By Laurie Bass

Years from now, when we look back on the fiasco that is 2020, I wonder how we will feel about our foray into virtual learning and teaching. Will it be one of those experiences that time smiles upon, casting it in a friendlier light? Will we think about the extra time we got with our children and smile wistfully? Will we pat ourselves on the back for navigating uncharted territory with gumption and grit? Or, more realistically, will we shake our heads and praise the Lord on high that it was just a short season, and against all odds and despite many setbacks, we survived it and our children did too?

A cyclist passed away in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week following an accident on a downhill section of Cades Cove Loop Road Sunday, Aug. 16. 

A new fictional chapter book for young readers is now available from the Great Smoky Mountains Association. 

The annual Winter Lights event at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will be offered as a drive-thru experience this year due to COVID-19. 

To the Editor:

In my opinion all plaques, markers, statues and monuments honoring those who served the Confederacy should be removed from public squares. Simply adding context or additional statuary allows the object honoring the Confederacy to remain … and that’s the problem. There is a horrific backstory connected to these statues which goes unacknowledged or unaccepted by many. Yet, in the light of historical fact, no one could support the continued public display of Confederate monuments.

At the core of all things Confederate is the preservation of human enslavement. So paramount was this issue that it was enshrined in the Confederate constitution. Article 1, Section 9, states: “… no law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be passed.” It continues in Article 4, Section 3, “… the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in the Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected by Congress and the Territorial government(s) …”

Re-read that. Let it sink in. Property in people of African descent is protected in the foundational document of the Confederacy. Every Confederate soldier or government official would have sworn to uphold the constitution.

Now, take a second look at these statutes. All who served the Confederacy in any capacity, regardless of economic status, would have pledged to protect the “right of property in negro slaves.” All Southerners knew, at its core, what the fight was about. Other rationales were contrived, such as “state’s rights” or “home and hearth” to make the call to arms more virtuous or morally respectable, something noble. And while it’s true that most Confederate soldiers did not practice enslavement, they were, nonetheless, willing to fight to preserve it.

In historical reality, Confederate monuments honor those who took up arms to secure the right of white Southerners to force labor upon enslaved people who were legally designated as property, like other farm animals or equipment. That is the glaring historical truth. Do you actually want that represented on your courthouse lawn or capital square?

Having Confederate ancestors, as I do, is nothing to be proud of and should certainly not me memorialized. Sadly, this history happened, and rest assured it can’t be erased. But it is imperative now that we, as Americans, ask ourselves what in our history is worthy of communication. What should we publicly honor?

Faye Kennedy

Whittier

To the Editor:

Would you be able to vote if you had to pass a literacy test?  Can you count the number of bubbles in a bar of soap? Can you count the number of jelly beans in a jar? These were some of the tests that were required for Black citizens prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Can you imagine the pain and trauma many people endured when trying to exercise their rights as American citizens and were denied?

The late congressional Rep. John Lewis actually shed his blood in his efforts to draw attention to the fact that people of color were not allowed to vote. He was beaten, insulted and his life threatened along with many others involved in fighting for civil rights and voting rights in the 1960s. 

Do you take your right to vote for granted? Do you exercise that vote every time there is an election? In addition to John Lewis and others fighting for voting rights of minorities, think of the thousands of Americans who have served and died in military service defending democracy and our right to vote. 

I recently interviewed Payson Kennedy, who co-founded the Nantahala Outdoor Center in 1972. He was a faculty member of the University of Illinois in the 1960s. In early 1965, Kennedy took some students in a Volkswagen van to Selma, Alabama. They stayed in a housing project and every morning John Lewis, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to them. At noon they marched to the courthouse in Selma to register Blacks to vote but they were refused. Kennedy said the speeches and marches all emphasized non-violence. They were asked to remain non-violent despite taunts and threats. Protestors today should follow their example. 

The marches that Payson Kennedy and his students participated in, plus the famous “Bloody Sunday” march from Selma to Montgomery on March 7, 1965, led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This act prohibited racial discrimination in voting and was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. 

Kennedy is puzzled why people don’t vote when so many people put their lives on the line for this right. He believes our country is in a crisis today probably as bad as any other time in recent history. 

In a letter written days before his death to be read on the day of his funeral, John Lewis repeated something he often said: “If you see something that is not right, you must say something and you must do something.”    

Filmmaker Michael Moore stated: “Democracy is not a spectator sport, it’s a participatory event. If we don’t participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy.” When you exercise your right to vote, you’ll be doing your part to maintain our democracy.  Use your right to vote or lose it. 

Mary A. Herr

Cherokee

Foods and drinks that are high in added sugar often lead to consumption of excess calories and dental caries so it would seem like "no sugar added" or "sugar-free" products would be a better choice, right? 

