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Musical duo Bohemian Jean is made up of Matt Welborn and Jessi Stone, who is also news editor from Smoky Mountain News and editor-in-chief of Rumble. With Valentine’s Day coming up, the couple wanted to share their love of music and information about their upcoming dinner show at Elevated Mountain Distilling in Maggie Valley. 

Recently I got asked what are my "cheat" foods. I'm not a fan of using the word "cheat" when it comes to food; it makes me think of being sneaky by eating "bad" foods. Words matter. 

By Steven Wall • Guest Columnist | With so much division in our country, and some  folks even losing faith in democratic government, I would like to offer a proposal concerning Medicare. I do this in the hope that such a proposal if implemented could help restore some  faith in  government. 

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To the Editor:

For weeks leading into the insurrection and ransacking of our Capitol on Jan. 6, Madison Cawthorn’s words and actions fomented a mob of traitors by supporting our former president’s lies. He did so instead of representing us in North Carolina’s 11th District. 

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To the Editor:

Humanity has a universal propensity for lies and distortions, and Trump-supporting extremists ruled by reality-free ideas are front and center in the public view, as events in D.C. show. But the truth is that we are all prone to fantastical intellectual views that confirm our entrenched internal biases, ideas that identify the bad and evil guys over there and the good guys that we hang out with.

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To the Editor:

I always enjoy the illuminating letters from Carol Adams. Her most recent (last week’s Smoky Mountain News, www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/30705) was especially spirit-lifting.

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To the Editor:

In the aftermath of recent events in our nation’s Capitol, we are still reeling in shock, disbelief and consternation at how best to pick up the pieces and move on. We hope that leadership will emerge to restore the ship of state to a democratic, compassionate and confidence-building course. 

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A new professional outdoor industry certificate will be available through the Western Carolina University Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment this spring via an online course. 

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Friends of DuPont Forest will receive 100 free hours of public relations and marketing services thanks to the Stand Up Initiative, launched by Darby Communications in 2016. 

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Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation dedicated a memorial plaque to honor Gary Smith Dec. 17, at Sarge’s Adoption Center. 

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People have a new opportunity to enroll in health insurance for 2021 on HealthCare.gov, but only for a limited time.

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A Franklin man who pleaded guilty last week to trafficking in methamphetamine has been sentenced to serve 70 to 93 months in prison.

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Listen for new episodes of “Down the Road” on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, a series highlighting traditional and bluegrass music and stories, beginning this week on WNCW-FM at Isothermal Community College in Spindale. 

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Even as the pandemic continues, employers continue to seek eager workers to fill important job roles. To help with the search, Southwestern Community College’s Career Services is offering two virtual job fairs through Google Meet.

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Unbeknownst to many a passerby as they enter the town of Bryson City from the east, there lies a structural icon to an earlier time of automotive travel.

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Things like color, size, shape, prints and even bling, factor into the decision-making process. There are standard face coverings and then there are neck gaiters, which are worn around the neck and can be pulled up over your mouth and nose.

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That is the question the Pancake Day Team and staff at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville pondered last fall as it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic would most likely still be around in February 2021.

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Reader response: 

By Meg Mamer, RN, BSN, Director ICU and Respiratory Therapy, Haywood Regional Medical Center — For most of us, this past holiday season was unlike any other we have experienced. Instead of the typical hustle and bustle of holiday parties, family gatherings and being surrounded by those we love — this year was just different for my husband and me.

We reached out to our Rumble Readers and asked them for their best career advice for other women. Always easier to take great advice instead of having to learn the hard way on our own.

To the Editor:

Our Haywood county government is planning to build a new jail at a cost of over $14 million. Important questions have been raised about this project. One of the most important  is “What can we do to prevent another new jail being needed in ten years?” 

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To the Editor:

Checking a track record, a review of past performance, is a good way to determine a decision or opinion.

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To the Editor:

My 89-year-old dad got his first COVID vaccine this afternoon.

