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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Comment

 

Brunch Bill is about better business, not religion

It’s one of those issues that garner headlines and controversy but really shouldn’t. I’m talking about the Brunch Bill, the…
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Comment

 

An unexpected triathlon journey

When life turns upside down, we have options. We can sink into the darkness and find comfort in substances and…
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Comment

 

Civic engagement should be encouraged

To the Editor: On March 12, 2018, at the Haywood County School Board meeting, Dr. Bill Nolte, interim superintendent, spoke…
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Comment

 

Vote Phillip Price into Congress

To the Editor: We, as North Carolinians, have entered an era of restrictive practices centered around limiting our ability to…
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Comment

 

Missed chance for civics lesson

To the Editor: I am a product of Haywood County Schools and have two now-grown daughters who were educated in…
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Comment

 

Cartoon, April 11, 2018

By Will Studenc
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‘What took you so damn long, Joyce?’

It was the shortest funeral service I’ll likely ever attend. And though there were tears and somber conversations, there were…
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The left has reached a new low

To the Editor: Week after week I read the opinions and dissertations from the left. It seems that those of…
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Comment

 

WLOS corporate line tough to swallow

To the Editor: This letter is director to Julie Fries, news director for Channel 13 WLOS, and to Joe Fishleigh,…
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Comment

 

The best reason of all to play

It’s one of those late March days that can’t make up its mind whether winter is really over or might…
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Comment

 

Student protestors deserve gratitude

I’ve always admired those who speak out, those who have opinions and feel compelled to share them.
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Comment

 

Schools have become political battlegrounds

By John deVille • Guest Columnist Given all the challenges and unwarranted criticism those of us who work in public…
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Comment

 

And the children shall lead

To the Editor: In the wake of school shootings and #NeverAgain, school administrators are faced with the issue of how…
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Comment

 

Making new memories during Easter week

Growing up, we had a little blue and white camper at Ocean Lakes Campground in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. It…
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Comment

 

Leaders need to do more to stop carnage

By Stephen Wall • Guest Columnist I was disappointed to read Interim Superintendent Bill Nolte's post on the Haywood County…
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Comment

 

Cartoon, March 21, 2018

By Will Studenc
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Comment

 

Can’t we just talk about gun legislation?

Last week, a United Airlines flight attendant forced a passenger with a small dog to put the dog in an…
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Comment

 

Don’t rely on fake Fox News

By Norman Hoffman • Guest Columnist It is truly amusing to see an apparent “conservative” say that liberals are out…
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Comment

 

On the way to a Trump dictatorship

To the Editor: This is in response to Nan Smith’s “Liberals have lost touch with reality” in the March 7…
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Comment

 

Cat museum preps for 2018 opening

To the Editor: The mice in the Old School Antique Mall on 441 South are heading for the hills because…
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Comment

 

Commander in chief is too fond of Russia

To the Editor: Article 11, section 2 of the Constitution says “The President shall be the Commander in Chief of…
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Comment

 

Too often, we ignore the calls for help

Doing nothing to enhance school safety is not an option. Thoughtful gun control measures would be helpful and are one…
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Comment

 

Maintaining a nostalgia for unique main streets

Recently, I spent time in the tri-cities of Rutherford County, N.C. Spindale, Forest City and Rutherfordton make up this trifecta…
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Comment

 

The U.S. has become an oligarchy

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Do politicians read their mail? It depends. A recent New Yorker article on Christopher…
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Comment

 

‘Your everlasting summer. You can see it fading fast’

Half the battle is just getting out of the house and on the road. Whenever we travel, we all understand…
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Comment

 

Psychologists, counselors and nurses will make schools safer

By Virginia Jicha • Guest Columnist I was in the process of writing about the need for school nurses when the…
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Comment

Time to take back the NRA
 

Time to take back the NRA

To the Editor: I would like to add some additional comments to Martin Dyckman’s guest column in the Feb. 21…
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Comment

Our senators are bought and paid for
 

Our senators are bought and paid for

To the Editor: Our state’s senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, have consistently opposed event he most modest form of…
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