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By Tom Fiedler
The legendary Miami Beach police chief Rocky Pomerance was asked in an interview with People magazine why he so passionately believed in the importance of police work. “Because,” he said, “we are the only social-service agency you can call on for help after 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.”
Several events typically on the fall semester calendar at Western Carolina University are canceled for 2020 as part of significant changes to campus activities necessitated by state and health care professional guidance in response to COVID-19.
As part of its mission to continuously provide communication solutions that evolve with the needs of our world, TekTone (based in Franklin, N.C.) has acquired majority ownership in Stay Smart Care, a company whose expertise lies in Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solutions. Stay Smart Care will operate as a subsidiary of TekTone, allowing the two companies to provide a wider variety of intercommunication solutions and resources to care providers in a variety of markets.
Entering the eighth grade, it didn’t look likely that Logan would get a Big Brother. Big Brothers Big Sisters has a harder time matching older “Littles” than it does younger ones. But BBBS Haywood County lucked up when Dustin, a swim instructor and lifeguard, came to the rescue.
To the Editor:
When it comes to the internet, I am the first to proclaim myself as a troll. Although I do appreciate Haywood County Commissioner Mark Pless’ extreme level of pettiness recently when lashing out at a constituent’s $16 dollar tax bill from seven years ago on his personal social media, I am appalled at his lack of professionalism. I am even more so disturbed by his lack of humility and self-awareness.
To the Editor:
Inequality plays out in all aspects of American life. For the past few weeks we have been consumed by policing, judicial and legal inequality, ignited by the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis, which has played out through massive international demonstrations followed by signs of improvement. Economic inequality today is the source of so many of our societal woes.
To the Editor:
Don’t know who to vote for yet on Nov. 3 for Rep. Mark Meadows’ vacant U.S. House seat? Perhaps this will help with your decision.
To the Editor:
Donald Trump talks about making America great again. But he ignores two sins that haunt America. Those sins must be atoned. They are: our ancestors took North America from indigenous people, killing thousands in the process; two, our ancestors developed/exploited vast resources with African slave labor. Those two groups (victims of greed) were denied the wealth generated from North American resources.
A new report from the National Park Service shows that the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 14.9 million 2019 visitors spent $1.1 billion in communities near the park, supporting 16,341 jobs with a cumulative $1.4 billion benefit to the local economy.
After 11 months of stakeholder engagement and collaborative work, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has submitted the N.C. Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan to Gov. Roy Cooper.
A $464,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service’s Community Forest Program will support the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina’s ongoing Oak Hill Community Park and Forest Project, located near downtown Morganton in Burke County.
A 38-acre conservation purchase on the North Fork Catawba River in McDowell County will add to the body of public land in Western North Carolina.
Several previously closed facilities along the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened June 13.
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Type “George Floyd Protests, Police” into your Google images search bar. What comes up? Picture after picture of menacing police dressed in riot gear facing down angry protestors. Brawling. Calls to abolish the police force. Cruisers engulfed in flames. Police stations graffitied with ACAB — “All Cops Are Bastards.” Riots. Looting. Arson. Tear gas. Rubber bullets. Cops shot in drive-bys. Protestors gone the same way. Storeowners beaten to a pulp.
More than half of the construction is complete on a major project to rehabilitate the westernmost 15 miles of Interstate 40 in North Carolina.
By Andrew Dundas • Contributing writer | Paper, a folder and pencils — both colored and No. 2. These are just some of the supplies required in Kara Faust’s art classes at Canton Middle School each semester. Yet, her school is not able to provide funding for these resources.
1. Instead of buying flavored milks, buy plain cow’s milk or soy milk and add your own chocolate syrup or chocolate flavoring powder.
Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has announced a formal agreement to expand access to primary care on the Highlands-Cashiers plateau by funding a new practice that includes a rural teaching program in conjunction with UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC.
Haywood County Public Health received notice on June 12 that another two Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the number of cases recorded in Haywood County to 67. The individuals are in isolation at home.
Macon County Public Health has identified another COVID-19 cluster in an area business.
By Sara Frazier
One by one, they arrived at their downtown businesses this week to find shattered storefronts and graffiti-stained walls. The damage could not have come at a worse time, following a two-month closure from a pandemic and a sluggish reopening. But these Asheville business owners chose not to cast blame or demand justice from the vandals. They joined the cause.
N.C. Department of Transportation officials have selected a recommended alternative for improvements to Corridor K in Graham County. The alignment chosen utilizes existing highways instead of the five other alternatives, which required sections on new locations.
A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation has opened Cove Creek Road in Haywood County to traffic after completing major phases of a project to stabilize a hillside.
Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown and Bryant Kinney, chair of the WCU Board of Trustees, set aside the business of the university to address the business of the nation in the wake of days of civil unrest across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd and other high-profile racial incidents.
A man faces a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty Wednesday in Jackson County to a string of break-ins and thefts in Sylva, as well as to assaulting and injuring an officer with Cherokee Police Department. Sylva police handled the investigation.
Harris Regional Hospital announced that it is transitioning from a zero-visitor protocol to limited visitor restrictions as the hospital gradually resumes elective and non-urgent cases and services at its facilities.
The Haywood Community College Small Business Center has announced an expansion in business services. Beginning June 1, the SBC will begin offering free expanded counseling services to Haywood County small business owners affected by the COVID-19 health crisis.
Major Cameron Ingram has been selected as the new executive director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and will transition into his new role by Aug. 1.
After a year of planning, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has closed on a 448-acre purchase in Haywood County that it plans to gift to the Town of Canton as an outdoor recreation area.
By Liam McLeod • Guest Columnist | To the high school Class of 2020, congratulations! There is nothing more exciting than completing high school and preparing to leave and move on toward what comes next.
