Power board appreciated
I just have to write to say thank you to Murphy Electric Power Board emergency repair team and Pike, who re-established electric so quickly. Saturday night and Sunday morning. They worked in the rain, thunder and lightning in Laurel Cove Road and elsewhere.
Power poles were snapped in two, with trees down in a one-lane road. They worked in terrible conditions, then Monday finished the job.
I have always believed in giving credit where credit is due. They did a great job, and their hard work is appreciated.
Bill and Linda Patten, Murphy
Tax breaks for the rich unfair
U.S. Sens. Thomas Tillis and Ted Budd (both R-N.C.), neither the president’s omnibus budget bill nor the House’s abysmal substitute warrant your approval. Stand up for your country and North Carolina in a time of great need.
Both bills are seriously flawed.
- They significantly increase our deficit.
- They unfairly enrich the astronomically wealthy at the expense of our dwindling middle class and our many impoverished citizens.
- They dramatically decrease health-care coverage through massive cuts in Medicaid and well-hidden cuts to Medicare.
- They would defund or reduce funding of numerous agencies that Congress, in bipartisan votes, has previously created and funded to protect all our citizens.
- They would strip funding for critically important climate projects necessary to save humanity.
Our country is drowning in debt. Either spending bill increases U.S. debt by trillions of dollars. A responsible government should be reducing its debt obligations. Our country is overextended and has not had a balanced budget in decades.
If President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich can get that done, then a Congress and executive controlled by the same party should get it done.
Reduce our debt.
We need more equitable taxation. The wealth gap between the super rich and average workers who keep this country running from day to day has increased phenomenally. That is due to a tax code that disproportionately taxes the poor and middle class.
The working poor should not fund deficit reduction. Allowing the wealthy to stop paying taxes for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid once their income reaches a certain level has caused these essential programs to become underfunded, and the tax break solely for the rich is horribly regressive and unfair.
Find a better path to fund our government and reduce our national debt. Stand tall for North Carolina and the United States, as Tillis has for Ukraine.
Charles Guyton, Waynesville
Senator offers birthday wish
The letter was addressed to Charlene Garrett.
I read in the Cherokee Scout that you are celebrating your 83rd birthday on May 26. This is a milestone that only a few each.
The history and life experiences you have to share with others are priceless. The younger generation could learn much from you, and I hope you have had a chance to share your stories.
Again, congratulations on your special birthday.
Kevin Corbin, Franklin
Rightly divide the Scripture
Considering the letter “No risk, no $1K reward,” one is presented with two disturbing premises.
The first is the statement that nowhere in the KJV does the “And I will bless them that bless Israel ….” verse exist. And the second is that “Christ was Abram’s ‘one’ seed, NOT ‘to seeds’ of Israel’s 12 tribes.”
When one reads Bible verses and applies context, the KJV Genesis 12:1-3 clearly refers to Abram, and his making of a great nation. What nation is that? Abraham, Issac and Jacob (aka Israel). Let’s continue with this basic truth. Exodus 1:1-5. So, there is the connection between Abram and Israel.
Reading Numbers 24:4-9, one sees again a reference to Jacob (Israel) and verse 9 shares the same sentiment as “... I will bless them that bless Israel …” Two witnesses to the same concept.
Deuteronomy 7:6-10 substantiates God chose Israel as His people with a covenant forever. Doesn’t Paul discuss these revelations in Romans chapters 9-11?
Is God a liar or a deceiver? No.
Concerning Jesus not being from the 12 tribes of Israel, one asks, what Bible and pastor are you using to come up with this notion that Jesus isn’t Jewish?
Jesus is referred as the Lion of Judah. He’s in the line of David (Matthew 1:6).
Revelation 5:1-5, Jesus is being described as the Lion of Judah, the Root of David.
Revelation 22:16 states, “He’s the root and offspring of David.”
The Jews are special to God as revealed in His commitment to restore them and Jerusalem to His loving arms as specified in Daniel, Hosea and Romans.
Mary Mason is fond of Bible quoting with liberal hermeneutics; my preference leans literal vice liberal.
Please send my $1K to the editor or donate to the Special Olympics. Thank you.
Thomas Schildgen, Andrews
Is swimming drowning?
The year 2014 was when Hiwassee Dam High School last had a competitive swimmer. The last Smoky Mountain Swim League championship ended the 2015-16 swimming season.
