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By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series on campaign issues in the 11th District Congressional race between Republican Congressman Charles Taylor and Democratic challenger Health Shuler.

Voters looking to the topic of immigration reform to help decide who to vote for in the Nov. 7 race for the 11th District congressional seat will be hard pressed to find any philosophical differences between the two candidates.

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By Chris Cooper

It would be pretty tough to find someone around here that hasn’t heard at least a little about the hard working congregation of local musicians that call themselves Commonfolk.

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'An Inconvenient Truth’

Regardless of where you may stand on political issues, one very important truth is making itself abundantly clear on this planet. It’s getting warmer. If you haven’t seen Al Gore’s movie, “An Inconvenient Truth,” you owe it to yourself to learn more about the Earth’s most pressing issue.

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By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Tuckasegee residents are hoping that the proximity of an ancient Cherokee village to the site of a proposed rock quarry will help coax state officials not to issue a permit to the quarry’s operators.

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The media coverage the last three weeks about goings-on inside the Haywood County School System involve very complicated spending matters. The controversy about flood rebuilding decisions, FEMA reimbursements and accusations about motives, however, come down to a very important matter for parents and taxpayers in Haywood County — are the school board and the administration making wise spending decisions?

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By Marshall Frank

They’re at it again. Once again, the world is held hostage as Christians pray for their lives and nations shutter at the prospect of chaos everywhere, all at the whim of the religion of peace.

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Results of a much anticipated zip code study conducted in Waynesville will be shared at a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 28, at the Waynesville town hall.

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Monarch butterflies will soon be passing through Western North Carolina on their long migration back to Mexico for the winter.

The monarchs’ migration schedule is dependent on milkweed. They move north with the onset of spring, following the trail of milkweed as it blooms.

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By Michael Beadle

At first it seemed like madness.

Why else would anyone freely submit to running 15 to 25 miles up and down steep mountain roads and trails over a 24-hour period?

Little did I know what I was getting into when some fellow runners approached me at a 5K race and asked if I wanted to sign up for the Blue Ridge Relay, one of the longest-running races of its kind in the country.

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Landowners will have the chance to get a better handle on managing their woodlands responsibly with a lineup of summer workshops between July 16 and Aug. 22, each focusing on a different aspect of land stewardship. Locations include Cradle of Forestry, the N.C. Arboretum and Bent Creek Experimental Forest. 

Each workshop will entail one-and-a-half days of hands-on field activities and classroom instruction from natural resources and land management specialists:

• Discovering Your Land: Basic Land Management Skills, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 16 at Cradle of Forestry and 9 a.m. to noon July 17 at Bent Creek Experimental Forest

• Woodscaping Your Woodlands and Firewise Management, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. July 17 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 18 at Bent Creek Experimental Forest

• Native Landscaping and Water Management, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 20 and 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 21 at N.C. Arboretum.

• Stewardship, Recreation and Liability, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 21 at N.C. Arboretum and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 22 at Cradle of Forestry.

Addie Thornton, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 919.515.5065. www.woodlandstewardsnc.org

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The Coweeta Listening Project will come to Cowee Farmers Market from 3:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, to collect individual stories about special places in the region and the types of environmental changes that locals have seen over the years. 

The group will give an informational presentation about how climate change is expected to affect southwestern North Carolina. In addition to its typical vendors, the June 10 farmers market will also feature mountain dulcimer and Native American flute music from Dog House Duo and an informational booth from Friends of the Greenway, or FROGS. The market is held at 51 Cowee Creek Road outside of the Macon County Heritage Center at Cowee School off of N.C. 28 in Franklin. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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out shopmastShopping at Mast General Store in Waynesville on Saturday, June 7, will be a plus for the planet.

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out tshirtShelby Reece from Waynesville Middle School won Haywood Waterways’ Kids in the Creek T-shirt design contest. Her winning design, “Jumping Trout,” will be featured on 800 T-shirts when the program occurs this fall. 

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out audubonOne of the most prized bringers of spring song in Western North Carolina is the golden-winged warbler, and Highlands Plateau Audubon Society has awarded a grant to help increase human knowledge of these beautiful and endangered birds. 

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To the Editor:

My name is Mitchell E. Powell and I was elected vice chairman to the Haywood GOP on the same day Pat Carr was elected chairman. I resigned from this position only a few months into my term and only a couple of months after our newly elected treasurer resigned. I resigned because of personal attacks from the same “group” that is currently attempting to remove Pat Carr. 

