By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | “When they go low, we go high”-Michelle Obama

Bethel Elementary School fifth grade teacher Mandy Allen was named Haywood County Schools’ 2022 Teacher of the Year at a banquet earlier this month.

Students and staff in Jackson County Public Schools will soon have a convenient option for free COVID-19 testing right in their own school. The minimally invasive tests from Concentric by Ginkgo will be conducted weekly for individuals who choose to participate in the program.

By Peter H. Lewis

Asheville Watchdog

Two long-time members of the Transylvania Regional Hospital board of directors resigned Monday, saying they were “embarrassed” to have supported the sale of the Mission Health System to giant HCA Healthcare and that they now fear for the future of the Brevard-based community hospital under HCA’s profit-driven management.

To the Editor:

In the Sept. 1 opinion piece titled, “Maskless, unvaccinated bear a responsibility,” Norman Hoffman states that the unvaccinated “... are accountable for the continuation of the pandemic and its restrictions ... they are the reason I now still need to protect myself from them by wearing a mask.” I agree that the maskless and unvaccinated bear a responsibility for the continuation of the pandemic, but I must disagree that they are “the reason” that Norman (and others who care) must continue to wear masks.

To the Editor:

Before I ramble on with my allotted 400 words, entertain these two ideas that I believe we can all agree to:

By Sandy Hurley and Bill Moss

Guest Columnists

When the 2021 session of the General Assembly began, passage of legislation to advance public access to records of disciplinary actions taken by those employed by taxpayers in state and local government seemed like a longshot. Long a priority of North Carolina newspapers on behalf of the state’s citizens, improved access to public employee personnel records had been more aspirational than reality-based.

By John deVille & Kenya Donaldson

Complaints ranged from undrinkable water, termites and even sewer flies. There was extreme overcrowding near a world-class golf resort. Old air conditioners trigger water leaks, mold and breathing concerns but not enough cold air. 

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | Ah fall…and the beautiful colors that come with it! A season that as the temperatures get cooler, we begin to spend a little more time indoors.  We love pumpkins, football, and the holidays that are just around the corner.  As we gear up for more festivities, it’s a good time to look at our space and feel it through our energy system.  

Tidbit: There are no reliable or straightforward screenings available for ovarian cancer, so we depend on our connection with our bodies and the humanity and compassion of our doctors. The best ovarian cancer prevention tool is to have empowered women that advocate for themselves paired with health care providers that educate and listen.

Recently I attended a webinar sponsored by a company that specializes in canned fruits and vegetables. I got a chance to hear from farmers, growers and producers about how quickly fruits and vegetables go from the farm or orchard to the can and all the safety and food waste measures that they have in place.

"This is the kind of information no one wants to have to share with our community. We’ve written and shared so many of these reports that it’s easy to become numb to what they represent," a press release from Haywood County Public Health stated. "So perhaps some perspective is in order."

By Liam McLeod • Rumble Contributor | One of the most important things I have come to realize in life is that happiness is something that is earned, not given. It took me a long time to understand that in order to be happy in life, you have to go out of your way every single day and do something that has the chance to bring some sort of light to your day. It took me even longer to realize that the same was true (for me) when it came to dealing with anxiety. 

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | I remember when I was a little girl taking family trips to the beach. My favorite thing to do was to jump waves.  I would get knocked under and hold my breath until I could make my way back to the surface. Sometimes I would twist and turn for what seemed like an eternity waiting for that moment to rise to the surface only to discover that the current had taken me further down the beach than I had expected.  Life can be like this.  It’s exciting and exhilarating until we get pulled into the undertow and then it becomes a quest for survival and feeling somewhat disoriented as we strive to make sense of change.  How do we stay sane when we’ve lost all sense of direction?  

The longest, currently tenured running event in Haywood County returns in 2021 on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. in the Frog Level area of Waynesville. The 5K race/walk begins and ends on Commerce Street and a flat out-and-back course that is perfect for those wanting a personal best or just a walk with friends to benefit a good cause.

The longest, currently tenured running event in Haywood County returns in 2021 on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. in the Frog Level area of Waynesville. The 5K race/walk begins and ends on Commerce Street and a flat out-and-back course that is perfect for those wanting a personal best or just a walk with friends to benefit a good cause.

