The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wants to hear about hellbender sightings, part of agency biologists’ ongoing effort to learn more about where the giant salamanders live and how their populations are faring. 

Haywood Community College fish and wildlife management technology students Parker Grandy and Andrew Jones have won the 2019 Dave Dudek Wildlife Award from the HCC Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society. 

The latest round of awards from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund totals $14.3 million, with nearly $3 million of that going to conservation projects in Western North Carolina. 

A bridge on the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley, Tennessee, has been newly dedicated as Dean Stone Bridge, complete with a bronzed marker. 

The Lake Junaluska landscaping department finished third in a national gardening photography contest sponsored by the gardening supply company Kinsman Company. 

To the Editor:

The Rev. Franklin Graham (whose father, Billy Graham, my family and I saw in The Boston Gardens in the 1950s) repeatedly states his ministry is not political even though he continually praises President Donald Trump and condemns Democrats.

“The world is changing,” Rev. Graham said, “culture is changing, attitudes toward things have changed, but God’s laws don’t change.”

How am I to believe that, Rev. Graham, when the son of the “nation’s pastor” (as your father was known) travels the country praising the most immoral, dishonest and incompetent president this country has ever known?

Asking foreign countries to discredit a political opponent illegally corrupts our elections, Rev. Graham. Conditioning our foreign policy with any foreign government on such political “favors” corrupts our national integrity. Withholding military aid from Ukraine defending itself against Russian incursion aids and gives comfort to our enemies. That is treason.

At some point in time Republican Senators and the Republican Party are going to have to choose whether to defend the traitor in the White House or defend the rule of law. And so are you, Rev. Graham, and so are your disciples.

David L. Snell 

Franklin

To the Editor:

U.S. taxpayers buy rapid-fire weapons for qualified military personnel, which is a vital part of the “common defense” set forth by the Constitution. Yet some U.S. taxpayers obtain those military weapons and use them to kill their fellow Americans. Thus, all Americans are being denied equal protection under our laws.

Our military as well as homeland security must be rendered capable of providing for the “common defense” if we are to have equal protection. Congress must take steps to make this happen. Profit from sales of assault weapons must be sacrificed by the few in order to protect the masses.

Singer Donna Fargo put it like this in a great country song titled “Superman” — “Now, let’s go through this one more time. You do your thing and I’ll do mine. But, honey baby, we got to draw the line if your hang-up starts messin’ with mine.”

The right to own an assault weapon is certainly messin’ with people’s “hang-up” about their desire to live safely in America.

Fund the military. Assure Second Amendment gun rights. Ban assault weapon sales and ownership for non-military personnel. Assure equal protection for all Americans!

Dave Waldrop

Webster

To the Editor:

I’m writing to acknowledge my support for the re-election of Gavin Brown as mayor of Waynesville. I have worked with Gavin for many years on various projects for the town. He is a passionate and dedicated leader for Waynesville. He grew up here, which gives him an historical knowledge of the town that benefits his perspective on future development. His insight into the community’s challenges and needs is honest and pragmatic. He listens to and accepts public input and is willing to voice his true opinion. His sincere affection for the community and his desire to continually improve Waynesville is evident to everyone. 

Mark Clasby

Waynesville

In January 2019, the National Institute on Drug Abuse issued an updated report on the use of opioids in the United States, including this observation:

In 2017, more than 47,000 Americans died as a result of an opioid overdose, including prescription opioids, heroin, and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. That same year, an estimated 1.7 million people in the United States suffered from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers, and 652,000 suffered from a heroin use disorder (not mutually exclusive).

The Waynesville Police Department was called to the area of The Open Door Ministry on Commerce Street around 11:31 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, in reference to a subject being stabbed.

People can disagree on whether or not Donald Trump should be removed from office. That is our right. But there can be no disagreement about the facts. 

Trump would be, technically, the third president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson — among other things for his removal of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton —  and Bill Clinton (for having sexual relations with that woman and then lying about it under oath). Obviously Nixon was on his way but chose to flee the scene rather than undergo trial. Of those impeached, none have been removed from office. 

To the Editor:

Last week, the White House Counsel sent a letter to the House leadership that claims Trump is immune from congressional oversight and from impeachment. Trump said he can refuse to “participate in your partisan and unconstitutional inquiry.” He will reject all requests for documents and testimony, and ignore all subpoenas because he thinks Congress is not treating him “fairly”.

