The Staff and Board of Directors of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce wants to thank everyone who helped to make the 3rd Annual Mountain High BBQ Festival and Car Show such a huge success.

Our sponsors continue to support us each year. This festival would not be possible without your support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Now that our schools in western North Carolina are underway, it is time to take a look at the devastating impact of the Republican-led state budget on public education in our region. It is also important that a challenge be rendered to the rhetoric advocated by the Republican leadership and particularly by the State Senator from this district, Jim Davis.

I must have missed the small print when I agreed to have Duke Energy provide me with electricity.

Apparently, I agreed to have them come unannounced to my home and spray an unknown chemical less than 10 feet from my water well.

The Tea Party members in Congress are demanding cuts to Medicare, the government insurance program that provides health care to millions of elderly and disabled Americans.

Unfortunately, they are taking a “Band-Aid on a bullet hole” approach to cutting the costs of this program.