By the time this letter is published, a June 3 Haywood County GOP meeting will have already been held. Those who attended know what this group is doing to the local party. The turmoil this group is causing will have a tremendously negative impact on the local elections in the fall.

The people who are at the root of the effort to remove Pat Carr have been attempting to undo the election that she soundly won. This small – but LOUD – group of so-called Republicans continually attempts to derail the local GOP at every opportunity. An actual affidavit against Pat Carr was filed with the State of North Carolina and Haywood County by Monroe Miller. The group that signed the “Formal Charges Filed Against Patt Carr” include Monroe Miller, Eddie Cabe, Tomile Cure, Greg Burrell, Ken Henson, Andrew Jackson, Jonnie Cure, Mark Zaffrann, Rebecca Mathews and Eleanor Worley (name information posted on Monroe Miller’s Blog internet site).

Note that Debbie King’s name appears to have no signature on the form. Her husband Dennie King is running for county commissioner. Debbie King is a central player in the group, but likes to work in the shadows. These are the same people that seem to cause consistent problems at every meeting, even voting against the meeting agenda. 

They accuse Pat Carr of having secret meetings and anything else they consider “out-of-line” in any of the never-ending charges the group dreams up. To my knowledge, Pat Carr has never had any secret meetings, nor committed any action that could be grounds for her removal. The only so-called secret meetings I am aware of are the ones held by many members of this group prior to the county convention where Pat Carr was elected. I attended two of these meetings (they call them dinners) thinking that I was working with a good group of Republicans. Their number one goal was to beat Pat Carr and now they seemed obsessed with it. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds!

The actions this group takes are an embarrassment to the Haywood GOP and to all citizens of Haywood County. In my opinion, these people are more Libertarian than Republican. 

Mitchell E. Powell

Haywood County

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To the Editor:

I am delighted that EPA has finally moved to abate the disastrous impacts of climate change by regulating carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. But, given the adverse reaction from the coal industry, the EPA should have issued parallel regulations on emissions from meat industry operations. Each state could than determine its own strategy for curbing greenhouse gases.

A 2006 U.N. report estimated that meat production accounts for 18 percent of man-made greenhouse gases. A 2009 article in the respected World Watch magazine suggested that the figure may be closer to 50 percent.

The meat industry generates carbon dioxide by burning forests to create animal pastures and by combustion of fossil fuels to confine, feed, transport, and slaughter animals. The much more damaging methane and nitrous oxide are discharged from digestive tracts of cattle and from animal waste cesspools, respectively.

In the meantime, each of us can reduce the devastating effects of climate change every time we eat. Our local supermarket offers a rich variety of plant-based lunch meats, hotdogs, veggie burgers and dairy product alternatives, as well as ample selection of vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts. Product lists, easy recipes, and transition tips are readily available online.

Wade Moore

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

Look past the claims and misleading “facts” that the Republicans are putting out to see the reality. The net result from four years of Republican rule is a weaker middle class and a starved education system.

There is absolutely no evidence that a single job has been created in N.C. by the tax breaks to the rich. In fact there is no evidence that any of the Bush tax breaks of the past created any jobs.

The fact is that middle-class incomes are flat and we now will be paying more taxes than before. The so-called tax reform shifted taxes from income tax to new sales taxes. For example, now we have to pay sales tax on the labor charges to service our cars. What the Republicans have done is to shift and hide taxes for the middle class. Only the rich get real tax breaks.

Much has been made of the raises for teachers, but 1,500 teachers will not get raises under the last Gov. Pat McCrory proposal. The facts are that the total funding for education has been cut drastically. About 7,000 teaching positions have been cut, and the state university system has had cuts of more than 25 percent. 

The Republicans claim they have appropriated more money for education, but that does not come close to equaling the funding from the previous sales tax that they cut or the federal funds they lost. The bottom line is that our standing on teacher pay and funding per student have dropped to the bottom of funding in the U.S.

Don’t be fooled by the claims. Look at the facts.

 Norman G. Hoffmann

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

With the business of making a living that each of us has to address in any given day, we would expect those who represent us in the North Carolina Legislature — whose salaries are paid by our tax dollars — to be concerned  with our overall health and safety without our having to worry about the issue. Well, take a closer look.

