To the Editor:

President Trump ordered armed combat troops into Portland, Oregon, because he said the city is under attack and burning to the ground. This is not true. The city of Portland is just fine according to its own police chief and the mayor. An area just one city block long at the federal building has been the site of small demonstrations. The city is not burning to the ground. 

To  the Editor:

After learning that N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger was considering further redistricting in North Carolina, I sent the following petition to Rep. Mark Pless, Sen. Kevin Corbin, U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd on October 10. I encourage all N.C. residents to educate themselves about this issue and communicate with their representatives: 

To the Editor:

Neither the President’s omnibus budget bill nor the House’s abysmal substitute warrant the approval of sens. Thom Tillis or Ted Budd. The senators should stand up for our country and North Carolina in a time of great need. 

To the Editor:

On May 22, the House of Representatives voted to pass a budget bill (The One Big Beautiful Bill) that drastically cuts America’s clean energy tax credits. Make no mistake: these cuts will hurt North Carolina and the Town of Waynesville if they become law.

To the Editor:

This Easter season — a time for moral reflection and renewal — I feel compelled to speak to the direction of our national leadership. We face a moment where economic manipulation and constitutional neglect are becoming normalized, with grave consequences for all Americans. 

To the Editor:

This morning I read an article in the New York Times titled “Musk Targeted FEMA. Storm-Battered Communities Are Paying a Price.” The article describes how the federal government has stopped making FEMA payments to states and non-profits and has given DOGE full system access to FEMA’s financial management system.

To the Editor:

This is for Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Ted Budd and Rep. Chuck Edwards,

Every day I continue to be saddened, dismayed, shocked and angry at the spate of executive orders being issued by Mr. Trump and the unauthorized actions being carried out by Elon Musk, who was not elected.

To the Editor:

I want to let Sen. Tillis, Sen. Budd and Rep. Chuck Edwards know that it’s difficult to understand why Congress expects me to pay federal taxes. 

To the Editor:

It has been hard to keep up with the news cycles during the first week of President Trump’s administration, but a few things deserve public ridicule. In his infinite wisdom, Trump pardoned and released about 1,500 January 6 criminal defendants into our communities to do violence and organize their militias.

We hate to belabor one topic, but we have more than one marijuana-related award to hand out this year.  

The steamroller award goes to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who launched their cannabis venture despite no shortage of opposition from outside the Qualla Boundary.