Over the past decade or more, Western North Carolina Republicans have proven that the only candidates that can beat incumbent Republican congressmen are other Republicans. Adam Smith talks like someone who has already settled on that outcome and is now working backward to make it inevitable. 

“What conservative voters in the United States want to see is Republicans have the intestinal fortitude to do what they said they were going to do,” Smith said. 

Few Primary races across the region have drawn the attention that the contest for Haywood County Sheriff has seen. 

Squaring off for the position in the Republican Primary are incumbent Sheriff Bill Wilke, who has made reform a cornerstone of his first term in office, and Mark Mease, a former HCSO captain who promises to bring back a level of integrity and professionalism he said has been absent the last three-plus years. 

The most powerful person in any North Carolina county is the sheriff, an elected position mandated by the state constitution. 

County elections determine who will don the badge and serve the four-year term in office. Such a system ostensibly ensures sheriffs are accountable to voters, but a 2024 Ballotpedia analysis of all United States’ elections excluding the presidency found that 7 8% of law enforcement races had only one candidate. 

The Republican primary in House District 119 — Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties — now unfolds against a backdrop of unresolved disaster recovery and rising voter frustration with a legislature that has struggled to deliver a state budget but still found time to strip powers from incoming Democrats and gerrymander another Republican congressional seat at the behest of President Donald Trump. 

Question: I’m really trying to work on keeping my Type 2 diabetes under control by exercising, taking my medications and counting carbohydrates, but some days my blood sugar will run high no matter what I do. What could be causing this? 

Question: “I have Type 2 diabetes. What are some good ideas for breakfasts and snacks that will help me keep my blood sugar under control?”

Answer:

First, it’s important to know how many carbohydrates or servings of food with carbohydrates you can have at a meal/snack. 

Milk is definitely in the news these days, specifically whole milk.  At your local Ingles Market, you can find a variety of cow’s milk options as well as non-dairy alternatives.   All of the milk sold at Ingles Markets is pasteurized.  Pasteurizing milk is a food safety measure.  Pasteurized milk is still a good source of protein, vitamin D, and other vitamins and minerals.  Our store brand of milk is Laura Lynn milk which is primarily sourced from local dairy farmers within about 150 miles of Asheville, NC. 

On March 3, incumbent Lisa Loftis and Republican challengers Jason Lambert and Josh Oliver will compete in the Republican primaries for the Swain County Board of Education. The candidates who receive the most votes will advance to the General Election, where they’ll face Democrats Brandy Monteith and Dannie Shuler in a bid for two seats currently held by Loftis and Republican Robert Taylor, who is not seeking reelection. 

I got a question this week on LinkedIn (yes, you can find me there!) about chia seeds so let’s take a look:

What are they?: They are small black seeds from the chia plant which is native to Mexico and Guatemala.   They look a little like poppy seeds but are larger.

What’s the benefit of eating/using or cooking with them?
Chia seeds are a source of fiber, omega 3-fatty acids, and protein.  

The one micronutrient that most all would do well to increase is fiber.

“Fibermaxxing” has had a moment on TikTok with people conducting fiber challenges to see how much they could consume.

Most Americans don’t come close to getting sufficient fiber in their daily diet.