After spending four nights lost in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Kevin Mark Lynch was found by searchers.  At approximately 4:25 p.m. searchers discovered Lynch, alert and responsive, in the southeast area of the park near the Cataloochee Divide Trail.

These days it seems like there's a lot of noise about food. Whether it's coming from your TV or Twitter, from a friend on Facebook or a famous person... how can you make the best decisions about food and what you buy?

By Sandi Sox • Guest Columnist

I have been haunted this week by words Kathryn Stripling Byer wrote in a piece about changes around her home near Cullowhee. “We are losing our homes,” she wrote. 

Denuding paradise to erect strip malls and apartment complexes is certainly heartrending, especially when ugliness slouches ever closer while you watch from your front yard. 

To the Editor:

Here we are in 2019 arguing about worthiness to be an American citizen. Down through time some have wanted race, gender, wealth, property, education, religion, intelligence and other factors to determine/limit citizenship.

Note that two of these factors (race and gender) are beyond each individual’s control. My DNA was determined by my mother and father. I had nothing to do with my racial makeup or my gender. Neither did anyone else who has ever been born. 

In my youth I often heard this — “He can’t help it that he is black.” Oddly no one ever reminded me that I could not help it that I was white. That truth was omitted or ignored as a way to belittle someone who was of African descent.

A guiding principle of Peter Pan, The Golden Rule and Jesus Christ is to take care of someone else. Cain asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

America is in deep trouble if we ignore that philosophical/religious truism. Do you worship a god that/who allows you to hate someone or feel superior to them?

Dave Waldrop

Webster

To the Editor:

I read with interest the recent article by Patrick Gleason titled “What Queen didn’t tell readers about budget standoff.” North Carolina is only one of 14 states that have not expanded Medicaid, thus 37 states (including D.C.) have approved Medicaid expansion. The majority of these 14 states are controlled by the Republicans. 

This state’s taxpayers forego billions of their tax dollars paid annually to the federal government which — had N.C. expanded Medicaid — would have come back from the federal government to defray Medicaid expansion costs.  

Starting in 2020 the federal government would pay 90 percent of the expansion cost. If Medicaid was expanded, over 600,000 people in this state who are currently without health insurance would be covered. 

Hospitals are required to provide medical treatment to people without insurance. These costs are difficult for the rural area hospitals to absorb and thus many are closing or being absorbed by larger corporations. However, with Medicaid expansion the hospitals would receive financial compensation. It has been estimated Medicaid expansion in N.C. would create up to 40,000 new jobs. These new jobs would be created in not only the medical field but also suppliers, construction, retailers, etc.

Mr. Trumps brags about being a job creator. To this end one would think the N.C. GOP (supporting Mr. Trump) would support the job creation for expansion? These new jobs would generate millions of additional tax dollars for the state coffers. 

Depending on the source, the Northcarolinahealthnews.org states, “The current plan for expansion would cost a total of about $2.13 billion, of which 90 percent, or $1.91 billion, would be paid by the federal government and the remainder by a variety of sources, with assessments on the state’s hospitals being the largest portion.” Mr. Gleason stated the cost to N.C. would be an additional $6 billion over the next two years to be paid in additional taxes by North Carolinians. To this end I support Rep. Queen’s recommendation urging one to contact their elected state official to support Medicaid expansion.

Ron Rookstool

Maggie Valley

To the Editor:

I was sad to read the article “Wolf Tales” in last week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News. Rob Gudger has found the truth about the two sides of wolves, but he only found one side of coyotes.

As a baby, my parents found a puppy beside the road and for two years it was our pet dog. Then the veterinarian had to put it to sleep because it had rabies. Afterward, the vet told my parents that it was not a dog but a coyote.

While alive, I’m told it had been my guardian between the ages of 2 and 4 years old.

There is also a second side to coyotes. No coyote has ever attacked a human. You are doing to coyotes what others do to wolves.

Donna Catheart

Jonathan Creek

To the Editor:

I just finished reading the story in the July 17 issue of The Smoky Mountain News by Cory Vaillancourt concerning Allen’s Creek in Frog Level and the “clear cutting” of the stream bank vegetation behind Frog Level Brewing and Panacea Coffee Shop. 

Kudos to all involved for recognizing the importance of addressing the over-zealous brush removal along the stream. Special credit should go to Waynesville Alderman Jon Feichter and to Haywood Waterways Executive Director Eric Romanisyzn for making a bad situation into a positive one with some creative thinking. 

Kent Stewart

Waynesville

Three new commissioners have been added to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and a new chairman and vice chairman elected following a business meeting held July 18. 

The second annual Smokies Stomp Barn Party raised more than $84,000 for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, a significant increase over the $60,000 the event raised the first time around. 

The Haywood Community College Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society recently received the Forrest E. Jarrett Wildlife Conservation Award, an annual award presented by a group of wildlife enthusiasts. 

