Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) will formally announce on Monday, February 22nd that he has secured $300,000 in federal appropriations for CarePartners Health Services of Asheville to integrate all home-based services with a mobile electronic health record.  ...

Jim Fitzgerald As I sit in Guam, half the world away from the American South, I realize the power of the internet and satellite television. The political debates in the US are evident even here. After watching Fox News and reading several letters to the editor that were posted online, I am reminded that...

Shuler Praises Establishment of Bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Washington, DC – Today, Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) expressed his support for the President’s establishment of a bipartisan commission created to evaluate federal spending and recommend...

Shuler Announces USDA Rural Development Grant awarded to Land-of-Sky Washington, DC – Land-of-Sky Regional Council of Asheville received a grant of $50,700 from USDA Rural Development’s Rural Community Development Initiative Program, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) announced today. The...

The Green Column by Richard C. MacCrea, Andrews Valley Initiative rmaccrea@verizon.net In order for the green movement to create jobs, a long bridge must be crossed, that of education. Local green builders deal with a lack of training among their workers. Organizations like the Southern Appalachian Sustainable...

The Green Column by Richard C. MacCrea, Andrews Valley Initiative rmaccrea@verizon.net Are you thinking of building or remodeling? The best time to start working on lower energy costs is before the plans are made. The greatest savings for the least cost starts with how the building sits on the site....

My Fair Lady by William V. Reynolds If you think the idea of the make over is modern, you are sadly mistaken. Although it has become popular in recent years on television and other locations, the idea goes back to the days of Greek mythology. Pygmalion, the King of Cyprus, either hires a sculpture or...

Shuler Applauds Swain County Commissioners on Vote Approving North Shore Road Agreement Washington, D.C. – The settlement agreement that Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) worked for three years to secure was officially accepted by the Swain County Commissioners today. “As a native of...

U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) and Governor Bev Perdue today praised the recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcement that the North Carolina Community Care Networks (NC-CCN) was selected to expand patient-centered medical homes. The successful model of care will be extended...

Jim Fitzgerald Several years ago, I wrote a series of columns on the burgeoning national debt. I pointed out the steep loss of Bill Clinton’s budget surplus of billions of dollars, the first President in decades to end office with a surplus. I pointed out the unbelievable increase in budget deficits...