To the Editor:

By now, it’s disappointingly clear that Madison Cawthorn, the Republican candidate to represent N.C. District 11 in the U.S. House of Representatives, intends to run a campaign of division and name-calling rather than put forth any fresh ideas for how he would improve the lives of all of his potential constituents here in Western North Carolina regardless of political party. 

Still, while it wasn’t surprising to see him pandering to the furthest right-wing fringes of his base in Cory Vaillancourt’s excellent July 29 story (“Cawthorn: Davis, Democrats are ‘racist’”) by continuing his mindless attempt to denigrate “white liberals,” it was shocking to see just how intolerant and ignorant his views on race really are.

Setting aside the remarkable hubris required for a 24-year-old white man who has never left a county that is 94.5 percent white to speak for Black people about reparations while laughably accusing his opponent — retired Air Force Colonel and successful government racial discrimination prosecutor Moe Davis — of being a racist and claiming Confederate soldiers gave their lives to free slaves, I would be very interested to hear Cawthorn explain why his real estate company is called “SPQR Holdings LLC.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “SPQR” was on flags at the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was merely one example of how the abbreviation has been adopted by white nationalist groups (Google: “SPQR white nationalism”). This seems like a very disturbing coincidence at the very least and one a candidate with such overt hostility to a conversation about racial justice should address immediately.

Ron Wagner

Asheville

To the Editor: 

Roger Parsons is running for re-election as Swain County commissioner and is a lifelong resident of Swain County. He is known to many in Cherokee and Bryson City as a UPS driver until he retired a few years ago. Roger is married to an enrolled member of the Eastern Band and served on the Swain County Board of Education for 16 years.

Roger regularly attended the Swain County Democratic Party Whittier-Cherokee precinct meetings before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the meetings to cease. As Swain County commissioner, Roger reported on issues and always responded to questions. Among other issues, Roger supported the EBCI on the Catawba Casino issue and voted for renaming a portion of U.S. 441 the Dr. Jeremiah Wolfe Highway. 

Roger supports the North Carolina Democratic Party Code of Conduct. When asked for a statement of his values, Roger stated: 

• I respect and value diversity and I’m committed to equality for all.

• I pledge to be honest and truthful in all aspects of my life and service as a Commissioner, trust is earned.

• I commit myself to be open-minded. May I never be so rigid in my thinking that I can’t learn from new facts and information.

• I will always remember that I work for the people. I’m accessible and will listen.

• I pledge to be a good steward of our resources.

• I believe that compassion, dedication and service to others is a sign of strength.

• I believe that we should leave this world better than we found it.

• I believe that optimism and a positive attitude are important in life.

• I believe in the “Golden Rule” and “Loving your neighbor.”

• I believe in a high standard of ethics for all elected offices. 

Roger’s hopes for the Qualla Boundary are to continue to work in partnership with Swain County on issues concerning all residents of Swain County. Roger’s hopes for Swain County are to remember our history but look to the future and continue to grow and improve our community. As a County Commissioner, Roger will listen to the needs of the people.  I encourage all residents of Swain County to vote for Roger Parsons as County Commissioner. 

Mary A. Herr

Cherokee, NC 

To the Editor:

It is disappointing to see a young, politically inexperienced but passionate and courageous gentleman like Madison Cawthorn totally fall for Donald Trump’s agenda to dismantle health care for millions of Americans. To illustrate:

There are at least 4,500 people in Haywood County alone who have gained access to health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care), which Trump has vowed to destroy. Trump pledged that on “day one” of his term in office there would be a “beautiful health plan— the greatest ever,” to replace the ACA. No such plan exists. Why does Mr. Cawthorn identify himself with this cruelty. Over 100 million Americans are protected by the ACA from being dropped from medical insurance because they have a “pre-existing condition.” This protection will disappear if Trump and his allies have their way. A for-profit insurance company can decide they just can’t afford to treat your mother’s cancer. Bye bye insurance.

