LONGER HOURS AND ONLY ONE SITE FOR EARLY VOTING     

EARLY VOTING ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 21ST   

SIX CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS WILL BE ON THE BALLOT      

AND PAPER BALLOTS WILL BE USED AT EVERY POLLING PLACE      

There have been many factors affecting how, when, and where...and on what...we'll be voting for or against in the upcoming general election that’s now only about seven weeks away...everything from congressional districts, to constitutional amendments, to voter photo ID, to filling vacant judgeships, even to hunting and fishing had to be sorted out by election officials, by the General Assembly, and by the courts this yeazr.

Hopefully, it’s all been settled and falling into place in these remaining weeks before this fall’s election on November 6th..

Henderson County’s Elections Director, Beverly Cunningham, tells WHKP News that local voters will find a total of six constitutional amendments on their ballots in November. One pertains to the right of people to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife; the second one strengthens protections for victims of crime; the third sets the maximum allowable income tax rate in North Carolina at seven per cent; one amendment requires voters to present a photo ID before being allowed to vote in future elections; another amendment changes the process of filling vacant judgeships in North Carolina; and the last one would establish an eight member bi-partisan elections and ethics board as part of the state constitution.

Many voters skip those on election day because they are usually controversial and complicated, but voters are encouraged to study each of them carefully...and to be sure and vote on them, one way or the other, when ballots are cast this fall..

Early one-stop dates and places in Henderson County have been settled...and that’ll be at one site only this year, at the Board of Elections office on East Central Street. The legislature requires early voting site that are open this year to be open from 7am to 7pm. So early one-stop voting will be from Wednesday October 17th through Saturday November 3rd, the last Saturday before the election, and on that and other Saturdays early voting will be from 8am to 1pm. Early voting will also take place on Sunday this year, October 21st. Cunningham says this means long hours and plenty of opportunities for voters to cast their ballots early this year.

There have been many challenges and changes regarding election issues this year, and Cunningham says that most appear to have finally been settled and she anticipates no more before general election day on November 6th

Cunningham says it’s important to remember too that Henderson County is moving to the “paper” system as required by the General Assembly, so paper ballota will be used in November at all 35 precinct voting site in the county and during the early one-stop voting as well. Those paper ballots, says Cunningham, require less time to vote...so at the election board office on Central Street they plan on having more “check in stations” for voters which should help speed the process along. And there will be plenty of tables for voters to go to to mark their ballots before they go into the tabulator.

Cunningham reminds voters there will be NO photo ID required to vote in the electionthisn November...that’s one of the amendments that’ll be on the ballot giving voters the opportunity to decide on photo ID in future elections in North Carolina.

General election day this year is on Tuesday November 6th, and all 35 polling sites in Henderson County will be open on election day from 6:30am to 7:30pm.

And as always, WHKP AM and FM will be on-the-air when the polls close with complete election returns as they come in...brought to you by Morris Broadband. And WHKP has now added complete election returns on our web site at WHKP.com (Listen Live) which makes them available to you quickly and conveniently also on youir smartphone.

By Larry Freeman and Tippy Creswell

"...the leading cause of un-attended deaths in this area."

In this space yesterday, the Carolina Public Press showed just how serious the methamphetamine crisis is, not only statewide in North Carolina, but in our own local community as well. Today, we’ll expand on that...to show an even greater problem now...is a lethal combination of meth and Fentanyl that’s causing deaths and taking lives here in our own community.

Major Frank Stout with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office recently confirmed for WHKP News that meth and opioids are deadly problems. But according to Major Stout, toxicology reports of local people who have died from substance abuse indicate that meth combined with Fentanyl was, and is, a serious factor.

Methamphetmine tends to be an “upper”, while Fentanyl is a “downer” that actually slows respiration. And the combination of the two, that’s being mixed and taken now in many local substance abuse instances, is deadly.

Major Stout points out that the number of local deaths due to substance abuse, specifically opioid and meth/fentanyl use and abuse, is growing at an alarming rate and is the leading cause of un-attended deaths in this area.

Stout agrees with Carolina Public Press (in yesterday’s part one in this series) that most of the meth in our community, including that “laced” with Fentanyl, is coming from Mexico. The Fentanyl that’s being mixed in with the meth is coming from China. The combination is cheaper, stronger, purer, and in much demand.  

In fact, the number of meth “labs” is clearly down in our local community...because the supply from Mexico is so plentiful and inexpensive. And because law enforcement has been so diligent is making the necessary ingredients for manufacturing meth harder to get.

How does it get here from Mexico? Stout says it comes in EVERY way. A lot of people are trying to slow or stop the flow of these drugs...UPS and FedEx, for example, even have developed ways to detect the drugs when they are shipped through their carriers. Still, they come into our community, they are used, and some people are dying because of it. Violent crime increases with it as well.

Stout points out that it’s a matter of “supply and demand”...the demand for that deadly combination is up, the supply is abundant, and the cost is cheaper than meth made in local illegal labs.

It is acknowledged that heroin has become a growing drug problem here. So, combine the heroin problem with the opioid crisis, and add to that this meth/Fentanyl deadly issue...and it gives a clearer picture of just how serious...and extensive... the drug problem, and its associated consequences are in our local community.

A lot is being done to combat the problem, but it continues to grow, lives continue to be ruined...and lost, and where, when, or how it all stops no one, at this point, seems to have a clue.

By WHKP News Director Larry Freeman

HIS DEATH AGE AGE 82 WAS ANNOUNCED ON THURSDAY   

REYNOLDS HAD A "HISTORY" IN WNC, AND SPECIFICALLY AT THE FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE   

It’s been 27 years since actor Burt Reynolds brought his “one man show” to the stage of the Flat Rock Playhouse.

Goupstate reported that “Burt Reynolds felt at home when he walked into Flat Rock Playhouse Of course, he very nearly was. Reynolds has owned a house in Highlands, N.C., some 40 miles west of Flat Rock, for years. He bought it when he was filming “Deliverance” near there in 1972. When Reynolds came to the Playhouse to see a performance by his friend, Michael O. Smith, who appears regularly on Reynolds’s television series “Evening Shade,” he liked the ambiance.

There was something different about this small regional theater nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains that poet Carl Sandburg called home. “It was a warm, wonderful feeling. In millions of theaters you never get that feeling that the theater is there for the actors,” Reynolds said in a telephone interview from the Playhouse. “The audience was respectful. They laughed and enjoyed themselves. It’s a place where actors are able to try new things.”

The actor felt at home enough at Flat Rock Playhouse to launch a new venture there, to chance failure there. It was the same feeling he had tried to create for actors during the 11 years he owned a small theater in Jupiter, Fla.

Reynolds talked to Playhouse executive director Robin Farquhar, telling him he’d like to do Shakespeare or a one-man show in the theater. He added that he’d like to direct a show there, too. When Farquhar recovered from his surprise enough to speak, he said, “Sure.”   

On May 4 of that year, Reynolds opened a one-man show about his life in the 506-seat theater. “David Niven had been trying to talk me into it for years, saying, 'You’ve got to do it,′ so I decided to try. We’d take it on the road if it worked here,” Reynolds recalled. The 1,518 tickets to the three performances on the mountain stage sold out in three hours.

