Perhaps it’s because Haywood County residents haven’t seen such a measure since the Truman administration, but the wording on the county’s alcohol sales referenda has left many voters confused as to what, exactly, they’re being asked.

Two organizations hoping to manage an estimated $20 million in restricted funds resulting from the sale of Haywood Regional Medical Center to Duke LifePoint in 2014 made their case Oct. 17 to the Haywood County Board of Commissioners.

Thom Morgan isn’t the type to be star struck. 

When a location scout approached him two years ago about filming a major movie at his mansion in Waynesville, the agent hoping to sell him on the idea ticked off the famous comedians in the playbill for “Masterminds,” a true-crime comedy about an armored car heist in Charlotte in the late 1990s.

Some employees in the Haywood County school system will see more money in their paychecks this month, thanks to state legislators.

A cadre of curious animals gathers at the gate as Joe Moore, owner of Indian Springs Farms in Bethel, approaches the pasture. 

“Hello girls,” he says, addressing the herd of bright-eyed, tuft-headed alpacas. As he opens the door, some draw near to sniff his shirt or hands, while others — the shier ones, presumably — hang back to gauge the situation from afar.

Haywood County Commission candidates faced off last Thursday at a forum hosted by The Mountaineer, and while there wasn’t a lot of dissention among them, the questions they received provide insight into the needs and wants of Haywood County residents.

Although Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have overshadowed nearly every other political campaign in the country, that doesn’t mean that those other campaigns aren’t important.

On Tuesday Nov. 8, voters in Haywood County will decide from amongst a slew of candidates seeking election to the Haywood County Board of Education in a non-partisan race. 

Children, the elderly, the ill, the mentally challenged and the incarcerated in Haywood County all have at least one thing in common: in the event of an emergency or evacuation, they might not be able to move to safety quickly or efficiently.

This November, voters will have another choice to make at the polls — whether to allow beer and or wine sales in areas of Haywood County that currently don’t offer such conveniences.