And 2019-20 was the last season Andrews High School had a competitive swimmer. At that time, Covid was shutting down everything.
Murphy High School did not have a swimmer in the 2024-25 season.
Tri-County Early College was Cherokee County’s only high school swim team for 2024-25.
This is not only a high school issue. On Sept. 22, 2021, the Cherokee Scout reported the county’s pool and fitness center had been leased to a businessman, and a business needs to make a profit.
Many improvements have been made to Murphy Health & Fitness Center. The pool venue is excellent. However, young potential swimmers are not buying memberships.
The county needs a full-time competitive swimming program. In high school, swimming is not a revenue-generating sport. There are costs – pool time, equipment, uniforms/bathing suits, meet and officials fees, transportation and coaching. Are there ways to consolidate these costs?
There is no Smoky Mountain Conference for swimming.
Why can’t county teams join an independent conference; Rabun Gap (Ga.) is in a N.C. conference.
This year, Tri-County swimmers lost out on three swim meets (one hurricane, two weather) with no opportunity to swim in a conference meet prior to the regional championships. This doesn’t seem fair.
I don’t want this letter to be construed as a negative indictment. I want to offer ideas for drown-proofing.
First, Cherokee County commissioners support multiple youth programs; they need to make swimming one such program.
Second, schools should include swimming instruction in elementary and middle school curriculums.
Third, Murphy Health & Fitness Center should become more proactive with youth-related aquatic programs.
Maybe I just stuck a stick in a hornet’s nest – or maybe this will just get people to be open to some changes.
Frank Bachteler, Murphy
K-8 school not best idea
This letter was addressed to members of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.
Thank you so much for all you do for our county.
As a taxpayer and former educator, I do not support the board of education’s proposal to build a consolidated pre-kindergarten-grade 8 school. Although I believe the K-8 model is the best configuration, we will be unable to maintain the level of quality that our students and parents deserve with a school of 1,200-1,300 students.
In their last meeting, the BOE never identified the location for the proposed school. I believe it makes no sense to place elementary students and middle school students on the property beside Tri-County Community College in Peachtree.
Several members of the current board worked to stop the building of a consolidated high school on the Peachtree property, saying the school could not be finished for $50 million. I cannot understand why they now believe a much larger school could be built for only $40 million, especially when construction costs have increased by more than 100% in the interim and their own AI models predict much higher costs.
Lastly, this proposal would close two existing schools and relocate 500 students from Murphy Elementary School. As you’re aware, N.C. General Statute 115C-72 requires a local board of education to hold a public hearing before closing or consolidating a school. The board has held no such meetings in Martins Creek, Peachtree nor Murphy.
It seems to me that if they hold those meetings after requesting your support for
this plan and submitting a grant request to the N.C.
Department of Public Instruction, those meetings would not truly meet the criteria of public input.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is any part of my message that you would like to discuss further or if I might be of assistance in any way.
Paul Wilson, Murphy
Do it right & earn rewards
I have read and reread his column and, in my opinion, it is time for Tom Campbell to retire after 60 years. I am not a Republican nor a Democrat. I am an independent voter.
The article starts by mentioning events from 50 years ago, when news and news people actually did the job. Using Dan Rather support was a mistake since he claimed 43 years ago that 25% of Florida would be underwater soon if fossil fuels continued to be used.
Next, Campbell sites The Associated Press being removed from the White House Press Room because, in his opinion, President Donald Trump was seeking retribution. If you had done your digging, you would have found that AP stories, in large part, were anti-Trump.
Trump’s lawsuit against ABC News was a defamation case stemming from false statements made by George Stephanopoulos, who inaccurately claimed Trump had been found liable for rape in a civil case involving E. Jean Carroll.
Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS News, alleging the network deceptively edited an interview with Kamala Harris to mislead voters during the 2024 election.
Both so-called news networks also supported the Russia collusion hoax and Hunter Biden laptop cover-up. Would you trust the outlets to properly report what is happening in the White House? I wouldn’t.
The poor reporting appears to be on the liberal side of the spectrum, but conservative news is also biased to their point of view. Few news outlets report the facts anymore.
The demise of newspapers, radio and television stations is their own doing. They produce a product. If the product is bad or unreliable, then the consumer will go somewhere else.
Do it right, do it well and the rewards will come. If the product is lousy, then the accountability comes in the form of a lack of revenue.
Brendan Fogarty, Murphy