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By Peter H. Lewis
AVL Watchdog
The biggest health crisis in a lifetime hit Asheville shortly after the one-year anniversary of the biggest upheaval in local healthcare: the $1.5 billion sale of the nonprofit Mission Health System to HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital management chain.
By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist | COVID-19 has given me the opportunity to sit and think. Not just daydream. I am not sure whether this is good or bad. This is one of those times.
I thought back to the time six months ago when everything was normal. A young lady and a young gentleman, both Franklin High School grads now finishing college, asked me to write them a letter of reference. I was honored to do so. I believe we will hear great triumphs from them as they experience life. FHS does that.
To the Editor:
Long lines, limited polling place hours, inconvenient polling locations, not getting time off work and the COVID-19 virus all make one of our most sacred rights — voting — a hurdle for many Americans.
All states need to offer no-excuse mail-in absentee voting to every eligible voter to ensure that everyone has the ability to vote.
Last week, a Texas state judge said that he’ll issue an order allowing all Texans to vote absentee due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, less than an hour after the attorney general’s office threatened criminal prosecution for groups recommending voters concerned about contracting the virus request absentee ballots (Texas is one of a number of states that requires voters to present an excuse in order to vote absentee). While the Texas order is certain to be appealed, just this past weekend, Gov. Cuomo of New York issued an executive order to lift all “mandatory excuses” to vote absentee in that state.
Many states are embracing voting reform. Virginia, for example, recently established automatic voter registration through the state Department of Motor Vehicles, meaning all eligible DMV customers will automatically be registered unless they opt out (at least a form is offered in North Carolina). Virginia also made Election Day a state holiday, removed the excuse requirement to vote absentee, allowed voters to permanently receive an absentee mail ballot in all future elections, extended the close of polling on Election Day an additional hour and established alternative in-person voting methods such as curbside voting.
Some states have already acted quickly to allow residents to vote at home by sending ballots or absentee ballot applications by mail to all their citizens but in 15 states, voters still need to submit an excuse to be able to vote at home. Just this month, absentee voting in Wisconsin went from 5 to 71 percent. Our own state is among only five others to have no-excuse absentee voting, joined by Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Florida. Kentucky Gov. Beshear’s recent executive order says that all voters “should use mail-in voting.” Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert has signed a bill to conduct Utah’s June 30 primaries entirely by mail and cancel in-person voting, except for those with disabilities. All 53 North Dakota counties say they will conduct the state’s June 9 primaries entirely by mail, following an executive order from Republican Gov. Doug Burgum.
We need to act now to ensure that all voters can safely participate in our elections this November. If we act together, we can win the funding and reforms we need to protect our vote.
Ralph Andrew
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Some people call it common sense, others call it critical thinking or logic, and it is so essential to human kind that the survival of the species depends on it.
I am befuddled about those who don’t understand it, practice it or agree with it, as if you can argue about whether humankind should live or die.
The high visibility of anti-intellectual, anti-scientific attitudes can be traced right back to President Trump, who proudly flaunts his disdain for learning.
I want society to open back up as much as anyone, but I don’t want it at the expense of mega death.
The logic is pretty straight-forward: test, use PPE, practice social distancing, get the numbers down, THEN open up cautiously. Like, you put your socks on before your shoes. What is so hard about that, folks?
Obama had America prepared for such a pandemic, but Trump dismantled that program so he could rid the government of the ‘taint’ of one of our best leaders (who happens to be fairly adept at logic.) And then he gave the extra cash from a hollowed out government to his rich friends with a tax break. Yes, the bestest, most beautiful businessman.
The time to gear up production of PPEs and research an effective test and vaccine was in February or March. The administration had been warned several months earlier.
Where has he been, what has he done with his time, beside jeering at prepared people as perpetrating a hoax and abdicating all responsibility?
He tells states they are on their own, then intercepts their shipments and doles them out to red states.
This is not the behavior of a leader.
Caryl Brt
Waynesville
To the Editor:
I am not writing about a political issue but a health issue. I am a senior citizen with a heart condition placing me in a high-risk category, so am extremely concerned about staying COVID-19 free.
Therefore it is discouraging to visit grocery stores and see many people without masks. I wear mine to protect you and your family in case I have the virus and don’t show any symptoms and don’t know I have it. I would hope you would care about protecting me and my family from the possibility that you may have it. My life and that of others may depend on it. I have many friends who fear going to the stores for this reason. One friend has an extremely high-risk young child and is afraid she will bring it back home to him.
