An environmental assessment investigating potential impacts of water and wastewater system repairs at Balsam Mountain Campground and Heintooga Picnic Area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park came back with a finding of no significant impact, meaning the park can proceed with the project. 

A $250,000 grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Connected Communities Pilot Program will support development of a second campus for the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. 

To the Editor:

Let me start by saying that on November 8 I worked the polls, and the views I am expressing are strictly my own and should in no way reflect the opinions or policies of the Haywood County Board of Elections and its staff.

To the Editor:

Could someone please explain to me why an experienced, qualified tax collector who has successfully run the office for Haywood County was voted out in favor of a college student with no experience and no qualifications that I am aware of?

To the Editor:

I would like to express my gratitude to the Macon County community for their support and encouragement throughout my campaign for county commissioner.

The Haywood 4 Good community wellness program is pleased to announce a new feature: continuous enrollment. Participants may register for the current session any time before the end of December.

Haywood Regional Medical Center announced that Chris Brown has been named chief executive officer (CEO), effective Nov. 28, 2022. 

On Sept. 14, 2022, Vecinos, a free clinic for uninsured, low-income adults in Western North Carolina, received a $1 million grant from the USDA Emergency Rural Health Care Grant to assist in renovating the upcoming Community Health Hub in Franklin.

Despite significant rainfall in the mountains last week, drought continues to expand in the western region and across North Carolina. 

A wildfire that started near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s western edge following a motorcycle crash Sunday, Nov. 6, had been 90% contained at 40 acres as of Monday evening, Nov. 7.

To the Editor:

Whether we like it or not, tourism sustains a quality of life for all WNC residents. This tourism naturally comes from living in area with a bounty of visual beauty that people come to see and experience.

Over four days, Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and agency partners led a large-scale operation that resulted in the seizure of 63 grams of methamphetamine, 112 grams of Fentanyl, 2.4 grams of cocaine, 6.8 grams of opioids and the arrests of 37 people.

Recently, Vecinos, serving a large Hispanic/Latino community in the six western counties of North Carolina, was granted $25,000 by The Hispanic Federation. The grant will be used to assist low-income, uninsured Hispanic people in Western North Carolina who have been impacted by COVID-19. 

Steve Couch, a 1985 graduate of WCU with a degree in industrial technology, is having a major impact on the lives of current students and student-athletes.

This week wraps up Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Started by the National Cyber Security Division within the Department of Homeland Security and the nonprofit National Cyber Security Alliance, the goal is to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.

To the Editor: The Supreme Court recently shot down American women’s right to choose. Now conservative politicians are trying to convince voters that the economy trumps abortion. But, that is simply not so. Think about it! If a woman decides to abort, how will she pay? That is an economic question. If she decides to birth the child, how will she pay for that? An economic question.

To the Editor: Well folks the Republican leadership has been mum this past summer in revealing what they intended to do if they gained the majority in Congress in November. More recently, they have revealed their plans in the vague terms of impeach, investigate and obstruct the Biden administration at every turn.

To the Editor: When letter-writers lambaste a political party or official by repeating terrible accusations, they spread lies that can get criminals elected and people maimed or killed. Just last night, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband was injured by a man who broke into their home asking “Where’s Nancy?” 

To the Editor: Ted Budd is one of the wealthiest U.S. politicians. He and his family have received millions of dollars from the government. However he sees this as OK. But God forbid if the middle and lower class receive any government money or savings.

Six science centers in the western region received grant money as part of the $6.3 million recently awarded through the N.C. Science Museums Grant Program. 

A trio of recently completed trail projects in the Nantahala National Forest in Graham County offers people of all ages new opportunities for hiking, biking and horseback riding. 

Drought continues to tighten its grip in Western North Carolina, according to the latest update from the N.C. Drought Advisory Council analyzing data through Oct. 25.

Outdoor education programs scheduled throughout 2023 in the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont are now open for registration. 

Due to a large concentration of bears eating acorns, two trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are closed until further notice. These include the Gatlinburg Trail between Gatlinburg and Sugarlands Visitor Center and Twin Creeks Trail between Gatlinburg and the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center. 

To the Editor: Rep. Kevin McCarthy has been plainspoken about a tired and failed strategy of cutting taxes and regulations and targeted spending while giving tax incentives to the oil industry. 

To the Editor: We hear a lot these days about threats to “our democracy,” but we don’t have one to be threatened. It has already been threatened and killed while we were asleep at the switch. 

To the Editor: I am voting Democratic this election season and I would like to tell you why.

To the Editor: We need change in North Carolina’s 118th House District. Incumbent Rep. Mark Pless believes he does not answer to local government officials.

To the Editor: Barack Obama put it succinctly when he said he wanted to “fundamentally transform” our country. His plans were interrupted by the Trump Administration.

