Support clean energy and coal country
To the Editor: Coal has played an enormous role in the history of our country, and the infamous black rock…
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Price campaign visits Haywood
To the Editor: We had the great pleasure of visiting Haywood County on Saturday, June 17, as we attended the…
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A plea for fairness from D.C.
To the Editor: A wise good man once said, approximately, “politics is about making people’s lives better.” I don’t believe…
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American Health Care Act will negatively affect this community
By Rod Harkelroad and Maurice Phillips Our country’s healthcare system is in the midst of a massive upheaval. Never before have…
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Raising a glass to Canton’s future
The opening of the new BearWaters Brewing in Canton is a great shot in the arm for one of most…
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Adjusting to WAHM summer life
As I write this column, my two little boys are rummaging through LEGO bricks bickering about who needs which piece,…
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Dad was old school, but he accepted change
My dad’s been dead about 15 years now, and there’s still no fuzzy, larger-than-life, exaggerated memories that pop into my…
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She’s 16, and somehow it snuck up on me
I should have been ready for it, but I wasn’t. My daughter’s sixteenth birthday couldn’t have come as a shock…
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Gerrymandering takes power from voters
To the Editor: It’s no secret that gerrymandering has severely distorted representation in North Carolina and undermined the principle of…
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Welcome to Country Club America
To the Editor: It has dawned on me that Trump’s vision for America is to make it into an exclusive…
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A few thoughts on immigration
To the Editor: Immigration has been a reality for hundreds of years as people leave the safety of their homes…
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Trump’s dismissal of hacking is the problem
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist It’s easy to make a mistake, particularly when relying on another person’s promises or character.…
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A world of wonder at a cheap motel
When you’re a kid, there’s something magical about hotel pools. I’ve written before about growing up in a dance studio.…
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Fighting against money in politics
To the Editor: Scott McLeod’s opinion piece “If it’s all about money, we’re in big trouble” was right on target.…
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We need to keep Wright School open
To the Editor: As most know by now, the House budget includes cuts to mental health programs including a cut…
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GOP’s corrupt elections agenda meets its demise
North Carolina’s efforts to change the elections process to help keep its GOP majorities in office have been declared illegal…
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Shouldn’t there be compassion before greatness?
A friend of mine is in line at the drive-thru of a local fast food restaurant, and a guy with…
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In redrawing districts, a chance to end gerrymandering
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist The people of North Carolina won a nationally significant victory in the Supreme Court last…
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If it’s all about money, we’re in big trouble
Who runs the U.S.? We’ve always known that money and politics go hand in hand, but these days that seems…
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Morality is relative; ignorance is not
To the Editor: This is a response to the letter written by Colton Bailey titled, “Festival is Immoral,” that was…
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Rep. Meadows wants to roll back protections
To the Editor: I found the article in the May 10 edition citing Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, as advocating “high-risk…
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The chickens are coming home to roost
To the Editor: By now, everyone in Macon County and the surrounding counties knows that Angel Medical Center in Franklin…
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Help pets live a good life
To the Editor: On a recent Friday night two 3-week-old kittens were dropped off at the side pen of the…
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Individuals are Christian, not nations
To the Editor: The United States of America never has been, is not now and never will be a Christian…
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Hospitals play key role in local communities
Rural Hospital Week is May 22-26 and Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital are joining community hospitals and caregivers…
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Trump presidency an unmitigated disaster
To the Editor: In a failed attempt to defend Donald Trump, Mr. Van Eck’s recent letter is more of a…
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Roots and wings — an oxymoron made for moms
It must have been a mom who coined the adage “time flies.” I swear it feels like last week when…
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Corporations are not people
To the Editor: A recent letter writer opined that corporations function as groups of people. One single sentence in that…
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Perhaps we need ‘climate ambassadors’
To the Editor: The series of articles you have recently been publishing on “Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations” have been most enlightening…
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Sylva festival is a bad idea
To the Editor: Thomas Jefferson once stated “I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple.” Yet, these wise words…
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Trump right about Andrew Jackson
To the Editor: In his incessant, sophomoric screeds to diminish Trump, Chris Cox fails once again. He attempts to ridicule…
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Burr may be second N.C. senator to make history
Martin A. Dyckman • Guest Columnist A hero is, almost by definition, someone who didn’t set out to be one.…
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Tastes great, can’t take the smell
When I read about Wicked Weed Brewing getting bought by AB InBev (formerly Budweiser) — one of the world’s largest…
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Party fracturing not necessarily bad
To the Editor: We know that the modern newspaper, in fact all media, feeds on controversy, some of it made…
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Mental health should be covered
To the Editor: While the ACA is being re-considered I am asking why did we allow the insurance industry to…
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Let commissioners hire tax collector
To the Editor: I read the recent letter by Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, and would just like to say…
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The first Mother’s Day without her
I’ve tried hard to keep grief out of my columns lately. There’s only so much melancholy and broken-heartedness readers can…
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‘Born in Franklin’ may never be heard again
At some point in the future, here’s something you might never hear again: “I was born in Franklin.” Look no…
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This just isn’t going to get any better
“What? Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans…
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Don’t throw baby out with bathwater
To the Editor: In a recent Q&A in The Mountaineer, Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, seemed very light on specifics related…
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Haywood GOP does battle with anarchists
To the Editor: It was odd to be reminded of the Spanish Civil War when reading your article about the…
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The solution is to destroy all nukes
To the Editor: Back in 1979, then National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski received a middle-of-the-night phone call with the alarming…
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Votes will help Haywood Schools
To the Editor: The Haywood County Schools Foundation is a participant in “A Community Thrives” project sponsored by Gannett, USA…
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Corporations are not U.S. citizens
To the Editor: Are you sick of government ignoring the people it was meant to represent? Do you want your…
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Thanks for the help with Panthertown
To the Editor: Friends of Panthertown and Mainspring Conservation Trust would like to thank all of our donors, including Jackson…
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A big thank you to Rep. Mark Meadows
All citizens of western North Carolina owe a big “thank you” to Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, and the Freedom Caucus…
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N.C. Senate back dangerous measure that could re-write U.S. Constitution
By Martin A. Dyckman • Guest Columnist Russian paratroopers dropping on the White House lawn could scarcely do more damage…
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Patriot faction not being honest
To the Editor: Each of Ms. Becky Johnson’s two articles about the Haywood Republican Party were well researched and accurately…
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Rep. Presnell should not politicize school boards
To the Editor: As a former teacher of children with learning disabilities in Alabama, I have experienced the politicization resulting…
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Trump’s trips are a waste of taxes
To the Editor: White House budget director Michael Mulvaney recently said in an interview that: “When you start looking at…
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