Some stores do have special hours for high-risk shoppers and the opportunity to order online and pick up, but that is limiting and shoppers not wearing masks may also shop during those special hours so the masked shoppers are still exposed to those unmasked shoppers. I heard this quote in several places: “having some people wear masks and some not is like having a peeing section in the swimming pool.”
A solution to this could be to establish morning mask-only shopping for a few hours each day, leaving the vast majority of shopping time available to mask-optional shoppers.
I was at Haywood Appliances in Clyde the other day and was pleased to note that no one was allowed in without a mask and some were provided. I’m also hearing that most, if not all, airlines are requiring all passengers to wear one. I also heard the CEO of Walmart state that one of his main concerns was customers who did not follow CDC guidelines for wearing masks and maintaining social distance from others.
If you are also concerned, please share this idea with the managers of local stores you use. We’re all in this together, so let’s help each other stay safe and stop the spread.
Nancy Copeland
Waynesville
The Asian giant hornet has yet to be detected in North Carolina, but the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is asking residents to keep an eye out and report sightings of the pest.
7 ways you can S T R E T C H (or SUBSTITUTE for) ground beef or pork:
Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) today announced that Rod Harkleroad, CEO of HRMC, will step down from his role, effective June 5. Harkleroad, who has been with HRMC since 2016, has been named CEO for Frye Regional Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint facility in Hickory. Chris Fensterle, who has been serving as interim CEO at FRMC, will join HRMC as interim CEO in early June, and a national search for a permanent leader has been initiated.
The Blood Connection, a local nonprofit, community blood center is offering COVID-19 antibody testing to all donors at no cost. The test, which will provide blood donors with a positive or negative result, will be included in the normal panel of testing that is done to all blood that is collected by the organization.
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office has released a free mobile smartphone app allowing the public access to a multitude of vital information along with the ability to communicate with law enforcement and find out about MCSO’s various services and divisions.
Haywood County Public Health received notice May 11 that three more Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19. The individuals are in isolation at home.
To assist N.C. Division of Motor Vehicle customers and partners in dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a provision included in the COVID-19 bill signed into law today by Governor Cooper grants a five-month extension of the expiration date on more than two dozen DMV credentials.
By Nick Peters
The main floor of Manna FoodBank’s warehouse in Asheville is a beehive of activity as scores of staff and volunteers pack, load and wrap food for distribution. Boxes, pallets, and forklifts still abound, but the vibe has changed.
Adam Perry has worked for Haywood County Schools since 1996. Currently, he is the Job Coach at Tuscola High School where he works with students who are pursuing the occupational course of study.
“We will be closing until further notice. God bless us all.” This is but one of many messages posted to storefronts across Western North Carolina. For Luxury Therapeutics in Franklin, that kind of sign simply wasn’t an option.
It will be May in December for members of Western Carolina University’s spring graduating class of 2020 who were originally scheduled to participate in commencement ceremonies this month until the events were postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Haywood County Public Health received notice May 6 that a 19th Haywood County resident has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The individual is in isolation at home. This individual was exposed eight days prior to symptom onset.
After a 30-year career with the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Sgt. Gene Williamson retired in 2014, but he didn’t stay retired long. In 2015, he joined the Haywood County Sheriff's Office and has been there ever since.
Have you walked through an Ingles store and noticed the brown and white gluten-free tags on items?
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is issuing a warning about a scam in which private online websites falsely claim to sell N.C. fishing licenses.
The Blue Ridge Parkway will resurface more than 100 miles of its 469-mile length this year.
A new online activity program from the Kids in Parks program aims to keep kids connected to nature while earning prizes during the COVID-19 closures.
Grants and loans to help small and mid-scale farmers in Western North Carolina navigate the COVID-19 crisis are now available from EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems, an initiative of the Center of Environmental Farming Systems.
Suzanne Klimek has been named the new president of Haywood Waterways Association.
By Nick Breedlove • Guest Columnist | Every May we commemorate National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) to celebrate the value travel holds for our economy, businesses, and personal wellbeing. This year’s NTTW theme is “Spirit of Travel.” As we look at the recent events and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and how it has forever altered communities and lives around the world, it proves difficult to celebrate anything at the moment. However, now more than ever is the time for us to band together in support of the industry that offers so much hope, joy, and inspiration.
To the Editor:
In his book, FantasyLand: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History, Kurt Andersen discusses the “strange, post-factual, fake news moment we’re all living through” and how it is not new and has been with us since those trials in Salem.
