on vacationers are looking at empty motel rooms, and on and on.

Therefore, entirely eliminate all Obamacare and the 18,000 IRS brownshirts hired to enforce it and give the country a chance to go back to work, and junior can get out of his parents’ basement.

After total repeal they can start with a clean slate and figure out about the people who were unlucky enough to subscribe to Obamacare. They can always have a voucher for Medicare in the interim.

Sure, I’d like to see America great again, but for now let’s just get our mountain people back to work.

Cornelia Cree

Waynesville

To the Editor:

As a constituent of Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, I am disappointed that he did not use this congressional recess to hold a town hall meeting in his district. Instead, he visited a company in Fletcher that builds ultra-light pedal electric trikes and read stories to preschoolers. These activities are not inherently bad, but if he has the time to do these things, why can’t he find the time to hold a town hall? It’s true that he was interviewed by WHKP 1450 AM, but that does not qualify as a town hall. He has Facebook posts but neither does that qualify as a town hall.  

As a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group that has spearheaded the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it seems like he would want to discuss his repeal plan with us, because the repeal of the ACA affects many of his constituents directly and indirectly. We want to know what kind of health insurance we’re going to have next year. Will it cover preexisting conditions? Allow children to stay on their parents’ insurance plan till age 26? Cover prescription medications, and provide subsidies to make it more affordable? These questions deserve answers. I want to know if my mom, a cancer survivor, will still be covered and if she will receive subsidies to help pay for her premiums. He should meet with his constituents to answer questions like these.  

Last Tuesday I was among a group of around 100 of his constituents who visited his office in Waynesville to demand he hold a town hall meeting. His aide made us fill out papers with our concerns. Mr. Meadows’ constituents simply want an opportunity to air their concerns. That is how democracy is supposed to work.  

Nilofer Couture

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

Once there was once a busy, thriving community nestled in beautiful mountains that surrounded the town on all sides. Residents and tourists had the luxury of waking up each day to the majestic sight of the sun coming up over the mountains and the unspoiled beauty of their surroundings. Hikers came into town for meals and lodging and to participate in many celebrations. Tourists by the thousands came to enjoy the peace and tranquility this area had to offer.

What happened to cause this beautiful little town to die? 

The end started when the federal government lifted the restrictions on oil well drilling, fracking, forest cutting and pipeline use in and around the national parks. 

Lumber companies began cutting down trees at an alarming rate, stripping the mountains of their green beauty. The once pristine landscape was now dominated by ugly oil rigs as oil companies cleared thousands of acres for drilling. Fracking companies dug huge holes in the ground to catch their toxic waste water, the seepage from which eventually poisoned the town's water system. Companies were allowed to run gas and oil pipelines through the mountains where ever they saw an easy path and the entire area was shrouded in thick brown smog.

The mountains were now nothing more than bare ugly rocks, without trees or wildlife and only oil wells and pipelines as the view. The tourists stopped coming, for there was no beauty to see. Without the tourists the town's income fell to almost nothing, downtown businesses went bankrupt, stores closed and jobs disappeared. The end came very quickly for this small town and most of the residents had to move away to seek jobs elsewhere.

The little community is now one of those ghost towns that cause people passing through to ask, “what happened to this town?”

Do you think this is just a fantasy story or fairy tale? Well, you couldn't be more wrong.

Congress is now proposing legislation which could allow companies to do all those things in our national parks and the EPA is slashing environmental protections. If this happens, our beautiful little mountain towns could end up just like the town in the story.

Call your congressional representatives and demand that they not pass bills that would permit any of this in our national parks. These mountains are our home, our income and the future for our children; don't let them be destroyed. Call now and demand that they be saved.

Bob Schroeder

Franklin

To the Editor:

North Carolina state Sen. Jim Davis, Franklin, in a recent newspaper interview indicated he opposes the repeal of our state's notorious Bathroom Bill since he would never sacrifice our privacy.

I had thought that the rationale behind this law was the oppression and demeaning of transgender persons, so I was very glad to learn that Sen. Davis’ main concern is the privacy issue.

I'm glad because there is a simple, sure-fire, two-step method for ensuring privacy in public restrooms that does not require any government interference:

• If the bathroom has a stall, go into the stall, close the door and latch it.

• If there is no stall, lock the door to the bathroom.

Privacy ensured. Problem solved. And, almost certainly, Sen. Davis’ support for a full and unconditional repeal secured.

Bill Spencer

Cullowhee

Over the next few months, prescribed burns will be conducted on all four of North Carolina’s national forests.

A total of $201,000 has been awarded to 35 farm businesses in Western North Carolina as part of this year’s WNC Agricultural Options grant cycle.

Drought is creeping back into the area, with the number of counties designated as experiencing severe drought growing from four on Feb. 14 to 11 on Feb. 21, the most recent map available.

Of 4,000 U.S. bike shops, Motion Makers Bicycles and Bryson City Bicycles were selected as two of the 253 listed as America’s Best Bike Shops by the National Bicycle Dealers Association in 2016.

Work is underway to demolish some buildings and restore others in the Elkmont Historic District of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with some trail closures planned as a result.

 Tickets are now on sale for the Great American Solar Eclipse in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, available on a first-come, first-served basis for $30 apiece.

The Haywood County Arts Council has elected three new members to its Board of Directors. The new members, who will serve three-year terms, are Stephen Curry, Scott Parmele and Clara Schulte.

The Competition Teams of Triple Threat Performing Arts Academy in Sylva traveled to Asheville recently to compete in the regional event for Inspire Dance Competition.

Swain Specialty Clinic, the longstanding group of specialty physician practices at Swain Community Hospital, has expanded to a new space in the medical office building on the hospital campus on Hospital Hill.

Consolidated Metco, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of commercial vehicle truck components, will close its Bryson City plant by February 2018.