To the Editor:

In 2016, while running for President, Donald Trump called the Iraq War “stupid.” He was right. Saddam Hussein was a vicious dictator, but the U.S. had no plan for what would happen after he was eliminated. This war was actually fought for control of Iraq’s massive oil deposits. The power vacuum in Iraq was quickly filled by Shia militias friendly to Iran — and even worse by ISIS fanatics who saw an opportunity to carve out their own territory of slavery and murder. 

For most of its history, Webster’s elections have been sleepy affairs. At times, there weren’t even enough people willing to step forward and serve. This fall, that dynamic looks much different. 

“I’m really excited to see the number of people in this race,” said Dale Collins, an incumbent Webster commissioner who won his last race as a write-in with just 14 votes.

The first group of checks have been sent to farmers who applied for disaster assistance through the 2024 Ag Disaster Crop Loss, with more to follow in the coming weeks, said North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. The first round of checks was sent to farmers in Western North Carolina. 

The signs are still there lining the fragile bank separating Interstate 40 from the Pigeon River — chunks of jagged asphalt, wayward pipes, rusty cables bent into submission by nature. 

Just 11 months ago, as Hurricane Helene mercilessly swamped the whole region, the river, now low and calm, was force-fed by its tributaries and swelled to the point it carried away 10 sections of I-40’s eastbound lanes over about a five-mile stretch near the Tennessee border.

President’s priorities are not mine

To the Editor:

Priorities: $200 million for a ballroom in the White House; $1 billion to retrofit a jet given by Qatar. Contrasted by cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs. 

To The Editor:

Ashley Babbit! Remember that name. The Trump administration Department of Justice just awarded her family $5 million in a wrongful death suit. This shows how corrupt this administration really is and how it caters to those with loyalty to Donald Trump rather than loyalty to our country. 

Let's be clear. No one is “attacking” libraries because we all support the basic function of a true library which Webster's Dictionary defines as “a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (such as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale.” To spread disinformation that people are “attacking” the library we love is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I think some people are just mad that the light has been shined under the bed at the problems.  

Preliminary projections from Town of Waynesville show a tight budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Elected officials don’t want to raise taxes, fees or utility rates, but a variety of factors that all came together in a perfect storm will leave Town Council with some tough decisions after a budget retreat held March 21. 

To the Editor:

I did not vote for Elon Musk, and I am pretty sure that no one else did either as he was not on any ballot.  Then, why is this man able to disrupt and make changes in our governmental system and programs?  Sens. Tillis and Budd, and Rep. Edwards, do your jobs!

To the Editor:

Trump and his puppet master Elon Musk are killing our economy that was recovering better than any other major nation after the terrible worldwide COVID experience, an economy with bipartisan infrastructure investments that were good for working people and poised to take off in a measured and secure way with inflation down and jobs up.