Fantasy was readily apparent at the May 4 Haywood County Commission meeting during the public comment period on re-opening Haywood County. Speakers ranged from the sincere business owner from Maggie Valley to the DDs (Data Deniers) from around the county, who were often anecdotal and inaccurate in their statements. While not speaking, several were “Amening” others making inaccurate statements. While sitting near the rear, I observed the assorted head shaking and tut-tutting from the DDs, as well as muted outbursts as health officials made their presentations( including one off-color name calling by one of the public comment speakers). Since they chose to whisper back and forth (six feet apart and maskless), I heard a number of factually incorrect statements as well as insults directed at the health department speakers.
I am a firm believer in Daniel Moynihan’s quote, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, just not their own facts.”
Finally, for those of us who stayed for the entire meeting (the re-opening proclamation was the next to last item), we were able to hear the opinions of the board members on the upcoming vote. I found them reasoned and respectful of all citizens. I also noted that only the sincere business owner from Maggie Valley stayed until the vote. The DDs made their speeches, scoffed at the health officials and departed before the discussion of the proclamation. It would probably have conflicted with their “narrative.”
Richard Gould
Waynesville
To the Editor:
About 58,000 American men and women died in the Vietnam war over a period of 20 years. By the time you read this well over 50,000 Americans will have died of the Covid 19 in a period of less than four months. As a result, the American economy is in freefall. In this time of unprecedented crisis, we need great leadership. Where is our Churchill, FDR, or even Ronald Reagan?
To lead a country in a time of crisis a leader must unify its citizens. From the day of his inauguration, President Trump has made it clear that if you did not vote for him he is not your president.
To rally a country to do the hard things necessary to overcome a crisis you must tell them the truth. Even President Trump’s most ardent supporters know you cannot trust what he says. The virus is just a Democratic hoax, it will magically go away, it will be gone by April, are just few of the daily lies coming from the White House.
To lead a county in a crisis the leader must lead. He must take charge of the reins of government, set clear and consistent goals, and explain how we as a country will achieve them. When asked about testing for the virus, the key to any reopening of the economy he said, “I take no responsibility at all” for the lack of coronavirus testing? And he stated the federal government is just a “backup” to the states.
When some Governors said that they would decide when to reopen their economies, President Trump said “I have the ultimate authority” “When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total ... The governors know that ... [They] can’t do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.” A few days later he said that the governors would have to decide for themselves when to open their states for business.
When confronted with the science that the virus would be back next fall and coincide with the flu season, he directly contradicted the head of the CDC. Within minutes he was corrected on live TV by Dr. Fauci, who agreed with the head of the CDC. From one day to the next the only plan we see coming from the White House is to dominate the daily news cycle.
I am proud and grateful to live in Macon County. So far we have seen little of the sickness and death from Covid-19. Our leadership From Mayor Bob Scott of Franklin and other county leaders has unified the county and given us hope we can all come through this together and open up soon. That is real leadership.
Louis Vitale
Franklin
To the Editor:
According to White House staff, since this past January Trump blew off — refused to read, as always — daily briefings in print. He even refused to hear the spoken summaries of daily briefings that his staff tried to give him. He’s done the same throughout his occupation of the White House.
But this was far worse because his negligence means people in America are dying: the January 2019 and beyond briefings included dire warnings that the President must take action to avoid a pandemic of COVID-19 in the USA.
If someone you love dearly dies, thank the president and his enablers.
Mary Jane Curry
Haywood County
The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 12:06 a.m. Monday, May 4, regarding suspicious activity at the entrance to the Shadow Woods subdivision located on Ratcliff Cove Road.
By Tom Fielder, AVL Watchdog
Republican congressional-candidate Lynda Bennett, who hopes to win the District 11 seat recently vacated by her political patron Mark Meadows, is calling for an immediate end to North Carolina’s stay-home order, calling pandemic restrictions an infringement “on our rights and freedom.”
Haywood County Public Health received notice May 1 that a 17th Haywood County resident has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The individual is in isolation.
Trooper Erica Bass has been with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol since 2008; 10 of those years have been here in Haywood County.
Sherry Green and Jamie Hawkins have worked for A Better Clean as contractors cleaning the campuses of Haywood Community College for the past few months. Little did they know when they started this job back in early winter that they would be tasked with the role of keeping things clean around the county’s emergency operations center also.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to reopen many of its roads and trails beginning Saturday, May 9. Campgrounds, picnic pavilions, visitor centers and many secondary roads will remain closed during the first reopening phase, which is expected to last for at least two weeks.
