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Just as it was about to expire at the end of March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an extension of the national ban that temporarily halts evictions for millions of renters. The new order extends the moratorium to June 30, 2021. An estimated 435,000 North Carolinians are currently behind on their rent.

The order requires that renters meet certain criteria, including:

  • Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly, or up to $99,000 for individuals.
  • Show they have sought government assistance to pay their rent.
  • Declare they are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19.
  • Affirm they are likely to become homeless or will be forced to stay with friends or family if they are evicted.
  • Show they have lost income.

Renters must fill out and submit a copy of the CDC declaration form – available at local courthouses and also www.pisgahlegal.org/federal-eviction-moratorium/. Renters should submit the form in English to their landlords or to their local court. Pisgah Legal advises keeping another dated copy as well.

Pisgah Legal Services Executive Director Jim Barrett says, “This is very good news for many folks across the country and those right here in our mountain region. Federal relief is on its way, and we hope this extension will allow for the time that is needed to get these funds to those who are worried about losing their homes.”

He continued, “In the meantime, we encourage people to fill out the CDC form and work with their landlords to pay what they can because the moratorium does not mean that rent is forgiven. And if they have questions or need additional help to contact Pisgah Legal Services.”  

In addition to the moratorium, renters should also know these basic rights:

  1. A tenant cannot be made to move from a rental home without a court order.  Tenants have a right to appear in court and defend themselves. Any attempt made to remove a tenant by anyone or any means except the Sheriff’s Department is illegal.  
  2. In most cases, landlords cannot legally terminate a tenant’s electricity, water, or heat source as a method of forcing them to leave a rental unit.  
  3. Do not move out without talking to an attorney. Tenants may have rights and defenses that they do not know about.  There may be financial resources available tenants are unaware of.  Even if a tenant is behind in rent, do not move out without finding out your options. Eviction actions can happen quickly without an attorney, and they can be slowed down to prevent homelessness with the aid of an attorney.

Pisgah Legal Services, a nonprofit that provides free civil legal aid in Western North Carolina, continues to assist people with low incomes. Staff and volunteer attorneys are helping clients and taking new applications for assistance with critical needs that include:

  • evictions and foreclosures
  • domestic violence
  • coping with debts and avoiding scams
  • unemployment and other government benefits 
  • and health care.

Need Help?
If you or someone you know needs help, call Pisgah Legal’s main phone lines at 828-253-0406, or 800-489-6144. Online applications are also being accepted: www.pisgahlegal.org/free-legal-assistance. Pisgah Legal staff and volunteer attorneys continue to work remotely and will be in touch via phone and/or email.  

About Pisgah Legal Services
Since 1978, nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services has provided free civil legal aid to help people with low incomes seek justice and meet their basic needs. Pisgah Legal provides a broad array of legal services in 11 WNC counties and offers health and immigration law services in 18 counties. Last year PLS served more than 20,000 people across the mountain region.

PLS has offices in Asheville, Burnsville, Brevard, Hendersonville, Highlands/Cashiers, Marshall, Newland, and Rutherfordton. In addition to the attorneys on staff, Pisgah Legal relies heavily on the pro bono legal services of approximately 300 volunteer attorneys.

Want to Help Others?

You can aid this important work. Giving online is fast, easy and secure at www.pisgahlegal.org/give or contact Development Director Ally Wilson by phone at 828-210-3444 or via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 2276, Asheville, N.C.  28802

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The International Friendship Center, the Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers and Vecinos have hosted six weekly Latino COVID-19 vaccine clinics since mid-February, providing vaccines to several hundred of our Latinx neighbors, and plan more clinics in the coming weeks.

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Easter Celebrations

Chronic stress can cause depression, anxiety, insomnia headaches and other symptoms that affect our health. During Stress Awareness Month in April, HopeWay – an accredited nonprofit mental health residential and day treatment center for adults – is offering helpful tips to reduce and manage stress.

By Heather Nation

Editor’s note: In recognizing World Autism Awareness Day April 2, we typically think of parents’ stories of challenges and triumphs after their child is diagnosed. But when Heather reached out to me with her story, it resonated and I wanted to share it with other women.

Q: What are some “keto-friendly” foods that Ingles sells? 

The farmers market in Bryson City is growing, with Swain County Cooperative Extension and the Swain County Tourism Development Authority collaborating to plan an expanded and enhanced market this season. 

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A six-part podcast mini-series exploring the intersection of Black history and Southern Appalachian music through the Great Smoky Mountains Association is now launching. 

“Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music” is hosted by Dr. William Turner and Ted Olson, surveying the many Black roots and branches of Southern Appalachian music by sharing research, listening to recordings and interviewing contemporary Black musicians and experts in music history. 

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park hopes to help visitors experience the Smokies story in a new way thanks to a partnership with the University of Tennessee Extension Institute of Agriculture and the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

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A delay in supplies for the Ramsey Prong Bridge replacement project is causing an extended closure for Ramsey Prong Road and Greenbrier Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

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The first-ever drive-thru Winter Lights experience at the N.C. Arboretum brought record numbers of people to see the bright holiday display, though the event netted fewer proceeds than previous years that used the traditional walking format. 

