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To the Editor:
I received several campaign ads for Thom Tillis over the past several weeks. The ads say “I’ve cut your taxes before — and I’ll cut your taxes again, and again, because you deserve to keep more of your hard-earned money.”
To the Editor:
Recently we have read about the discovery of the universe black hole by astronomers. The United States is about to enter a black hole of our own if Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win the presidential election.
To the Editor:
If you’re a Republican planning to steal the election, here’s how you do it.
To the Editor:
As a Jackson County resident, I am excited to vote for the indoor pool at the Jackson County Recreation Center. This pool could be used for so many activities such as swimming, pool parties, exercise classes, water aerobics, SUP yoga, and serve the needs of many people who suffer from medical conditions and injuries.
Several years of research, compilation and collaboration by two writers from Western Carolina University have resulted in a scholarly book about Horace Kephart, a pivotal and sometimes controversial figure in the region from the early 20th century.
Haywood County water treatment plants received top honors among the 55 plants honored statewide with the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award for surpassing state and federal drinking water standards in 2019.
Two lifeguards at the Waynesville Recreation Center have been officially certified as American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructors.
Friends of the Smokies raised $53,000 to support the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the second annual Smokies Cup, held Sept. 17-19 at the Biltmore Sporting Clays Club.
By Carrie Griffin
We opened 828 Market 15 months ago. We’ve really enjoyed making soups for the market. We’ve just eased back in to making them since shutting down the kitchen due to Covid and it’s bringing back memories of which soups guests liked and the stories they’d tell me about soup recipes they grew up with. Seems like soup and memories go hand in hand.
Early voting runs from Thursday, Oct. 15 through Oct. 31. Early voting sites in The Smoky Mountain News coverage area will include:
Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting four COVID-19 deaths. The individuals died within the last few weeks either at Mission Health or at Haywood Regional Medical Center.
Haywood County Health Director, Patrick Johnson, recently confirmed that two residents of Haywood County has been diagnosed with La Crosse Encephalitis Virus (LACV).
Whittier resident Billy Hicks, 48, is being held without bond in the Jackson County Detention Center after his wife Danielle Hicks, 34, died as the result of a gunshot wound.
Macon County Public Health has identified a cluster of employees at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office who have tested positive for COVID-19.
NC MedAssist is partnering with Swain County Health Department to host a Mobile Free Pharmacy event, providing residents in need with free over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Such items include cough and cold medicine, vitamins, allergy medication, first aid supplies, etc. This partnership comes at a crucial time, when remaining healthy and stopping the spread of germs is more essential than ever.
An initiative by Cyndy Caravelis, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Western Carolina University, will include a pilot program to use a therapy dog to aid domestic violence victims and their families in Jackson County.
Life in quarantine is hard. 2020 is hard. And if you’re feeling the stress and pain and heartache of this year, I suggest you write it out.
By Heather Hyatt Packer • Guest Columnist | When our government leaders deliberately mislead or lie to us, there is no immediate consequence. We would never hire or retain an employee who lacks personal integrity or responsibility, yet we seem to accept that the lack of integrity in political leadership is the norm — even at the local level.
To the Editor:
“I hope they both die” are words expressed by some lefty Trump haters when they heard that President Trump and the first lady tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. This attitude is no surprise because the name calling, scandal tattling, mocking, dredging up of prior comments and false accusations are what we are subjected to from some supporters on both sides.
To the Editor:
I recently received a mailer from the Trump campaign purportedly to tell the truth about what Trump has accomplished. However, several of Trump’s accomplishments were omitted in the brochure.
To the Editor:
I noticed in your Sept. 30 edition that all your letters to the editor are nothing but political ads catering to the socialist left. Also they contain many lies.
To the Editor:
Trump tends to project onto others what he is planning to do or has done. When he says that Democrats can’t win the election without cheating, what he really means is that he needs to cheat to win. We have seen this being before our eyes with Trump and Republicans dismantling of the Postal Service to hinder delivery of mail in ballots, removal of voting locations in a number of states controlled by Republicans, and various forms of voter suppression.
