Polk Lore

Democrats who listen to this episode are going to hear a lot of things they like. If you're a registered Democrat in Congressional District NC 14 — which includes the southeastern half of Polk County — then sit back and get ready for a straight shot of optimism. Just know that you won’t be able to apply what you hear to the March 3 primary vote, because my guest is not running as a Democrat. Instead, Kate Barr’s name will appear on the Republican ballot. How does that makes sense? It does if you think gerrymandering lies at the of what ails America. It also might appeal to more than a few unaffiliated voters who aren't exactly thrilled with where the GOP has led us.ResourcesKate Barr Can Win campaign website:Polk GOP Statement disavowing Kate Barr's candidacy

State Trooper Keith Henderson may be an exception to the rule that police officers are more comfortable asking questions than answering them. He still chooses his words carefully, though. Which is probably a good thing for someone seeking the office of county sheriff. Compare and contrast this interview with those I conducted with Saluda Police Chief Clayton Price and former police officer Neenan Nesbitt.ResourcesKeith Henderson for Sheriff

The primary ballot in this year’s elections includes three Republicans who want to be sheriff. The incumbent, Tim Wright, is facing two challengers. For this episode, I sat down with the Clayton Price, who is currently the chief of police in Saluda. We talked at the Saluda Library on February seventeenth. 

Given the threat posed by a 1,000 cases of measles on our doorstep, I wanted to find out how our county’s health department was responding to both the change in public attitudes and the outbreak itself. After all, measles was supposedly eradicated from the US a quarter=century ago.Natalie Trachsel, who is the current health director for the county, and Elizabeth Burnett, a nurse with the health department, agreed that it would be a good idea to share what they’ve been doing, and what everyone else in the county should be doing, too.ResourcesPolk County Communicable Disease UpdatesNC Division of Public Health Measles DashboardCheck your immunity quizEnabling Vaccine Uptake: Strategies for the Public Health Sector (British Journal of Hospital Medicine)Exposure locationsImmune amnesiaHelps protect against other diseases:

I haven't conducted any polling, but I am willing to bet that the world view of my guest for this episode, soldier turned strategic consultant Adam Smith, is shared by many thousands of registered Republicans. I have no doubt that is true for most of North Carolina Congressional District 11. So I tried not to make this an ideological debate. Just an exploration of why one candidate for this seat has concluded that the incumbent, Chuck Edwards, isn’t doing the job that a conservative Republican should be doing.Resources:Adam Smith For Congress"Gay frog" research (Duke University Press)Alleged porn in Jackson CountyHow much is Bernie Sanders really worth?

According to the North Carolina Rural Center, 446 houses and 60 rental units were damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene. Sixteen months later, dozens of families are still living in temporary housing, which, as the tail end of January proved, is often not to up to task of providing decent shelter when the good old polar vortex gets shoved a thousand miles south of where it belongs.Putting people back on their feet, or just under a roof, is not easy. It takes money, of course. But it also takes an understanding of how societies function, and how people think of themselves and their place in the greater community. And a solid understanding of property law and the endless list of regulations that guide government assistance programs goes a long way, too.Michelle Edwards, the executive director of the Polk Referral Center, has thought on all of that.ResourcesPolk Referral Center websiteWinter brings a fight to stay warm for those displaced by Helene and living in RVs (PBR, January 28, 2026) Road to Recovery: Housing Recovery in Western North Carolina (NC Rural Center, February 2026)Deadline to Apply for Renew NC Post-Helene Housing Recovery is Jan. 31 (NC Dept. of Commerce, Jan. 30, 2026)

Keenan Nesbitt has worked for two different police departments in our region. When asked to describe his relevant qualities, he came up with "young, aspirational, and fearless." His vision of a sheriff’s department is one the fosters a community of love, respect, and trust. In this episode, we talk about why he thinks Polk County’s current sheriff isn’t doing enough to bring about that vision, why he’s decided to do the heavy lifting of getting on the ballot as an independent, and what can be done to restore the trust that the public once had in its law enforcement officers.ResourcesKeenan Nesbitt for Sheriff on Facebookand InstagramPolk County Elections

UNC cell biologist Paul Maddox is more than a little frustrated with the lack of intelligence in evidence in Washington these days. He’s one of a historic number of scientists running for office this year. Which should tell you something. For this episode, though, he doesn't claim his PhD makes him more qualified than the other Democrats who want the seat he's after: NC 11 of the US House of Representatives.We don't talk about recent example of stupid behavior in politics. We even avoid any mention of the changes in the recommended vaccination schedules that will almost certainly lead to more unnecessary deaths. Instead, we talk about more fundamental ideas: what do the people of western North Carolina want from their politicians? Are we really ready to abandon respect for science and expertise? And is it still possible to win an election by running on who you are instead of just which party you represent?