“An Evening With Burt Reynolds - The Laughs, The Loves, The Lies, The Legend, The Lies (Not Necessarily In That Order)” has garnering favorable reviews across middle America. The response was so great that he had to play larger theaters than he’d like.

“Like Sinatra has to make an arena a saloon, I have to make a living room out of a 3,000-seat auditorium,” he quipped, quick to note that it would not be wise, from a financial standpoint, to perform only in smaller houses.

The show, which Reynolds said would “never have happened if it hadn’t been for Flat Rock,” went on from Flat Rock to play at the Asheville Civic Center. Reynolds also performed at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. and at the Performance Place in Spirit Square in Charlotte.”

Local memories of Burt Reynolds, dead on Thursday of cardiac arrest, at age 82.

PART ONE: "The majority of methamphetamine in the state now comes from Mexico   

FROM CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS:  Last month the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office announced a series of drug seizures that netted 30 arrests, including a number in which methamphetamine was a factor, alongside heroin, opioid pain pills, cocaine and marijuana, according to the Wilkes Journal Patriot.

Many headlines about the dangers of drug addiction in recent months have focused on heroin and other opioid drugs, which have been to blame for a staggering death toll. But cases like this one suggest that methamphetamine remains a prevalent problem as well.

Statistics from the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner show that meth is not just another nonopioid illegal controlled substance. Like opioids, methamphetamine is to blame for a growing number of deaths in North Carolina each year.

John Keane, special agent in charge of the Diversion and Environmental Crimes Unit at the State Bureau of Investigation, has an idea as to why methamphetamine use across the state is overshadowed by the opioid epidemic.

“If there’s any focus that is taken away from meth, it is that we just don’t see the deaths associated with it like we do with all opioids,” Keane said.

The number of meth-related deaths is far below opioid-related ones in North Carolina, at least for now. But while both sets of numbers are rising at an alarming rate, the number of meth-related deaths are growing much faster.  

Short-term numbers
In 2017, 1,974 opioid-related deaths occurred in North Carolina, according to the state medical examiner, an increase from 1,584 deaths the year before, or about 25 percent.

The state medical examiner reports that 160 people died in 2017 as a result of methamphetamine-related overdoses, nearly a 47 percent increase from the year before, when 109 people died because of methamphetamine.

While it may not be likely that deaths related to these drugs will sustain such high rates of growth in North Carolina for a long period, at its current growth rate, meth fatalities would be on track to exceed opioid fatalities in 15 years.

“We know that generally epidemics come and go, so we can expect that the opioid crisis will be replaced by another crisis in the future,” said Chris Budnick, an adjunct instructor in the social work department at N.C. State University who also works at Healing Transitions, a private, not-for-profit organization in Raleigh.

“Historically, we see this happening. If we simply focus on how we deal with the opioid crisis, we’re not going to be prepared to serve all individuals who are impacted by substance abuse disorder.”

Budnick is also the director of Healing Transitions, an addiction recover center in Raleigh. He cautions that there are downsides to all of the attention the opioid epidemic has received in recent years.

“It’s good there’s been a lot of coverage given to the opioid crisis, but there’re a few things we need to be cautious about,” he said.

“We’re investing a lot of federal dollars, which is appropriate, in response to the opioid crisis. But we need to make sure that we look to improve the entire system of care for all individuals impacted by substance abuse disorder.”

Long-term numbers
More than 12,000 North Carolinians have died as the result of opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2016, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The highest numbers of opioid-related deaths between 2010 and 2016 were in Brunswick, Cherokee, Graham, Yancey, Burke, Wilkes and Yadkin counties.

Roughly 516 meth-related deaths occurred between 2008 and August 2018. However, the numbers since 2017 remain provisional. Relatively few of those deaths occurred earlier in the period, with just six in 2009, before reaching a high of 160 in 2017.

The highest levels of meth-related deaths since 2008 have included 54 in Buncombe County, 39 in Mecklenburg County, 27 in Forsyth County, 24 in Rutherford County and 24 in Surry County.

While an increase in the statewide population in recent years could partially explain the rise in deaths from both types of drugs, the population has not grown at such a fast clip.

Perhaps one of the reasons the rise in methamphetamine-related deaths has received less attention is that drug statistics released by the state Department of Health and Human Services typically do not differentiate between meth-related deaths and deaths from other nonopioid drugs.

However, the medical examiner’s office has the underlying data to show which deaths resulted from meth use and was able to provide a breakdown of these fatalities when requested by Carolina Public Press.

While this State Bureau of Investigation photo shows a methamphetamine laboratory, law enforcement officials have told Carolina Public Press that more of the drug is now being imported from Mexico. File Photo   

Fewer meth labs
Even though the number of methamphetamine-related deaths is rising, the number of meth labs that the State Bureau of Investigation has responded to over the past few years has decreased.

The SBI investigated a total of 232 labs across the state in 2017, a significant decrease from 557 in 2014.

Kelly Page, assistant special agent in charge of the SBI’s Clandestine Laboratory Response Unit, notes that the majority of methamphetamine in the state now comes from Mexico.

Johnston County ranked among the highest number of clandestine lab cases, with 46 labs in 2014, 40 labs in 2015, and 33 labs in 2016. The numbers for Johnston County dropped in 2017, with only 14 clandestine lab responses.

Treatment
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies methamphetamine as a Schedule II substance, meaning that there’s a high likelihood for abuse.

Budnick emphasized the importance of engagement as part of recovery, which can be difficult to maintain, given the daily stresses that the majority of people who suffer from addiction face. Because most people he helps at Healing Transitions come from lower-income backgrounds, thoughts of employment and housing often take precedence over continued recovery engagement.

“There’s a fundamental, pervasive thought about addiction – that it’s based on choice, that an individual has made a decision to use alcohol or other drugs; they’re therefore less deserving of our compassion, second chances and treatment,” Budnick said.

“Whether it’s alcohol, methamphetamine or other substances, what we really should be investing in is improving pretreatment/engagement, access to services and post-treatment follow-up.”

Healing Transitions has seen an increase in methamphetamine users over the past eight years. In 2010, the center dealt with one woman and four men who needed treatment for methamphetamine addiction. In August, 28 women and 57 men entered the center for meth-related treatment.

Center estimates show that by the end of the year, numbers could reach as high as 42 woman and 85 men, the highest number of both men and women the center has seen over the course of the past 10 years.

“Until we get more money, more prevention and treatment, we’re still going to have this problem, unfortunately,” Keane said.

“These people are sick who are misusing drugs. They have to have availability to treatment.”

Having access to treatment isn’t good enough, Keane said, because the treatment needs to be immediate. The longer people have to wait, the more likely they are to continue to misuse drugs, which could ultimately lead to an overdose-related death, he said.

“We need to do a better job of balancing the enforcement with the treatment,” Keane added.

