Starting a business is difficult and inherently risky. Doing so in an urban area replete with resources is easier than doing so in a rural area with fewer guardrails. 

During a visit last week to Haywood County, North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall touted a state program that hones in on rural areas in hopes to provide more resources to budding entrepreneurs.  

To the Editor:

Of course the grift goes on, as GOP actions are steadily ever more unhinged and more difficult to understand unless Trump Derangement Syndrome has one believing the manbaby Trump is truly heaven-sent.

Believers, you got what you voted for: war, racism, greed, the destruction of democracy and government of the many by the few who are completely lacking in any semblance of morality.

To the Editor:

As a semi-retired resident of Western North Carolina, I never expected to spend this stage of life focused on whether I can trust my decision makers to act in the best interests of our community, our region and our country. 

The palpable undertones of tension felt at the last several Fontana Regional Library board meetings seemed to have subsided at last week’s trustees meeting, but the system’s challenges continue to mount. 

To the Editor:

Adam Smith, GOP primary candidate for Congress in the 11th district, had this to say about actual legitimate rallies or protests: “Let’s define it — ‘terror’ is the use of violence or the threat of violence and/or intimidation in order to advance a religious, political or societal ideology, and that’s what we’re seeing firsthand right now in Minneapolis,” he said.

The motive behind one Republican candidate’s bid for the open Haywood County Register of Deeds seat is proof she’s not qualified for the job, says her Republican Primary Election opponent.  

“I feel like someone that does not know the law should not be running for a job just trying to get back at us as a vendetta because we would not issue a marriage license,” said Stacy Cutshaw Moore, one of two candidates running to replace the longtime incumbent Democratic incumbent, Sherri Rogers, who is retiring. 

Last Monday marked the likely end of a career of service for outgoing Franklin Mayor Jack Horton. But, that career began decades before he ever held elected office. 

Horton, who served six years as mayor of Macon County’s largest town, also had a prior career as a town and county manager, mostly in Western North Carolina. While there are similarities and differences in those two duties, Horton said he’s tried to keep one guiding principle on the horizon the whole time. 

Macon County will begin the consolidation of its county board of public health in January.

The vote to move forward with the consolidation came during the Nov. 13 board of commissioners meeting. In the months leading up to the vote, there was serious concern voiced by members of the community, as there were rumblings that commissioners intended to take over human relations and policy-setting operations for the crucial agency. 

In-person early voting continues through Saturday, Nov. 1. Voters can vote in-person at their county board of elections and are able to register to vote the same day if necessary. 

Hours of operation can vary among polling places. Voters can find their polling place and the operating hours by checking voter registration at vt.ncsbe.gov. 

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.