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Two of North Carolina’s largest managed care organizations recently announced they will consolidate in preparation for the state’s transformation to Medicaid managed care. 

Visitors who fed a bear peanut butter in Cades Cove received a citation from Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers after a witness provided video documentation of the incident.

After an investigation, the visitors confessed and were issued the citation on Thursday, June 3.  

By: Dr. Linda Sparks ND, LAc

While I am sure most folks like to drink to relax or for social reasons, some of us are drinking more than the body would like.  Alcohol can take its toll on the body and the mind, especially in larger quantities.

By Hylah Birenbaum

This August I will be celebrating my 50th birthday, so I decided that this year I am dedicating it to me with some self-care and self-love.

 Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN is the Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Markets. She can answer your questions about food from the farm to the plate, whether you want to know about nutrition, ingredients, preparation or farming practices. 

From the Rumble Team

There are a ton of classic movies about high schoolers. While these nostalgic films center on teens in high school, the feeling of opportunity, possibility and sheer joie de vivre make them captivating for all audiences. With graduation season fast approaching, and the excitement of the ensuing summer season, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites. Take a trip down memory lane and enjoy these high school classics. 

The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a symptomatic COVID-19 case at Silverbluff Early Education & Preschool in Canton.

By Emily Duvall

My high school experience embodies the saying, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” 

Q: Should I be buying local honey to prevent or relieve seasonal allergies?

May is National Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Awareness Month. More than 30,000 adults and kids in the United States have CF. In West Virginia, a CF survivor is currently winning her 37-year battle with the disease — thanks to her life-saving double lung transplant. Her transplant is not only allowing her to breathe easier; it is also the reason she will be celebrating a very special Mother’s Day this year with her daughter.

National nonprofit credit counseling agency Take Charge America explains the fiscal flubs young adults should avoid to build a strong financial foundation after graduation.

Memorial Day Weekend Events

The shift to remote learning during the pandemic caused angst for parents, but it also led to unexpected benefits that they may find hard to let go of as their children return to school.

When we think of spring cleaning we typically think of scrubbing, mopping, organizing, and generally getting our homes back in shape. But why is it that we only do it in the spring or fall? What if we didn’t have to do it at all? Obviously we need to keep everything clean, but not many people enjoy taking two or three full days to just get down and dirty and clean the dark recesses and corners.

Are you a creature of habit when it comes to buying produce? How about trying some new/different items! 

The gut and the mind are more connected than one might think. There is a reason we use expressions like “butterflies in my stomach,” or “go with your gut.” There is a reason you feel nauseous in certain situations.

The “Harriet Tubman — Journey to Freedom” sculpture will be on public display in Sylva, North Carolina from Sept. 20 to mid-December 2021.

If you are uninsured or underinsured, there are still available resources so you can get the help you need. Here is a list of agencies, nonproits and crisis lines available in Western North Carolina.

Meditation looks different for everyone and that’s OK. There’s no right way or wrong way to meditate — if you do it regularly, you’re probably doing it right. 

There's a lot of information as well as misinformation about food and nutrition these days. It can definitely get confusing. 

CVS Health recently announced new initiatives to support women’s health and wellness in May, including offering no-cost heart health screenings from May 9 through May 15 at MinuteClinic to help women understand their risk for heart disease — the number one killer of women. 

CLYDE – A deep pipe failure under the eastbound lanes of U.S. 19/23 between Clyde and Canton near Crawford Memorial Gardens will have traffic down to one lane in each direction for about one month.

As one of the largest employers in Western North Carolina, Harrah's Cherokee Casinos is taking a strong approach to market their current employment opportunities and bring new talent to its ever-growing team. 

Clinic for 16-18- year-olds planned

Haywood County Health and Human Services is partnering with Haywood Community College to host a special COVID-19 vaccine clinic for teens 16-18 and their families from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19 at the HCC campus.

Many colleges and universities will be requiring shots when students begin the fall semester. And with summer activities nearing, now is the perfect time for young adults to prepare by choosing to get vaccinated. 

This special mobile clinic will offer Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on a drive-up basis, no appointment required, on the campus of HCC. Students under the age of 18 will need parent or guardian consent to get vaccinated. Family members of students are also eligible to get vaccinated at this clinic if they so choose.

For vaccine appointment or appointment questions call: 828.356.2019, Option 1.

For general COVID-19 information visit www.haywoodcountync.gov/684/COVID-19-Information.

Macon registering ages 12-15 for vaccine

With the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory panel set to authorize the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in those aged 12 to 15, Macon County’s Vaccine Call Center will begin to pre-register children, should their parents wish for them to be vaccinated once the vaccine has been approved. 

No Pfizer clinics are currently planned, though the public and those who pre-register will be notified once appointments become available for the Pfizer vaccine with Macon County Public Health.

