Join us for a point-counterpoint discussion on some of the hot-button issues surrounding COVID. Haywood County Public Health Director Mark Jaben and holistic health advocate Janet Presson share their position on the science of masks and vaccines, whether COVID is really all that bad, and the philosophical dilemma of weighing personal risk tolerance.

Get your jingle on with Christmas events you can still enjoy safely, including new takes on Christmas parades this year. Plus, hear from Mountain Projects Director Patsy Davis on the needs many Haywood families and seniors are facing this holiday season and how you can help.

With COVID cases accelerating rapidly, The Mountaineer news staff dives into the moral imperative of wearing masks, examining the intersection of faith, personal liberties and pandemic burn-out surrounding masks. Plus, this week's guest Haywood County Election Director Robbie Inman takes us behind the scenes of the complex election process.

Take a dive into the week's news, including another eventful mask meeting in Waynesville and the eviction landscape in Haywood County, during this week's reporters roundtable. Plus, an initiative to provide stable living conditions for homeless children in Haywood County has been selected as this year's reader challenge by The Mountaineer. Hear about the EACH project — Ending Area Child Homelessnes — and its success' thus far from this week's special guest, director Paul Butler.

This week's reporter roundtable dissects Haywood election trends from ballot splitting to mail-in voting, and how those trends mirror — or don't mirror — the national landscape. We'll then visit the our guest of the week, Ricki Mehaffey of Lifeworks, to hear about local success in heping women rebuild their lives and join society.

Waynesville leaders had a hot mess on their hands over proposed local mask mandate. Reporter Becky Johnson dissects the unraveling at last week's town board meeting. Plus, on the eve of his retirement, Haywood County Public Health Director Patrick Johnson reflects on leading the county through a pandemic — the successes and challenges along the way, and a prediction of what's in store ahead.

Early voting is off with a bang, the homeless task force grapples with MIA members, and schools launch a COVID dashboard as cases rise. Hear about the big news of the week during the reporters roundtable, followed by Shelton House museum director Dannehl Strautz. Dannehl unveiles plans for the Tinsel Trail Christmas tree display, which invites community groups and business to decorate trees on the Shelton House lawn.

Take a journey along the Waynesville Public Art Trail and go behind-the-scenes of the 17 public art pieces hidden in plain sight among us. First up is the reporters' roundtable, diving into a moonshine court trial, the latest controversy surrounding homeless activity in Waynesville and things to during fall, from local farmers markets to the reopening of Smoky Mountain Cinema to craft fairs.

From talk of defunding police to keeping COVID out of the county jail, 2020 has been a turbulent time for law enforcement. Hear from Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher on how Haywood County's finest have risen to the occasion. This week's reporters roundtable dives into the how mail-in ballots are already being tabulated, the popularity of the wooly worm and a recent celebrity sighting in Maggie Valley.