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Internet technology has become the backbone of schools in the time of COVID-19. E-learning has allowed students to carry on their studies while safely at home on a historic scale. However, this reliance on technology has its pitfalls; school systems are now more vulnerable than ever to cyber attacks. 

The Sylva Police Department arrested Michael Bruce Huffman of Sylva on Aug. 20. Huffman wascharged with misdemeanor assault on a female and misdemeanor child abuse.  

Even before Macon County students resumed classes Aug. 17, administration was already seeing the results of teachers returning to school.

Haywood County Health and Human Services are reporting six more deaths as confirmed by death certificates received within the past week. The individuals all died at Silver Bluff Village.

Rachel Clay is a voting rights activist. She works as the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the Campus Vote Project, a nonpartisan organization that works directly with colleges and universities to normalize and institutionalize student voting. Rachel is from Raleigh, she graduated from Appstate with B.A. 's in political science and women’s studies and she currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina. 

Our goal is to offer readers a beautifully curated email each week that will inspire and motivate women to live their best lives. By hearing the challenges and successes of other women, we hope you will find an opportunity to live, love, learn and grow where ever you find yourself in life. Click here to subscribe. 

By Rich Byers • Guest Columnist | Robert Frost said that “fences make good neighbors.” I get that. I am not a sociable person. However, I do know and like almost all my neighbors. And, granted, my entire yard is fenced in. It makes it much easier to have two dogs who are sociable, sort of.

To the Editor:

One provision of the CARES Act passed by Congress in March, as it is being administered by the Department of Education, could have a devastating effect on Haywood County’s public schools, students, and teachers. 

To the Editor:

The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency Board unequivocally supports the immunization program of the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency and encourages all eligible persons to get vaccinated. Vaccines prevent many illnesses and have saved the lives of millions of infants, children, adolescents, teens and adults. 

To the Editor:

Forbes magazine caters to the millionaires, billionaires, and Wall Street types whose fortunes depend on accurate information. On February 1, 2017, Forbes published an article called “10 Journalism Brands Where You Find Real Facts Rather Than Alternative Facts.”  

Courthouse Creek Road, located on the Pisgah Ranger District near Pisgah Forest, is closed to motorized use through Dec. 31.

A pair of experienced Smokies hikers will soon embark on a 900-mile challenge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the goal of raising $60,000 for the park’s Preventative Search and Rescue program. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has named Stephanie F. Kyriazis as the park’s new Deputy Chief of Resource Education. 

A critical piece of the Chestnut Mountain puzzle could soon come under control of the Town of Canton after town officials voted to make an offer on a small tract of land adjacent to it. 

It's a good idea to have pantry or cupboard staples that are versatile and can help you to get meals on the table more quickly. Canned beans are budget friendly and nutritious. 

Haywood County Public Health received notice of 70 new cases of COVID-19 since the last press release on Aug. 7. As of 5 p.m. Aug. 13, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded 445 cases in Haywood County.

KNOXVILLE – The union representing information technology workers at the Tennessee Valley Authority applauded the federally owned utility’s decision to reverse the outsourcing of 200 crucial IT jobs to foreign-based firms. TVA had previously announced that three firms based overseas would be hired to do the work of TVA professionals and that some work would be transferred to foreign nationals working at TVA under H-1B visas.

Three run-down properties in front of the Hazelwood Ingles were recently purchased by a firm called Hazelwood Corners LLC for just under $1 million. They’d been for sale for nearly four years, inviting speculation as to the future of that area.

Cawthorn rejected from Naval Academy

By Tom Fiedler

AVL Watchdog

The narrative created by Republican congressional-candidate Madison Cawthorn paints a picture of a bright, young man headed to the U.S. Naval Academy until he was severely injured in an auto crash. 

Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown was sworn into office today, five months later than originally planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What does "local" mean to you? Often when people talk about buying food and beverages one of the top of mind preferences is to support locally grown/made/produced products. Unlike other terms like "certified organic"; local has no legal definition and so it may mean different things to different people. 

President Donald Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law on Tuesday, Aug. 4, guaranteeing funding for much-needed maintenance in the national parks and for future conservation projects nationwide. 

Lake Junaluska’s Friends of the Lake 5K will not take place in 2020. 

By Kelli R. Brown • Guest Columnist | These are uncertain and challenging times. Our communities, our state and our nation are grappling with an unprecedented set of issues that affect each and every one of us. 

As Chancellor of Western Carolina University, your regional public university, I believe that institutions of higher education can help prepare our citizens to live through times like these – how to cope, how to manage and perhaps not just survive, but thrive. 

To the Editor:

Got Social Security? Got a back-up plan for living without it? Payroll taxes fund Social Security.

Trump, manipulated by right-wing extremist-anarchists trying to destroy Social Security for decades, just issued an “executive action” to “suspend” (kill) the payroll tax.  

I’ve paid into it since my first job in high school. Everyone reading this who has ever worked has, too. 