Nantahala Health Foundation has launched a COVID-19 Impact Recovery Fund to match charitable donations dollar for dollar up to $100,000 and better position itself to bring organizations together to prepare for a post-COVID future.
With hundreds of thousands of newly unemployed residents in the state, people are facing the loss of benefits usually provided by their employers. Blue Ridge Health has offered universal access to comprehensive care for everyone in Western North Carolina for over 55 years. For anybody with or without insurance, there is an option for medical, dental, behavioral health, discount pharmacy and more.
As the nation continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, CVS Health announced that MinuteClinic, the company's retail medical clinic, is now offering expanded telehealth options to help patients access safe, affordable and convenient non-emergency care.
Haywood Regional Medical Center announced that it is taking the appropriate steps to safely resume some elective and non-urgent surgeries and procedures that were previously rescheduled out of an abundance of caution amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Macon County Public Health received notice on Wednesday, April 29, that a third Macon County resident has tested positive for COVID–19.
Haywood County Health Department has reported three new confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday morning.
Hass avocados (sometimes known as “SlimCados”) are typically grown in Florida and have a light green skin. They are larger in size and slightly lower in fat(per serving) than the smaller, dark green avocados with the pebbly skin that are usually from California or Mexico.
By Catherine Sawyer • Guest Columnist | When I think of the stereotypes against Appalachia, what comes to mind is what popular culture has had to say about Appalachian people. The mockery, generalization, and misunderstanding that Hollywood has been producing for generations is the most glaring. I also think of the lesser known impacts of the stereotypes, such as the way the government and our fellow Americans treat the area. I’ve said before that growing up here, in a small town as widely known and simultaneously forgotten as Bryson City, was somewhat like growing up in a novelty store. “One of the cutest small towns in the country,” they boast. “Rated top in the nation for small town living” is displayed across the covers of national travel magazines.
To the Editor:
In spite of the Trump administration’s current litigations to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA), it’s a very good thing that the legislation is still in place during this time of record breaking job losses.
Why is the ACA (termed “Obamacare” by GOP critics) so important right now? Because of the following special provision:
“If you have just left your job for any reason and lost your job-based health coverage, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. This means you can enroll in a Marketplace insurance plan any time of year. You usually have 60 days from the day you lose your coverage to enroll.
News flash: Displaced workers who had employer paid insurance thankfully don’t have to rely on the Trump administration to reopen the enrollment period. That’s good because Trump is refusing to do so.
Displaced workers who lost their coverage can call Mountain Projects to seek enrollment assistance from a Certified Application Counselor or pursue Marketplace enrollment at www.healthcare.gov.
The counselors report they are getting lots of calls.
Another option: Check with a private agency that carries other insurance (car, homeowners, etc), to see if they carry Marketplace plans — some do.
Passed without any Republican support in March 2010, the ACA has survived approximately 70 Republican-led attempts to repeal, modify or otherwise curb the bill’s content. Democratic lawmakers overwhelmingly support it and have fortunately been able to prevail in the voting to prevent repeal.
While the Republican lawmakers referred to their actions as “repeal and replace,” they never produced a replacement plan.
The full name of the bill passed in 2010 is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The inclusion of the Special Enrollment Period in the legislation focuses on one of the guiding principles of the Democratic Party: protecting workers.
While Democratic lawmakers could not have foreseen the current health care crisis when they crafted the ACA legislation, the Special Enrollment Period was a key component and it may save lives now. We should all be thankful the bill is still intact.
Myrna Campbell
Waynesville
To the Editor:
One of my favorite books is the King James Bible (1611). Excellent advice. In the 1950s, my mother took us to the nearest Baptist church regularly, Sunday School and Bible study. She had great respect for Billy Graham. Too bad he didn’t have a son who would continue his Christian ministry. Franklin has clearly chosen politics. In the sixties, while in the U.S. Navy, I began to wonder: Is the creation story true? Still, I turned to the Bible for guidance and philosophy.
Church attendance has plummeted, though, during my lifetime. Religion seems to be less relevant to many Americans. Is that true for Christianity as a belief? In the seventies legendary singer Johnny Cash sang, “What is truth?” In the nineties Counting Crows sang of “… the crumbling difference between wrong and right.” Are these songs reflective of the drop in church attendance? Are they signs of a broader societal concern for morality in general?
