If you are uninsured or underinsured, there are still available resources so you can get the help you need. Here is a list of agencies, nonproits and crisis lines available in Western North Carolina.

Meditation looks different for everyone and that’s OK. There’s no right way or wrong way to meditate — if you do it regularly, you’re probably doing it right. 

There's a lot of information as well as misinformation about food and nutrition these days. It can definitely get confusing. 

CVS Health recently announced new initiatives to support women’s health and wellness in May, including offering no-cost heart health screenings from May 9 through May 15 at MinuteClinic to help women understand their risk for heart disease — the number one killer of women. 

CLYDE – A deep pipe failure under the eastbound lanes of U.S. 19/23 between Clyde and Canton near Crawford Memorial Gardens will have traffic down to one lane in each direction for about one month.

As one of the largest employers in Western North Carolina, Harrah's Cherokee Casinos is taking a strong approach to market their current employment opportunities and bring new talent to its ever-growing team. 

Clinic for 16-18- year-olds planned

Haywood County Health and Human Services is partnering with Haywood Community College to host a special COVID-19 vaccine clinic for teens 16-18 and their families from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19 at the HCC campus.

Many colleges and universities will be requiring shots when students begin the fall semester. And with summer activities nearing, now is the perfect time for young adults to prepare by choosing to get vaccinated. 

This special mobile clinic will offer Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on a drive-up basis, no appointment required, on the campus of HCC. Students under the age of 18 will need parent or guardian consent to get vaccinated. Family members of students are also eligible to get vaccinated at this clinic if they so choose.

For vaccine appointment or appointment questions call: 828.356.2019, Option 1.

For general COVID-19 information visit www.haywoodcountync.gov/684/COVID-19-Information.

Macon registering ages 12-15 for vaccine

With the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory panel set to authorize the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in those aged 12 to 15, Macon County’s Vaccine Call Center will begin to pre-register children, should their parents wish for them to be vaccinated once the vaccine has been approved. 

No Pfizer clinics are currently planned, though the public and those who pre-register will be notified once appointments become available for the Pfizer vaccine with Macon County Public Health.

Side effects in this age group were similar to that of the age 16 to 25 group which included fever, pain at the injection site, and cold like symptoms lasting no longer than 72 hours after the injection.

Parents who want their child to receive the COVID-19 vaccine must call 828.524.1500 to pre-register. 

WCU clinic taking walk-ins 

Western Carolina University’s regional COVID-19 vaccine clinic is now accepting walk-ins on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Participants will be able to choose the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine when they arrive. 

The walk-in hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. 

The clinic is operating out of WCU’s Health and Human Sciences Building, located at 3971 Little Savannah Rd. in Cullowhee. 

For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit vaccine.wcu.edu.

Vaya Health is encouraging Western North Carolinians to check up on their own emotional wellbeing in May as the nation observes Mental Health Month.

Fruits & Vegetables at Ingles Markets

BY PETER H. LEWIS, Asheville Watchdog

HCA Healthcare, which owns and operates Mission Hospital in Asheville, reported this month that it made $1.4 billion in profits for the first three months of 2021, more than double the amount for the same period last year. 

Have you heard the term "nutrient dense"? This often means something very different than calorie dense.

The Nina Simone Project (NSP) on Saturday, May 1, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Nina Simone Archive, a milestone 15 years in the making.

Leigh-Ann Renz is offering a special retreat-style workshop at Waynesville Yoga over Mother’s Day weekend. 

Self-care is necessary for all women because it's revitalizing and relaxing, especially after a long day's work. Successful women know the importance of self-care because, in order to focus on building a successful career, you must first make it a priority to take care of yourself. When people think about self-care, they typically think about bubble baths and things only reserved for once in a blue moon. While bubble baths and other typical types of self-care are great, other activities can drastically improve a woman's day-to-day life. 

Following the results of a mental evaluation, a judge on Monday ordered the release of an Oregon woman accused in March 2019 of tipping over 61 gravestones in Graham County.

A Murphy man who triggered an investigation into his own drug-dealing activities admitted in Graham County Superior Court to trafficking methamphetamine.

Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a COVID-19 cluster at the Haywood County Detention Center. Over the last week five incarcerated persons, all in the same pod, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Try this recipe at home! You have all the ingredients, and you can cook it slow or fast. When it’s done you have good, nutritious food in the form of nutritious soil that feeds your plants with a healthy diet. If you’re growing vegetables, they will return the favor and nourish you with healthier produce than big agriculture can provide.

Celebrate Earth Day

• Celebrate the annual migration of the sicklefin redhorse, a crucial fish species in the Hiwassee River Valley with an educational viewing Thursday, April 22, at Welch Farm in Marble, hosted by Mainspring Conservation Trust and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Attend at 8 a.m. or 6 p.m. to watch aquatic biologists tag the many fish that will be caught in fyke nets in the Valley River. For directions, visit www.mainspringconserves.org/be-a-mainspring/properties/welch-farm.

