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LETTERS: I Wish to Honor the First Great Black American in the High Country

February 26, 2024 Letters to the Editor. By Mary E. Moretz / February is Black History Month.  Proportionately, there are as many great Black citizens as there are White or Asian. Those of us in the High Country do not have to search outside our own territory to find such people.  They are living among us now and some have passed on. As a representative of all great Black Americans, I wish to honor the first great Black American in the High Country.  He was a founding iconic pioneer, Burrell (c.1745-1845). Burrell was the “Joseph of His People” for his time and place.  Like Joseph, son of Jacob, Burrell was enslaved through no fault of his own. In spite of that, he rose to become honored and loved within his community by both Black and White races.

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LETTERS: In response to Mark Murphy Phd, Jd letter dated February 15, 2024

February 23, 2024 Letters to the Editor. By Sue Sweeting / Mr. Murphy, thank you for your well-written article on the candidates and issues for the 2024 elections in Watauga County. During my eight years on the Blowing Rock Town Council, I was an advocate for residents and employees. I was part of the Council who voted yes to give our employees more paid holiday time and increased their salaries, which were below the County and ASU salaries. I also accomplished the Bass Lake sidewalk connecting downtown Blowing Rock to Moses Cone Park. What an asset to our ecotourism Town!

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LETTERS: The difference between a Horse and a Foxx

February 20, 2024 Letters to the Editor. By Flo Davis / This is not a story about the trespassing horse who took on a North Carolina Congresswoman’s family, but it starts there.  My horse saw some green grass just beyond the fence between our barn and the neighbor’s plot. While this may sound like just another meandering equine, it was fodder for my neighbors.  Shortly after, my husband and I were served with a “criminal” summons for trespassing on my neighbor’s property The case was laughed out of court. Didn’t even make the headline it should have because the media chose not to cover it.

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New NC Parent’s Bill of Rights – Part II

December 18, 2023 Letters to the Editor.Part I of this column, published in the High Country Press December 7, 2023, summarized the new North Carolina “Parent’s Bill of Rights,” which became NC State law on December 1, 2023.  The new law imposes new transparency and accountability requirements on NC teachers, staff, local Boards of Education and school districts.  The law also gives NC parents new rights to access the materials used in their child’s education, and new rights to control their children’s education, medical decisions, and the collection and sharing of the family’s personal information.This article will first recount certain issues and controversies in the Watauga County Schools (“WCS”) during the last few years (especially the Pandemic years) and then describe how the NC Parent’s Bill of Rights will help reveal and force the schools to address some of those issues and controversies.

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New NC Parent’s Bill of Rights – Part I

December 7, 2023 Letters to the Editor.Over the last few years, national controversies have spread into North Carolina and many local K-12 school districts, as to whether “woke” ideologies, identity and sexual politics, and Critical Race Theory (“CRT”) are or should be taught in the Public Schools, and what rights or input parents should have on those issues.Last year the NC State House and Senate, having attained a new Republican super-majority in both NC Houses, passed (over the veto of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper) a new “Parent’s Bill of Rights” that will make some major changes in NC public education, including in local school districts such as Watauga County.  The new NC statute became legally effective Friday December 1, 2023.  

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LETTERS: ISRAELI GENOCIDE

December 6, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Craig Dudley/Israel is committing suicide and America is destroying its influence supporting Israel’s mass murder in Palestine as we condemn it in others. I’ve often heard people wonder why the Germans kept quiet in the thirties but now with Gaza we see how it happens. Many Americans don’t know comprehensive history or current events, or we might oppose the genocide in Palestine.   ‘Our free press’ presents half-truths at best and sometimes outright lies. Examine who owns and operates the mockingbird media, ‘our free press’ that present us with the Israeli version of events and history, the only version we have, to understand why.  

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LETTERS: RESPONSE to NC Colleges Host Drag Shows, Funded with Student Fees

Nov. 30, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Christina Moore / In response to Jacquie Barker’s Nov 29 letter of concern about a drag show/drag bingo performance funded in part by AppState’s APPS at Appalachian Theater, I am pleased to inform her that she, nor anyone at ASU nor the community, is required to attend events Jacquie Barker doesn’t believe are “appropriate”. Ms Barker will be pleased to know that other people may attend the events, even though Jacquie doesn’t find the events appropriate.