Trump is not saying that he has legal grounds to refuse congressional requests. He doesn’t even claim executive privilege. Instead, he says the entire inquiry is simply unfair, and therefore he can reject all of it. Trump asserts the House is violating his “civil liberties” and “due process” rights. Well, the Constitution says nothing about the particular processes by which the House has to carry out impeachment. The House can establish any rules it wants. Trump demands privileges, such as being able to cross-examine witnesses, which are a matter for the trial phase of impeachment, which happens in the Senate.

If Congress cannot exercise its power of oversight or its power of impeachment, it means Trump doesn’t have to answer to anyone and that essentially makes the president a king.

So will Republicans stand up to Trump’s assault on the very idea of checks and balances? Remember when they cried “Tyranny!” when Barack Obama signed an executive order, or shouted “Stonewalling!” if the Obama administration resisted a single document request from Congress. Remember when they called out the Constitution and the rule of law so seriously when they demanded Bill Clinton’s removal from office?

Why won’t the Republicans stand up to this assault on our democratic norms? Maybe they’re cowards, afraid of backlash from Trump himself and his most rabid supporters. Maybe they don’t actually believe in the Constitution if it isn’t delivering the outcomes they want. In any case, they are helping Trump drag our entire democratic system down.

John Barry

Franklin

Macon County youth recently placed in an archery and sharpshooting completion that included 380 4H members from across the state.

Four Haywood County swimmers scored at the Senior Games state swim meet this fall, held Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. 

The Lumberjack Team at Haywood Community College took first place at the 24th annual John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet, held Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Cradle of Forestry in the Pisgah National Forest. 

A newly conserved 139 acres in Haywood County will connect the Town of Canton’s Rough Creek watershed property to other tracts of protected land, permanently protecting wildlife habitat, scenic views from public trails and water quality. 

An additional 43 acres has been added to the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve owned by Mainspring Conservation Trust in southern Macon County. 

This summer’s Mountain Wildlife Days event in Sapphire was one of the most successful ever, and Mountain Wildlife Outreach will use the funds raised to provide live animal programs in Western North Carolina schools this academic year. 

151 Smokey Park Hwy., Asheville • Thursday, October 24 • 3-6 p.m.

To the Editor:

Think about it! Donald Trump didn’t need to be President. He much prefers business to government and certainly didn’t need politics to make him rich. He would have been content to finish out his life proud of his accomplishments and enjoy his family and friends but he saw people being left behind and huge problems not only being ignored but also being exacerbated, by both parties.

To the Editor:

There is no there there! The “there” is the latest accusation from the Democrats that President Donald Trump committed something wrong in a phone call with the president of the Ukraine and therefore should be impeached. The accusation is based on a whistleblower’s second- or third-hand accounts. No law was broken, there is no threat to national security and therefore no high crime and misdemeanor, which is the standard for impeachment. Without following the constitutional process, U.S. House Democrats have gone wild with misguided hearings and inflammatory comments to the media.

Fall is upon us and so are the beautiful colors and seasonal customs of our region. Just thinking of tomato pies, apple turnovers, hayrides, and carving pumpkins brings memories of bounty and happiness! The stunning mountains and biodiversity is one of the reasons why many of us consider ourselves lucky to live here. But the varied terrain of our mountain home often hides the hardships faced by those most closely involved in the rhythms of sowing and harvesting its bounty: the farmworkers of WNC.

Our 8 year-old really like cereal for breakfast but I don’t want to buy him ones that are full of sugar. What are some better choices in cereals?

By Paul Strop • Guest Columnist

I read with interest a recent letter expressing concerns about immigration, truly one of the main problems of this nation and the whole world. I wish to express an alternate view citing, if possible, where I obtained my information. 

The writer seems to believe the Donald Trump propaganda that undocumented immigrants (the writer uses the term “illegal immigrants”) are a financial burden to this country. However, studies from 2005 have documented the “illegal immigrants” pay about $7 billion per year into Social Security (N.Y. Times, April 2005). They will never collect a dime, but the writer will benefit from those dollars.

By Beth Young • Guest Columnist

“It’s just a phase.” “They are just being teenagers.” “I drank when I was their age and I was fine.” These are things I know that I heard as a kid and that I have heard said to kids today. The flip side of these beliefs is the misconception that adolescents cannot develop substance-use disorders.

Two people died during a three-vehicle collision at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A ban on backcountry fires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was announced Sept. 26 following the release of a new drought map showing that 45 counties in central and western North Carolina are experiencing moderate drought. 