Over 4 million people have lost their employer-based insurance because of COVID-19 job loss. Expanding Medicaid — which would help over 500,000 people in North Carolina alone — and create upwards of 20,000 jobs— has been stubbornly opposed by the Trump crowd. Mr. Cawthorn, please disassociate yourself from this foolish and heartless position and speak out on this!

In an interview with CNBC while attending the World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump stated that changes (cuts) in Medicare and Medicaid would be “on the table,” but not until “after the election .” Sneaky! Virtually every single family in Haywood County has someone totally dependent on  these programs for their health care. These two federal benefits along with Social Security itself have been hated targets of Republicans ever since presidents Roosevelt and Johnson got them passed in 1936 and 1966. Mr. Cawthorn?

After 30 years practicing medicine in Haywood County, I must strongly object to the needless suffering the above policies will cause. I urge every citizen to prepare to vote — by absentee ballot, early voting or on November 3. Vote like your life and that of your loved ones depend on it. They do.

Steve Wall

Haywood County

To the Editor:

“The Constitution is not a suicide pact” is a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln as he defended himself against charges of unconstitutionality when he suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War. Now, with protests gone bad throughout many cities in the country, there arose protests against the violence which got the mainstream press into action. Not to condemn the violence, mind you. It was to lecture us about how important it is to have First Amendment freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, etc. for redress of grievances. I don’t see anyone trying to abridge these freedoms in this context. The Constitution is well able to ensure these freedoms without allowing matters to devolve into chaos. When Confucius was asked what he would do as governor, he said he would rectify the names, to make words correspond to reality. What we need in America today is a rectification of names.

Peaceful protests do not “intensify,” they become riots. When riots have the avowed purpose of overthrowing the government, it is called an insurrection. We must be able to make critical distinctions and to calibrate responses accordingly. It doesn’t help having to swim up the stream of lies and half-truths we are flooded with by our cultural wordsmiths. The media doesn’t like the term “enemy of the people” hung on them but they have worked hard to earn it by their journalistic malpractice of using words that mischaracterize, obscure the truth, or refuse to report the news at all.

Another big thing today is anti-racism, as if it has just been discovered. That’s another misnomer. Today’s anti-racism is just warmed over, repackaged, old-fashioned racism. It is lipstick on a pig. Non-white people can be as racist as any white, and whites who try to divest themselves of racism by hating themselves and denigrating other whites based on their DNA are only demonstrating their racism. Why can’t we look at people as people, people? This was, after all, the hope and promise of the Civil Rights Movement but it has since degenerated into stupidity. The only real Civil Rights leaders we have are those who are seldom recognized or maybe called Uncle Toms for their trouble when they try to point out some inconvenient truths. 

A recent American Cancer Society update on guidelines for cancer screening said that people with a cervix should get screened for cervical cancer. Pardon me while I scream. What happened to women? This is insane! This only scratches the surface of the bastardization of language that occurs all around us. Be aware, don’t get fooled. Rectify the names! Or just call a spade a spade.

David Parker

Sylva

To the Editor:

Would the governor, his staff, his advisors, and cabinet make different decisions if they were determined to be “non-essential” and trying to survive on government largesse? As long as those that govern are drawing full salary and benefits, they will have an “us” and “them” perspective. Is the term “essential politician” an oxymoron? Just ruminating. 

Paul Stapf 

Waynesville

Pay for Macon County employees is constantly on the mind of Macon County Manager Derek Roland, and every year putting together the county budget is a balancing act between protecting taxpayer dollars and providing adequate pay for the county’s more than 300 employees.

Ever since my days in Scouts, I’ve loved hiking, backpacking, and traveling in Western North Carolina. As adults, my wife Elizabeth and I have brought our kids west of Asheville time and again. We’ve been rained on hiking with our dogs in Pisgah, rafted the Nantahala, and learned about native history on the Qualla Boundary, among many other adventures. 