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) is expanding beyond Waynesville’s city limits to include the artists and creative workers in Haywood County. Recently, the Waynesville Gallery Association became the Galleries of Haywood County (GHC) under the umbrella of HCAC.   

During its July meeting, the Haywood County Arts Council presented Anna Thibeault with its “Volunteer of the Year” award. 

Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown is meeting with alumni, friends of the university and community members across North Carolina this summer and fall as part of a “Chancellor’s Welcome Tour” designed to introduce WCU’s new chief executive officer to the region and state.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers continue to search for 58 year-old Kevin Mark Lynch who went missing on Saturday, July 27.  Lynch was reportedly last seen walking along the boundary of the park at the Swag resort in Haywood County, NC near the Cataloochee Divide Trail.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers are searching for a 58 year-old male near the Cataloochee Divide Trail in Haywood County.

By Patrick M. Gleason • Guest Columnist

What Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, failed to mention in his recent column in these pages is that imposing Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion in North Carolina would require state government to spend an additional $6 billion in taxpayer dollars over the next two years alone. Those additional costs would have to be paid by North Carolina taxpayers. 

To the Editor:

What are you doing to implement the four R’s to help our environment, which are Recycle, Re-use, Reduce and Refuse?

To the Editor:

The article regarding Waynesville’s First United Methodist Church’s from July 10 (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/27236) saddened me greatly. I am a former lesbian that used to attend a church that told me all I wanted to hear, but not what the Word of God said. Believing I was born gay, that is how God created me and that I could not change, I spent many years trying to find peace with God while living in the gay culture.

To the Editor:

Have you really, really thought about these five words: “In the beginning God created…? Maybe it’s time to think again. That is due to the fact that there is a never-ending movement to establish Christianity as America’s national religion. This movement is an affront to both Christianity and the First Amendment to Constitution of the United States. 

Owners of electric vehicles are wanted to take a short survey aimed at assessing the challenges and benefits of electric vehicle adoption. 

The South Toe Trailhead parking area across from Black Mountain Campground in the Pisgah National Forest has been reopened now that construction on the lot is complete.  

A wilderness therapy business that launched locally in May 2018 is now a member of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. 

Weed Patch Mountain Trail, which opened last year in the town of Lake Lure, has been recognized as one of the best new trails in the nation. 

Cherokee emergency responders were among those who answered the call following a fatal vehicle accident on Clingmans Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week. 

Investigators with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch are trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of David Carver, Jr., who was found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Monday, July 8. They are seeking information from the public to make that determination. 

Sometimes we open a book, slip into its pages, and find ourselves the recipients of three wonderful gifts: information and enlightenment, lively prose, and a great story.

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West (Simon & Schuster, 2019, 330 pages) grants all three gifts to its readers.

Eleven people were appointed to the Jackson County Board of Health on Tuesday, July 16, following a 4-1 vote from the Board of Commissioners. 

If I told you that you need cobalamin in your diet, you might think… “That sounds like a scary chemical!” Cobalamin, also known as vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin.

To the Editor:

As mid-summer escorts me past three personal milestones — the one-year anniversary of the death of my husband, David Belcher; the welcomed arrival of his successor, Chancellor Kelli Brown, and her husband, Dennis; and my recent relocation closer to family in my home state of Missouri — I cannot help but reflect upon the past eight years of life with my adopted families of the Western Carolina University and Jackson County communities.

David’s appointment as chancellor of WCU in 2011 was, for us, kismet. Somehow, in the largeness of the universe, David and I found ourselves in the slice of heaven called Cullowhee. I could write reams on the good work that WCU and Jackson County together accomplished during this time, but David voiced these successes many times. I simply write to say, “Thank you for being our friends.” The WCU and Jackson County communities, as entities and as individuals, held a very special place in David’s heart, as they do in mine.  I know you will welcome Chancellor Brown and Dennis as warmly as you welcomed David and me. It will now be their joy to get to know you as it was ours.

The mountains are calling — I look forward to seeing you again,

Susan Brummell Belcher

Springfield, Missouri

To the Editor:

The dead silence of the Republican members in Congress responding to Trump’s blatantly racist comments against sitting members of Congress tells me clearly that they are not interested in representing their constituents. If they had any concern for them (you), they would have — at the very least — mumbled that they didn’t agree with Trump. They haven’t, which I interpret as dereliction of duty. Once a senator or congressional representative takes office, they are,  by constitutional design, obligated to uphold the constitution and to protect the interests of all of their district’s citizens. Each one of them swore to do so when taking office. 

 These silent representatives are doing nothing. They seem to be trying to keep their jobs in Washington by staying silent. They continue to sit on their hands while Sen. Mitch McConnell directs a work stoppage in the Senate, continuing the 10-plus year congressional log jam designed to thwart anything that smacks of helping any group other than the rich. What changes that have occurred in the operations of government departments have largely been by executive orders rather than by congressional debate, advice, compromise and vote.