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Bob Clark • Guest Columnist | The request to the Haywood County commissioners from the Sheriff’s Department for $15 million to expand the county jail helped create a great opportunity for the commissioners. That opportunity arose when a significant, broad-based and factual public response was made questioning whether some of that money wouldn’t be better spent to help people stay out of jail as well as out of our clogged court system.

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By Dr. J. Scott Hinkle • Guest Columnist | The COVID-19 crisis is winding down. This time last year we were thrust into panic, social distancing, masking, and hopelessness. Today, another crisis is revealed, namely mental health problems that will be felt for years after the pandemic is over. Many people are experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness and isolation.

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To the Editor:

I’m beginning to understand what Benjamin Franklin meant when encountering a woman on the street following the constitutional convention. “Mr. Franklin, what have you bequeathed us?”  His reply: “A republic, Madam, if you can keep it.”

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To the Editor:

I have often been critical of our educational system for being more enamored of trendy fashions than common sense. Except for specialized fields, a degree from a university may be a net negative for a student. The higher up the prestige ladder one goes, the more this applies.

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A new grant from the Center for Craft is supporting an effort to share traditional metal working techniques with the western North Carolina community. 

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Downtown Waynesville Association Executive Director Buffy Phillips has apparently told members of the DWA executive board that she plans to resign when a replacement can be hired, according to a report in The Mountaineer newspaper.

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Mountain Pediatric Group’s Canton location, temporarily closed during the pandemic, has now reopened and is accepting new patients. 

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By Sally Kestin | Asheville Watchdog

They taught students in school, delivered the mail, advised Congress, and served the country in wartime and peace.

One led public affairs for NASA and became the voice of launch control for Apollo space missions. Another was a composer and pianist who played in the original Mickey Mouse Orchestra.

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Key Updates:

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  • The Haywood County mass vaccination site will be at the Smoky Mountain Event Center (Fairgrounds) next week.

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Macon County Public Health received notification that two Macon County residents diagnosed with COVID-19 have passed away.

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SYLVA – Just one short phase remains before a major bridge project in Jackson County is functionally complete.

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To the Editor:

As a member of the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community in Jackson County, the attack in Atlanta on the Asian American community was shocking and heart breaking, but not really surprising. Violence against Asian Americans has increased by 150% in 2020 during the Covid 19 pandemic with more than 2800 hate incidents recorded by the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate.

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To the Editor:

Protecting our freedom of speech may be one circumstance where liberals, conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, Independents virtually all Americans can agree and unify. When did we begin to lose that freedom?  

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To the Editor:

I can’t recall ever writing a letter to the editor in all my 64 years; but I feel compelled to do so now. I received my first COVID Moderna vaccination today, administered by Haywood County at the Lambuth Inn, Lake Junaluska. My husband received his first vaccination last week at the fairgrounds and raved about what an impressive operation it was; but hearing about it didn’t have the same effect as seeing it for myself.

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Help keep WNC’s hiking trails in shape by joining on of the Carolina Mountain Club’s many ongoing maintenance crews. 

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Haywood County Health and Human Services have received notice of another COVID-19 death, bringing the total number now to 94.

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By Tom Fiedler | Asheville Watchdog — Back in 2006, when Scott Shuford was Asheville’s planning director, he reluctantly accepted a friend’s invitation to attend a meeting about the impact of climate change on local governments. 

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Thomas “Tommy” Glenn Palmer, 38, recently admitted in a Jackson County courtroom he shot and killed his stepfather, Tim Norris, in February 2016, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.

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When a registered nurse and an engineer combine passion with determination, beautiful things happen. Kyle Holman and Athena Garcia-Holman moved to Western North Carolina from Kansas City on January 1, 2017. It was a new year and a new beginning for this couple who traveled with their dog and young daughter halfway across the country in search of self-sustaining farmland.

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To the Editor:

In last week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News the editor gave us his thoughts of the bill in Congress to address childhood poverty by giving middle-income and low-income families $300 or $250 per child per month (until the child reaches 18 years of age in the original plan).

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To the Editor:

In the recent election Joe Biden received a majority of 7.1 million popular votes and 74 Electoral College votes. With this overwhelming number of votes, he could have lost the election if his opponent had received 270 of the 538 total electoral votes. With only a 65,000-vote swing from the 7.1 million majority this could have happened. Five times in history presidential candidates have won the popular vote and lost the Electoral College.

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Key Updates:  Haywood County’s Mass Vaccination clinic will move this week to a new temporary location at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska due to a scheduling conflict at the Smoky Mountain Event Center. A separate press release on this change will be forthcoming. As always, this clinic is only for those with an appointment.

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Haywood Community College recently held a Groundbreaking Ceremony on campus for the Health Sciences Education Building. During the ceremony, those in attendance heard remarks from HCC Board of Trustees Chair George Marshall, HCC President Dr. Shelley White, Haywood Healthcare Foundation Chair Anthony Sutton and Haywood County Board of Commissioners Chair Kevin Ensley.

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Gibbins Advisors is scheduling an informational online meeting open to all communities in Western North Carolina served by Mission Health. The webinar will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 7.

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