By Andrew Dundas • Contributing Writer | Bowls in various stages of production scattered the workshop around Mike McKinney, piled onto tables and shelves besides a host of different woodworking equipment. At the center of it all sat the lathe, illuminated by studio lights and backed by a wall of hanging tools. Behind the lathe, Mike prepared his next piece for turning, answering questions about his craft with quiet-but-clear passion.

Harris Regional Hospital is urging community members to wear face masks or cloth face coverings in public areas where social distancing is not easily achieved in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 outbreak in staff and residents at Drake Cottage, a congregate living facility. Four individuals have tested positive for COVID-19.

United Way of North Carolina launches a statewide survey today to assess how COVID-19 has impacted community members across the state. All North Carolina families are invited to complete the United Way of North Carolina COVID-19 survey at http://www.covidsurveync.org.

Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting two additional COVID-19 associated deaths. Both individuals died on July 28 at the same facility in Haywood County. 

BRYSON CITY – A band of heavy rains late Friday night started a mudslide that closed U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge.

Haywood County Public Health received notice of 74 new cases of COVID-19 since the last press release on July 24. As of this release, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded 268 cases in Haywood County.

A Macon County resident diagnosed with COVID-19 has died. The person was over the age of 65 and had underlying health conditions. To protect the family´s privacy, no further information will be released about this patient.

What’s the difference between brown rice and white rice, and which one is more nutritious?

Haywood Waterways Association saw its biggest group of litter pickup volunteers ever when 22 people showed up July 11 to help remove 500 pounds of trash from Richland Creek along the Waynesville Recreation Park greenway trail and Howell Mill Road. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash will lead a series of small-group hikes through the park with the dual purpose of enjoying the great outdoors and facilitating open conversations about diversity and racism. 

An online forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, will seek public input to help shape plans for the Chestnut Mountain project in Canton. 

To the Editor:

As the Mayor of Franklin, I represent every man, woman and child in the town, regardless of partisan politics or religion.

To the Editor:

“He has erected a multitude of new officers and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people …”

To the Editor:

Duke Energy, through a contractor, has started aerial spraying of herbicides over the rights-of-way for their transmission lines, the lines supported by large steel towers.

To the Editor:

Heather Hyatt Packer would have Haywood County’s School superintendent resign for posting a meme on his Facebook page she views as “racially insensitive.”

To the Editor:

The first duty of our Commander in Chief, Donald Trump, is to protect the people of these United States. He took an oath to perform this most basic of duties. Over a 135,000 American have died as a result of the Covid virus. The family of each person lost to this pandemic can rightly ask: if Donald Trump had done his job would my loved one still be alive? 

Swain County will be operating this fall under a hybrid of in-person and remote learning. Parents can choose Plan B, which includes in-person instruction and remote learning or Plan C, which is entirely remote learning. 

Parents of Macon County students will have to choose their child’s learning plan for fall semester by July 31. 

Public schools and colleges are being forced to develop plans, contingency plans and worst-case scenarios as they prepare for the influx of thousands of students over the next several weeks.

• Colleges, universities announce plans for fall 2020
• Teachers concerned for school safety
• Haywood chooses hybrid plan for school reopenings
• Macon schools offer virtual option
• Back to school plans for Swain County

The Jackson County Department of Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster in a local church. Eight individuals who attended a three-day revival on July 12-14 at the Cashiers Church of God have tested positive for COVID-19. All positive individuals are following isolation orders.

Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting the first two COVID-19 associated deaths in Haywood County. Both individuals died on July 23, at two separate facilities in Haywood County. 

Opinion from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC | The people of Western North Carolina are traditionally denied a front-row seat to Senate debates, and that’s a shame. The chance to see the candidates meet on the same stage to discuss their positions on the important issues facing our state should be available for all North Carolinians, not just the ones that live in Raleigh. That is why I was disappointed when my opponent, Cal Cunningham, broke his word and declined an invitation to participate in a debate this week with WLOS-Asheville.

