Center better than ever now
I want to give a “shout out” to the staff and management of Murphy Health & Fitness Center.
I have been involved with the Murphy pool since 2007, so I have experienced a continuing cycle of ups and downs. We are now experiencing a major up.
As both a high school and age group swim coach, I have had multiple interactions with the current staff and have found them to be very concerned and willing to go the extra mile in maintaining a quality swimming environment.
Instead of thinking a roof will block the sun or a membership may cost more, everyone should stop and appreciate the new pool facility.
The new structure is well lit, clean and provides an air of openness with the doors open. I am thankful we now have a 12-month swimming facility with more usable deck space.
Previously, we have had to tolerate a dirty and suffocating bubble that needed replacing. Unfortunately, the incoming revenue would not meet the projected expenses. So the county commissioners decided to get rid of the pool.
Fortunately, a businessman obtained the facility’s lease, and the necessary renovations began to take place. Change is good.
I invite any “naysayers” to visit the swimming facility. The Health & Fitness Center staff will welcome you, and you will see for yourself what we now have is a thousand times better than what we had previously. Try it … you might like it.
Frank Bachteler, Murphy
Senior Games express thanks
The year 2022 has been great for the Cherokee/Clay County Senior Games/SilverArts. The weather cooperated and our seniors were out in full force.
We again set a new record for total participants this year with 178. And of the total participants, 62 were first-time competitors.
A total of 524 medals were awarded to the participants over the three weeks of competition, which included 46
sporting events and 33 SilverArts categories. This has been an inspiring year for all our competitors and now many of them are looking forward to taking part in the State Finals, which will be held in Raleigh and other venues in September and October.
We also have plans to continue some activities throughout the year such as Bocce Ball, Cornhole, Badminton and maybe some Mini Golf to keep our seniors active and connected. Needless to say, Pickleball is alive and well all year long and continues to grow among seniors.
Once again, I would like to “thank you” for your continued support of the Cherokee/Clay County Senior Games/SilverArts organization for without your support, this would not be possible.
Terence Faries, Murphy
The writer is coordinator of Cherokee/Clay County Senior Games/Silver Arts.
Businesses help program
Dear parents, guardians, and community members: The students, faculty and staff of Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle School have received a multitude of donations from businesses throughout the community. We want to send out a warm Eagle thank you to each of the donors for their kindness and generosity.
HDEMS has received donations from the following donors: Sweet Tooth, El Manzanillo-Murphy, Ultra Star Multi-Tainment Center, Pizza Hut and McKeever & Smith P.A.
Thanks to these generous companies, we were able to provide our students with stellar incentives. These donations were used as a part of our Eagle PRIDE Office Referral Program. Teachers and staff would look for students exhibiting Respectful, Responsible and Kind behaviors, then fill out a form letting office staff know about the strong behaviors being seen.
Each child referred was given a bracelet, a prize and had their picture taken. Every time a child receives an Eagle PRIDE Office Referral, their name is put in a hat for an end-of-year drawing. This end-of-year drawing was
for larger prizes such as a new bike, free bowling games, a free pizza, etc.
The children exhibited such good behaviors this school year, and we are so happy to get to celebrate them.
We will continue this program in the years to come and cannot wait to see how Respectful, Responsible and Kind our students will be.
Counselor Taylor Hamby, students, faculty and staff of Hiwassee Dam Elementary Middle School
Protect all of our students
Maybe we should all see a very large, full-colored picture of 19 beautiful little children slaughtered in their classroom.
Some so badly maimed, their loving parents can’t even recognize them, Let us all see it and think, “What if these were our loved ones, sons, daughters and wonderful grandchildren?” Would we still not be for common sense gun laws?
Our representatives need to actually see, feel and maybe help clean up the aftermath. To think a child would actually know to wipe the blood of a friend on themselves, to look already dead, is appalling. Hopefully, our representatives will know just how terrible this is, and will pass common-sense gun laws.
What 18-year-old kid needs a weapon of mass destruction, when it’s even against the law for them to buy a beer? Something to think about.
Let’s do what’s right or vote for those who will do the right thing for our children. We are outraged grandparents.
Midge VeDepo, John D. VeDepo, Murphy
Worldwide destruction
During World War II, the Russians fought Nazi Germany and paid a dear price, as 26.6 million Russians were killed. For the past six years, the Azov Nazis in Ukraine have murdered 14,000 Ukrainian Russians.
Several months ago, NATO forces conducted military training exercises with armaments and missiles a mere 12 miles from the Russian border in Ukraine, provoking Russia to war. Who would dare to go up against NATO’s bullying forces? President Vladimir Putin had enough, stood up to NATO and preceded to de-Nazify Ukraine.
President Joe Biden has sent a total of $60 billion to Ukraine to keep the war hot. He’s sending Ukraine long-range missile systems as part of an $800 million weapons package.
Putin warned Biden a month ago that if he sent Ukraine weapons, Russia would retaliate with Sarmat missiles on our coasts. No worries. Biden has a bunker.
Biden has also promised to go to war against China defending Taiwan. He sent the Air Force for joint military exercises, “Chariots of Fire,” with the Israeli Air Force simulating a missile attack on Iran. Apparently, Biden wants a world war.
He placed sanctions on Russia, resulting in a worldwide recession, with inflation and shortages of everything, food, gasoline, diesel, natural gas, automotives, housing, fertilizer, wheat, microchips and more.
American babies cry from hunger as there is a 70 percent baby formula shortage. Biden has sent formula to illegal alien camps and Ukraine for their babies ... because he loves children.
With Biden’s worldwide destruction agenda, one might mistake him for the Son of Perdition. But we know the Son of Perdition wouldn’t have dementia.
Biden is the well-paid puppet of Barack Hussein Obama, the more likely Son of Perdition.
Buckle up and brace for impact this fall. A perfect storm is brewing on the horizon.
Mary Mason, Murphy
Gaslighting Americans
For six decades, the left has been expanding its influence throughout our nation and its institutions, including big media and big tech. Even the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and history’s repudiation of a totalitarian political order only briefly checked this process. Indeed, the last 20 years saw the left reinvigorated by the rise of “woke” ideology and its anti-U.S. Constitution agenda.
Like communism, progressivism favors centralized, concentrated power administered by government bureaucracies and agencies staffed by “experts” who claim dominance over sovereign people on how best to run their lives. This ideology conflicts with our Constitution, which balances, checks and disperses power so citizens are free to manage their lives, their families, and their businesses as they see fit, checked only by constitutionally mandated laws created by Congress.
Gaslighting is psychological manipulation in which the
abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in a population or victim. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over other individuals by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and instincts. In politics, this distortion of reality is called, within limits, biased opinions or worse – lying. The left’s goal is to use this manipulation and censorship to transform America into a one-party tyranny.
The gaslighting theme pushed by the left, big media, big tech and fake Republicans is former President Donald Trump is losing influence within the Republican Party. Recent Republican state and federal primary elections in 13 states through May prove this distortion is inaccurate. Ninety-two percent of candidates, not including runoffs, endorsed by Trump won their primary election – that’s 83 of 90.
The showdown between “woke” Democrats and freedom-loving Americans, whatever their party, is coming in November 2022. Mid-term election results will decide whether the left has succeeded in “fundamentally transforming America.”
Terry Payne
Marble