To the Editor:
Simply put, I’m a Texas tourist (airline pilot on leave of absence) who was on my first trip to the Hendersonville area in our motorhome. This morning, my wife of four decades mentioned Waynesville for about the fifth time, and I decided a convertible cruise down the parkway with lunch and shopping in Waynesville was in order.
A visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park died Tuesday, Sept. 29, following a cardiac event in Cades Cove.
Gordon Meyers, retired executive director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, has received the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ top honor in recognition of his 30-year career with the Commission.
The official 2021 Great Smoky Mountains Association wall calendar, featuring stunning macro photography of butterflies and moths found in the Smokies, is now available for purchase.
A new subscription-based program from the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont aims to connect families through nature-based activities and learning.
As the 2020 election draws near, The Smoky Mountain News will continue to interview all willing candidates at the local, state and federal level to give voters the information they need before casting a ballot.
Macon County’s Robert C. Carpenter Community Building will begin to open under limited capacity.
William Ray Hartsell, 27, of Charlotte, was arrested in Haywood County on Sept. 23 by the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division.
In September, students in Dr. Bucky Dann’s Social Problems class hosted debates featuring candidates for national and local office.
Have you ever been cooking or baking and unintentionally left out or forgotten an ingredient? Sometimes missing that one crucial ingredient can ruin a dish or a baked product. A recipe is a little like a performance in a theatre; each ingredient has a role or a purpose. Without that ingredient you may end up with a failed dish or baked item or one that disappoints in terms of quality.
Part of our goal here at Rumble is to start and continue conversations among women. We want to know what’s important to you, what’s weighing heavy on your mind? What problems can we help each other solve? What questions can we help you answer?
Following a phased reopening plan, the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center is pleased to announce it will reopen (some services limited) to the public Oct. 5. Opening hours will be 5:30 a.m. to noon and 2 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The facility is closed on Sundays.
The Dogwood Health Trust Board of Directors announced today that Antony Chiang is stepping down from his role as Chief Executive Officer. The Board expects to appoint an interim CEO while conducting a search for a permanent leader.
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced Thursday that Jim Moore has joined the 43rd Prosecutorial District as an assistant district attorney.
City director quits, cites resistance, lack of support
By Sally Kestin
AVL Watchdog
The CEO of the YWCA of Asheville has quit, becoming the second Black woman in a month to leave a high-profile job with a mission of improving racial equity in the city.
A Jackson County man who crashed into an Ohio couple’s car last year along U.S. 23/441, seriously injuring both, must serve active time in prison, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said Tuesday.
By Jonathan Austin
Susan Austin was 56 when she saw an ad on television about how women should be doing self exams to see if they can find lumps in their breasts. Obvious lumps can be an early sign of breast cancer.
Several local youth have been named winners at the WNC Youth Livestock Expo, which took place at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher over two weekends beginning Sept. 11.
A man was pronounced dead after suffering a cardiac event on Friday, Sept. 25, along Laurel Creek Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
We all want to help. In today’s world, chances are we all know someone whose life has been impacted by Breast Cancer. While that knowledge is daunting — and somewhat overwhelming — it also drives us to help make whatever difference we can.
An online series of agriculture workshops for kids ages 8 to 11 will soon launch for the fall, offering a one-hour class at 4 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month.
The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Transylvania County has been awarded the prestigious designation of International Dark Sky Park, recognizing the exceptional quality of the night sky over PARI and its commitment to education outreach.
To the Editor:
First, we had to deal with Haywood County School Superintendent Bill Nolte’s ridiculous posting of white kids working on a farm to which he added: “Even white kids picked cotton.” This at a time when systemic racial inequalities have, yet again, come to the forefront of our supposed conscience as a nation. And he arrogantly mentioned that we should just read a book to understand his posted photo and for us not to be ignorant.