To the Editor: Your October 29 issue titled “Saving the Safety Net” borders on yellow journalism. Conflating the statement of one GOP senator to change entitlements to discretionary programs, to justify the title of the piece, “House GOP majority could target Social Security, Medicare,” is appalling.

To the Editor: With the election date drawing near, I am apprehensive about the Republican candidate for Haywood County Tax Collector. I am a resident of Haywood County and the fact that we have a young man representing us with little life experience concerns me.

To the Editor: You have to laugh at the way liberals in the news portray the big bad Republicans. They are all anarchists and should be put in a basket of deplorables. Well that is just a bunch of, to put it lightly, male cow patties. 

To the Editor: Who cares if you’re a Republican or Democrat? Who cares if you like Biden? Who cares who will run for President in 2024? 

To the Editor: Cheri Beasley is a liar. Without providing any proof she claims that the majority of folks in North Carolina believe that Roe v. Wade should dictate reproductive freedom. I think that the majority of people actually think it’s justified murder. There’s nothing reproductive if you kill the “product,” the child! 

Applications are now being accepted for a new round of grantmaking from the One North Carolina Small Business Program, a key source of capital for North Carolina’s emerging technology companies.

Arin Canon doesn’t utilize the parking spot reserved for veterans at Southwestern Community College’s Public Safety Training Center.

Anyone renewing their preparer tax identification number (PTIN) for 2023 will be asked to attest to their data security responsibility and whether they are aware of their obligation to have a data security plan in place to provide protections for all taxpayer information. 

A special veteran pinning ceremony was held last week in honor of Air Force Veteran Edward Tobin of Waynesville. The event was held at his home and was provided by Haywood Hospice & Palliative Care and the VFW/American Legion Honor Guard. 

A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation will launch a two-year project to completely replace two bridges on Interstate 40 in Haywood County on Monday.

The following distribution locations receive 50 or more copies weekly, which are located outside in a blue box or inside in a wire rack.

Haywood County

• Ingles Grocery (Hazelwood, Waynesville, Canton)

• Post Office (Hazelwood, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, Canton)

• Haywood County Public Library (Waynesville, Canton)

• Waynesville Rec Center

• HRMC Fitness Center

• Coffee Cup Café

• Sentelle’s Seafood

• Sav-Mor Grocery

• Maggie Valley Visitor Center

• Joey’s Pancake House

• Sunoco Gas Station (Maggie)

• BP Gas Station (west Waynesville, Canton)

• Mast General Store

• Exxon Gas Station (west Waynesville, downtown Waynesville)

• Haywood 209 Café 

Macon County

• Ingles Grocery (Holly Springs Plaza, Palmer Street, Georgia Road)

• Wells Fargo Bank

• Sav-Mor Grocery

• Post Office (Otto)

• Macon County Public Library

• Food Lion (Macon Plaza)

• Fat Buddies Restaurant

• Big Lots

Jackson County

• Ingles Grocery (Sylva, Cashiers)

• Post Office (Balsam, Sylva, Dillsboro, Webster, Cullowhee, Cashiers, Highlands, Tuckasegee, Glenville)

• Sav-Mor Grocery

• Harold’s Supermarket

• Kosta’s Express Restaurant

• Jackson County Public Library (Sylva, Cashiers)

• Kel-Save Discount Drugs

• Exxon Gas Station (Catamount Travel Center, Top Cats Grocery)

• Burger King (Sylva)

• Huddle House (Dillsboro)

• Hudson Library

Cherokee

• Exxon Gas Station (Acquoni Road, Catamount Travel Center)

• Shell Gas Station (Paint Town Road)

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino

• Cherokee Visitor Center

• Post Office (Cherokee)

• Peter’s Pancakes & Waffles

• Jenkins Grocery

• Mountain Energy Gas Station/McDonald’s

• Grizzly’s Leather Shop

• Happy Holiday Campground

• Spirit of the Wolf

Bryson City

• Ingles Grocery

• Marianna Black Library

• Post Office (Bryson City)

• Everett Street Diner

• Pasqualino’s Italian Restaurant

• Joe & Kate’s Laundromat

• Swain County Chamber of Commerce

• Cooper’s Creek General Store

Despite significant overnight rain Monday, Oct. 17, Western North Carolina has slipped farther into drought over the last week. 

A third deer in North Carolina has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, an always-fatal nervous system disease that affects cervids like deer and elk. 

A backyard chicken flock in Wake County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza, marking the disease’s return to North Carolina two months after the state achieved HPAI-free status. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that the southern population of the bog turtle, which lives in Southern Appalachian bogs, might warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. The finding, based on evidence presented in a petition the Center for Biological Diversity submitted kicks off a more in-depth review of the turtle’s status. 

During a special ceremony Friday, Oct. 21, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash received a major award from the National Parks Conservation Association. 

A reception for the “We Will Not be Silenced: Standing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” exhibit will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum in Cullowhee.