Senate Bill 786, which opens the door to fracking — oil and natural gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing methods — in North Carolina, recently went through the N.C. Senate like a greased pig. It is titled Energy Modernization Act (2014), simply a smokescreen for eliminating or weakening the health and safety regulations associated with this intrusive mining process. Our senator, Jim Davis (R-Franklin), is one of the original sponsors of this legislation (as SB-76). Among other changes, this legislation would:

• Shroud in secrecy the chemicals used in the fracking operation, making it a crime to disclose their identity (§113-391A), greatly hampering medical or remedial action in case of groundwater contamination, which has been a recurring problem with fracking operations in other states.

• It is presumed that groundwater contamination can only occur within 2,640 ft of a fracking well-head (§113-421), yet by its very nature, tunneling and fracturing — involving the proprietary chemicals used — move significant distances from the well-head in a horizontal direction.

• Ordinances prohibiting fracking made by any county, city or other political subdivision would become invalid under this new law (§113-415A), overriding the will of the people who originally enacted them.

• Oil and gas prospectors may not be held liable for trespass on your property as long as they collect exploratory data by seismic undershooting from an off-site location (§113-395D).

• Any tax on the extraction of oil and gas by fracking shall go to the state of North Carolina, and not to the benefit of the county, city or political subdivision where the resource was extracted (§105-187).

• The Department of Commerce, in conjunction with other state agencies, is authorized to study the feasibility of constructing a liquid natural gas export terminal in North Carolina (Section 22.a). Foreign exporting?

This bill, shortly to be voted on by the North Carolina House, is based largely on the model of the oil and gas industry itself, failing to address proper disposal of the secret fracking chemicals (supplied by energy behemoth Halliburton), protection of land and water after active fracking has ceased, or safe methods of transporting the resources after extraction.

Our mountain area has been mentioned as one of the “most promising” (industry term) areas of North Carolina for oil and gas shale extraction. As we are all aware, the quality of our mountain water is superb and the rest of the Southeast depends on us as their source of such, not to mention our own needs.

If you are tired of seeing our elected representatives concentrate on profit rather than the health and safety of the folks they represent, let them know that fracking has no place in North Carolina. They expect to start issuing fracking permits in July. Call today, while they are still in Raleigh for the short session, and tell them to vote no on SB 786. 

Doug Woodward 

Franklin

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To the Editor:

We live in a country where we are free to pray wherever, whenever and within whatever religion we prefer. We are also free to not pray. If one wants a religious blessing on local governmental business decisions, one could do so at home, in the car or wherever they wanted before going to the public business meeting because we are free to do so.  

One could also ask for that blessing during their church service in the church they choose to go to. Why, then, would an elected official feel it necessary to have their personal religious-based prayer during a public meeting? 

Unlike the higher governments, local governments require citizens of all faiths or no faith to go before the board for business like zoning, permitting, business licenses, variance permission and the like. And so it makes sense that the meetings provide a respectful environment that considers the differences in belief systems within the public that the elected officials serve. Engaging the public in a mayor’s personal religion or even a display of various secular prayers at a public business meeting sets quite an uncomfortable precedent for any mayor or future boards who may have a wildly different belief system (or even a self-declared religion) they “proclaim” as the norm. If deemed necessary, a moment of silence would serve a better solution for all.

Kolleen Begley

Cullowhee

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op frBy Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist

Occasions such as Memorial Day and the D-Day anniversary remind us of the fallen and the freedoms they died to protect. Speeches and commentaries extol the rights specified in the Constitution, religion, speech, assembly and press among them.

But the right to vote is rarely mentioned. If you’re crafting remarks based on the Bill of Rights, voting is nowhere to be found. The architects of the United States left it to the states.

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A Civil War reenactment will be June 13-14 at The Shelton House in Waynesville.

Enjoy lectures, Civil War reenactments, displays of period clothing, replicas of the Southern Cross of Honor, museum tours, barbecue and Contra-dancing.

At 7 p.m. Friday, June 13, there will a lecture by Jule Morrow, Captain of the 25th N.C. State Troops, titled, “The Civil War in Haywood County in 1864.” All day Saturday, June 14, there will be a Living History Camp, filled with military and civilian re-enactors, camp music by Anita and Zach Pruett, and Butts on the Creek BBQ available. Museum tours will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, there will be Civil War Infantry Drill & Musket Firing, followed by a lecture and public demonstration by Jule Morrow titled Civil War Weapons, as well as a Civil War fashion show. The day will be capped off by a performance from 7 to 10 p.m. featuring Whitewater Bluegrass Company, with contra and square dancing to be showcased

The reenactment is free and open to the public.

www.sheltonhouse.org or 828.452.1551.

