By Liam McLeod • Guest Columnist | To the high school Class of 2020, congratulations! There is nothing more exciting than completing high school and preparing to leave and move on toward what comes next.

It was four years ago now that I was in your shoes, a recent grad with nothing on my mind but leaving my hometown. I can tell you this, enjoy this last summer at home and don’t wish it away. College is exciting and extremely fast-paced. These four years at UNCC have felt like one year at Tuscola, though I’ve grown and changed more than I ever could have in high school. I learned many lessons in my first year of college, but there’s one that sticks out the most to me: our home is unlike any other in North Carolina. 

To the Editor:

On June 8, 1789, James Madison (who is considered by many historians to be the Father of the US Constitution), proposed the addition of 10 amendments to the US Constitution which had become effective in June, 1788. After two-and-one-half years of debate and discussion, the 10 amendments, now known as the Bill of Rights, were approved. Still debated and discussed more than 230 years after Madison’s initial proposal, they guarantee certain rights and responsibilities that form the bedrock of citizenship in the United States.   

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, press and peaceful assembly.

The Second Amendment recognizes the need for a “well-regulated militia” for the security of the state and guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms. 

Amendment Three prevents soldiers from being sent to live in any home without the consent of the owner in time of peace and requires the law to define when that is allowed in time of war.

The Fourth Amendment prevents “unreasonable” searches and seizures and prevents warrants from being served without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, describing the place to be searched and the person or things to be seized. 

Amendment Five says no person can be held accountable for a capital crime (punishable by death) without an indictment by a Grand Jury; prevents a person from being placed in jeopardy more than once for the same offense; prevents a person from being a witness against him- or herself; prevents a person from being deprived of his or her property without due process of law; and prevents private property from being taken from any person for public use without just compensation.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial in all criminal prosecutions, before an impartial jury of the state and district where the crime was committed; provides that the defendants be informed of accusation(s) against them; be allowed to confront witnesses; be able to obtain their own witnesses and have the assistance of counsel for their defense. 

Amendment Seven guarantees the right to trial by jury in civil cases where the controversy involves more than $20 and assures that no fact tried by the jury can be re-examined by any other court when the trial is over. 

The Eighth Amendment says that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

The Ninth Amendment assures that rights not granted to the federal government are retained by the people. 

The Tenth Amendment makes clear that the powers not delegated to the federal government or denied to the individual states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.

The Bill of Rights became effective on December 15, 1791 and has been guarding our liberties ever since. 

Luke Hyde

Bryson City

To the Editor:

Gentlemen, I understand that you voted to allow bars to open with restrictions which apparently surpasses the Governor’s executive order (If I understand it correctly). 

I also heard on state wide news accounts your actions today will also strip local power from those such as myself,  who are dealing with this emergency under local ordinances of the Town of Franklin.

What happens if I need to issue an order to protect the public?  Who do I go to?  Why, when I understood that you both are local government people, did you vote on this?  (Assuming you did)

I would greatly appreciate an explanation why the NCGA felt it necessary to usurp local authority in a fast moving emergency situation. 

Bob Scott

Mayor,  Town of Franklin

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | “I’m looking for a personal trainer who also knows kickboxing.” An innocuous Facebook recommendation post by an ordinary Waynesville mom. The sort of thing most just scroll past daily without so much as a second glance. But under and behind the normalcy was a cutting need for an outlet to that mother’s unresolved pain. 

Crunchy Roasted Broccoli & Peanut Salad Dressing

Haywood Community College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the college has resolved all legal matters related to the design and initial construction of the Creative Arts Building, now named Sycamore, which opened in 2013.

A man driving drunk who crashed his pickup truck into a Sylva woman’s car, killing her a short time after she completed her work shift at a Dollar General in Scaly Mountain, is headed to state prison. 

During a time when everyone is worried about their health and the health of their loves ones, it can be easy to forget about our most vulnerable populations. One agency is trying to recruit a new ally in the fight against COVID-19 — landlords.

By Mark MacNamara

AVL Watchdog

June 1st. Night. A few minutes before the first explosion a black woman stopped to say, “It’s nice to see another older person.” She patted my arm. “You too,” I replied. Such kind eyes, I thought and reached out to touch back but she was gone. I was standing just up from the police station, under the sign that reads, “Young Men’s Institution. Established 1892 as center of social, moral, religious influence for blacks working at Biltmore.”

Macon County has identified a Macon County employee who has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is isolating at home and doing well.

The Haywood County NAACP is hosting a vigil in memory of George Floyd at 3 p.m. Friday, June 5, at the new park in the Pigeon neighborhood on Calvary Street.

• Use boxed cookie, cake or brownie mixes or buy flour and baking ingredients to make desserts rather than buying pre-made desserts.

