One thing I’ve been noticing lately on social media is a reference to “struggle meals”. These are easy, economical meals to make when money (and time) is tight. Often these meals start out with staple foods with protein like beans, cheese, canned tuna, peanut butter and eggs and then add in or have with starches and vegetables.

Here are some ideas of typical “struggle meals:” 

Waynesville isn’t just another mountain town still recovering from Hurricane Helene — it’s Haywood County’s economic, cultural and governmental hub. Nearly everything that happens in the largest municipality in the state’s western seven counties has ripple effects beyond its borders, from disaster recovery and infrastructure planning to affordable housing and fiscal stability.  

On Oct. 1, Republican-controlled Congress shut down the federal government, bringing a renewed round of confusion, finger-pointing and uncertainty to tourism-reliant Southern Appalachia — a region still paying the price for generational poverty, and still struggling with recovery from Hurricane Helene more than one year ago.  

Seeking guidance, Jackson County Public Library board members met with County Manager Kevin King last week hoping to learn more about what, exactly, the lame-duck advisory board should do to prepare for operating an independent library over the next nine months. 

Twenty-seven counties across the state will receive more than $204 million in funding for 48 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The awards will improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, address PFAS and other forever chemicals, identify and replace lead pipes, and improve resiliency after future storms. 

To the Editor:

Sadly, the U.S. doesn’t seem to be making much progress in saving our democracy and way of life. Humans have a great gift for resilience, which helps us go through some very tough times and come out stronger. The flip side of that is we can get used to anything if it goes on long enough. 

As the Fontana Regional Library sizes up a monumental change coming into the focus over the hill like a band of Vandals looking to sack Rome, its outgoing attorney, Rady Large, offers a simple piece of advice. 

Faced with a mounting backlog of infrastructure needs, Jackson County commissioners have failed to agree on a basic annual budget yet continue to insist they can accurately forecast the added costs to taxpayers of withdrawing from the Fontana Regional Library system.

Macon County’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget maintains the current tax rate, even as county revenues are projected to increase slightly. 

“Revenues are slightly higher due to an increase in the taxable value of properties,” said County Manager Warren Cabe in his first ever budget presentation to county commissioners.

The proposed Jackson County budget for fiscal year 2025-26 contains a six cent decrease in the millage rate, and yet, for most people in Jackson County, property tax bills will increase significantly.