More wilderness areas not a good idea
 

More wilderness areas not a good idea

To the Editor: I want to commend the U.S. Forest Service and district ranger staffs for an excellent job in…
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Build greenway bridge, and they will come
 

Build greenway bridge, and they will come

To the Editor: I was very happy to read the article, “Greenway use rising in Jackson County” in The Smoky…
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Bashing teachers does nothing to help public education

When the back-to-back national political conventions finally ended, it was like a benevolent deity had provided a merciful pardon, finally…
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There is something special in the slow unknown

We made our first trip to Edisto Beach 10 years ago and almost immediately, we wondered what we had gotten…
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Why is Mark Meadows ducking WNC women?
 

Why is Mark Meadows ducking WNC women?

To the Editor: Chapters of the League of Women Voters in Henderson County and Macon County recently invited the congressional…
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Time to take a look at independent candidates
 

Time to take a look at independent candidates

To the Editor: A friend recently asked me if I could give her a short answer to a question and…
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Open carry gun laws make us less safe
 

Open carry gun laws make us less safe

To the Editor: I encountered a customer openly carrying a pistol at a local business. I inquired as to the legality…
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Trump not perfect, but he’ll do us good
 

Trump not perfect, but he’ll do us good

To the Editor: Most papers lean to the left a little and some a lot. I believe your newspaper is…
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Thanks for supporting law enforcement
 

Thanks for supporting law enforcement

To the Editor: This is a letter of appreciation to the people that live in Haywood County as well as…
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Symposium will, hopefully, provide some food for thought

When Christopher Holt contacted me in March about a trip he was about to embark on to Cuba, I was…
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Keep life simple and family close

I’ve always felt this in my gut, but I’ve learned with keen certainty lately that things we think matter actually…
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Ron Mau: the commissioner we need
 

Ron Mau: the commissioner we need

To the Editor: My dad, Ron Mau, is running for Jackson County Commissioner. I am voting for my dad because…
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Trumpeting fear to a gullible electorate
 

Trumpeting fear to a gullible electorate

To the Editor: After listening to Donald Trump’ s speech, I got the feeling that the earth was spinning out…
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I’ll be calling, and you might want to listen
 

I’ll be calling, and you might want to listen

To the Editor: About those phone calls -— you know the ones I mean — an unknown person is calling,…
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School closing lawsuit should move forward

I hope the lawsuit by Mark Melrose against the Haywood County School System has its day in court, and was…
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If neither candidate suits you, well, we can help

On our way back from the coast on Saturday in bumper-to-bumper traffic just outside Charleston, I saw a billboard that…
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So this is who we are, and I didn’t see it

Amidst a raucous crowd of nearly 600 runners — and probably just as many spectators — a couple of Saturday…
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God really does work in mysterious ways

Until 18 days ago, the Bible had always been an afterthought in my spiritual journey. It was a book I…
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Lawsuit could bring about a more righteous process

By David Teague • Guest Columnist Possibly the best perspective I’ve ever read about the importance of open government, and the…
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New tuition plan holds great promise for NC
 

New tuition plan holds great promise for NC

Tuition just got significantly cheaper at Western Carolina University, and as long as the legislature keeps its promises to fill…
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Not perfect, but not all gloom and doom
 

Not perfect, but not all gloom and doom

To the Editor: Reading two letter writers in the June 29 issue, I immediately remembered Ronald Reagan’s famous campaign retort,…
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The staggering true cost of HB2
 

The staggering true cost of HB2

To the Editor: North Carolinians know about the immediate economic fallout from HB2 — the so-called bathroom bill — as…
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False dichotomies play out  in black and white
 

False dichotomies play out in black and white

There are people who believe that the reason black men seem to keep getting shot and killed by police officers…
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Battling the twin evils of gerrymandering and money
 

Battling the twin evils of gerrymandering and money

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Most of Europe’s aristocracy didn’t think the infant United States would last a decade, and…
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Doing business with your neighbors
 

Doing business with your neighbors

In not every town do the children of doctors and lawyers go to the same schools as the children of…
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We are going to have to all help push the wagons
 

We are going to have to all help push the wagons

To the Editor: I recall some 65 years ago when citizens were often complaining about their governments, primarily about their…
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In praise of passionate, civic-minded teachers
 