PART TWO WILL APPEAR IN THIS SPACE TOMORROW   

iT'S NOT OFTEN THAT A YANKEE NEWSPAPER EDITORIALIZES IN FAVOR OF DECISIONS MADE BY THE REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY.  BUT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL BROKE THAT TRADITION THIS WEEK AND WAS HIGHLY CRITICAL OF THE FOURTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS FOR CLAIMING THAT NORTH CAROLINA'S CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, THUS MUDDYING THE WATER FOR THE UPCOMING GENERAL ELECTIONS THIS FALL.  THE MAJORITY LEADER OF THE N.C. STATE SENATE, PHIL BERGER,  SHARED THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'S CONDEMNATION OF THAT APPEAL COURT RULING WITH WHKP NEWS...AND WE FEEL IT'S WORTH SHARING WITH YOU:

  The Wall Street Journal published an editorial about the Fourth Circuit's opinion on North Carolina's Congressional maps, in which the court forecasted canceling November's election until a map more favorable to Democrats can be drawn. In case you missed it, highlights from the editorial are below:

North Carolina's Gerrymander Coup - Liberal Judges Hijack Redistricting to Abet a Democratic House

The Supreme Court this year punted on deciding two partisan gerrymander cases. Democrats have now refused a fair catch and decided to run the ball back up the field for a touchdown in North Carolina, where liberal judges this week struck down the state’s congressional map.

Republicans control 10 of North Carolina’s 13 congressional seats though a majority of registered voters are Democrats. Liberals claim this is evidence of invidious discrimination by the GOP Legislature against Democratic voters. What they really want is judges to enshrine a Democratic congressional majority.

...Thank you very much, Judge Wynn said this week while reaffirming the court’s prior decision that the map is unconstitutional because it supposedly dilutes Democratic votes and imposes “burdens on Plaintiffs based on their previous and ongoing political expression and affiliation.” The 321-page decision is long on case history and short on legal analysis.

The Supreme Court has long held that political considerations are permissible and even intrinsic to legislative redistricting. The question the Court has been grappling with over the last three decades is how much partisanship is too much. Judge Wynn joined by liberal colleague Earl Britt side-stepped this question and ruled that any political considerations are unconstitutional if judges say so.

The judges conflate partisanship, past voting and political views. Many conservative Democrats voted for President Trump because they agree with his positions on trade and cultural issues, which is one reason he won the state in 2016 despite Democrats’ registration advantage.

...Judge Wynn intends to appoint a “special master” to redraw maps, perhaps in time for the November election. This would create election confusion in the extreme. He apparently wants partisan judges to make political decisions instead of lawmakers elected by “the People.” And he has a history of imposing his liberalism from the bench and twice lost elections to the state supreme court before President Obama chose him for the Fourth Circuit.

Democrats are howling about potential Russian interference in the midterm elections, but judicial intervention represents a more tangible threat to the Constitution’s ordered liberty and may determine which party controls the House next year. Earlier this year a Democratic majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court redrew the state’s congressional map to give the party an edge in as many as five districts.

North Carolina’s GOP Legislature is appealing the panel’s decision to the Supreme Court, but conservative and liberal Justices might deadlock on whether to stay the ruling before Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed. The Court’s dodge this summer allowed liberal judges to pose as legislators, and they are doing so.

WHKP AND WHKP.COM WISH YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND!   

TWO FROM HENDERSON COUNTY WERE ON THE POW/MIA LIST DURING THE KOREAN WAR   

AS THE REMAINS OF SOME OF THOSE KILLED IN KOREA ARE RETURNED TO AMERICAN SOIL, LOCAL HENDERSON COUNTY HISTORIAN JENNIE JONES GILES REMINDS US OF TWO FROM HENDERSON COUNTY WHO SERVED...AND ONE WHO IS STILL MISSING     

With interest this week in the return of possible MIA military service members to U.S. soil from North Korea:

Local Henderson County folks may want to remember that one of our own is still missing.

Two men from Henderson County were on the list of POW/MIA during the Korean War.

Through the Korean War Project and DNA provided by surviving family members, the remains of Samuel Kelly Watkins were identified Jan. 18, 2011. His grave site is now at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

But, one person is still missing: James Harold Duncan. Duncan is listed as POW. He served in the Air Force, 325th Bomber Squadron, 92nd Bomber Wing, staff sergeant, gunner on B-29A Superfortress Bomber. He was on a bombing mission Sept. 9, 1950, flying from Japan when his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and exploded mid-air near Wolbong-ni, South Korea. Five parachutes were seen. He was known to have been in a prisoner of war camp in 1951. His remains have not been recovered. For reasons unknown, his home city and home state are listed as Spokane, Washington. His home city at the time of his enlistment was Hendersonville and his home state listed as North Carolina.

He also served in World War II, with birth and residence listed as Henderson County, N.C. His unit was based at Fairchild Air Force Base prior to deployment to Japan, but he was not from Spokane, Washington

There is a memorial marker at Shaw’s Creek Methodist Campground Cemetery in Horse Shoe. His name is listed on the “Courts of the Missing” Tablet for the Korean War at Honolulu, Hawaii.

He was a son of James Ledbetter Duncan and Sue Josephine Johnson Duncan. He married Helen Louise McKinna of Henderson County. At the time he served in the Korean War, he had three children all born in Henderson County.

During his World War II service as a second lieutenant, he was shot down over France while flying a mission in a Fortress and was a prisoner of war in Germany. See hendersonheritage.com

THANK YOU, JENNIE...FOR THE REMINDER.  AND THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED FOR YOUR SERVICE

AND END ON AUGUST 11TH   

DOG DAYS BEGIN

July 3: Dog Days Begin

What are the “Dog Days of Summer”—and when are they? The answer might surprise you. Enjoy this page about the meaning and origins of the “Dog Days of Summer.”

WHAT ARE THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER?
The Dog Days aren’t just when your dog starts panting on a sweltering summer day.

These days once coincided with the year’s heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. Ancient folks thought that the “combined heat” of Sirius and the Sun caused summer’s swelter.

The rising of Sirius does not actually affect the weather, but for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the Nile River’s flood season. They used Sirius as a “watchdog” for that event.

Because it also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time!   

WHEN ARE THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER?
The Dog Days of summer are traditionally the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, which coincide with the morning rise of the Dog Star, Sirius. This is soon after the Summer Solstice, which of course also indicates that heat will soon set in.

THE DOG STAR SIRIUS
The Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids tells us all about the Dog Star, Sirius! Here are some of the most important facts.

Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, if you don’t count the Sun. Under the right conditions, it can even be seen with the naked eye during the day. Sirius is one star in a group of stars that form the constellation Canis Major, meaning “Greater Dog.” It’s no surprise, then, that the nickname of this big, bold star is Dog Star. Learn how to find the Dog Star in the night sky.

Sirius in Ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, the Nile River flooded each year, usually beginning in late June. The people welcomed this event, called the Inundation, because the floodwaters brought rich soil needed to grow crops in what was otherwise a desert.

No one in Egypt knew exactly when the flooding would start, but they noticed a coincidence that gave them a clue: The water began to rise on the days when Sirius began to rise before the Sun. They called Sirius SOTHIS. SOTHIS and the Inundation became so important to the Egyptians’ survival that they began their new year with the new Moon that followed the star’s first appearance on the eastern horizon.

Sirius in Ancient Greece

Unlike the Egyptians, the ancient Greeks and Romans were not pleased by Sirius’s appearance. For them, Sirius signaled the beginning of the hot season, which brought drought, disease, and discomfort. Some people believed that the summer swelter was due to the combined heat from Sirius and the Sun. These uncomfortable, unhealthy days were called the dog days, named after the (innocent) Dog Star. It makes sense that the name of the Dog Star, Sirius, means “scorching” in Greek.

