Some concerns about charter school
To the Editor: Since the proposed Shining Rock Classical Academy Charter School has been in the news lately, I would…
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The public – not the newspaper – deserves to know
I’m sure the founders of Haywood County’s new charter school — Shining Rock Classical Academy — never imagined a week…
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Meaningful gun control deserves passage
To the Editor: House Speaker John Boehner boasted in a mass e-mail that he had gotten ahead of President Obama…
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It seemed like a great idea at the time ...
It looked so good on paper, the way terrible ideas always do. Instead of boarding our miniature dachshund as we…
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Tribal council takes the wrong stand on openness
The Tribal Council kicked us out again. Holly Kays, a reporter for The Smoky Mountain News, was told on July…
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Old steel should be used for footbridge
To the Editor: I have an idea for reducing the cost of the footbridge at the end of the Cullowhee…
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The Battle Flag was indeed about slavery
To the Editor: To get past the emotionality regarding the Virginia Battle Flag, we need to examine its history and…
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Hillary has way too much baggage
To the Editor: When Bill Clinton was president, Hillary assumed authority over health care reform. Even after threats, she couldn't…
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Parents should teach children to drive
To the Editor: The problem of how to fund driver's ed could be easily solved. Since when did it become…
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How can we be proud to be Americans?
To the Editor: USA Today has reported that on average there were 96 cases of a white police officer killing…
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The Confederate flag flap: Rapid policy change? yes; rapid shift in public opinion? no
By Gibbs Knotts & Chris Cooper A longstanding social science finding holds that collective public opinion is fairly sticky on…
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Folkmoot is about more than dancing, watching
By Hannah McLeod • Guest Columnist We all have those memories that lurk in the back of our brain, the hazy,…
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Our Edisto story is still being written
EDISTO ISLAND, SC — Whether it is a time-honored family tradition or simply the very real possibility that, as a…
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State should leave well enough alone at the local level
The North Carolina Senate has become emboldened in its partisanship over the last couple of years, and there appears to…
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The real meaning of religious freedom
To the Editor: The news of the last couple of weeks brings into sharp focus the divided world we live…
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The reality of the Confederate flag legacy
I have seen more Confederate flags flying in the past couple of weeks than I have seen in years. A…
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A story all about good people doing good things
I should get over being astounded by the way the world works. And I’m talking about the good stuff, not…
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Declare independence from meat industry
To the Editor: Nearly 240 years ago, our founding fathers declared our national independence from Great Britain. This Fourth of…
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Waynesville entryways are too junky
To the Editor: This piece could be titled, “How to beat a dead horse in 350 words or less.” First…
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DOT could stand for the Department of Trash
“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous…
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Symbols matter, and so does removing them
Complicated. Ignorant. Entrenched. It’s easy to come up with words to describe the state of race relations in this country…
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Relationship — and innocence — lost, just like that
Many years ago, in a time and a place that seems so far away to me now, I courted a…
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Do people really believe this stuff?
To the Editor: Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the scientific discoveries made on almost a daily basis,…
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Reacting to changing climate of medicine
To the Editor: As a pediatrician, it has been my privilege to serve the families of Western North Carolina for…
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One split-second separates heroism from its alternative
I remember someone once telling me that all the seemingly trivial, decidedly unimportant choices you make every day prepare you…
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Animal shelter needs proper planning
To the Editor: There has been recent news coverage and public discussion about the plans for the new Haywood County…
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Our elected leaders are out of control
To the Editor: It has appeared for a long time that the American people have turned into a flock of…
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Making the case for my future career
By the time I was in the fifth grade, I knew I wanted to grow up to be a lawyer.…
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Coach’s article was great, but let’s clarify
To the Editor: First, and foremost, I want to thank you for the article in The Smoky Mountain News, your…
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Playing the blame game in Jackson County
To the Editor: Have you noticed when officeholders (elected or unelected) are attempting to wiggle out from responsibility for some…
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Reflections on ‘Sweet 16’ and the future
What’s your dream job? Recent college graduates are perhaps honing in on the difficult task of searching for a satisfying…
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Finding a balance in Frog Level won’t be easy
I don’t know if it reaches the magnitude of a moral dilemma, but I feel for the Frog Level merchants…
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Challenge those who would censor you
To the Editor: Referring to a recent letter to the editor, the writer suggested that anything or any opinion that…
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Last Shot weekend was a great success
To the Editor: Our Last Shot Fired May weekend, titled “The Battle of Waynesville and the Surrender of the Western…
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Drug testing good students won’t help
To the Editor: I read with dismay that the Jackson County school system was planning to waste more money on…
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Our veterans deserve to be honored all year
It is just a beautiful day, this Memorial Day. I am able to get a little work done in the…
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Out of the headlines, but not out of the woods
The rioting in Baltimore has settled down and we haven’t heard much out of Ferguson, Missouri, recently. The uproar and…
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Madam, you are indeed a thief
To the Editor: My family and I were enjoying a meal at a local buffet restaurant (on Mothers Day 10…
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Thanks to Waynesville town employees
To the Editor: The Waynesville Public Art Commission would specifically like to thank Waynesville town employees Dave Foster, Daryl Hannah,…
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Fast track legislation a threat to democracy
To the Editor: Fast Track legislation that was prepared in secret by some 600 lobbyists of the largest transnational corporations…
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Exotic pests a continuing threat to our mountains
By Jason Love • Guest Columnist I am writing on behalf of the Western North Carolina Public Lands Council, an advisory…
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In WNC, economic development is a different game
He was tall, maybe 6 feet 8 inches or taller, and was standing at an intersection studying a map. My…
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The mystery of U.S. foreign aid
To the Editor: One of the great mysteries of government in America is how and why we give over $50…
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If you’re not ‘of the beach,’ it’s just a nice place to visit
Even though she’s an Indiana girl who had only seen the ocean once before we met, there is something about…
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Baltimore and the failure of liberalism
To the Editor: As events unfold in Baltimore, the failure of liberal ideologies becomes clear. We’ve also seen the failures…
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FOX News has been bad for the country
To the Editor: Imagine that in 2015, you, as an American citizen, don’t feel at home in your own town.…
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GOP is the party of higher taxes
To the Editor: The people have been told for years, particularly by Republican candidates running for the General Assembly, “We…
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The longer it lasts, the more meaningful it becomes
Dozing in and out of sleep on the flight home from Leon, Nicaragua, I was thinking about circles. More to…
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The kids cope with Lucy the tomcat’s gender crisis
Sixth grade was not so kind to my daughter. She did better than she expected on the social part —…
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Creating a healthier future
Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital have embarked on exciting futures for our hospitals and communities. Early this…
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