In praise of passionate, civic-minded teachers

As they say, the devil is in the details, and in this case the details are simply ridiculous. A bill…
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We have to teach boys how real men act
 

We have to teach boys how real men act

Because when she dresses like that, she is just asking for it. Because saying “no” is part of the game,…
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This country needs Donald Trump
 

This country needs Donald Trump

To the Editor: I was reading Scott McLeod’s piece last week (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/17903) with interest when suddenly I felt like I…
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Join the new movement or die
 

Join the new movement or die

To the Editor: I read with interest the editor’s op piece (Even today, our republic is on shaky ground, www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/17903).…
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Even today, our republic is on shaky ground
 

Even today, our republic is on shaky ground

 “What really shaped me was doing all of those community programs and talks, where you could really make a connection…
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Resurrecting – and passing on – my wanderlust
 

Resurrecting – and passing on – my wanderlust

If I described my childhood, it may sound to some like I was raised by a band of gypsies. And…
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Moral Monday event made me proud of WNC
 

Moral Monday event made me proud of WNC

To the Editor: I’d like to thank the community of Western North Carolina for so cooperatively hosting the historic Moral…
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Cox column promoted his brand of politics
 

Cox column promoted his brand of politics

To The Editor: Chris Cox’s opinion column concerning “trying to make sense of Orlando” in the June 15 edition of…
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Trying to make sense of Orlando
 

Trying to make sense of Orlando

I don’t know what to tell my children, so I don’t tell them anything. Not yet anyway. It is the…
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Jackson’s support for education appreciated
 

Jackson’s support for education appreciated

To the Editor:  As an educator and your neighbor, I want to thank the citizens of Jackson County for voting…
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Righteous people take care of their animals
 

Righteous people take care of their animals

To the Editor: In the article “Sound off: Haywood candidates talk animal shelter” from March 2016, Mr. Rogers wonders if other…
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Death in the afternoon, or my Hemingway day
 

Death in the afternoon, or my Hemingway day

On the wall by the closet behind my desk is this quotation from Ernest Hemingway: “All good books are alike…
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If this were the wild, he would already be gone
 

If this were the wild, he would already be gone

When next week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News hits the streets Wednesday, June 15, my youngest will be a…
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Finally got a tattoo, and it’s raising a few eyebrows
 

Finally got a tattoo, and it’s raising a few eyebrows

I got a tattoo a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t on a whim. I wasn’t intoxicated. I wasn’t in…
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Legislators passed smart coal ash plan
 

Legislators passed smart coal ash plan

To the Editor: This is a critical time for our community and all North Carolinians. Decisions being made right now…
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Let’s build animal shelter to do the job adequately
 

Let’s build animal shelter to do the job adequately

To the Editor: I am seeing and hearing various opinions about the need for a new animal shelter in Haywood…
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Trump’s ‘nativism’ is just frightening
 

Trump’s ‘nativism’ is just frightening

To the Editor: For one who has never held an elected office, Donald Trump is a brilliant politician. His TV…
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Sheriffs misrepresented
 

Sheriffs misrepresented

To the Editor: If you value honesty as an important trait for a Supreme Court justice, it should interest you…
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Still free to mix it up in the marketplace of ideas
 

Still free to mix it up in the marketplace of ideas

Over this past Memorial Day weekend I found myself reading essays and columns about freedom, about military men and women…
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Vote ‘Yes’ for education sales tax
 

Vote ‘Yes’ for education sales tax

By David Belcher • Guest Columnist Voters in Jackson County will have the opportunity on Tuesday, June 7, to take…
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Nothing brings back memories like that first car
 

Nothing brings back memories like that first car

My daughter is turning 15 this weekend. Every 15 minutes, she reminds me that she will be driving a car…
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Trying times for school leaders in Haywood
 

Trying times for school leaders in Haywood

Haywood County Schools has been a part of my life for 24 years now — as a journalist, the husband…
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The bugle never stops
 

The bugle never stops

One day recently as I was walking through the parking lot at Waynesville Middle School, a car slowly pulled up…
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Vote for Rick Bryson in June 7 primary
 

Vote for Rick Bryson in June 7 primary

To the Editor:    Rick Bryson is running as a Democrat for the congressional seat currently held by Republican Mark…
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