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To the Editor:

Today, January 21, I received my first Covid-19 vaccine shot administered by the Haywood County Health Department at the Smoky Mountain Event Center. Things couldn’t haven’t gone more smoothly.

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An online public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, will take comment on proposed revisions to the N.C. Groundwater Quality Standards. Written comments will be accepted through March 16. 

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REI in Asheville is offering a full schedule of outdoor classes and activities for the adventurous this winter. 

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Volunteers are needed to help plant rivercane at Rivers Edge Park in Clyde at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. 

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Thousands of volunteer birdwatchers will mobilize this March for the first-ever N.C. Bird Atlas survey, a statewide community science survey that aims to map the distribution and abundance of birds from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Outer Banks. 

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Photojournalist Jeffrey Delannoy spent four days on assignment for The Smoky Mountain News in Washington, D.C. both before and after the Jan. 20, 2021 inauguration. Without credentials, Delannoy had to work to get the story in the streets – out on the fenced-in fringe of what barely resembled the National Mall.

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Question: What are some foods to eat that can help me gain weight in a healthy way?

The nonprofit Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC) recently announced the semifinalists in our international solo contest. 

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Rich Price, a passionate and proud 1988 graduate of Western Carolina University, has spent the last seven years as the director of economic development for Jackson County. Now he will get a chance to marry his love of both WCU and Western North Carolina in his new role as the university’s executive director of economic development and regional partnerships.

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Vaccinations by the numbers:

Total number vaccinated in Haywood County: Over 6,000

Total vaccinated this week in drive-through events: 1,500

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Stealing a leaf blower in Haywood County ended last week with a hefty prison sentence for an Asheville man, who fled from — then assaulted and spit on — law-enforcement officers, after driving at a high rate of speed through a crowded parking lot.

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Dear anyone that feels like they have been challenged beyond measure — almost a year ago, our world as we knew it changed. We were introduced to COVID-19.

2020 was a year that could have used clear, concise information and instructions. Unfortunately, multiple conspiracy theories took hold, dividing our great nation. The following are some myths around Human Trafficking, and the truth of the situation.

Question: What does it mean when a product is advertised as "clean"?

Waynesville resident Kaleb Rathbone is now serving as an assistant commissioner to N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, overseeing Western N.C. agricultural programs and small farms. 

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Twelve rock faces in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are closed to climbing, rappelling, hang-gliding and other activities through Aug. 15 in order to protect the rare peregrine falcons that nest there. 

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A recreational racing program will offer skiers and snowboarders of all abilities the chance to push their speed with weekly competitions on non-holiday Saturdays through the end of the season at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. 

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To the Editor:

It is totally baffling. At a time when the pandemic is pretty much out of control, vaccines are rolling out in larger numbers daily, our local officials seem oblivious to the urgency to develop a solution needed to save the lives of our local population and their constituents. Not addressing the issue will not make it go away.

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To the Editor:

Barely a week after the violent and deadly attack on our nation’s capital by domestic terrorists, The Smoky Mountain News chose to print Jeff Minick’s book review with the headline “For what would you lay down your life?”

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To the Editor:

A ray of hope has appeared in a strange but clear way over the past number of months. It has manifested itself since the presidential election and most clearly since the January 6 insurrection at our nation’s capital.

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To the Editor:

Who is going to make a difference? Who’s going to clean up the mess this GOP administration has left us?

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To the Editor:

In your article, “Words matter: Rhetoric became rage in D.C. insurrection,” Rep. Madison Cawthorn admits that he cannot prove fraud in the presidential election, but is quoted as saying “...what I can prove is that the Constitution was definitely subverted and circumvented.” He does not share his proof so we, his constituents, can evaluate his position, but there is a larger question.

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To the Editor:

Let’s look at the definitions.

Sedition: “conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state.”

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As of Tuesday, Jan. 19, Haywood County Public Health received notice of 130 new cases of COVID-19 within the last four days.

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A collaboration between Western Carolina University, the University of North Carolina Asheville and the Blue Ridge Pride Center will gather oral histories, archival materials and photos for an ongoing LGBTQ+ community research project. 

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