By Susan Mahoney, CNO/Clinical Leader, Haywood Regional Medical Center

Life has changed in ways both big and small over the last year. Plans were suspended and priorities shifted as we cautiously made our way through a situation that we had never experienced, much less imagined would happen.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and here are some staggering statistics about how child abuse impacts children, their families and their future.

By Hannah Minick • Guest Columnist | To say that we are currently living in unprecedented times is an understatement, and it is absolutely true. If there is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me, it is that we are all connected and what affects one of us affects all of us. As we have learned, the time period we are in requires innovative and collaborative community solutions as we move forward together, through the multitude of issues and challenges we collectively face. I believe it is imperative for our community, Haywood County, to continue to proactively implement evidence-based community interventions.   

To the Editor:

Since last Earth Day the Atlantic hurricane season saw a record number of storms and the rapid intensification of storms. Dry conditions and record temperatures in the West produced one of the worst fire seasons ever. Sea level rises and entire villages have to relocate. 

To the Editor:

Why do we do it? Why do stand out in the rain, wind, snow, and hot sun for eight hours (sometimes more)? Who are we?

To the Editor:

While lawmakers at the federal level stall on a $15 per hour minimum wage, let’s remember that we don’t have to wait. We can do what 29 other states have done and raise our state minimum wage. We just need the political will to do it.  

Western North Carolina teenager Evy Leibfarth will represent the United States in the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo this year after placing first in two Olympic Team Trials competitions last week. 

Despite a continued pause on distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and flagging demand for appointments, the past week saw continued progress on local vaccination rates and a reversal of the upward trend in confirmed cases.

Mountain Heritage Day, the festival of cultural traditions presented by Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, is again being planned as a live, in-person event on Saturday, Sept. 25.

Leigh Forrester, who served as executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) for four years has announced her retirement, effective May 31. 

Q: Are there herbal teas that I could drink that will help with weight gain during pre-menopause or menopause?

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year is extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.  It is estimated that one in five people have unclaimed Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) monies available to them, that can only be accessed through filing taxes.

FRANKLIN – For the first time in its five-year history, the national veteran and Gold Star organization Special Liberty Project, which expanded here in September, completed an onsite Vitality Retreat on its own property. 

For up-to-date info on local brewery and restaurant shows, be sure to check the A&E section of the SMN Calendar regularly. Here is a list of upcoming shows, and venues that are open for live music.

Women have made slow progress in attaining corporate executive roles, but once reaching that level, their pay is typically less than men in similar leadership positions, a new study reports. 

The road to financial security, like many long journeys toward important goals, can be filled with ups and downs. The financial markets can be volatile, shaking up your short-term investment results, and illness or downsizing may temporarily disrupt your career – and your earnings. In fact, just 46% of adults feel financially stable, according to a survey by Morning Consult and Edward Jones. Still, there’s much you can do to gain stability – and you can chart your progress by marking three important milestones:

An online public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, will take input on terms of a proposed wastewater permit for Blue Ridge Paper in Canton. 

Equinox Ranch will welcome combat veterans to its inaugural program this June. 

A 91-acre area known as the Roan Mountain Gateway is now in U.S. Forest Service ownership after the Southern Appalachians Highlands Conservancy recently transferred it to public ownership. 

An outdoor sculpture showcase now up in the N.C. Arboretum’s gardens will showcase the work of 17 local and national artists through Sept. 26. 

WaysSouth, a regional nonprofit organization working to protect the unique heritage and environment of the Southern Appalachians by promoting sustainable transportation practices, commends the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the final proposal put forward for the Corridor K highway expansion project.

To the Editor:

President Joe Biden has recently made very appropriate reference to the need for strengthened gun control legislation.

To the Editor:

I read the March 30 article “Senator Corbin again leads health care push.” The article makes clear that North Carolina needs elected officials to support actual Medicaid expansion that would provide health care insurance to people who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but too little to qualify for a marketplace subsidy. That is about 600,000 North Carolinians. The N.C. General Assembly has voted multiple times against Medicaid expansion. 

To the Editor:

Although I am not a resident of your area, I am very grateful for your articles on the proposed Catawba Casino in Cleveland County. Contrary to the perception given by our local media, there are a number of people in our county opposed to this casino.

To the Editor:

Calling Ken Burns! Calling Ken Burns! We need you to get busy on a new documentary. It should cover two current movements in America. 

To the Editor:

I’m a citizen and voter from Sylva, and we all know it’s time to put an end to the filibuster, a Jim Crow relic that was created to undermine our voice as voters and slow progress on critical issues. Historically, it’s a loophole to block civil rights legislation and now means that 60 out of 100 senators have to vote for almost all legislation.

Staff caring for patients at Swain Community Hospital have won the Blue-Ribbon Award presented to departments receiving the highest scores on patient satisfaction surveys. The patient surveys are part of the National Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems measurement administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is the highest award the state of North Carolina can bestow upon an individual. It is awarded to individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state.

Do you think a low or no carbohydrate diet is safe?

Haywood County Health and Human Services have received notice of another COVID-19 death, bringing the total number now to 95.