As of April 1, I marked my first full year as the Executive Director of REACH of Haywood County. After nearly a decade working in this field — seven years as a Title IX Coordinator and now leading a nonprofit that serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault — I’ve come to believe something deeply: awareness is only the beginning. Prevention must be the goal. 

In the part of southern Appalachia where I was raised, there were certain things you learned early: how to be polite, how to mind your elders, how to carry yourself in a way that didn’t invite trouble. And then there were the things no one quite said out loud, but you still somehow understood: good girls don’t talk about sex, don’t think about it and certainly don’t have it. 

Rep. Chuck Edwards wasted no time Saturday Morning reminding supporters that Republicans are back in full control of Washington — and that he intends to be at the forefront of the Trump agenda. 

To the Editor:

This is for Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Ted Budd and Rep. Chuck Edwards,

Every day I continue to be saddened, dismayed, shocked and angry at the spate of executive orders being issued by Mr. Trump and the unauthorized actions being carried out by Elon Musk, who was not elected.

Rep. Chuck Edwards has refused to speak to The Smoky Mountain News since shortly after he was elected in 2022.

He’s been silent on critical issues of national and regional importance — silent on protecting Social Security, silent on preserving veterans health care, silent on what he did to prevent the Pactiv-Evergreen paper mill in Canton from closing, silent on funding our national parks, silent on why North Carolina didn’t get the congressional funding it needs to recover fully from the damage associated with Hurricane Helene.