The Meaning of the Dog Star Today

Due to a very slow wobble of Earth’s axis, the Dog Star now seems to rise later than it did in ancient times. Its ascension no longer coincides with the start of the Nile flood (which does not occur anyway, because the river is now controlled by the Aswan Dam), but Sirius still makes its appearance during hot summer days.

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER FOLKLORE
Old-timers believed that rainfall on the dog days was a bad omen, as foretold in this verse:
Dog Days bright and clear
Indicate a happy year;
But when accompanied by rain,
For better times, our hopes are vain.

Dog Days are approaching; you must, therefore, make both hay and haste while the Sun shines, for when old Sirius takes command of the weather, he is such an unsteady, crazy dog, there is no dependence upon him.
–The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1817

 FOX NEWS RADIO REMEMBERS CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER   

Charles Krauthammer, a longtime Fox News contributor, Pulitzer Prize winner, Harvard-trained psychiatrist and best-selling author who came to be known as the dean of conservative commentators, died Thursday. He was 68.

His death had been expected after he wrote a heartbreaking letter to colleagues, friends and viewers on June 8 that said in part “I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me...

“Recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.”

In recent years, Krauthammer was best known for his nightly appearance as a panelist on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” and as a commentator on various Fox news shows.

Following the news of the death of his “good friend,” Baier posted on Twitter, “I am sure you will be owning the panel discussion in heaven as well. And we'll make sure your wise words and thoughts - your legacy - will live on here.”

But Krauthammer was arguably a Renaissance man, achieving mastery in such disparate fields as psychiatry, speech-writing, print journalism and television. He won the Edwin Dunlop Prize for excellence in psychiatric research and clinical medicine. Journalism honors included the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his Washington Post columns in 1987 and the National Magazine Award for his work at The New Republic in 1984. His book, “Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics,” instantly became a New York Times bestseller, remaining in the number one slot for 10 weeks, and on the coveted list for nearly 40.

Krauthammer delivered his views in a mild-mannered yet steady and almost philosophical style, befitting his background in psychiatry and detailed analysis of human behavior. Borrowing from that background, Krauthammer said in 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, that the post-Cold War world had gone from bipolar to “unipolar,” with the United States as the sole superpower. He also coined the term “The Reagan Doctrine,” among others.

He also showed an unabashed love of baseball. Nationals Park held a moment of silence before his beloved Washington Nationals played a home game there Thursday night.

on about calling out those in power, whether they were Democrats or Republicans or conservatives.

During the Democratic National Convention, he assailed lack of substance in the build-up to nominating Hillary Clinton.

“As for the chaos abroad, the Democrats are in see-no-evil denial. The first night in Philadelphia, there were 61 speeches. Not one mentioned the Islamic State or even terrorism.”

Columnist, author and Fox News commentator Charles Krauthammer lived his life telling others exactly what he thought.
“In this crazy election year, there are no straight-line projections,” he noted, adding presciently, “As Clinton leaves Philadelphia, her lifelong drive for the ultimate prize is perilously close to a coin flip.”

At the same time, Krauthammer was quick to express disagreement with President Donald Trump in no uncertain terms.

He denounced Trump’s handling of the violence that erupted at Charlottesville, Va. protests over the planned removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, saying that most Americans were "utterly revolted by right-wing white supremacist neo-Nazi groups.” Krauthammer said that Trump’s failure to strongly denounce the supremacist group, and to say that both sides in the protest shared blame, “was a moral disgrace.”

The man who wore many hats, figuratively, throughout his life -- excelling at just about everything he tried, even when he was still a rookie -- easily took himself in new directions when curiosity or instinct struck.

Krauthammer’s intellectual heft belied an ability to be candid and witty about his quirks.

"Everything I've gotten good at I quit the next day to go on to do something else," he quipped in a 1984 interview with The Washington Post.

Krauthammer embraced a strong personal constitution that kept him determined and resilient, even in the face of extraordinary physical limitations.

He spent most of his life confined to a wheelchair, the result of a snap decision -- when he was 22 years old and a first-year student at Harvard – to go for a quick swim with a friend before a planned game of tennis.

“We go for a swim, we take a few dives and I hit my head on the bottom of the pool,” he said in a Fox News special in 2013 that looked at his life. “The amazing thing is there was not even a cut on my head. It just hit at precisely the angle where all the force was transmitted to one spot...the cervical vertebrae which severed the spinal cord.”

Fox News senior political analyst and former anchor of 'Special Report' shares memories of the syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor.
Unable to move, and at a time when his studies happened to focus on the spinal cord, Krauthammer instantly knew the consequences of the accident would be severe.

“There were two books on the side of the pool when they picked up my effects,” he recalled. “One was ‘The Anatomy of the Spinal Cord’ and the other one [was] ‘Man’s Fate’ by Andre Malraux.”

A lifelong opponent of being stereotyped in any fashion, Krauthammer was not going to let being in a wheelchair define him.

"I don't like when they make a big thing about it," he told the Washington Post. "And the worst thing is when they tell me how courageous I am. That drives me to distraction."

"That was the one thing that bothered me very early on," Krauthammer said. "The first week, I thought, the terrible thing is that people are going to judge me now by a different standard. If I can just muddle through life, they'll say it was a great achievement, given this.”

"I thought that would be the worst, that would be the greatest defeat in my life -- if I allowed that. I decided if I could make people judge me by the old standard, that would be a triumph and that's what I try to do. It seemed to me the only way to live.”

As soon as he could after the accident, Krauthammer forged ahead with his studies, finishing medical school and going on to do a three-year residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he wrote about a condition he called “secondary mania,” which gained wide acclaim.

Then Krauthammer realized his heart was not really in health care, and after going to Washington D.C. and making some connections, he ended up as a speech writer for Democrat Walter Mondale during Jimmy Carter’s re-election campaign.

Later, as a writer for The New Republic, Krauthammer, then a self-styled Democrat, exhibited the kind of willingness to criticize political leaders regardless of their party.

"I'm very unhappy with the Democratic foreign policy," he told the Post. "And I'm very unhappy with Republican domestic policy."

"If I have to choose between Republican foreign policy and Democratic foreign policy I would choose the Republican. That's not to say there's a lot in it I don't find wrong, but they have done certain good things in foreign policy."

Host of 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' says there was 'no mistaking' what Charles Krauthammer meant.Video
Tucker Carlson praises the clarity of Krauthammer's thinking
About a decade ago, Krauthammer joined Fox News, drawing praise from conservatives, moderates, and liberals for his thoughtful and meticulously framed remarks.

New York Times columnist David Brooks called him “the most important conservative columnist.”

When his book became a fixture on the New York Times bestseller list, Newsweek observed: “To those who are trying to make sense of the rise of the conservative movement, Krauthammer’s success is a triumph for temperate, smart conservatism.”

Krauthammer politely downplayed the accolades.

“I don’t know if I have influence,” he was quoted as saying in Michellbard.com. “I know there are people who read me and people who make decisions who read what I write and they may be affected...my role is to challenge them, but people don’t come up to me on the street and say ‘I used to be a liberal until I read you.’”