I have been thinking about an episode on soccer ever since I started this podcast more than three years ago — and since I became soccer dad and started watching Premier League games from Europe with my son. Recent events conspired in favor of doing one sooner than later. My guests are Polk High School boys’ soccer coach George Alley and two of his top players  — seniors Will Garrison and Thomas Varnadore. Their team made it all the way to the state finals this year. Given how popular soccer is becoming — both here and around the country, I was curious about the future of local soccer.SourcesPolk High School Boys Soccer records

Unlike just about everyone else who is running to unseat an incumbent in 2026, Republican Mike Hager is not a political newcomer, not by a long shot. He served as state representative for District 112 for six years, finishing up as House Majority Leader — until 2016, when he gave up his seat to look after his parents. Back then, his home in Rutherford County was in District 112. Now it’s in 113, along with Polk, Henderson, and little bit of McDowell counties. Hager’s obligations aren’t quite an onerous now, and he wants back in the game. Over the past eight years, he’s kept a hand in politics, working behind the scenes as what he calls a “State Government Relations Specialist.” He’s on the local Habitat for Humanity board and is a member of the Greenhill Volunteer Fire Department.And he thinks his opponent, Jake Johnson, who is literally half his age, is vulnerable.  This could be the race to watch during next spring's primaries. We talked at the Saluda Library earlier this month.ResourcesNC State Board of Elections ResultsCody Henson resignsJake Johnson to run againMike Hager campaign

The Republican majority in the NC state house, led by then–NC House Speaker Tim Moore, recently redrew Congressional District 14 to strongly favor candidates with Rs after their name. Moore went on to run in that district, winning easily and making it hard to dream up scenarios in which even the most popular Democrat can win in next year's election. A serious challenger in the Republican primary is just as unlikely, although one Democrat has recently switched her party registration in hopes of achieving exactly. If Kate Barr's campaign gets any traction, I'll try to get her on Polk Lore in the not-too-distant future.Meanwhile, there is at least one Democrat willing to dare to run against Moore. And, despite the odds, there’s a good chance he actually knows what he’s getting into. Brent Caldwell may not be familiar to most voters, and he has never run for public office before, but he’s been working behind the scenes in the Democratic Party for decades. He’s already paid a couple of visits to Polk County. He showed up for the No Kings Rally in Columbus last month, and then returned a couple of weeks later to attend a Polk Democrats gathering at FENCE.Just before that event, we found a couple of rocking chairs on the porch of the Democratic Party Headquarters in Columbus and turned on the microphones.ResourcesBrent Caldwell for CongressYellow Dog WireTariffs: The Horse Industry’s Journey into the Great UnknownNC-14 Redistricting controversy

One of every eight Americans makes use of federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. One out of eight. Let that sink in for a minute. In Polk County, things aren’t quite as bad, at just one in nine. That’s still awful. But it’s much worse in some places. Next door in Rutherford County, for example, it’s about one in five. Why do we, the richest country in the history of the world, accept such a shameful state of affairs?The executive director of Thermal Belt Outreach, Margot Carter, and I tackle that question.ResourcesThermal Belt OutreachSNAPSNAP Participation rates by countySNAP funding, shutdowns, and the lawNote that in the interview, Margot discusses who among Outreach clients are unemployed: the 5% figure is based on Outreach 2025 financial assistance applications and those who were eligible for employment.