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art appheritageThe 4th annual Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, in downtown Waynesville.

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Acclaimed comedian Jim Gaffigan will perform at 7:30 p.m. June 14 at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Gaffigan has proven to be a major talent beloved to a wide range of audiences, achieving accolades and awards for his stand-up comedy, acting and writing. His clever, quiet style has made him one of the top-five most successful touring comedians in the country.

He has had breakout guest appearances on comedies and dramas ranging from Portlandia, Flight of the Concords and Bored to Death to dramatic roles in all three versions of Law & Order. In recent years, Gaffigan has also become a mainstay on the big screen.

Tickets are $34.50, $44.50 and $54.50.

www.harrahscherokee.com.

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Western Carolina University is accepting nominations for the 2014 Mountain Heritage Awards, honors bestowed annually on one individual and one organization that have played a prominent role in the preservation or interpretation of Southern Appalachian history and culture. Nominations for the awards will be accepted through Monday, June 30.

The awards are presented at Mountain Heritage Day, the university’s celebration of traditional Appalachian culture that takes place on the last Saturday each September. The festival will be held on Sept. 27 and celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, which also is the 125th anniversary of WCU’s founding.

Letters of nomination should not exceed five pages and should include the full name of the individual or organization being nominated, with a website address if applicable; the mailing address of the nominee; the nominee’s birth date or founding date; a list of the nominee’s accomplishments; a list of the awards and other recognitions received by the nominee; information about the nominee’s influence in the relevant field of expertise (such as crafts, music or organizational cause); and information about the nominee’s role as a teacher, advocate, leader or preserver of mountain culture.

Nomination letters may be hand-delivered to the Mountain Heritage Center, located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building; mailed to this address: Scott Philyaw, 151 H.F. Robinson Administration Building, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723; or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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art mtnheritageWestern Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will open two new exhibits highlighting the 125th anniversary of the university’s founding and the 40th anniversary of Mountain Heritage Day. An opening reception for the exhibits will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 12. Both exhibits will be on display through Dec. 12.

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The Cullowhee Mountain ARTS summer series will commence June 15-20 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. 

The five-week series includes art and creative writing workshops, youth art camps and the FAM-CMA invitational art exhibit. CMA brings a distinguished faculty, with national and international reputations, to teach five-day workshops offered in book arts, ceramics, creative writing, mixed media, painting and printmaking. The workshop environment provides an immersion experience in a specific area, supplemented with lectures, demonstrations, portfolio talks, readings and presentations. Instruction and sharing among attendees takes place within the WCU Bardo Arts Center and the School of Art and Design. Workshops are offered for all levels of artists and writers, including beginners.

Youth programs include two, four and five-day art camps for ages 5-12. This year, artist Kjeltsy Hanson will lead two special camps that combine mask making, puppet making and performance. Two-day workshops will let young artists create themselves as super-heroes with super powers. 

In concert with the Summer ARTS Series, The Fine Art Museum at WCU is hosting the 2nd annual FAM-CMA Invitational Exhibit, June 16 – July 25. The exhibit features the work of Cullowhee Mountain ARTS summer faculty, contemporary artists from all points in the United States. Expect an invigorating compilation of art in a multitude of mediums.

Enrollment is open for most workshops and youth programs. Details are available at www.cullowheemountainarts.org or by calling 828.342.6913.

Cullowhee Mountain ARTS receives sponsorship from the College of Fine and Performing Arts at Western Carolina University.

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art 38specialClassic rockers 38 Special will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

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Photographers are invited to submit their best Parkway photos to be featured in a 2015 Blue Ridge Parkway calendar, a project sponsored by RaysWeather.com for the past 10 years. The contest solicits photos from the entire length of the parkway, capturing the essence of the parkway in all seasons. A portion of calendar sales will go to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. 

Submissions will be accepted through June 8. www.raysweather.com/Photo+Contest

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A new web app gives hikers, bikers, equestrians and other forest users the ability to search trail stats for the Tsali Recreation Area, the Jackrabbit Recreation Area and two sections of the Appalachian Trail that pass through Nantahala National Forest. 

Forest Trail Explorer, provides details such as trail type, length, difficulty and elevation, as well as downloadable trail files that users can view on mobile devices using Google Earth. The app was developed by the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station, National Forests in North Carolina and the University of North Carolina Asheville National Environmental Modeling Analysis Center.