“My goal is to write something parents will clip and send to their kids in college.”

Charles Krauthammer was born in New York in 1950, and grew up in Montreal, steeped in the Jewish faith.

His father, Shulim Krauthammer, was Austro-Hungarian and his mother, Thea, was born in Belgium. His parents met in Cuba.

Before going to Harvard Medical School, Krauthammer attended McGill University, and Oxford, where he met his wife, Robyn.

They had a son, Daniel. Both his wife and son survive him.

Despite his busy professional life, Krauthammer enjoyed baseball and chess, and made his family a priority.

He often spoke of growing up in a happy, tight-knit family, and spoke proudly of his wife and son.

(WHKP News.com is presenting a two-part series on the damage done to local agriculture in the recent record-setting heavy rains and flooding.  In today's second part in the series, .we'll share observations from local growers Adam Pryor, Don Ward, and Kenny Barnwell on the impact the rain and flooding is having on local apples, berries, hay, and vegetable crops.)

Henderson County grower Adam Pryor told WHKP News after last week’s rain, “All that rain was detrimental to agriculture in general.”

In addition to growing local apples, Pryor also has hay and beef cattle...and said he now has only about two to three weeks to get a crop in the ground and is hoping the fields dry out quickly so he can get back in them.

Most local growers feel that the county’s multi-million dollar apple crop will be ok, in spite of all the rain and flooding.

Another grower, Don Ward, says the apples will be ok...as long as the growers can get spray on them...which cannot be done, of course, in the rain.

The issue now, according to Adam Pryor, is that most growers are so far behind because of the rain...which will leave, as Pryor says, a short growing season. “In some cases, growers may not get a crop planted this year...and that’s tough.” says Pryor.

Pryor’s father has been in agriculture for many years, said Pryon, and he’s never seen one like this one.  

Apple grower Kenny Barnwell thinks most of the popular and commercial variaties of apples will be ok this year, in spite of the rain. But Barnwell said that berry growers will have a hard time salvaging a crop...and many local corn, tomato, and hay growers have taken the worst hit.

Barnwell said he had a friend with about one thousand acres of field corn that’s been virtually ruined. Re-Planting may happen, providing fields dry out in time and growers can get back into them but Barnwell points out “This is June...and we usually have everything planted by now.”

Kenny Barnwell summed up the life of a farmer: “I say this every year, but with agriculture, you’ve got to love it.”  

By WHKP News Director Larry Freeman   06/04/18   

(WHKP News.com is beginning a series on the damage suffered by local agriculture in the recent record-setting heavy rains and flooding.  In today's first part in the series, grower Kirby Johnson points out the damage done to early local vegetable crops.) 

“I’ve never seen anything like it—not in May.”   

Local grower Kirby Johnson with Flavor First and Johnson Family Farm told WHKP News late last week that with the heaviest rain over, he’ll need at least a week of sunshine to fully assess the damage to young crops he has in the ground.

“It’s been a disaster”, he said. Local growers will be meeting Monday night to talk about it, compare damage, and see where they go from here.

Johnson says the big issue now is time...”We’re running out of planting time.” The trouble late in the week has been that growers can’t get into flooded and soggy fields, he said.

As far as re-planting is concerned, Johnson said it’ll mean a late crop this year...with some things coming in in September and October...and he added “We’ll be hoping for a late frost.”  

Hay and silage corn suffered a real blow in all the heavy rain and flooding. “We need to be cutting hay now”, said Johnson...”But local hay crops took a bad hit”. As much as 80 per cent of local silage corn that’s been planted was lost, according to some dairy and cattle farmers in Henderson County...so there will be issues having enough to feed cows and other livestock through the coming winter.

When WHKP News spoke with Johnson late in the week, he was standing in a bean field in Mills River that had been heavily damaged by the rain and flooding. He said Mills River measured about 18 inches of rain from the whole storm event...but his fruit stand on Kanuga Road received about 22 inches of rain and,said of the fruit stand, “It’s a total disaster.”   

Johnson summed it up: “I’ve never seen nothing like it...not int May. We might get a flood from a hurricane late in the summer, he said, but this was rain that started on May 15th has been a disaster. 

Re-planting in the key, as soon as fields dry our and growers can get into them...but as Johnson points out, a lot of the damage has already been done and the re-planting will mean late crops this year, from corn to tomatoes to beans.  

 Local home gardeners have suffered, too...with many local vegetable gardens that were planted early now flooded, muddy, soggy, and wiped out...and committed gardeners will be left with little choice but to, like Johnson, clean it all up, re-plant, and hope for a late crop.

By WHKP News Director Larry Freeman  06/04/18   

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS   

There have been a lof of “great” floods in Henderson County’s recorded weather history, and without a doubt some even greater floods before weather records have been kept, which dates back to the late 1890s. But this most recent situation of heavy rains, flooding, and mud slides may well go into the record books as perhaps our SECOND WORST, at least as far as rainfall totals are concerned.

Floods and their impacts on the community are relative things...depending on the amount of rain, the length of time it falls, the degree of development in the community at the time of any particular flood, and any steps that have been taken to mitigate the damage done by flooding.

Without a doubt, our worst flood in recorded weather history was the “great flood of 1916” which dumped a total of 22.22 inches of rain on the area. The damage done by that flood are well documented.

In his “Weather Book”, the late President and General Manager of WHKP and a life-long weather watcher and record keeper, Kermit Edney, wrote of floods that devastated the community in 1895, 1928, the flood of 1964---which literally took out WHKP (on the bank of Mud Creek at the time)---and later and lesser (though still severe) floods in years like 1973 and 1977. Sadly, deadly mud slides, downed trees, washed out roads, flooded home and businesses were all a part of each flood.

But when all was said and done, and rainfall totals were figured up, this flood of May 2018 brought a staggering and eye-opening total amount of rain to Henderson County, to Polk County, and others areas in the southern mountains and foothills. This heavy rain cut a swath across the Blue Ridge that seemed to follow the path of the French Broad River and covered most of Henderson County, from the French Broad on the west and north all the way to Reedy Patch Creek and the Rocky Broad River in the Edneyville-Bat Cave area on the east and south.  

WHKP is and has been since 1964 the official weather observation station for Hendersonville for the National Weather Service. That means we keep the daily observations of high and low temperatures, precipitation, and other weather factors just as they have been kept, daily, since the 1890s. In fact, WHKP assumed that duty in 1964 under an agreement with the late J.T. Fain, long-time editor of the Times-News who had been keeping the records and making the daily observations and reports for many years. But that’s another story.

Back to the flood of May 2018.

WHKP’s weather records show that from the time the rain started this May through the last day of the month, a total of 16.61 inches of rain fell at the official weather observation station, WHKP...with varying amounts at other locations and at rainfall gauges throughout the county.

Which, by all accounts and according to the weather records, will make what just happened the SECOND heaviest period of rain and severe flooding in our local recorded weather history, second only to that 22.22 inches that totaled out in the “great flood of 1916”.

Rainfall totals don’t tell the whole sad story. Homes, businesses, farmland, crops, and private property were damaged or destroyed; a woman was killed in a mud slide near Tryon; two TV newsmen were killed in Polk County when a tree fell on their vehicle while covering this flood; others were killed or trapped; some were even lost or disappeared in the flooding.