Side effects in this age group were similar to that of the age 16 to 25 group which included fever, pain at the injection site, and cold like symptoms lasting no longer than 72 hours after the injection.

Parents who want their child to receive the COVID-19 vaccine must call 828.524.1500 to pre-register. 

WCU clinic taking walk-ins 

Western Carolina University’s regional COVID-19 vaccine clinic is now accepting walk-ins on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Participants will be able to choose the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine when they arrive. 

The walk-in hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. 

The clinic is operating out of WCU’s Health and Human Sciences Building, located at 3971 Little Savannah Rd. in Cullowhee. 

For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit vaccine.wcu.edu.

Vaya Health is encouraging Western North Carolinians to check up on their own emotional wellbeing in May as the nation observes Mental Health Month.

Fruits & Vegetables at Ingles Markets

BY PETER H. LEWIS, Asheville Watchdog

HCA Healthcare, which owns and operates Mission Hospital in Asheville, reported this month that it made $1.4 billion in profits for the first three months of 2021, more than double the amount for the same period last year. 

Have you heard the term "nutrient dense"? This often means something very different than calorie dense.

The Nina Simone Project (NSP) on Saturday, May 1, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Nina Simone Archive, a milestone 15 years in the making.

Leigh-Ann Renz is offering a special retreat-style workshop at Waynesville Yoga over Mother’s Day weekend. 

Self-care is necessary for all women because it's revitalizing and relaxing, especially after a long day's work. Successful women know the importance of self-care because, in order to focus on building a successful career, you must first make it a priority to take care of yourself. When people think about self-care, they typically think about bubble baths and things only reserved for once in a blue moon. While bubble baths and other typical types of self-care are great, other activities can drastically improve a woman's day-to-day life. 

Following the results of a mental evaluation, a judge on Monday ordered the release of an Oregon woman accused in March 2019 of tipping over 61 gravestones in Graham County.

A Murphy man who triggered an investigation into his own drug-dealing activities admitted in Graham County Superior Court to trafficking methamphetamine.

Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a COVID-19 cluster at the Haywood County Detention Center. Over the last week five incarcerated persons, all in the same pod, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Try this recipe at home! You have all the ingredients, and you can cook it slow or fast. When it’s done you have good, nutritious food in the form of nutritious soil that feeds your plants with a healthy diet. If you’re growing vegetables, they will return the favor and nourish you with healthier produce than big agriculture can provide.

Celebrate Earth Day

• Celebrate the annual migration of the sicklefin redhorse, a crucial fish species in the Hiwassee River Valley with an educational viewing Thursday, April 22, at Welch Farm in Marble, hosted by Mainspring Conservation Trust and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Attend at 8 a.m. or 6 p.m. to watch aquatic biologists tag the many fish that will be caught in fyke nets in the Valley River. For directions, visit www.mainspringconserves.org/be-a-mainspring/properties/welch-farm.

By Susan Mahoney, CNO/Clinical Leader, Haywood Regional Medical Center

Life has changed in ways both big and small over the last year. Plans were suspended and priorities shifted as we cautiously made our way through a situation that we had never experienced, much less imagined would happen.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and here are some staggering statistics about how child abuse impacts children, their families and their future.

By Hannah Minick • Guest Columnist | To say that we are currently living in unprecedented times is an understatement, and it is absolutely true. If there is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me, it is that we are all connected and what affects one of us affects all of us. As we have learned, the time period we are in requires innovative and collaborative community solutions as we move forward together, through the multitude of issues and challenges we collectively face. I believe it is imperative for our community, Haywood County, to continue to proactively implement evidence-based community interventions.   

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Since last Earth Day the Atlantic hurricane season saw a record number of storms and the rapid intensification of storms. Dry conditions and record temperatures in the West produced one of the worst fire seasons ever. Sea level rises and entire villages have to relocate. 

To the Editor:

Why do we do it? Why do stand out in the rain, wind, snow, and hot sun for eight hours (sometimes more)? Who are we?

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While lawmakers at the federal level stall on a $15 per hour minimum wage, let’s remember that we don’t have to wait. We can do what 29 other states have done and raise our state minimum wage. We just need the political will to do it.  

Western North Carolina teenager Evy Leibfarth will represent the United States in the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo this year after placing first in two Olympic Team Trials competitions last week. 

Despite a continued pause on distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and flagging demand for appointments, the past week saw continued progress on local vaccination rates and a reversal of the upward trend in confirmed cases.

Mountain Heritage Day, the festival of cultural traditions presented by Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, is again being planned as a live, in-person event on Saturday, Sept. 25.

Leigh Forrester, who served as executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) for four years has announced her retirement, effective May 31. 

Q: Are there herbal teas that I could drink that will help with weight gain during pre-menopause or menopause?

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year is extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.  It is estimated that one in five people have unclaimed Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) monies available to them, that can only be accessed through filing taxes.