The 23rd annual Business of Farming Conference, presented by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 28, at A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville. The conference offers beginning and established farmers financial, legal, operational and marketing tools to improve farm businesses and make professional connections. 

An anonymous payment recently applied to decades-old tax bills owed by a sitting Haywood County commissioner presents the appearance of impropriety and may violate campaign finance law and the Board of Commissioners’ ethics policy. 

Substantial questions about the payment remain, but at least one thing is certain — the long drama surrounding Commissioner Terry Ramey’s unpaid taxes is not settled. 

Over the past three years, myriad crises both behind and ahead have forced Haywood County commissioners to govern in a constant state of triage. 

That wretched stretch has been defined by overlapping, compounding tests of governance and stamina, from the long tail of a historic storm and waylaid federal reimbursements to the postponement of property reappraisal, budgets tightened by inflation, escalating debates over housing and addiction, mounting requests from schools and human services, uneven tourism revenues and periodic public clashes within the board, all while leaders worked to chart a path forward and keep spotless the county’s stellar financial track record. 

To the Editor:

Last week at the Jackson County commission meeting, we heard some truly disturbing news about the ways the “Big Beautiful Bill” will affect Jackson County. Cris Weatherford, the Director of Department of Social Services, gave a breakdown of federal money our county is about to lose.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians during a Sept. 4 tribal council meeting passed resolution 576 nearly unanimously, converting its $50 million loan — made pursuant to a February 2024 promissory note —- into equity in tribal-owned cannabis retailer Qualla Enterprises, LLC. 

To The Editor:

Taking the long view of life, I love my God, my country, my family and friends, and really, just people in general. Like many of us, I go to bed at night and pray that God help our country to find its way in this current climate of division and fear and anxiety. 

To the Editor:

Despite what MAGA Republicans say, our esteemed president inherited a robust economy from President Biden (except for egg prices, apparently). The stock market was booming, unemployment was low and inflation was going down. 

It’s been a long time coming, in a sense, but frustrations have finally reached a boiling point as Bryson City raised water rates ahead of what promises to be a few expensive municipal projects. 

The 21st annual Business of Farming Conference is coming up Saturday, Feb. 24, at the A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville. 

Donna Milsaps, of Jackson County, has encountered struggles that are hard to comprehend for some, but all too familiar for many in the mountains.