Polk Lore

We old-schoolers can complain about the homogeneity and lack of a soul that characterizes the visual products of artificial intelligence, but that’s a minor problem when compared with the threat A.I. poses to the learning process. How are we supposed to raise kids with critical thinking skills if every answer can be solved with a couple of prompts to a machine that is programmed to tell you what y...

Saluda voters will see three candidates for mayor on this year's ballot. Only two are still running. It's officially a non-partisan election, but the Polk Democrats have endorsed one candidate, and the chair of the Saluda precinct of the Polk Republicans has endorsed the other. And that's just the beginning. Polk Lore's last election 2026 episode features the two remaining candidat...

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Doyle Brown came out of nowhere. Everyone asking for your vote in every election comes from somewhere. For today’s guest, that place is just down the mountain in Rutherford County, which is part of North Carolina Senate District Forty-Eight.  It  is  perhaps fair to say that Doyle Brown isn’t exactly a known  quantity , at least in that portion of the district we li...

My guest for this episode is perhaps one of the most familiar names in the county. Ray Gasperson is a farmer, a businessman, and for a very long time has been either defending his seat on the Polk County Commission as a Democrat or running to get back on the commission. If you look at the last few election results, he's never been far behind, so it won't take much for him to break the patt...

Andre Overholt served one four-year term — 2020 to 2024 — before deciding two years ago not to seek re-election. In this epsiode, he explains why, as well as why he decided to return to politics a little earlier than he originally anticipated. Other topics include the challenge of zoning in a county where property rights are highly valued, and campaigning as Republican when his party's leaders...

Jon Klimstra insists he’s not a politician by nature, and it’s probably not too surprising that someone might not be all that keen on seeking public office when their busiest time of year — harvest season — coincides with demands of running a political campaign. But he has assumed a few leadership positions in the county. He’s the current president of the Polk County Farm Bureau Board of Directors...

John Morgan took a rather interesting route to get onto the ballot in the election for state legislature, specifically the seat now held by Republican Jake Johnson for House District 113. Not exactly a Democrat-from-birth, the retired pilot first tried to find the signatures necessary to run as an independent candidate. He fell short. But then the Democrat from Rutherford County who had been the o...

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 freestyle horse-riding, all in the service of supporting a global non-profit effort to improve the welfare of working horses, donkeys, and mules. We’re talking about animals who do the lit...

Saluda is the only municipality in the county with competitive 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 Commissioners seats and three running for mayor, it's a bit too big of a contest for individual interviews. Instead, this episode is a streamlined version of a public forum h...

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 untoward to say about Polk Elections staff or its Board. But for anyone who is worried, I invited two well-informed Polk residents onto the show to explain why we should not be anythi...

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 mid-term election year, the smart money would probably still be on the current sheriff keeping his job. Incumbent sheriffs are hard to beat. But this is not an ordinary electio...

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. Handily. I had hoped to talk again with Ager to see how much he’s evolved since deciding to trade the farm for politics, but his campaign staff decided he was too busy to fit me in. So I a...

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 legislatures have appropriated millions of dollars to buy the right of way from Inman to Tuxedo. The Saluda Grade Trail, as it will be known, now has a dedicated, full-time project ma...

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 that it's easy to loose count. If there ever was someone who deserves to be included in the guest list of a podcast devoted to the culture of our county. He’s it.  Source...

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 with disparate politics? Chris Silverman, one of the leaders of Indivisible Polk Foothills, the organization that helped attract about 700 people to the recent No Kings rally in Co...

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 gathering in recent memory in our county, but how important was the turnout? Sources BBC claims about 3.5% Research on 3.5% Tad Stoermer’s take on the 3.5% rule Tad Stoermer on Sub...

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. ...

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...

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 healt...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 V...