The app also includes a section called Learn About Nature, giving users information about ecosystems, forest products, climate and more. This information comes from a regional assessment called the Western North Carolina Vitality Index, which uses metrics to report on the unique aspects of the region’s natural and socioeconomic environment.

In addition, Forest Trails Explorer connects visitors to forest safety alerts and includes camping information.

The Forest Service designed Forest Trail Explorer for planning purposes only. Forest visitors should always carry a map and compass when in a national forest.

The new web app is available at www.nctrails.org.

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out mothpartyA moth party at 9 p.m. June 5 at the Highlands Biological Station will capitalize on the dark sky to allow photographers to capture each species that comes to the bright lights that will be set up.

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out whitenoseWhite-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States, is advancing in North Carolina.

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The North Carolina Senate voted to lift the state’s fracking moratorium last week in a party-line vote. Democrats voted unanimously against the bill, which could come up in the House for consideration this week. 

The bill would also prevent counties from passing their own regulations or bans against fracking.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of fossil fuel extraction that involves drilling a wellbore thousands of feet into the ground and causing explosions at its maximum depth to open the surrounding rock. Fracking fluid is then injected to hold the rock open so fossil fuels can flow out. The practice has revolutionized the fossil fuel industry in the United States, but its adversaries contend that it brings dire environmental consequences. 

As written, the legislation would allow the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission to start issuing permits on March 1, 2015, and start fracking in the summer of 2016. 

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out bassAnglers are getting the tackle ready for the 2014 Fontana Marina Classic Bass Tournament June 7 and 8. With 238 miles of shoreline, Fontana Lake provides ample opportunity for stellar bass fishing.

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art sedakaThe musical comedy “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” will be extended with showings at 7:30 p.m. May 30, 31, June 6, 7, 13, 14 and at 3 p.m. June 1, 8 and 15 at the HART Theatre in Waynesville.

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The New Haywood Art Studio Tour — scheduled for Oct. 25-26 — is open to all artists who either reside in Haywood County or have a working studio in Haywood County. 

For artists who have access issues, limited parking or too small a studio, the tour will include “cluster studios” — a working studio hosting other artists. Artists may arrange for their own “cluster” or the steering committee will assist in pairing hosts with artists. Each artist should apply individually and pay the fee. 

Each artist must be present at his/her studio or exhibit on both days of the tour: from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26.

All work displayed and/or sold on the tour must be original and made by the artist.

A reception and exhibition for all artists will be held at Frog Level Brewing Company on Oct. 23 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information and application procedures.

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art sculptureschoolSmokey Mountain Elementary School sixth- and seventh-grade art students were part of a recent Artists-in-Education project that resulted in a metal sculpture now permanently installed at their school. Students invited parents and friends to view their work, meet the artist-teacher and learn repousse, a technique of hammering copper.

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art lorettalynnCountry icon Loretta Lynn will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 6, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

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To the Editor:

Thank you for your recent very informative article about the status of Medicaid expansion In North Carolina. I would like to make a case for Medicaid expansion.

As you stated, the Affordable Care Act provides for the expansion of Medicaid in states and pays 100 percent for the first three years, and, thereafter, gradually tapers down to 90 percent by 2020. At no time would a state have to pay more than 10 percent of Medicaid expenses for the new people covered. Since Medicaid in North Carolina only covers children, the elderly, disabled and some parents of children, the expansion would cover around 500,000 additional North Carolina citizens who now do not have affordable access to health care.

The goal of the Affordable Care Act is to provide health care coverage for as many people as possible. As does most legislation, it contains multiple sections, each one dependent on the others. The poorest people were to be covered by the Medicaid expansion, and those without insurance who made more than 100 percent of the federal poverty level ($11,490 for singles, $23,550 for a family of four) would receive subsidies to buy health insurance from private companies in the new health care marketplace. Since those making less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level were to have been covered by Medicaid, the law does not provide subsidies in the marketplace for them.

When the Supreme Court declared the Affordable Care Act constitutional, it made the Medicaid expansion portion optional for states. This created a coverage gap for those making less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level in states which did not expand Medicaid.

The losers in states that did not expand Medicaid are the people who would have been covered by Medicaid expansion (who pay with their lives), the hospitals, anyone paying for health care, job seekers, the state economy, and federal taxpayers.