The Nantahala Outdoor Center has reopened, with most river and land-based trips now available. 

A new initiative from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is facilitating direct connections between farmers and food relief efforts. 

A nonprofit based at the Cradle of Forestry in America is the new manager for the Northwest Trading Post located between Boone and Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

A new district ranger has been selected for the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest. 

A new podcast series from the Great Smoky Mountains Association brings the science, stories and sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to listeners from across the country. 

Presented by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the 11th season of Concerts on the Creek will return with Summer & Bray of Mountain Faith (bluegrass/gospel) on Friday, July 17, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

To the Editor:

We would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve you and say thank you for your business. These last few months have been challenging for everyone and especially for small businesses like Waynesville Tire. We have been blessed by our loyal customers.

We have had to reconfigure our ways of meeting your needs and at the same time striving to keep you — our customers — and our employees safe and healthy. This has required us to give you curb service since March. We will be continuing these same practices in the coming weeks for the health and safety of all.

We can never tell you how much we appreciate your patience and understanding and we look forward to serving you for years to come. 

And remember, we can’t do anything about COVID-19 but we can still cure baldness.

Jeff McCall, owner

Waynesville Tire

To the Editor:

Donald Trump doesn’t want to wear a face mask. He feels he looks ridiculous in one. Donald Trump wants no restrictions in his need for many attendees to the upcoming Republican National Convention in North Carolina. Donald Trump has politicized the wearing of face masks. Thus, he wants thousands of people at the convention cheering him on and no face masks in sight. 

His followers will follow him. Thousands of Trumpers will be crammed together for hours in Charlotte. Some of them will inadvertently bring COVID-19 into the convention hall. As a result, this convention will be the epicenter of a huge cluster of COVID transmission and from there back out into the country. Very irresponsible.

Daniel Perlmutter

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

Did you know there is a group of essential workers who will not be getting a stimulus check under this administration — workers who pay taxes and contribute to the Social Security funds. They pick our fruits and vegetables and labor to keep us fed. They are undocumented immigrants, many of whom have lived in this country for 20 years and have raised families here.

And I am only talking here of immigrants working 20 or more years in our country. Even though they are among the most needy, they will not receive a cent of stimulus money.

This is incredible pettiness. We are a great and rich nation. We can feed our workers in time of need. A recent campaign slogan stated “Make America Great Again.” These petty policies do not make America look great. They make us the laughingstock of the rest of the world

We deserve better than this.

Paul Strop

Waynesville

To the Editor:

On Monday, May 25, George Floyd of Minneapolis was the latest victim of wrongful police killings. May Mr. Floyd be the last. Change is possible. 

A decade ago, with one of the worst problems of excessive force and killings of unarmed people nationwide, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department implemented body cams and trained police in de-escalation techniques. By 2014, there were no deadly force incidents involving unarmed suspects and a decrease of police shootings by 36 percent. 

We in the Jackson County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have an ongoing dialog with our county sheriff and police departments, and we salute their interest in better policing. We join the national NAACP in supporting the end of pretextual stops and stop and frisk tactics. We urge congressional candidates to commit to enacting national standards for police accountability such as the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act (ERRPA) and the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (LETIA), which provide enhanced oversight for police departments. We also support local law enforcement training on implicit bias and effective data collection on traffic stops.

As a community, let’s enable law enforcement policy development to eliminate wrongful police killings.

Enrique A. Gómez PhD

President, Jackson County NAACP

Sylva

Rural counties have so far been sheltered from the high numbers of positive COVID-19 cases, but as testing ramps up, the number of positive cases continue to rise. 

District Attorney Ashley Welch announced that Jeremy Edward Stepp has been sentenced as a habitual felon and can expect to spend the next 25 to 42 months in prison for possession of methamphetamine.

By Sally Kestin • AVL Watchdog | Kathie Carnahan nursed her husband through two major surgeries, watched helplessly as dementia robbed the once vibrant attorney of the ability to speak, and made the gut-wrenching decision to place him in an Asheville nursing home.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers responded to a report of a motorcycle collision along Newfound Gap Road near Park Headquarters at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 30.

Western Carolina University has announced plans for fall 2020 that include holding the first day of classes as scheduled on Monday, Aug. 17, eliminating the traditional fall break, moving final exams online and sending students home for the remainder of the semester prior to Thanksgiving.

 Workers laid-off due to COVID-19 face impending deadlines to qualify for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance.

Macon County Public Health has identified 42 positive cases of COVID-19 in the last 48 hours.

Haywood County Public Health received notice on May 28, that another three Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 — this brings the total number of cases recorded in the county to 48.

By Ilana Fiorenza • AVL Watchdog | The pandemic that left thousands of Asheville workers unemployed has been particularly hard on the artists, musicians and performers who help define the city’s character.

