Polk Lore

This Thursday evening the Tryon International Equestrian Center is hosting somethings called Divertimentos and Dressage . It combines live classical music, provided by the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, with...

Saluda is the only municipality in the county with local elections this year. I guess the people of Columbus and Tryon are happy enough with the current crop of leaders, Still, with six candidates for two Board of...

Why so much skepticism around about how our elections are managed? If anything, Polk County has one of the most secure and professionally run elections offices in the country. I can’t think of anyone who has anything...

It’s fair to say that Keenan Nesbitt's campaign has managed to gain a little more traction than many observers expected, if the number of lawn signs and attendance at his community events mean anything. And in a typical...

Last year for Polk Lore, Jamie Ager recorded the first podcast interview of his political career. He was running for the Democratic nomination to represent North Carolina Congressional District 11, which he won...

After more than two decades of wishful thinking and dead-end proposals, the Norfolk Southern railbed that runs through Polk County is about to be replaced with a cycling and walking path. The North and South Carolina...

For years John Vining was county director for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. His grandfather founded the Bulletin and his father later took over the paper. He's served on so much boards and committees...

Indivisible seems like a perfect way to sum up what so many Americans, including a sizable number in Polk County, are trying to do. But given how polarized we've all become, how realistic is the task of bring people...

Did you miss the third No Kings rally in Columbus? This episode of Polk Lore is a condensed version of the event, with four speakers and some (hopefully) helpful context. For example, it was easily the biggest political...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...