These days we are aware that one of the symptoms of Covid19 for many people is a loss of smell which affects our ability to taste foods.  This is known as anosmia. 

By Heather Hyatt-Packer • Rumble Contributor | Vulnerability is not my strong suit. I’ll be the first to admit this. Over the course of several weeks, I sat down at my writing table multiple times to pen a piece regarding military PTSD. Every time I was overwhelmed. Initially, I considered producing a generic overview of my experience but then I realized that wasn’t fair. Not only was I being unfair to readers but I was being disingenuous with myself.

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | “Beauty is the illumination of your soul.”-John O’Donohue

There is a lot of talk about the  benefits of omega 3's when it comes our brains and cognitive health. Omega 3's may help reduce our risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. 

A Franklin man will spend at least 118 months and up to 128 months in prison after admitting in court to helping rob and beat another man.

In the week since the last press release, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 319 new cases of COVID-19.  As of 5 p.m. on Aug. 30, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded a total of 5,643 cases in Haywood County since the pandemic began. 

Western Carolina University officials are waiving admission application fees for both undergraduate and graduate programs for students wanting to enter the university during spring 2022, summer 2022 and fall 2022 academic semesters.

Some of the Labor Day events we’ve come to know and love have been canceled this year due to the pandemic and/or the recent flooding in parts of Haywood County. However, there are still plenty of ways to get out and enjoy the holiday weekend.

You’ll often hear dietitians and public health officials talk about food safety: 

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | My introduction to the esoteric world of spirituality came via my mother in my late teens.  She took me to a psychic name Suzanne. I had no knowledge of the tarot and was amazed at Suzanne’s ability to utilize the symbolic images on the cards to gain access to the details of my relationships. My mother also gave me the book "Where Two Worlds Touch" by Gloria Karpinski. Her work centers around helping people to understand changes in life as a spiritual rite of passage.  Two worlds?  Who knew?!  Much like Dorothy needing to meet the Wizard in "The Wizard of Oz," I became determined to follow my yellow brick road and lift the veil between Heaven and Earth.  

Mountain Projects is meeting with flood victims who are currently in temporary housing, matching them with available resources to put them in safe, dry, clean homes. Currently, there are over 30 households that have applied for services, and hundreds more who have been impacted by the flooding may request help.

Q: Are there vitamin or herbal supplements I should be taking to prevent Covid19 or to boost my immune system?

By Amber Kleid • Rumble Contributor | When students come to my restorative yoga class, the first thing I usually tell them is to get ready to “lay around like broccoli.”  If you’ve ever seen the kind of energy that broccoli brings to the table, it isn’t much. And that’s what I expect from you. If my students don’t leave the class half cock-eyed and stumbling, then I haven’t done my job well.  

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | I attended an event over the weekend that struck a chord deep within my being.  The occasion was the celebration of a young couple’s marriage.  The whole evening was surreal as I watched the love everyone held for these two families climax reaching its peak and exploding as the music started playing and tribal movement took over.  The room felt electric as women of all ages started tuning into their unique rhythm and allowing it to overtake their bodies while simultaneously stomping out any lingering bits of self-consciousness with each beat.  There were men dancing as well and many of them could cut a rug, but they could not hold a candle to the fire emanating from these women moving in sync with their spirit!

Haywood County Board of Commissioners Chair Kevin Ensley tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 19. Ensley is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms and is isolating at home. 

Q: Would you recommend frozen meals for someone with diabetes? 

In the week since the last press release, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 206 new cases of COVID-19.  As of 5 p.m. on August 16, 2021, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded a total of 5,098 cases in Haywood County since the pandemic began. 

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | I love this time of year!  My boys are older now and instead of packing their lunchboxes, I’m packing their suitcases for college. I still look back at their early years of schooling with fondness. You can feel the energy changing as kids end their carefree days of summer and move into the routine of school in the fall. Here are a few pointers for elementary aged kids that can ease the transition of going back to school that I’ve learned not only in the trenches by being a mother of four boys, but also in helping families in my Feng Shui practice.