A recent Harvard/CCNY study estimates that opting out of Medicaid expansion will cost between 455 and 1,145 lives each year in North Carolina. These are preventable deaths. Those who do not have health insurance and cannot pay for health care cannot afford preventative care, which would monitor and treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. They are forced to emergency rooms when a crisis occurs.

The federal government has traditionally helped hospitals, required by federal law to treat all who come to the emergency room, with funds to mitigate emergency care for the indigent. The Affordable Care Act cut this funding because most of the indigent were supposed to be covered by Medicaid. The refusal to expand Medicaid is causing a crisis in hospitals. Rural hospitals in Georgia and Alabama have closed because of the refusal to expand Medicaid in those states.

Because of the uncompensated emergency care that hospitals must provide, hospitals must raise their rates. This causes everyone paying for health care and/or health insurance to pay more to cover the increased hospital rates. The American Academy of Actuaries estimates that premiums for private insurance will be at least 2 percent higher in states that do not expand Medicaid. If Medicaid had been expanded, the incidence of uncompensated serious emergencies, along with hospital rates, would decrease. Emergency care is much more expensive than preventative care. Control of blood sugar levels reduces the need for amputations in diabetics. Medication can reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes. Arkansas, a conservative state that did expand Medicaid, reports a decline in the number of emergency room visits and in the number of uninsured patients. 

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine estimated that the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina would create 23,000 jobs over the next 10 years and add $5 million per day to the economy. An analysis by Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) estimated expansion would add $1.4 billion in annual GDP growth. Expansion would bring in $15 billion in federal funds to the state, flowing to health care providers and local economies. Medicaid expansion would pay for itself.

Funds to pay for Medicaid expansion come from the federal government. All those paying federal taxes are paying for Medicaid expansion in other states but not reaping any of the benefits in North Carolina.

Expanding Medicaid should be a no-brainer. I cannot think of one valid argument against it that would trump saving lives, hospitals and jobs. This makes me concerned about the brains of the North Carolina legislators who voted against Medicaid expansion.

In this election year, voters should know how the candidates stand on this issue. State Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, voted against Medicaid expansion; his opponent, Jane Hipps, supports expansion. State Reps. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, and Roger West, R-Marble, voted against it. Rep. Presnell’s opponent, Dean Hicks, supports it. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, voted for Medicaid expansion, but his opponent would repeal the entire Affordable Care Act, subjecting citizens to being denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions and taking away health insurance for the more than 350,000 in North Carolina who signed up for it in the marketplace.

Many conservative states have expanded Medicaid, including Arizona, Arkansas and Kentucky. Their politicians put the well-being of their citizens before knee-jerk ideology and dislike of our country’s president. In November, please consider the hearts and brains of our Western North Carolina candidates when you cast your votes.   

Carole Larivee   

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

“A date which will live in infamy.” 

I was just 6 years old and vividly recall the day, puzzling at my parents’ reactions to these words as they were broadcast nationwide. I don’t recall understanding the words, but days later sat between my parents in a theatre seeing President Roosevelt say them. There was no television, no Internet and certainly no cell phones. We relied on radio and movie-theatre news.  

The impact of that day on every American of all ages was enormous. Most Americans had no idea this was about to happen. From historians we have learned that there were indications of coming conflagration, not just in Europe but here for our homeland.  

We didn’t see it coming!  

Since that day we’ve suffered so many other dates which will live in infamy – war, natural catastrophe, and certainly 9-11 — but endless 24-7 news has anesthetized our infamy quotient! There truly are so many earth-shaking events piling one atop another. We do notice, but they quickly pass from our collective consciousness due to yet another incoming infamous event. Nothing seems to get done for any of them, no matter how tragic their impact here or abroad.

But note, we also have the infamy that is seldom talked about, not publicized, not at the top of the 24-7 talking head news and little mentioned by our leaders. We do hear from those who blare their usual naysaying of critically important issues that impact life as we know it.

Some pursue the plutocrat’s worldview, then noisily and hypocritically fret over potential expense that may be left to those who follow. Forward thinkers, instead, fret about what will be left to those who follow. What will become of the air, water, soil and necessary life-supporting components we leave the world for future generations? Money won’t matter if there’s nothing left to sustain life.

On this Memorial Day, I can only wonder if my two little great-grandsons will say in their future desolated world, “They who came before us, didn’t they see it coming?” 

Shirl Ches

Franklin

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To the Editor:

It’s probably always been that way. People tend to forget lessons of the past and focus only on the present leaving out anything that may disagree with their views.