It was four years ago now that I was in your shoes, a recent grad with nothing on my mind but leaving my hometown. I can tell you this, enjoy this last summer at home and don’t wish it away. College is exciting and extremely fast-paced. These four years at UNCC have felt like one year at Tuscola, though I’ve grown and changed more than I ever could have in high school. I learned many lessons in my first year of college, but there’s one that sticks out the most to me: our home is unlike any other in North Carolina.
To the Editor:
On June 8, 1789, James Madison (who is considered by many historians to be the Father of the US Constitution), proposed the addition of 10 amendments to the US Constitution which had become effective in June, 1788. After two-and-one-half years of debate and discussion, the 10 amendments, now known as the Bill of Rights, were approved. Still debated and discussed more than 230 years after Madison’s initial proposal, they guarantee certain rights and responsibilities that form the bedrock of citizenship in the United States.
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, press and peaceful assembly.
The Second Amendment recognizes the need for a “well-regulated militia” for the security of the state and guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
Amendment Three prevents soldiers from being sent to live in any home without the consent of the owner in time of peace and requires the law to define when that is allowed in time of war.
The Fourth Amendment prevents “unreasonable” searches and seizures and prevents warrants from being served without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, describing the place to be searched and the person or things to be seized.
Amendment Five says no person can be held accountable for a capital crime (punishable by death) without an indictment by a Grand Jury; prevents a person from being placed in jeopardy more than once for the same offense; prevents a person from being a witness against him- or herself; prevents a person from being deprived of his or her property without due process of law; and prevents private property from being taken from any person for public use without just compensation.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial in all criminal prosecutions, before an impartial jury of the state and district where the crime was committed; provides that the defendants be informed of accusation(s) against them; be allowed to confront witnesses; be able to obtain their own witnesses and have the assistance of counsel for their defense.
Amendment Seven guarantees the right to trial by jury in civil cases where the controversy involves more than $20 and assures that no fact tried by the jury can be re-examined by any other court when the trial is over.
The Eighth Amendment says that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
The Ninth Amendment assures that rights not granted to the federal government are retained by the people.
The Tenth Amendment makes clear that the powers not delegated to the federal government or denied to the individual states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.
The Bill of Rights became effective on December 15, 1791 and has been guarding our liberties ever since.
Luke Hyde
Bryson City
To the Editor:
Gentlemen, I understand that you voted to allow bars to open with restrictions which apparently surpasses the Governor’s executive order (If I understand it correctly).
I also heard on state wide news accounts your actions today will also strip local power from those such as myself, who are dealing with this emergency under local ordinances of the Town of Franklin.
What happens if I need to issue an order to protect the public? Who do I go to? Why, when I understood that you both are local government people, did you vote on this? (Assuming you did)
I would greatly appreciate an explanation why the NCGA felt it necessary to usurp local authority in a fast moving emergency situation.
Bob Scott
Mayor, Town of Franklin
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | “I’m looking for a personal trainer who also knows kickboxing.” An innocuous Facebook recommendation post by an ordinary Waynesville mom. The sort of thing most just scroll past daily without so much as a second glance. But under and behind the normalcy was a cutting need for an outlet to that mother’s unresolved pain.
Crunchy Roasted Broccoli & Peanut Salad Dressing
Haywood Community College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the college has resolved all legal matters related to the design and initial construction of the Creative Arts Building, now named Sycamore, which opened in 2013.
A man driving drunk who crashed his pickup truck into a Sylva woman’s car, killing her a short time after she completed her work shift at a Dollar General in Scaly Mountain, is headed to state prison.
During a time when everyone is worried about their health and the health of their loves ones, it can be easy to forget about our most vulnerable populations. One agency is trying to recruit a new ally in the fight against COVID-19 — landlords.
By Mark MacNamara
AVL Watchdog
June 1st. Night. A few minutes before the first explosion a black woman stopped to say, “It’s nice to see another older person.” She patted my arm. “You too,” I replied. Such kind eyes, I thought and reached out to touch back but she was gone. I was standing just up from the police station, under the sign that reads, “Young Men’s Institution. Established 1892 as center of social, moral, religious influence for blacks working at Biltmore.”
Macon County has identified a Macon County employee who has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is isolating at home and doing well.
The Haywood County NAACP is hosting a vigil in memory of George Floyd at 3 p.m. Friday, June 5, at the new park in the Pigeon neighborhood on Calvary Street.
• Use boxed cookie, cake or brownie mixes or buy flour and baking ingredients to make desserts rather than buying pre-made desserts.
The Nantahala Outdoor Center has reopened, with most river and land-based trips now available.
A new initiative from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is facilitating direct connections between farmers and food relief efforts.
A nonprofit based at the Cradle of Forestry in America is the new manager for the Northwest Trading Post located between Boone and Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
A new district ranger has been selected for the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest.
A new podcast series from the Great Smoky Mountains Association brings the science, stories and sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to listeners from across the country.
Presented by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the 11th season of Concerts on the Creek will return with Summer & Bray of Mountain Faith (bluegrass/gospel) on Friday, July 17, at Bridge Park in Sylva.
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
When we talk about vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements this is a very large category and there’s no simple “yes” or “no” answer to this. Your physician may run tests to determine whether you need supplements.
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Pasteurization is the process of heating raw milk to reduce the bacterial (both good/beneficial bacteria and bad/harmful bacteria) and viral load.
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If you’re having digestive issues, the cause may not be what you think. First, and most importantly, if you are experiencing pain or discomfort, diarrhea or constipation lasting for several days, it is important to speak to your health care provider to rule out any serious health problems and to potentially be tested for celiac disease or other illnesses.
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Question: If there is a long list of ingredients that sound like chemicals on a food package, should I avoid buying it?
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