And as we write this on the first day in June, we know this “spell” isn’t over...other storms are looming and the total damage done in this single act of “Mother Nature” is still to be determined. And add to that, today is the first day of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season which runs until November 30th, is the seasonal “weather producer” that affects the western Carolinas, and that is predicted to be at or above normal in storm production.

By the way...to put this May’s total rainfall of 16.61 inches in perspective, it is generally (though unscientifically) accepted that comparing rainfall to snowfall, every one inch of rain is the equivalent of ten inches of snow. So had that 16.61 inches of rain this month been snow instead, we’d be digging out from under about thirteen and a third feet of snow. Just to keep things in perspective.

And just for the record, it wasn’t Mark Twain who coined the phrase “Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it”. It was newspaperman Charles Dudley Warner in an editorial in the Hartford Courant in August 1897.

Here we are still talking (and writing) about it...but in reality, doing nothing about it.

By Larry Freeman
WHKP News Director
June 1, 2018

IN THE COMPLEX,  CHANGING, AND BIG MONEY WORLD OF LARGE  HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS    

WHKP.com News last week reported that the “due diligence” is continuing on the proposed sale of Asheville’s Mission Health system (valued at about $1.8 billion) to HCA of Nashville, Tennessee. But not all proposed sales, mergers, or other co-operative agreements between hospitals and hospital system work out. The proposed agreement between UNC Health Care, with whom Hendersonville’s Pardee Hospital is associatedh, and Charlotte’s Atrium Health (formerly Carolinas HealthCare System) l) is a good example.

Media Health Leaders reported last month that talks about any possible deal between UNC Health Care and Atrium have been suspended.

And a spokesperson for Pardee Hospital last week confirmed that talks between the two large hospital systems has been suspended.

There were reportedly issues over who would lead the proposed new organization, some serious questions raised by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, and other “business opportunities”...all cited by Health Leaders as reasons why the proposed deal fell through.

Separate statements were issued last month by both organizations on why the deal never got off the ground.
As Health Leaders reported, Atrium, the Charlotte-based nonprofit, said it suspended the discussions with UNC Health Care in a letter last month from Atrium President and CEO Gene Woods and Board of Commissioners Chairman Ed Brown.

The statement that followed from UNC Health Care suggested, however, that the matter was more of a joint decision.

“After months of discussions and due diligence, UNC Health Care and Atrium Health have determined that we cannot satisfy our mutual organizational goals through a proposed partnership and joint operating company,” UNC Health Care System CEO William L. Roper, MD, MPH, and UNC Health Care Board of Directors Chairman Dale Jenkins said in a statement.

That news came after talks between the two organizations hit a snag last month over which would retain a top leadership role after the merger, as The News & Observer reported.
Sarah E. Wilson, principal analyst of market access insights at Decision Resources Group in Nashville, said this contention over which leadership team would steer the joint operating company appears to be the main issue that sank the Atrium-UNC deal.

“You have two powerhouse systems in their respective markets, and I think neither system wanted to give up any control,” Wilson told HealthLeaders Media.
“There were also questions as to how this merger would impact patients in North Carolina,” Wilson added. “That may have added pressure to the negotiations, though that has not been stated by either party outright.”
In addition to conflict between the two organizations, the potential merger faced pressure from North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who sent a letter last month to the CEOs of both hospital systems, as the Charlotte Observer reported.

“Experience cautions that large-scale health system mergers are often not in the public interest,” Stein wrote in the letter. “The State and the public have a right to know the facts behind your proposal. Therefore, we seek information to assess whether the proposed combination would increase prices for health care, reduce choices available to patients and payors, or otherwise harm North Carolina patients, North Carolina businesses, or the State itself.”
That statement by the attorney general raises the question: will there be similar concerns raised over the possible sale of Mission’s health care system to HCA?
The Atrium-UNC deal had also faced opposition from BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina.

As for other "business opportunities", the day after it announced its name change last month, the Atrium system reached across state lines to partner with Navicent Health in Macon, Georgia.
Mergers, sales, management agreements, and other arrangements between hospitals and particularly between large hospital systems are complex with many details and implications for patients and patient care.

As the “due diligence” continues between Mission Health and HCA, and with all the "principals" involved optimistic about the outcome, the attempted UNC Health Care-Atrium arrangement is a good example...that while sales, mergers and other arrangements between large health care providers is the order of the day and seems to be the way of the future, not all of them work out and end as planned.

By Larry Freeman WHKP.com

'HCA HEALTHCARE APPRECIATES THAT MISSION HEALTH HAS THE CAPACITY TO CONTINUE TO WORK ALONE, AND YET WE BOTH RECOGNIZE THAT MEETING OUR CORE MISSIONS COULD BE ACHIEVED MORE EFFECTIVELY TOGETHER."   

Mission Hospital is now in the early stages of the “due diligence” process leading up to the likely sale of the huge Mission Hospital system to HCA Healthcare based in Nasheville, Tennessee.

Nancy Lyndell, a spokesman for Mission Hospital, recently told WHKP News that the “due diligence” process will likely take 3 to 6 months...and it started earlier this year when the announcement of the possible sale was made late in March.

Mission Health is already the largest hospital system in western North Carolina and one of the largest in the state. Even though recent figures show the Mission Hospital system has a value of about $1.8 billion, Lyndell says no “sale price” has been put on the Mission system at this time, although a figure will likely develop somewhere in the process.

Back late in March, Mission Health’s Board of Directors announced that it had signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to enter into exclusive discussions to join HCA Healthcare which was founded 50 years ago by two physicians. The Mission Board’s unanimous decision to execute the LOI with HCA Healthcare, said the Board. reflects Mission’s long-term vision and commitment to preserve and expand Mission Health’s world-class quality of care within a rapidly consolidating healthcare industry.

HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services and uses its extensive resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. A Mission Hospital press release in March pointed out that the LOI is an important, proactive step to ensure Mission Health remains well-positioned to continue to meet the unique needs of western North Carolina as the healthcare environment continues to evolve.

A key component of the proposed agreement is the establishment of a new foundation that would provide substantial annual investments dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the citizens of western North Carolina. And spokesperson Lyndell told WHKP News that plans are continuing fort the formation of that foundation. In addition, as part of HCA Healthcare, Mission Health is expected to generate millions of dollars in tax revenues for the area. One un-official estimate is this sale to HCA could generate some $10 million in tax revenue for Asheville-Buncombe County as the status of the Mission system will no longer be “not-for-profit” and thus “tax exempt”, but will become a part of the taxable “for profit” HCA system.

According to the March press release, “The Mission Board, all of whom are community members who care deeply about ensuring access to high quality care for the people of western North Carolina for generations to come, is confident that HCA Healthcare is the right and best choice for Mission’s team members and providers, its patients and the communities we are privileged to serve,” said Mission Health Board Chair John R. Ball, MD. “We are extremely excited about this unprecedented opportunity to create an even stronger cornerstone of value, access and quality.”

“HCA Healthcare is a leading healthcare operator that offers advantages on a scale that would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve otherwise,” Dr. Ball said. “As important, the newlyformed foundation will be life-changing for the residents of our region, providing tens of millions of dollars annually in new support for the most vulnerable.”