I’m trying to eat more fish that’s not breaded and fried but need some ideas on how to cook it so it’s not so smelly

The Cheoah Ranger District on the Nantahala National Forest has two new Kids in Parks TRACK Trails, designed to turn an ordinary hike into a fun-filled, discovery-packed adventure. 

The Southern Environmental Law Center is representing 16 environmental organizations in a lawsuit claiming that the Trump administration illegally cut corners in “gutting” the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Mainspring Conservation Trust has sold 49 acres of land at the headwaters of Laurel Creek to the U.S. Forest Service. 

Kay Coriell, a longtime supporter of Franklin’s greenway along the Little Tennessee River, has been honored for her efforts by serving as namesake to the Friends of the Greenway’s butterfly garden. 

A graduate of Southwestern Community College’s Outdoor Leadership Program who now holds the title of outdoor recreation planner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C., has received SCC’s second annual Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Audrey Pearson is the new Trails & Views Forever Program manager at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. 

By Dale Carpenter • Guest Columnist | North Carolina public schools will reopen while the COVID-19 Pandemic is still with us and it is impossible to predict what will happen as we try to cope with the complexity of it all. Parents, educators and students are learning to adjust day by day to changing conditions. 

To the Editor:

As a long-time resident of Haywood County and former contributor to your paper now residing in an Asheville retirement home, I write to commend Moe Davis as a candidate seeking to represent the people of the 11th District in Congress.

To the Editor:

Haywood County’s School Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte sent shock waves through a decent percentage of the community by posting a tone deaf racially charged meme on Facebook. By now I’d say followers of news and social media have seen the depiction of a rural white family picking cotton suggesting that not everyone who picked cotton was not black.

To the Editor:

The Oxford dictionary has a couple of different definitions of common sense; my favorite being “good judgment and behavior in practical matters,” like checking the tires on my car once a week or wearing a face mask in public until a vaccine can be had.

Up until last week, the nonpartisan races for four school board seats — plus the chairman’s position — looked to be rather sleepy, with only one candidate filling. But as the noon deadline approached on Friday, July 17, a flurry of candidates threw their hats in the ring to ensure some lively contests in the fall. 

According to the Beverly-Hanks Q2 2020 Real Estate Market Report, Western North Carolina’s real estate markets have undergone rapid and meaningful adjustments since the end of March. However, a strong seller’s market still makes it a good time for many to meet their real estate goals.

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | In light of the recent national uproar over police brutality, law enforcement training has rocketed to the forefront of public discussion. It’s a complicated topic; not merely for the politically charged rhetoric it now commonly evokes, but also because approaches to training new officers vary widely from state to state, county to county and agency to agency. It’s a convoluted process and made more difficult to grasp still when you factor in how agencies emphasize different aspects of training on even a personal basis. 

Four months after the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s decision to allow the Catawba Indian Nation to move forward with plans for a casino in Kings Mountain, the DOI has officially taken the land into trust and the Catawba have broken ground on the site. However, the EBCI is still fighting the decision, on July 6 submitting a new, amended complaint in the case. 

Buncombe’s share less than other NC counties, neighboring states

By Mark Barrett

AVL Watchdog

A bill that would have changed the distribution of Buncombe County’s controversial hotel tax to better benefit local government is likely dead until at least next year.

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) selected 13 businesses to join its pool of qualified vendors to support the state’s response to COVID-19, bringing the total number of vendors to 39.

Jackson County Department of Public Health has identified a COVID-19 outbreak at a local skilled nursing facility. Five employees at the Skyland Care Center have tested positive for COVID-19. All positive employees are following isolation orders. 

Haywood County Public Health received notice of 14 new cases of COVID-19 since July 14, which brings the number of cases recorded in Haywood County to 146. The individuals reside in Haywood County and are in isolation.