Macon County has identified three more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total cases up to 21.

• The Ingles Advantage card will help save on every shopping trip. (See your local store for a card.) Look for your Advantage special pricing on shelf tags.

The opening of Clingmans Dome Road on Tuesday, May 19, was followed by an additional wave of reopenings on Saturday, May 23. 

Delayed Harvest trout waters will open on June 6 in North Carolina, affecting 34 streams and two lakes. 

By Molly Boothroyd • Guest Columnist | Who would have thought the year 2020 could be so negative, life-changing but also filled with so much joy? 

I have patiently waited my turn for the many celebratory Pisgah High School senior traditions. Wearing a red cap and gown as my fellow seniors walk down the halls to loud cheering in our previous elementary and middle school. Hugging our teachers and giving high fives to younger students telling them to “work hard and graduate!” The senior picnic celebration after the group senior 2020 class photo. Spending one last day together eating and hanging out before heading off in different directions. 

To the Editor:

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed many societal issues in our country — inadequate healthcare, the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, racial injustice, a lack of funding for our educational institutions, extreme partisan bickering, etc. You might say there’s another kind of virus out there that we need to address.

In order to address the virus in the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina, a representative who knows how to get things done is needed. That man is Morris (Moe) Davis. A Shelby native who graduated from Appalachian State University and North Carolina Central Law School, Davis spent 25 years in the Air Force, rising to the rank of colonel. During his Air Force days, he worked as a chief prosecutor for terrorism trials at Guantanamo Bay and ended up resigning from his position rather than obtain evidence through torture. He’s stood up for the right to free speech and has also worked as a national security specialist for the Congressional Research Service, worked as a law professor and a judge, among other positions. Davis has the experience, leadership ability and know-how to get things done.

The many issues Davis wants to address include gradually implementing a public option healthcare plan that puts people above corporate profits, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, strengthening public schools and investing in infrastructure to bring more broadband access and jobs to Western North Carolina. You can learn more at moedavisforcongress.com.

As Moe would say, “It’s always the right time to do the right thing.”

Betty Dishman

Sylva

To the Editor:

On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was jogging in a residential Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood, was murdered by a group of white men who said they thought he was suspicious looking. The local police took no action for 70 days, until the press got involved, leaving them no choice but to arrest those responsible.

On May 3, 2020, in New Hanover County, an armed mob including an off-duty deputy sheriff knocked on the door and threatened to forcefully enter the home of a black family, claiming to be looking for a missing girl in the neighborhood. No girl was there and it was the wrong home, but the family was terrified as their lives were threatened by this vigilante gang of thugs.

Incidents like these are too common, sometimes with the silence or encouragement of the highest elected officials.

Whether you are the editor of a newspaper, an elected official, or just a person who believes in basic justice, the rule of law and the sanctity of human rights in our nation, it’s time to stand against those who take the law into their own hands through acts of racial hatred, intimidation and domestic terrorism.

Avram Friedman

Sylva

To the Editor:

The entire article on the Cherokee suing over the Catawba casino proves that the only reason for the Cherokee to object to the Catawba casino is greed. If they would make money from it, there would be no objections. They did the same to prevent a casino in coastal North Carolina. And the non-N.C. Cherokee need to stay out of N.C. affairs. This can easily be settled. Allow non-native run casinos in the state. Besides, the Cherokee casino is not even owned by a state corporation.

Gino De Neef

Franklin

Roberta Harverson started her nursing career as a CNA. After completing her LPN at AB-Tech, she began working at Autumn Care of Waynesville in 1992. In 1998, she became a Registered Nurse but continued to stay at Autumn Care, since it has always felt like home to her.

Mercy Urgent Care is now offering two types of COVID-19 testing, viral testing and antibody testing, at all eight of its urgent care facilities across Western North Carolina, including Waynesville. By offering both tests, Mercy hopes to improve tracking of the virus and slow its spread throughout the region.

Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in an area church located in Franklin.

In accordance with Executive Order 141, the ABC Commission will temporarily allow On-Premise ABC permit holders to include additional outdoor seating as part of their licensed premises if that space is approved by the appropriate local government entity. 

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is reporting the state’s highest one-day number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,107 cases reported. 

By Sally Kestin

AVL Watchdog

It began with one employee falling ill from the coronavirus. By Friday morning, just 11 days later, 55 elderly and infirmed residents at the Aston Park Health Care Center in southwest Asheville and at least 30 of its staff had tested positive. Four residents had died, and one was hospitalized.

Macon County Public Health has identified three additional positive cases of COVID-19. All three are unrelated to the positive essential workers at an area business.

Haywood County Public Health received notice May 22, that another Haywood County resident has tested positive for COVID-19.  This is the 41st case recorded in the county. This individual is in isolation at home.