These people we hired are clearly AWOL and should be jettisoned. 

Penny Wallace

Waynesville

To the Editor:

The latest issue of Sierra had to be one of the most depressing in a long time. Between the pictures of the landfill in Bekasi, Indonesia, to the book called “The Last Butterflies,”  Nick Brandt’s elegy for a disappearing world and the plans for 333 new chemical manufacturing project for MORE plastic products for export, well I am at a loss for words. I have only tears for the planet.

The environment, clean air and water and climate change should be first and foremost on everyone’s agenda and ballot. Nothing else will matter. Not health care, not immigration, not equal pay, etc., if we do not have air and water.

Ms. Shetley suggested in her column last week that “the ultimate state of our planet sits in the hands of our younger generations.” I am afraid that we cannot wait that long!

Jane Finneran

Cullowhee

There’s more bad news for bats following winter surveys that detected the deadly-to-bats white nose syndrome in four new counties — Madison, Montgomery, Rowan and Gaston.

The Adopt-A-Stream program in Haywood County turned 10 this year, with 1,600 volunteers spending 4,000 hours removing more than 27 tons of trash since the program’s launch in May 2009. 

The Lake Junaluska golf course turns 100 on July 24, and in honor of the anniversary golfers will be able to play for the cart fee only, which is $9 for nine holes or $18 for 18 holes. 

In Craft & Community, regional author Anna Fariello presents the early history of Western North Carolina’s John C. Campbell Folk School. 

Founded in 1925, the school was a dream of John and Olive Dame Campbell, a working couple who toured the Southern Appalachians in an effort to chronicle its people and their culture. 

This year’s festival will feature four a handful of new events, including a beer and wine festival, an Americana music showcase and a Folkmoot After Dark variety show. 

The 36th annual Folkmoot International Dance & Music Festival will kick off this Thursday in Haywood County.

By Joe Sam Queen • Guest writer

When it comes to talking about millions and billions, getting tongue-tied or misquoted is a hazard of the state budget talks. The numbers are so big that most of us don’t have a grasp of the phenomenal difference they make for real people’s lives, in the economy of our state. 

Seven students in Southwestern Community College’s Advertising & Graphic Design program formally presented their work during Portfolio Day in the Burrell Building on the college’s Jackson Campus.

By Michael Glover • Guest Columnist

This is in response to the letter “Disappointed in New Aquarium” from Chuck Harrell of Whitter, which appeared in the July 3 edition of The Smoky Mountain News.

The Appalachian Rivers Aquarium has already proven to be a great asset to Swain County Tourism and to the local community. Our soft opening is going on during the months of June and July (Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with free admission. Our visitor count numbers have far exceeded our expectations and is a hit with all ages. We are very truthful with each visitor that we are still working on this project and all have been understanding. We will begin charging a small admission fee once the remaining tanks are filled with fish; however, the donations we have received from visitors has been exceptional. We appreciate the community and visitor support!

By Rep. Joe Sam Queen • Guest Columnist

I will stand with our governor and uphold his budget veto because we can do better — we must do better — for Haywood, Jackson, and Swain Counties. $95 million better!

This year, we have a real opportunity to make smart investments in our communities. We can expand Medicaid today, covering 500,000 hard-working, low-wage workers across our state, all with no new taxes. We can put a forward-thinking bond package on the ballot for the citizens to vote on this November that will make critical investments in our public schools. Our current budget proposal does not accomplish either of these necessary goals. 

To the Editor:

We have this evil problem in the U.S.A. because a stupid woman took God out of our schools. Unless the American people put God back in the U.S.A., this evil around us from the president will prevail.

President Trump is a representative of Satan. He has come to destroy America and turn our democracy into a new world order, where evil dictators around the world join him and form the new world of dictators, evil-doers and the absence of good and God. The Republican Party has joined Trump and are equally to blame. The Bible tells us that in the last days coming, this is what to look for (read 2nd Timothy 3).

But have no fear. If we ask God to come in and bless America again he will take back the control and his plan will win. 

In The Smoky Mountain News, you have the power to ask everyone to pray for God to come back to America again. You can make a tremendous awakening around North Carolina.

Gloria Vitulano

Canton

To the Editor:

Two and a half million dollars! $2,500,000!! That was money diverted from the Park Service for an ego trip, otherwise known as President Donald Trump’s July 4 celebration. Can you think of a better use for taxpayers’ money? I am so embarrassed by his emotional neediness and so ashamed that this infantile little man is President.

Joanne Strop

Waynesville

A new Double SNAP program is now available at Asheville City Market, offered through the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. 

After 29 years at the helm of the Nantahala District of the Nantahala National Forest, District Ranger Mike Wilkins is retiring. 

Longtime Mainspring Conservation Trust board member Richard Clark has retired from the board. 

A new pollinator garden has been completed in the Waynesville Recreation Park.