Florida resident Dr. Joe Lee earned recognition recently for his role as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s first African-American park naturalist in the 1960s. That’s no small feat, said Smokies Superintendent Cassius Cash. 

Nearly 300 members of the Western Carolina University community came together Thursday, Sept. 5, to dedicate the campus’s newest residence hall in honor of Levern Hamlin Allen, the institution’s first African-American student and a woman characterized by WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown as “a quiet pioneer of integration.”

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging all North Carolinians to make sure they are up to date on their vaccines in light of recent mumps cases at two Triad area universities.  

Haywood County Public Health, in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is investigating a case of Legionella, commonly known as Legionnaire’s disease. Additional cases are also being investigated in surrounding counties.

By Kae Livsey • Guest Columnist

In the U.S., there is a common perception that there is a pill to fix everything. We are flooded with advertisements promoting pharmacological management for all kinds of conditions. There are even drugs that have been developed to counteract the side effects of other drugs, such as a pill to counteract constipation resulting from use of legally prescribed opioids. Substance use disorders may result from legally prescribed opiates, or from when people resort to opioid-based drugs as a way to self-medicate for chronic pain or mental illness that may be undiagnosed, or untreated, due to lack of access to treatment and support.

To the Editor:

Swain County Democrats recently passed a resolution in support of the county’s proposed animal control ordinance and ask others to do the same. The proposed ordinance will protect the “health, safety and welfare” of county residents and protect companion animals from “abuse, neglect and abandonment.”   

To the Editor:

In the September 4 issue of The Smoky Mountain News I was happy to see that WCU, my alma mater, was recognizing a significant moment in its history: honoring the first African-American student by naming a residence hall after her. But I was saddened to see the announcement buried at the bottom of the page in the middle of paper.  

To the Editor:

A Republican acquaintance who won’t vote for her party’s candidate for president recently said, “But I don’t want us to get socialism,” meaning, she explained, some people getting handouts from government. 

To the Editor:

My grandmother Evelyn was a stickler for just a couple of things. She was fortunate that her father, a German immigrant silversmith in Newark, N.J., made a small fortune when he took to smithing whiskey flasks for the “Dandies” of New York during Prohibition, allowing them to party on despite the law, and for his children to engage in activities with people of means, education and most importantly to her, manners.

To the Editor:

I am sickened by the thought of diverting yet another $18.4 billion for a border wall. That’s billion with a B! And for nothing but an illusion of security. No wall has ever successfully protected a nation. 

A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Virginia portion that has been closed since September will continue to be closed indefinitely, Parkway officials decided recently.

The U.S. Forest Service has completed an environmental analysis for the Buck Project on the Nantahala National Forest’s Tusquitee Ranger District in eastern Clay County. 

Webcams recently installed at Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome will give visitors nearly real-time access to weather conditions and views from the highest elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

A $4,500 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation is helping the Highlands Nature Center support its school outreach program. 

Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations will go into effect in 20 Western North Carolina counties on Tuesday, Oct. 1. 

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently received a priceless donation of Cades Cove artifacts to the museum collections when the great-granddaughter of Dan and Sidney Lawson — Robin Derryberry of Chattanooga, Tennessee — donated a chest of drawers, family Bible, wedding portraits and other family photographs to the National Park Service for long-term preservation at the National Park Service Collections Preservation Center in Townsend, Tennessee.  

The Smoky Mountain News’ annual Living Well special section aims to give readers a broad view of the many different opportunities for living a healthy lifestyle in Western North Carolina. Whether you’re interested in starting a new workout routine or searching for ways to improve your mental health, local health experts can help you get started.

Three years ago, few people had heard of cannabidiol (CBD). Now, it’s popular with all demographics. It’s even being used with cats and dogs. With an abundance of information floating around and a slew of products on the market, Kim Ferguson of Kim’s Pharmacy offers clarification and suggestions regarding CBD oil. 

An interview with therapist Arika Morrison 

By Tara Hogan • Guest writer

What is your health philosophy? What keeps you going? Now more than ever, we need to be looking up from our devices asking ourselves these questions. Depression, anxiety, chronic pain and lifestyle diseases are rampant. Defining a strong health philosophy may be the answer the mystery of our culture of dis-ease.

By Jerica Rossi • Guest writer

Finding it hard to get to the studio on the reg? Or sticking to your home practice while juggling work, family, fun or travel? It happens. Sometimes life has us looking in another direction and before you know it, you haven’t touched your mat in weeks.