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LETTERS: NC Colleges Host Drag Shows, Funded with Student Fees

Nov. 29, 2023 Letters to the Editor.On November 27th, 2023, Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS) presented “Drag Bingo” at The Appalachian Theater in Boone, NC. This was a free event open to Appalachian State students and the High-Country Community. This event was hosted by top drag performer, Trinity the Tuck, alongside Benedryl and Molly Pocket from the Boone Barbies. The “Drag Bingo” event included bingo games with prizes as well as adult live entertainment performed by the drag queens. Cash tips were well appreciated.Trinity the Tuck is a top drag queen and winner of Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 4.  To get an idea of Trinity the Tuck’s performing skills you can visit her YouTube channel. Warning viewer discretion is advised.

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Letters: Virginia Foxx..

Nov. 13, 2023 Letters to the Editor. Although we on the Social Action Committee of First Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts are not constituents of Representative Virginia Foxx, we feel compelled to share our feelings regarding her behavior at the first press conference held by then newly elected Speaker of the House Michael Johnson.When journalist Rachel Scott posed a question regarding Johnson’s previous attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Representative Foxx yelled, “Shut up!”That response was extremely undignified and rude, demonstrating not only disrespect for a fellow human being, but also a total lack of understanding of the role of journalists in our democracy.

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LETTERS: A Ten Thousand Dollar Question: Is Safety on Sale? 

Nov. 13, 2023 Letters to the Editor.Faced with a decision of monumental consequence, the magistrate’s response fell markedly short of the community’s expectations for justice and public safety, leaving Boone, North Carolina, to grapple with the unsettling aftermath of an incident that narrowly skirted tragedy. The apprehension of Peter M. Gabaree, has jolted citizens with the chilling realization of a murderous disaster narrowly escaped, yet it also positions the fragility of our community safety that hangs in the balance. The bond set at $10,000 for Gabaree is not just a figure; it is a statement of valuation on public safety and the weight of potential violence. It is a number that fails to encapsulate the severity of the charges he could—and arguably should—face. 

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LETTERS/ From Robert and Dana Guzzo

Nov. 4, 2023 Letters to the Editor. Dear Editor, My wife and I are full-time residents of Blowing Rock, moving here last year after my wife retired. I retired from the U.S. Navy after serving 27 years as a Navy SEAL and my wife retired following a 22-year career as a corporate executive. Moving to Blowing Rock was the realization of our dream to live in the mountains of North Carolina and enjoy all the beauty and benefits of a small town. We feel strongly that it is our responsibility as citizens to educate ourselves on issues facing our town and participate wherever we can use our experiences to better the town for all residents and visitors. We have attended various community events and we have closely followed the current town election. We have found the community events educational, and we have benefited from your coverage of the town election.

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LETTERS/ “A Call for Substance in Town Council Elections”

Nov. 4, 2023 Letters to the Editor. Dear Editor, I read with interest recent letters questioning candidacies for Blowing Rock Town Council and the activities of the Blowing Rock Civic Association (BRCA). However, I’d like to add my perspective after attending the Town Council candidate forum. It’s true that our town’s leadership and direction require thorough scrutiny and accountability. At the candidate forum, I, like many other concerned residents, saw a dearth of substantive solutions and accountability regarding the direction Blowing Rock is taking. There seemed to be a lot of pondering on the issues, but the concrete proposals for addressing these issues were somewhat lacking.

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LETTERS/ From Glenn Paige, MD

Nov. 4, 2023 Letters to the Editor. I am writing this letter to the editor to express my concern about the current tone of the discussion surrounding the Blowing Rock Town Council Candidates. As a proud homeowner in Blowing Rock since 2006, I have observed a worrying trend of personal attacks and a lack of civility in the discourse of this election. Instead of addressing the real problems and issues at hand, we are witnessing an unfortunate emphasis on inappropriate personal criticisms. This trend not only permeates recent editorials and comments but reflects a broader issue in our current political environment and society.

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LETTERS/ “Definitely my final letter”

November 3, 2023 Letters to the Editor.Well folks after reading Jean Kitchen’s letter in the High Country Press two things stood out to me.  First, I’m pretty sure she called me a middle schooler and if so are the well more than 100 Blowing Rock residents that have called me, sent notes or stopped me on the street to thank me for writing my letters middle schoolers also? In her letter she refers to these people in a very condescending manner as just “a small group of individuals in our community”. 

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LETTERS/ “The Divisiveness Has Not Been Caused by the Blowing Rock Civic Association”

November 2, 2023 Letters to the Editor.Like many of you, I have been shocked and saddened by the unkind and totally incorrect accusations being made about the Blowing Rock Civic Association by a small group of individuals in our community.  Rather than engage in a media print war, BRCA has stayed out of the mudslinging and taken the high road out of respect for the residents of Blowing Rock, but the repeated attacks both in letters to the editor and in mailings have not stopped. I, like you, was not brought up to treat people like this, and it hurts. These attacks have been penned by adults but remind me of middle school.  

