Be courteous to cyclists

To the Editor: My wife and I are avid recreational bicyclists, having ridden for 30 and 15 years respectively. You…
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Comment

 

The standard today is a double standard

To the Editor: After reading all three letters to the editor in the latest Smoky Mountain News, I’m wondering how…
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Comment

 

A sound decision and a wise investment

Town and counties never have enough money to provide all the services and amenities that their citizens — in a…
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Students and teachers are on my mind

It’s high stakes testing week for students and educators in Haywood County. This is my 9-year old’s first year taking…
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Comment

 

WLOS propaganda is sickening

To the Editor: I am extremely uncomfortable knowing that our local television station, WLOS, continues to advance political content under…
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Comment

 

EPA’s Pruitt is doing a bad job

To the Editor: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is in violation of his oath of office. Our members of Congress are…
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Comment

 

Do we want another Andrew Jackson?

To the Editor: By the year 1808, the eastern Cherokee had adopted a written legal code. In 1820, they established…
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Comment

 

Something is wrong with this picture

I’ve been covering local governments in North Carolina for 30 years, and a small item in Macon County’s budget for…
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Comment

 

The party’s in there, and we’re out here

My wife and I are introverts who pretend to be extroverts, both personally and professionally, which means that we are…
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Comment

Gun rights advocates ignore amendment’s words
 

Gun rights advocates ignore amendment’s words

To the Editor: A gun rights rally was held on the historic courthouse lawn in Waynesville on May 19. Jeremy…
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Comment

Town board failed Plott Creek residents
 

Town board failed Plott Creek residents

To the Editor: In a recent Smoky Mountain News article, the writer confirmed the Waynesville Town Board overwhelmingly reached a…
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Comment

The truth no longer matters
 

The truth no longer matters

To the Editor: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes,”…
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Comment

 

If you have opinions on growth, it’s time to speak up

Fifteen or so years ago, meetings like those Monday and Tuesday night in Waynesville were all too common: private citizens…
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Comment

 

Summer break is coming into view

Watching my two little boys get excited about summer vacation makes me reflect upon my own childhood summers. Both my…
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Comment

 

Cancer support group values patients

To the Editor: The Cherokee Cancer Support Group is in its 20th year. We couldn’t have progressed without donations from…
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Comment

 

Large corporations get boost under bill

To the Editor: Thank you Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., for your public service, and thank you for your response to…
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Comment

 

Presidents are not above the law

To the Editor: Draw a Venn diagram. Circle one is morality. Circle two is ethics. Number three is law. As…
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Comment

 

Air B&B destroying my peace of mind

To the Editor: It would seem that Haywood County has a new growing pain, at least for my small neighborhood.…
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Comment

 

Tribal Council media ban a mistake

Symbolism is often just as important as reality. The decision by the Cherokee Tribal Council to ban all media from…
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Comment

 

It’s prom, and my daughter is trying on adulthood

My daughter has become the person she hoped she would be at age seven. We should all be so lucky.…
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Comment

Tax cut got me a measly $60 a year
 

Tax cut got me a measly $60 a year

To the Editor: In response to an opinion letter published recently, I would like to share how the GOP tax…
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Comment

Our economic, political systems are not working
 

Our economic, political systems are not working

To the Editor: It is encouraging to see more and more letters to the editor noting that our economic and…
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Comment

Trump really cares about the people
 

Trump really cares about the people

To the Editor: The liberals want Trump out of office because they have someone in there who cares about the…
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Comment

 

Living in the moment with ALS

We rode in silence. I glanced at the clock as we came to another stoplight. Already five minutes late, I…
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Comment

 

Moms, remember to breathe it all in

Last week, I went to a conference in L.A. with 800 other moms who tell their stories through creative outlets,…
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Comment

 

Now or never for the red wolf

To the Editor: The red wolf, which once ranged from Pennsylvania to Texas, is now battling extinction in the wild…
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Comment

 

Plott Creek no place for apartment complex

To the Editor: As with most newly proposed developments everywhere, all the standard comments come out in newspapers and town…
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Comment

 

State, local GOP need to re-think their role

To the Editor: I am a 59-year-old disabled veteran and lifelong Christian conservative. And I am appalled at what I…
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Comment

 

Yes, we are in danger with a wall

To the Editor: Yes, we do need a wall to protect ourselves. A couple weeks ago a contingent of Guatemalan…
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Comment

 

Rep. Meadows needs history lesson

To the Editor: In 1804 a Republican-dominated House of Representatives voted impeachment charges against a sitting Supreme Court judge. The…
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Comment

 

Owen Gibby calls roll for the last time

The first time I met Owen Gibby, he immediately reminded me of my favorite television character of all time, Deputy…
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Comment

 

Tourism now the top industry in the region

By Nick Breedlove • Guest Columnist On May 6-12 we celebrate National Tourism Week, and this year’s theme from the…
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Comment

 

Zen and the art of trash removal

By Evan Boyer • Guest Columnist A few months ago, some legal trouble loomed over me, and I was told…
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Comment

 

A game of adult dodge-a-ball

At Dillsboro Elementary School (1950) we played dodge-a-ball during recess. The game was set up kind of like this: a…
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Comment

 

Meadows undermines rule of law

To the Editor: Last week, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, took center stage with several others to interfere with the work…
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Comment

 

Rule of law is under attack

To the Editor: Are we a nation governed by the rule of law or by Trump’s fantasy lies? Rep. Mark…
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Comment

 

As Nicaragua smolders, our lives go on

We Americans are spoiled. Too often we take our way of life for granted, both the freedoms we have and…
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Comment

Media

 

Finding inspiration in the backwoods of WNC

Certain memories or events in life stand out as paramount, like a utopian experience that seems more like a movie…
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Comment

 

Too many take the low road

To the Editor: In this week that we celebrate Earth Day, I’d like to make a few observations. In her…
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Comment

 

NAACP supports keeping schools safe

To the Editor: The Haywood County NAACP supports gun safety and freedom. Today, fear and terror exist in our children’s…
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Comment

 

Despite worries, no recession in sight

To the Editor: I happened to come across a column written by Martin Dyckman in an old edition of the…
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Comment

 

Make the most of every day

When I was a student at Appalachian State University, I could have made the walk from Anne Belk Library to…
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Comment

 

Ingraham is like a temple Pharisee

To the Editor: Trump TV, aka Fox News, has scored another low mark thanks to its sneering cross-bearer, Laura Ingraham.…
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Comment

 

Our Christian USA is slowly disappearing

To the Editor: I have read many good articles from Smoky Mountain News Editor Scott McLeod, but the editorial on…
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Comment

 

It’s OK to tie instead of winning

To the Editor: I don’t understand how we are supposed to be human in modern life. We want social change…
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Comment

 

Waynesville needs to do some paving

To the Editor: I am pretty sure I am not alone in wondering every time I drive around in Waynesville,…
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Comment

 

Trump era should end

To the Editor: Is it possible that the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency has begun? That, in…
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Comment

 

Illegals pay into benefit programs

To the Editor: I am responding to the reader who wrote regarding Fox News and illegal immigrants.  I have no…
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