Want to save your hard-earned retirement? Call your Republican senators and Trump enablers Sen. Richard Burr and Sen. Thom Tillis to tell them you oppose stealing your retirement by Trump’s sneaky destruction of payroll taxes: Burr’s Washington office number is 202.224.3154 or his Winston-Salem office is 800.685.8916. Tillis’ Washington office is 202.224.6342.

Mary Curry

Haywood County

To the Editor:

Madison Cawthorn, newly 25 and a GOP candidate for the 11th Congressional District, may be a young voter himself, but he certainly won’t be earning the youth vote this November.

As the WNC Regional Organizing Director for NextGen North Carolina, I’m working with a team of organizers to run the largest youth voter registration program in the state. A Gen Z’er myself, I love to see my peers voting, getting involved with politics, and running for office — and yet I couldn’t be more excited to cast my ballot for 62-year-old Moe Davis for Congress.

While Cawthorn has been spending his time on the campaign trail making divisive, racist comments and rebuffing CDC guidelines by hosting maskless gatherings, Davis has shown that he’ll make real progress on the issues that young voters care about. He is committed to expanding affordable healthcare access, protecting our environment with a Green New Deal, and raising the minimum wage to $15 — and he has the plans to back it up. 

Cawthorn’s scant website doesn’t tell us much about what he stands for or what he’ll do about it, other than he’s got a bone to pick with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman elected to Congress and a leader whom I personally look up to. This November, young voters in NC-11 will make sure he doesn’t join her impressive ranks as the youngest man in the House.

Nicole Skinner

Asheville

To the Editor:

I can’t begin to understand the actions of the new Postmaster of the United States Postal Service as he seriously undermines the operation of one of the oldest and most revered institutions in the U.S. Government for reasons that, to me, appear to be nothing more than a personal tiff between the President and the owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos.

I have no dog in their fight, but this administration’s insistence on hurting the USPS with intentional mail delivery delays because of a personal vendetta is hurting me and hurting my neighbors. Please consider calling our US Senate representatives daily and objecting to this disgraceful abuse of power that is crippling communication throughout the country using the example below:

 Dear Sen. Richard Burr (202.224.3154) and Sen. Thom Tillis (202.224.6342).

I will be calling every day until you and your colleagues have publicly fired Louis DeJoy from his post as the postmaster of the United States Postal Service for malfeasance in office. His intentional and malicious delay of the United States mail has already significantly impacted your constituents in Western North Carolina since the U.S. mail is often the only communication choice for people here in this internet-compromised area. As a wealthy senator, you do not suffer the financial consequence of late payments not of your doing, but the people here are monetarily penalized and are suffering for it. Many critical medications are delivered by USPS here and delay hurts those needing the medication and many times actually affects the efficacy of the medication. Please fire this despicable person immediately before he destroys a service that 90 percent of the citizens of this country favor and, until now, depend on for reliable communication. Thank you.

Roy B. Osborn

Cullowhee

In recognition of the 19th Amendment’s centennial anniversary this month, The Smoky Mountain News highlights the historic events leading up to the amendment’s ratification in August 1920, perhaps WNC’s most influential suffragette and the importance of the women’s vote in today’s political climate.

Long-time Lake Junaluska supporter the Rev. Dr. Robert “Bob” C. Bowling is the 2020 recipient of the Chief Junaluska Award, an honor bestowed annually during Associates Weekend at Lake Junaluska.

‘Pro-Trump,’ defends use of symbols tied to white nationalism

By Tom Fiedler

AVL Watchdog

When then 24-year-old Madison Cawthorn easily defeated a Trump-backed rival to capture the GOP nomination in Western North Carolina’s 11th congressional district, he declared that his mission would be to rescue his party from a “generational time bomb.”

A Waynesville woman must serve in prison a minimum of six months to a maximum of 17 months for stealing a Lake Junaluska security vehicle earlier this summer, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.

The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a COVID-19 cluster connected to Haywood Regional Hospital.  Currently, fewer than 20 of more than 800 current employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

Haywood County Health and Human Services are reporting six additional COVID-19 associated deaths. The individuals died within the last week, at two separate facilities. 

If you or your child has a milk protein allergy or a dietary restriction;  you can find a number of fluid non-dairy alternatives in the Ingles refrigerated grocery section as well as on the grocery aisles (in shelf stable packaging).

The Haywood County Master Gardener course typically offered from January through April each year will move to August through October for 2021.

Numerous people in North Carolina have reported receiving unrequested shipments of seeds from foreign sources, and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is warning them not to plant any such seeds. 

Rachel Newcomb has been hired as a conservation outreach associate for Mainspring Conservation Trust. 

A culturally significant 40-acre property in Macon County has now been conserved, thanks to Mainspring Conservation Trust. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened four previously closed campgrounds in North Carolina and Virginia, but some seasonal facilities remain closed due to COVID-19.