Now I read a quote from Nolte insulting and disparaging Gov. Roy Cooper for “... giving us two plans at once” regarding our childrens return to the classroom. No, Dr. Nolte, you are flat-out wrong and with an election this close I can only discern that you are slamming the governor. The governor gave our school board, the people who hired you, the option to do a full return for elementary kids but not the older kids. It is your employer, the Haywood County School Board, that voted 5 to 2 to give you the mixed plan that we will be operating under.
So first I suggest, if necessary, you look up the definition of option and compare that to a mandate. Secondly, if you still feel that it’s a crazy set-up you are facing, stand up and address your bosses, the school board. Tell them how disappointed and aggrieved you are about how they voted.
But the last thing you should do is attack the governor because following the science, he and the Secretary of Health and Human Services decided it was fair to put the elementary school option out there for local officials to have more leeway. Read: more choice, not less as you infer.
Governor Cooper has been attacked, unfairly, by Trump for not opening up our state fast enough. Georgia and North Carolina have nearly the same population yet Georgia, an early opening state, has twice the deaths of our state. South Carolina, with only half our population, also opened early and has about the same number of fatalities that our state has. I feel that Gov. Cooper has done a good job in protecting us and you, Dr. Nolte, took a cheap, uneducated shot at him.
I have no grievance with the school board on this issue, but since you are mad about what has been placed upon you, just call your bosses up and do the right thing. Complain to them about their decision and how frustrated you are by their actions. Or are you not ready to prepare a new resume? Stop treating us, the people who voted your bosses in, like ignorant fools. Or are you deceptively telling us to vote all the school board members out of office and elect newcomers? Hmmmmmm ....
Bob Clark
Waynesville
To the Editor:
In the upcoming District 119 House of Representatives race between Rep. Joe Sam Queen and Mike Clampitt, I urge voters to consider what “mountain values” mean to you. The biggest issue facing our people is access to healthcare, particularly during the time of coronavirus. We need affordable access to medical care to test for and treat coronavirus, not to mention for a host of other medical issues. Our hospital needs Medicaid expansion to keep its doors open, both to keep jobs in Haywood County and to care for our people.
Republican members of the state legislature have willfully refused to expand Medicaid. There is no good reason for this, as our taxpayer dollars are already being put towards this expansion. The money that we pay into this system, around $10 million between Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties, is being exported to other states who have already expanded Medicaid. Our people are suffering, while other states are reaping the benefits of our taxpayer money.
Rep. Joe Sam Queen understands this deeply. In fact, it is the main issue he speaks on, and it is near and dear to his heart. “Mountain values” should start first and foremost with taking care of our own people, and ensuring that our people have the opportunity to lead healthy lives. Whether you fall on the Democratic or Republican side of the aisle, I urge you to consider what truly affects the lives of you and your neighbors when you cast your ballot this fall.
Abigail Ahlberg
Frog Level
To the Editor:
If you or any of your loved ones has a pre-existing medical condition and private medical insurance, you should be aware of a serious threat to your coverage.
Before the Affordable Care Act (“Obama Care”), insurance corporations were allowed to cancel insurance or deny your policy in the first place if they felt you had a pre-existing condition. The ACA for the first time did away with this cruel practice that cut off thousands from treatment for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. Over 120 million Americans were protected.
So it is with anger — but not surprise — that I read Thom Tillis’ campaign materials bragging that he is 100 percent for protecting Americans’ health.
Really? He is 100 percent with President Trump in pledging to destroy the Affordable Care Act. He has in fact voted against it on the Senate floor where heroes like John McCain stopped this travesty. Now Tillis is eager to appoint a judge to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg and push the Supreme Court to wipe out the protections of the ACA once and for all.
The Republican plan to replace the ACA? Madison Cawthorn says it’s to have more corporate insurance companies get their share of the pie (16 to 20 percent of your dollars goes to their profit).
Mike Clampitt also opposes the ACA and also refuses to expand Medicaid. In Ohio, it was expanding Medicaid that brought down the opioid death toll by over 50 percent, according to the Republican governor.