Zelda Briarwood is a 35-year-old former wilderness therapist and banking field technician who is, to be blunt, running an uphill battle for the nomination. But the truth is, neither of the better-known challengers has any more political experience than she does. Which is to say they are all starting their runs for the US Congress from absolute zero. That says a lot about the Democratic Party in District Eleven. And not necessarily in a bad way. This is the third in a series of interviews with candidates seeking public office next year.Resourceshttps://www.zeldaforcongress.org

Dr. Richard Hudspeth is the former CEO of Blue Ridge Health, a non-profit agency that helps folks in Polk and other counties in western North Carolina get the physical, mental, and dental care that they might not otherwise have access to. He’s also a general practitioner. So, it’s fair to say he probably has a pretty good idea of what works — and what doesn’t — in the U.S. health care system. That understanding is what’s behind his campaign for the job of congressman for North Carolina District 11.In this episode we talk about whether that diagnosis can be applied to the country's political problems in general.Resources:⁠Richard Hudspeth for Congress⁠⁠The fight over healthcare insurance subsidies⁠Effects of GOP legislation on NC medicaid coverage

I know it's a big ask, given how horrible all the political news is these days. But if you live in Saluda or Coopers Gap, or certain parts of White Oak, and you’re interested in who your representative in the US House of Congress should be, then it's time to accept the need to pay attention to politics again.Jamie Ager, who, along with his wife, runs Hickory Nut Gap Farm, wants to be the Democratic candidate in next year's congressional election for NC 11. In this episode, he explains why his experience in regenerative agriculture will help regenerate democracy in the United States.For further information:Ager for Congress

A state government that's engaged in a war on public education. The challenge of enforcing a ban on smartphones in classrooms. Artificial intelligence that threatens to put an end to critical thinking. Now is perhaps the least attractive time in history to be running a public school in North Carolina — or pretty much anywhere else, for that matter.So you have to applaud the courage of Todd Murphy, the new superintendent of Polk Schools. He took over the reins a few months ago, and just about the only thing he can know lies ahead is an unpredictable year. At least Polk County doesn't have any private schools to siphon money away from our public schools. So there's that.Notes:Niche ratingsThe utility of cell phone bansThe threat posed by school vouchersKids and AI

Surprise: It turns out that driving all that heavy machinery up and down the middle of the Green River, and ripping out all those fallen trees may have made things worse, not better. At least, in some places and in some circumstances, from an ecological perspective.Almost year after Helene, it's probably time to start preparing for the next storm, and how we can avoid making the same mistakes again. In this episode, Conserving Carolina aquatic biologist Hans Lohmeyer shares his thoughts on how we can do better.Notes:Hans Lohmeyer at Conserving CarolinaDamage to WNCThe government stepped in to clean up a disaster in North Carolina. Then they created another one. Vox, July 23, 2025.Army Core of Engineers response

A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump ordered Congress to stop funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Congress, including Polk County’s two congressmen, complied. That saved US taxpayers about a billion dollars, but it put in peril scores of public radio stations like WNCW that used to rely on the corporation for at least part of their budget. Plenty of stations are laying off staff and some of them probably won’t survive. I asked Joe Kendrick, programming and operations for WNCW how things are going in the face of the new reality for public radio in America. Useful links:Donate to WNCWJoe KendrickThe Spirit of Radio by RushProject 2025

Myles Freeman is about to graduate from Polk High School, so as part of my attempt to revisit some of the guests and topics I’ve covered over the past three years on Polk Lore, I asked him to come back and tell me how he, as a trans man, is doing at what is a critical juncture in anyone’s life.Dig deeperAll Blissed Out Live Playlist (YouTube)John Oliver Tonight: Transgender Rights II (YouTube)Sex Redefined (Scientific American)Non-binary sex (Substack)Sarah McBride, first trans member of Congress (Apple Podcasts)UK Court ruling (BBC) on binary sexPassport changes (New York Times)

Twenty years ago, Democrats could win seats in Polk County. without too much difficulty. Today, they can't even beat a Republican organization that needs to call police to break up their meetings. Is there anything they can do about that?I asked NC Democratic Party First Vice-Chair Jonah Garson, who was in Columbus recently for the Polk Democrats County Convention. It's a long conversation, but stick around for the last few minutes when he really gets fired up about how his team can win.Further reading:NC Democratic Party  leadershipThe Hollow Parties: The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party PoliticsKat Abughazaleh for Congress