“Mission Health has a more than 130-year tradition of caring for communities throughout western North Carolina, and we are excited to formalize discussions with them about how we can help continue their impressive legacy,” said Milton Johnson, HCA Healthcare’s chairman and CEO. “As a healthcare provider founded by physicians 50 years ago, we appreciate the way Mission Health has served western North Carolina with a level of excellence that has earned national recognition as one of the top 15 healthcare systems in the country. We appreciate the opportunity to discuss becoming an integral part of their community.”

In making the announcement in March, Mission Health’s Board Vice Chair, John W. Garrett, MD, noted that even though HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading health system operators, it does not currently have operations in North Carolina. “HCA Healthcare is attracted to Mission Health for many reasons, including the reputation of Mission Health clinicians and broader team to deliver best-in-class care and patient outcomes and our shared commitment to innovation. When combined with the ability of the newly formed foundation to enhance access in underserved communities and to invest in solving some of healthcare’s most complex and intractable problems – health risks that are beyond the reach of traditional medicine – it’s an ideal opportunity for our community,” said Dr. Garrett.

“HCA Healthcare appreciates that Mission Health has the capacity to continue its work alone, and yet we both recognize that meeting our core missions could be achieved more effectively together. It is a tribute to the Mission Health Board and team that we are in such a position of strength that we can make the best choice for our people, our patients and our communities,” said Mission Health President and CEO Ronald A. Paulus, MD.

“We are excited to be considering joining HCA Healthcare and benefitting from its caliber and exceptional capabilities in research, clinical trials, data analytics, graduate medical education and more. We believe that HCA Healthcare uniquely provides the experience, scale and resources that will enable Mission Health to enhance and expand our services in western North Carolina,” said Dr. Paulus. “In return, joining HCA Healthcare would allow Mission Health to share our quality and clinical outcome best practices with the broader HCA Healthcare family to the benefit of communities across the nation.”

“It is important to us that HCA Healthcare expresses a commitment to supporting our clinical best practices and our communities’ values,” Dr. Paulus added. “The recognition HCA Healthcare continues to earn for being one of the world’s most ethical companies is compelling.” For the past nine years, HCA Healthcare has been ranked as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the world leader in business ethics, the Ethisphere Institute.

The transaction contemplated by the LOI is subject to the negotiation of a definitive agreement and applicable regulatory approval.

To learn more and stay informed, the public is invited to visit missionhealthforward.org.

AFTER THAT, THE DAYS GRADUALLY GET LONGER   

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in terms of hours of daylight.

However, the solstice is a signal of more daylight to come in the following days, and it's one of the origins of the modern winter holidays.

The winter solstice 2017 in the Northern Hemisphere will be at 11:28 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 21. In the Southern Hemisphere, that day is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

The solstice marks the moment the sun shines at its most southern point, directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson, since Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees, the Northern and Southern hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly. The tilt of the Earth – not our distance from the sun – is what causes winter and summer.

The word solstice means “sun stand” or “sun stands still.”

On the winter solstice, all locations south of the equator have day lengths greater than 12 hours. Meanwhile, all locations north of the equator have day lengths less than 12 hours. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel—literally. After the winter solstice, the days gradually get longer and the nights shorter.

“It’s really a standing point in the movement of the sun,” said Anthony Aveni, a professor of astronomy and anthropology and Native American studies at Colgate University.

Solar Winter Graph

According to Aveni, the tension over whether the sun would ever come back caused ancient peoples to wonder what they could do to appease the gods.

For example, the Greeks made offerings to the god Apollo, the Incas to the sun god Inti and the Mayans to the god Kinich Ahau. For a week each December, the ancient Romans also celebrated the solstice by honoring the god Saturn.

When Christianity came onto the world scene, Aveni said, those ancient solstice celebrations evolved into Christmas. He said the time of the birth of Jesus Christ was not actually in December but was changed to fit the season’s celebrations.

MARK ALEXANDER RHODES   

On this Pearl Harbor Day 2017, our family honors the memory of our late cousin Mark Alexander Rhodes.

Born in Edneyville on 7 March 1920 and a product of Edneyville schools, Mark made the ultimate sacrifice while serving his country aboard the USS Arizona, sunk by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor Honolulu Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

Mark is buried at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Hendersonville’s Hedrick-Rhodes Post 5206 of the VFW is named partially in honor of Mark’s service and sacrifice.

By Larry Freeman

WITH HANAKKAH COMING UP ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 12, WHKP.COM WOULD LIKE TO HONOR ALL THOSE UPSTANDING MEMBERS OIF THE LOCAL JEWISH COMMUNITY WHO HAVE PLAYED SUCH MAJOR ROLES IN MAKING HENDERSONVILLE AND HENDERSON COUNTY THE "SPECIAL" PLACE IT IS TODAY.  OF COURSE, WE RECALL THE KAPLANS, AND KALINS, THE PATTERSON, THE SHERMANS, THE WILLIAMS,  AND ALL THE OTHER GREAT JEWISH FAMILES WHO HAVE BEEN OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS...AND WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COMMUNITY SO WELL.

OTHER JEWISH LEADERS IN NORTH CAROLINA HAVE STOOD UP FOR JUSTICE, FREEDOM, AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN PARTICULAR...AND TODAY WE'D LIKE TO HONOR ONE OF THE GREATEST AMONG THEM:

HONORING JACOB HENRY OF CARTARET COUNTY  (HIS HOME PICTURED HERE)...A LEADER IS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY   

On December 6, 1809, Jacob Henry, North Carolina’s first Jewish legislator, delivered a rousing speech about religious liberty to the General Assembly. Henry represented Carteret County in 1808 and 1809, a time in which people were bound constitutionally to affirm the “truth of the Protestant religion” before holding any public office. He served his first term without incident, but in 1809 a newly-elected representative took issue with Henry’s religious affiliation and introduced a resolution to remove him from office.

The legislators decided to take up the resolution the next day, giving Henry time to prepare his defense. Without specifically mentioning Judaism, he addressed “natural and inalienable rights” and equalized religious sects with phrases such as, “the ruler of the universe.”

Ultimately Jacob Henry was allowed to retain his seat. His inspiring and eloquent speech to the 1809 General Assembly, has been published and quoted frequently ever since. It is considered a touchstone of religious rights and tolerance.

Visitors to Beaufort can see the Federal era house that he built at 229 Front Street, where it still stands today. Henry lived there with his wife, Esther Whitehurst, whom he married in 1801.

A highway marker in Carteret County honors Henry.

READ HIS OPEN LETTER TO U.S. SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER BELOW   

BORN IN WILMINGTON NC OCTOBER 28, 1936   

Famed Musician Charlie Daniels

On October 28, 1936, musician Charlie Daniels was born in Wilmington. Daniels developed an interest in music early in life and was strongly influenced by a number of styles. He honed his skills on guitar, mandolin and fiddle in North Carolina, learning to play his first chords from his friend Russell Palmer. After graduating from Goldston High School in 1955, he formed a rock and roll band with Palmer, playing a Saturday show on a Sanford radio station.