Tillis, like Trump, offers no plan to replace the ACA. Since 2016, Trump has stated at least 8 times that the “greatest health care ever” was just weeks away. There is no such plan.
However, there is a plan to undermine Medicare and Medicaid, and 75 percent of WNC families have at least one member in those programs. Even the ultimate “socialist” program — Social Security — is under threat. As Trump said at the Davos Economic Forum on CNBC last year, it’s all “on the table — but only after the election.” Very sneaky, but at least the billionaires got their tax cut
Steve Wall
Waynesville
To the Editor:
President Trump issued an executive order that between September 1 and the end of this year, employees within a certain salary range are not required to pay the 6.2 percent of their salaries normally paid toward Social Security.
This is a measure Trump has taken to alleviate economic stress during the pandemic, and theoretically, this tax will have to be repaid in 2021. However, many see Trump’s executive order as the first step in a process of ending Social Security.
Republicans have wanted to get rid of Social Security for a long time, and Trump says that if he is re-elected, he will eliminate the Social Security payroll tax entirely. At a White House press conference in August, he said, “After the election … we will be terminating that tax.”
If Trump and the Republicans succeed in terminating the payroll tax, that will be the end of Social Security and Medicare — perhaps as early as 2023.
For some people with large retirement savings, this might only cause a dent in the budget. For millions of others, it would mean poverty.
Emily Wright
Highlands
To the Editor:
There is a defiant child in the White House, and he is our President.
He is not adhering to rules, or the rule of law and when he commits crimes he attempts to have the law adjusted to his ways and not charged as violations.
When Trump screws up, he blames others, oh “Jimmy did it,” or covers it up with plots and hides the truth, like a child would.
Or he is defiant and yells when he doesn’t get his way. He uses name calling, nicknames, he is the bully in chief, and his temper fits are heard throughout the people’s house.
He is never listening to his staff that could warn or correct him. And Donald doesn’t get his homework done, reading what he should so he doesn’t know how to direct the country’s security or protect its health. He lies to cover up what he can’t use to keep his empire or office going. Behind doors he says what he really thinks, lies in his press briefings and rallies, speaking with a “fork tongue” to the citizens of this country. People died needlessly from COVID-19; and children have been forever traumatized when they have been taken away from their parents with his directives in the past.
He spreads fear in the hearts of women like myself, or tries to make me fearful. And like a defiant child he takes no responsibility for his actions or inactions, even says that to the American people, as in the case of COVID. He gives states the task to deal with it and then bullies the blue states that attempt to follow scientific policies that save lives.
And like a bad behaving child goes off to pursue what he enjoys while people keep dying from the pandemic. He calls the people in the military names while they risk their lives to keep us safe. While people mourn those lost to COVID, he continues to divide us by pitting one ethnic group against another.
From a suburban housewife.
Susan Norsworthy
Lake Junaluska
To the Editor:
I woke up the day after the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a mix of fear, anger, and resolve. I’m afraid of the threat to the rights that Justice Ginsburg defended throughout her career, like LGBTQ+ equality and reproductive freedom. I’m angry that our democratic institutions seem to hang on the life of one woman, who held so much weight during her life, right to the end.
But I’m resolved, more than ever, to honor her legacy by organizing to defeat Donald Trump, flip the U.S. Senate, and ensure that no replacement justice is selected until the next presidential term begins.
As a youth organizer with NextGen North Carolina, I can attest to the incomparable youth voter enthusiasm this year. We know what is at stake. Progress on issues from affordable healthcare and climate action to immigrant rights and addressing systemic racism are on the ballot this fall, as is the fate of the Supreme Court.
I’m calling Sen. Thom Tillis’s office today and every day to demand he refuse a vote on the Supreme Court pick until our voices are heard, and I’m mailing in my ballot to vote for the representation we deserve. Join me.
Nicole Skinner
(Skinner lives in Asheville and is the WNC Regional Organizer Director for NextGen North Carolina)