Politics has always been about money and is nothing new. The one who spends the most money usually wins a political office.

The Supreme Court in its Citizens United decision allowed not only large companies to donate to candidates but allowed unions and trial lawyer groups to also donate large sums.

One might say that companies that donate money at least put people to work and give them jobs, but unions do nothing of the sort. To be honest, unions did serve a purpose at one time in the past and there are many examples of the good things they accomplished, but now they are a way for union leaders to get rich off the backs of the union workers who pay them their dues, sometimes unwillingly having their dues deducted from their paychecks. 

When unions cause prices to go up, the end result is a net loss of jobs, as we saw in the automobile industry, and forcing jobs overseas to places like China or more automation to replace workers in America. 

There is a cure for all this, and it is to have all campaign money paid for by taxpayers. Each candidate would be allocated a certain amount of money, depending on what political office they were running for. In order to qualify for that money, they would have to prove they have a percentage of public support for their campaign, otherwise you might have 500 people running for the same office. It’s not clear how we could force the newspaper and television industries to allow space and time for political campaigns but perhaps the taxpayers could absorb some of that cost as well. We should be able to work that out.

OK, so now we have a bunch of newly elected people who have not been bought out in advance by some rich individual, company, union or trial lawyer group. Whoever wins can start with a totally clean slate, free of pressure from any special interest group and ready to do what’s best for America. 

Yes, we would still need lobbyists simply because someone needs to represent the groups that dumb laws can make or break. More than 100,000 jobs were lost when our lawmakers passed a 10 percent tax on luxury items because no lobbyist was there to tell them about the consequences of their actions. But no bribes, free vacations or free lunches would be allowed.

Only when the public can break away from control by special interests, demanding some revolutionary new laws, can we break this weak link in our democracy.

Bob Wilson

Franklin

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The first grants from the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund, established by their family last July, have been announced by The Fund for Haywood County. The Medford endowment supports beautification, streetscape improvements and other public amenities in Waynesville.  

The Town of Waynesville Public Art Commission received $4,000 to help relocate Chasing Tadpoles, a sculpture by Bill Eleazer, a former teacher at Tuscola High School.  The sculpture, consisting of three bronze figures of children playing, was donated by the Biltmore Square Mall and will be installed in the historic Frog Level district.  

The Town of Waynesville received $1,910 to extend the Downtown Waynesville Association’s Millennium Street Lamp Project by installing a new lamppost on Church Street, an area of growing pedestrian traffic during the evenings. Mib Medford was a founding member of the Downtown Waynesville Association.

“Growing up with my mom and dad, we were taught that if you see holes that need plugging, you plug them,” said daughter Philan Medford. “My brother and I are pleased that the first grants have been awarded from the endowment. Dr. Phil grew up near Frog Level, which makes support of Chasing Tadpoles very appropriate. I can imagine him playing with tadpoles in the still waters next to nearby Richland Creek. The funds awarded to the Downtown Association’s decorative light poles honors our mother’s many years of service. Both grants celebrate Waynesville’s ‘sense of place’ and provide a leg-up to folks raising funds to realize their goals for the town.”

To make a tax-deductible donation to help grow the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund, donate online at www.cfwnc.org or by mail to The Fund for Haywood County, P.O. Box 627, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. Please note “Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund” in the memo. Contributions of any size are welcome and are tax-deductible. 

www.cfwnc.org.

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fr wcutourThirty campus leaders from Western Carolina University crisscrossed the mountains of Western North Carolina for a weeklong tour May 12-16 to learn more about the region that the university serves and to help strengthen relationships between WCU and its surrounding communities.

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out wildernessThe Wilderness Act’s 50th birthday will get some recognition at “An Evening of Wilderness Champions — Celebrating 50 Years of Wilderness” from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 30, at Pack’s Tavern in Asheville.

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Regular weekday programs will begin at Highlands Nature Center next week. The programs include guided plant walks, children’s activities, storybook-based nature lessons and animal programs. 

• Monday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.: Guided, themed walks along the Highlands Botanical Garden trails to learn more about the native flowers and plants of the southern Appalachians, including plant names, wildflowers and their pollinators, historically significant plants, carnivorous plants, deadly plants, and how to use native plants in your home garden. Free.

• Tuesdays from 3 to 4 p.m.: Family nature activities for ages 4 and older, including critter searches, discovery walks, nature studies and games, or crafts. $1 per person.

• Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3 p.m.: Storybook Science features a kids’ nature lesson based around a children’s storybook. Free.