Moving back to Wilmington, Daniels began playing with an R&B group, The Rockets. Their recording of “Jaguar” was picked up for national distribution by Epic in 1957. Throughout the 1960s he gained more national attention, co-wiritng a song performed by Elvis Presley and playing with Bob Dylan.

In 1970, he formed the Charlie Daniels Band, which gained fame for playing its acclaimed melding of rock, country, blues, bluegrass and gospel. The band’s hits include “Uneasy Rider,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” “The South’s Gonna Do it Again” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

Daniels’s many musical accolades include membership in the Grand Ole Opry; induction into the N.C. Music Hall of Fame; and several Grammy, CMA and Gospel Music Association awards.

 An Open Letter to Senator Charles Schumer

Sen. Schumer, I don't live in your constituency but in the larger picture, you live in mine and every other legal, taxpaying American citizen who is affected by the power you hold in your political party, your blind allegiance to it and the obstructionist posture to anything that doesn't directly benefit it.

There's something sinister about seeing you bent over the lectern in the Senate Chamber, your countenance resembling what I would imagine Edgar Allen Poe's would look like reciting one of his macabre tales of doom and gloom, as if there is not one drop of happiness in your life, forecasting a dismal future for America if anything President Trump proposes passes both houses and becomes law.

I know you're disappointed, I know you had the balloons ready to fall and the corks halfway out of the champagne bottles election night and I know you just can't face the truth that what happened in the election was exactly the same thing you continue to do, you forgot about the working people, you forgot about the empty factories of the rust belt, you took for granted the high crime, low employment inner cities you've made unkept promises to for decades.

Instead of looking inward at the real cause for your party's loss you had to find a scape goat and if it hadn't have been Russia it would have been something else.

Sen. Schumer, will you do me and America a favor, will you lay your hand on a Holy Bible and tell America that you believe in your heart that Donald Trump has actually colluded with Vladimir Putin and the Russian Government to the detriment of the United States of America.

You see sir, everything you've come up with so far, and you've been at it since well before the election, has been superficial, and I believe that anything your special counsel will come up with will also be superficial, guilt by association, the fires of trivially fanned and proliferated by a tilted, hate filled media and super partisan politicians.

Sen. Schumer, what goes around truly does come around and if, or should I say when, this pendulum starts swinging back the other way, do you realize that Mr. Mueller could actually find a lot more dirt on prominent democrats than they do Trump and his staff.

You have opened Pandora's Box, sir, and basically thrown away the lid.

Now it’s time to chop the log and let the chips fall where they will.

If President Trump has actually colluded with the Russians or any other foreign government, or sold out my beloved nation in any way, I definitely want to know about it, and if he has he should be impeached and thrown out of office in disgrace, but right now you're a hell of a long way from proving even one little iota of your accusations.

Now let's turn this coin over.

Did or did not Hillary Clinton allow Russia to purchase up to 20% of American uranium reserves?

Who leaked the classified information that started this ball rolling? For the investigation to be valid, that has to come out.

Did Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's State department through incompetence, indifference or both allow four American citizens to die in Benghazi?

Careful how you answer this one because the jury and some explosive evidence are still out there and could well be brought to light in a few months.

Did or did not Hillary, by using an unsecured internet server and allowing Huma Abedin to email copies to her husband, Anthony Weiner, expose classified documents?

Was there collusion between the Obama administration and the IRS to disallow tax free status to conservative organizations?

If not, why did Lois Lerner plead the Fifth Amendment and retire with full benefits?

You see sir, Pandora is neither a Democrat or a Republican and what is revealed in the coming months could well be a two-edged sword.

Careful what you wish for.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

— Charlie Daniels

AS WHKP CELEBRATES 71 YEARS, WE HONOR OUR STATE'S HISTORY, TOO     

On October 23, 1896, the first rural free delivery, or RFD mail service in North Carolina was established in the small community of China Grove, near Salisbury in Rowan County.

Postal service via RFD included the delivery of all postal items, free of charge, to citizens at their homes, eliminating the need to visit the local post office. Initially only two citizens were willing to accept the service. Local skepticism for the mail delivery stemmed from concerns about theft and reliability.

Postmaster J.C. Deaton, with two assistants, canvassed the area around China Grove, pleading for local residents to try the system. The new routes covered approximately 18 miles in Rowan County, and were slowly expanded as citizen began to trust the RFD system. Although development was slow, today’s postal system can be traced to this scheme first tested out in North Carolina.

Mail service began in North Carolina in the 1730s as the colonial government extended postal routes through the Carolinas to Charleston. By the 1780s, there were only four post offices in North Carolina. By 1851, the number of post offices had increased to nearly 800.00000000000000000000

AS WHKP CELEBRATES NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY...AND OUR 71ST YEAR   

Tom Dula: Poor Boy Was Bound to Die

On October 21, 1866, Tom Dula was convicted of the murder of Laura Foster. It was at daybreak that the jury returned the verdict in the Iredell County Courthouse, where it had been moved from Wilkes County. The jury had not received their orders from the judge until about midnight the night before. They deliberated during the night. The defense moved for an arrest of judgment, which was overruled and the judge pronounced sentence: that Thomas Dula be hanged by the neck until dead on November 9, 1866. Former Governor Zebulon B. Vance represented Dula pro bono.

Speculation abounded as to Vance’s reasons for taking the case, one of the few he ever lost before a jury. Regardless of his motives, he gave a spirited defense and succeeded in twice taking the case to the North Carolina Supreme Court. The crowds of spectators and reporters that appeared in the courtroom were as likely there to see the charismatic Vance as they were to hear the sensational testimony. Ultimately, however, the High Court upheld the conviction and Dula was hanged for the crime in May 1868.

YOU MAY HEAR THE KINGSTON TRIO'S FAMOUS SONG FROM TIME TO TIME...ON REAL COUNTRY 

CELEBRATING LOCAL HISTORY...

AS WHKP CONTINUES TO CELEBRATE 71 YEARS!

Truman Joins His Predecessors in Raleigh, 1948

Truman speaking at the statue dedication. Image from UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries.On October 19, 1948, President Harry S. Truman visited Raleigh and delivered the main address at the unveiling of the “Presidents North Carolina Gave the Nation” monument on Union Square, which surrounds the State Capitol.

The work honors the three presidents born in North Carolina: Andrew Jackson of Union County, seventh president of the United States (1829-1837); James Knox Polk of Mecklenberg County, eleventh president of the United States (1845-1849); and Andrew Johnson of Wake County, seventeenth president of the United States (1865-1869). Interestingly, while North Carolina claims all three presidents as native sons, all were elected while residents of Tennessee.

The idea for the statue was conceived by Commissioner of Revenue A. J. Maxwell. He took the idea to several legislators and a resolution calling for the monument’s creation passed the General Assembly in March 1943, though work didn’t get underway until a commission was created to complete the project in 1945.

Several sculptors submitted designs for the monument, but the commission ultimately chose New York sculptor Charles Keck for the project. It was one of Keck’s last major works as an artist.

Image from UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries.Governor R. Gregg Cherry, Secretary of the Army Kenneth Royall, U.S. senator and former governor Clyde Hoey and descendants of each of the three presidents joined Truman in dedicating the monument.

The FORMS from which the statues were made are still displayed in the Hendersonville City Hall, lower floor, next to the Police Department.