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LETTERS/ “What box are you in?”

October 30, 2023 Letters to the Editor.I ask as it seems that a group of residents believe that if you are not a “Full-Time Resident” then you are not really a resident of Blowing Rock.  Some even label residents “entitled”.Let me explain my “Box” – We have owned a home since 1999, built a new home and relocated to Blowing Rock in 2018, served on the boards of Blue Ridge Conservancy, Mayview Home Owners Association, Village Foundation and Tourism Development Authority and Chamber committees for Economic Development and Underground Utilities Task Force.  Also, I served as the past president and current board member of Blowing Rock Civic Association (BRCA).  

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LETTERS/ Surface deep just isn’t deep enough

October 26, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Suzie Germain / You book a flight. You get on the plane and odds are pretty good you land safely at your intended destination. Most of us take for granted that the pilots know how to fly the airplane. In fact, there are hundreds maybe thousands of hours of pilot training backed up by mountains of governmental regulation that allows us to trust the pilots are competent and skilled enough to get us where we want to go. Imagine if you had to do all that checking for yourself. How many flight hours do they have? In what kind of aircraft? Any close calls? Are they depressed? Are they sleep deprived? Can you possibly ask enough questions? 

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LETTERS/ “How Thick is Your Skin” revealing

October 26, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Daryl Mathias / When Hunt Broyhill was asked about how he would respond to personal attacks he said “Who’s making the attack? If it’s someone I never met before, and they’ve got anarbitrary opinion…then I guess I can’t do a whole lot about that. If it’s somebody I respect a great deal, then I feel like I need to be much more sensitive to what I hope would be the advice they are giving me.”

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LETTERS/ My final letter

October 26, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Wayne Miller / Well folks the Blowing Rock Civic Association has finally admitted to what many of us already knew, that their goal in the upcoming election is to gain control of our town council so they can run the town for the benefit of their group of mostly seasonal members.  How do we know this, they said so at a public event!

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LETTERS/ Why the difference?

October 26, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By GG King / Intent. It is hard to tell, sometimes, the difference between misinformation which may be unintentional and disinformation for which intent is clear. After doing some investigating, I want to take exception to several things Hunt Broyhill said publicly during his quest to be elected to The Blowing Rock Town Council. You will have to decide for yourself if they rise to the level of misinformation or disinformation.

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LETTERS/ From Hunt Broyhill

October 26, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Hunt Broyhill / During the campaign for Blowing Rock Town Council I have addressed the town’s debt service. The figures that I have referred to are taken from the adopted 2023/24 budget found on the Town website.

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LETTERS/ Praxis: Actions over Words

October 25, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Richard Gambill/ Author and Philosopher Robert Fulgham says “The older I get the less attention I pay to what people say and the more I watch what they do…” I watched several videos recently of candidates for Blowing Rock Town Council telling why they were qualified. Hunt Broyhill in several videos painted a dark picture of Blowing Rock’s finances so I set out to check it out.

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LETTERS/ If the Shu Fits…

October 13, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Sharon Smoski/In small towns, people often discover the truth of things by talking with friends and neighbors at the post office or maybe at the Food Lion on Saturday mornings. So while enjoying “The Making of a Sign” article published on October 10 in the High Country Press BR, I’m smiling at the thought of the real story making the rounds in BR this week.

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LETTERS/ Another letter I didn’t want to write.

October 6, 2023 Letters to the Editor. By Wayne Miller/ YFirst, I want to thank the many, many people who have expressed their appreciation to me for writing the earlier letter and relaying that they agree the Blowing Rock Civic Association, in their effort to control our community, has created a toxic environment that never existed before. On September 21 in an often-rambling response to my earlier letter Jean Kitchin, Chair of the Blowing Rock Civic Association, failed to address the most troubling points that were raised:

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LETTERS- You have changed your tax status from 501(c)(3) to 501(h) which now allows you to retain your tax-exempt status

September 18, 2023 Letters to the Editor.You have changed your tax status from 501(c)(3) to 501(h) which now allows you to retain your tax-exempt status and also to spend 20-percent of your resources or up to $500k on lobbying.  You also have returned to encouraging your members to change their NC voting residence to Blowing Rock so they can vote in the upcoming elections here.  Coincidently, you now have a member of your Board running for Town Council this year.

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