• Fridays from 11 to 11:30 a.m.: Observe what each of the Nature Center’s animals eat and learn how they feed. Free.

• Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to noon: Learn more about one of the Nature Center’s live animals up close through our Featured Creature program. Free.

www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2623.  

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out redwolvesA federal court issued a preliminary injunction against coyote hunting — which includes spotlight hunting — in the five eastern North Carolina counties, which comprise the world’s only wild population of red wolves, totaling about 100. 

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will get a new acting superintendent June 1, replacing the currect acting superintendent who has been there since January.

The Smokies has been without a permanent leader since last September, when former Superintendent Dale Ditmanson was replaced. A permanent superintendent is still being selected, but in the meantime another acting superintendent is being brought in.

Cindy MacLeod, currently superintendent of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, will replace the currect acting superintendent Pedro Ramos, who will return to his position as superintendant of Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. 

“I think this is a dream job, especially for the summer,” MacLeod said. “I look forward to working with the park staff, volunteers and partners to continue to meet the mission of taking care of and learning about the wondrous diversity of life, and providing for its enjoyment in a safe, sustainable way.”

MacLeod has worked for the National Park Service since 1980, when she started out as an architectural historian in Michigan. She is a Duke University undergrad, has a master’s in architectural history from the University of Virginia and completed management programs at Harvard University. 

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To the Editor:

It’s that time of year again when the cool mountain air can rise rapidly by noon. I would like to remind others that it is very dangerous to take your dog anywhere that you have to leave them in the hot vehicle, even for a few minutes. Visitors to the area are prone to this, especially at grocery stores and restaurants. I have witnessed time and time again pets barking in a vehicle only to find windows barely open parked in the sun. The temperature inside the car will kill your pet or cause brain damage in minutes! 

If you encounter this, please try to assist in any way possible. I will run inside to have the owner paged and have no problem getting the negative feedback from the thoughtless owner. Many businesses here are pet-friendly. If you must leave a pet in the car, at least find a shady spot, leave the windows down enough for their head to be outside the vehicle. The best scenario is to leave them at home or in the motel room.  

Mylan Sessions

Clyde

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To the Editor:

Asheville is a town full of smart, aggressive people and a town with a lot more winners than losers. Anytime a city has an unemployment rate below 5 percent, it is obviously doing something right. 

However, there are a few people around Asheville who seem to ignore simple economics. They assume that taxing the rich will bring in more money to our state. If that were true Gov. Beverly Perdue would still be in office. Under her we probably had the highest tax rate in the South along with the 49th highest unemployment rate in America. 

In Western North Carolina we have thousands of second-home owners. In Jackson County, 47 percent of our home owners don’t live in the state. Gov. Pat McCory’s goal has been to lure some of these people back to North Carolina with our lower taxes. In a year and a half our state’s economy has improved and employment has been substantially increased. As a result, next school year our teachers’ salaries will be increased and there will be more money for education. Some people will never understand that lower taxes will actually bring in more money to the state.

Jim Mueller

Glenville

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Both the Haywood and Jackson county chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have elected officers. 

Haywood’s NAACP chapter elected officers in March. Chuck Dickson, a local attorney, was elected as president. The chapter also elected three vice presidents: Rev. William Staley, Rev. Reginald Eldridge and Phillip Gibbs. Rev. Walter Bryson will serve as treasurer, with John Vanderstar serving as assistant treasurer. The group elected Mary McGlauflin as secretary and Katherine Bartel as assistant secretary. The Haywood executive committee is comprised of Lin Forney, Mary Elizabeth Staiger, and Gail Mull. 

The Jackson Chapter elected its officers during a May 17 event at Liberty Baptist Church in Sylva. The Reverend Charles Lee, who serves at Liberty Baptist, was elected as president of the recently formed branch. Avram Friedman was elected first vice president, Enrique Gomez was elected second vice president, Mary Sue Casey was elected secretary, Joyce Stratton was elected treasurer, Marion Pryce-White was elected assistant secretary and Lorna Barnett was elected as assistant treasurer. Curtis Wood, Tracy Fitzmaurice, Stanley Rogers, Stella Moore, Lucy Christopher, Myrtle Schrader, Marie Cochran and Gene Keldon Austin were all elected to the executive committee.

Both chapters plan to continue being active participants in the Moral Mondays demonstrations aimed at legislative actions in Raleigh, as well as working locally to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all persons.

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