Now, in 2020, Donald Trump, the President of the United State, is widely regarded as the world’s biggest liar. Lying is a violation of the Ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:16). Mark Twain’s fictional character Huckleberry Finn is a distant second. Sadly, Trump is real rather than merely a fictional character. Trump may also be world champion in another vice. Proverbs 3: 27 states, “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” Marvelous human relations wisdom. Has Trump never read Proverbs? Does he merely refuse to follow sage advice?
Trump was one of the “fortunate sons” that Credence Clearwater Revival sang about in the seventies. He avoided military service during the Vietnam War. Billionaire father. “Bone spurs” in his feet. Still, he belittled American war hero John McCain who spent nearly six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
Between now and Nov. 3, veterans as well as active service members need to ask themselves this question: Since Donald Trump chooses to lie to us and belittle us, is he worthy of the title commander-in-chief? In my book, he is not.
Dave Waldrop
Webster
To the Editor:
Enough is enough. How much longer are Americans willing to tolerate this sad excuse of a president? Anyone in their right mind can clearly see that we are not being led by a sane man. His constant attacks on the reporters trying to get information and his daily lies to us are beyond belief.
As I write or vent this opinion tonight, I’ve just learned that he now insists on his name being printed on the stimulus checks. Really? It’s not his money! Millions of Americans are out of work with no health insurance, no savings and no clue what the future holds. So, let’s slow these payments down even more to feed his megalomaniac personality?
This man has proven over and over and over again that he is incompatible with anything resembling intelligence. But he does own a well-documented record of criminal wrongdoing, with many still under investigation yet currently lost in the media shuffle. Most of his cronies are in prison or jail.
A businessman? Ha! How does someone bankrupt a casino three times, an airline, and many other failed ventures? Not to mention a real estate school that was proven fraudulent. This is why no reputable banks will deal with him or Trump Inc. for years. He owes millions of dollars in debt, bills unpaid, workers unpaid, contractors unpaid. He never paid for his inauguration and still owes numerous cities money for his reelection rallies.
Tax returns? Not available as he fights to constantly keep them secret. Like his besties — Putin, Jong and the other ruthless dictators he praises — he shares their same affliction of narcissism, a lust for power and more money. He has absolutely no ability to remotely feel anything for others other than himself. His utter failure as a leader in this global crisis further demonstrates the magnitude of his incompetence.
Our country used to be the leader on the world stage. Now we are a laughingstock. Maybe my country will hopefully learn a huge lesson in that we need to come together, recover from this pandemic, and elect a leader that actually believes in our constitution. America is now in the I.C.U. It’s up to us as voters to save ourselves from this insanity called Trump, our fake president, and try listening to real news. It’s out there.
Mylan Sessions
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Anyone with half a brain knows that Trump was making a sarcastic joke when he suggested that people inject bleach to cure COVID-19. As any astute follower of Donald Trump over the past three years knows, most everything coming out of his mouth is a joke. If the president has something serious to say, it generally comes out of the other end. At the ready is a team of experts — Pence, Meadows, Hannity, Limbaugh, and of course, McConnell — who make it all shine and smell good. It’s time for people to wake up and smell the coffee, or whatever.
John H. Fisher
Hendersonville
To the Editor:
Lately. through observing the news media, I have seen mass support for gun ownership and confirmation of the Second Amendment. My life of being associated with firearms began 72 years ago when I was 7 years old. I’m not worried about my guns, but I am worried about my Social Security and Medicare.
According to the New York Times, in his latest budget, President Trump has proposed cutting Social Security programs $26 billion and safety net programs like Medicare and Medicaid $1.9 trillion. This was after giving his rich cronies a $1.3 trillion tax break.
In the presidential campaign, I saw Trump on television state that he would leave Social Security and Medicare alone.
What else can you expect out of a pathological liar?
Charles Miller
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Despite the social distancing, wearing masks, stay at home orders, and all of the CDC stats and briefings we have witnessed over the past 40-plus days, the COVID-19 curve has flattened along with CDC models that were not altogether accurate. The models were way overestimated.
The American people have been very patient and are now wanting to return to work. Children want to return to school as do their parents. Serology studies are indicating that the virus is not as deadly as once was thought in addition to the majority of affected patients having successfully recovered.
It makes zero sense for the Blue Ridge Parkway to be closed as people want to drive and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The Parkway could easily be reopened with the caveat that they still socially distance on hiking trails and in picnic areas. We cannot continue this isolation. These rules are not healthy for a free society nor for our economy. We need not risk lapsing into a great depression as a result of the government’s desire to “keep us safe.”
Let common sense rule.
Pam McAloon
Maggie Valley
