Is Sen. Tom Tillis some kind of traitor?
 

Is Sen. Tom Tillis some kind of traitor?

To the Editor: Sen. Tom Tillis, R-N.C., is probably not a traitor, but he surely is an embarrassment to the…
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Waynesville smoking ban just a bad idea
 

Waynesville smoking ban just a bad idea

To the Editor: For years I have promoted downtown. I tell my friends to shop locally, eat at our local…
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Comment

It just couldn’t get any better for young Hornets fan
 

It just couldn’t get any better for young Hornets fan

Over the past few months, my 10-year-old son, Jack, has developed an insatiable appetite for all things basketball. We spend…
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Comment

Raleigh does a job on senior citizens
 

Raleigh does a job on senior citizens

To the Editor: You're 83 years old, on a fixed income of out-of-state retirement and Social Security, living in Franklin.…
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Comment

All information is not created equally
 

All information is not created equally

Google is a wonderful thing, but it sometimes makes things harder for journalists. That’s why a new emphasis on transparency…
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Comment

Consortium of docs could do house calls
 

Consortium of docs could do house calls

To the Editor: If you are over 65 (and maybe even younger) you will remember a wonderful phenomenon of the…
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Comment

Too many people a big part of problem
 

Too many people a big part of problem

To the Editor: Religious folk love to talk about Armageddon and the Apocalypse with almost all major religions predicting some…
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Comment

Both parties are destroying our country
 

Both parties are destroying our country

To the Editor: Political parties have almost destroyed our country. The greed and self-interest of both political parties have consciously…
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Comment

We need Marshall Plan for Middle East
 

We need Marshall Plan for Middle East

To the Editor: If we really want to defeat ISIL, restore calm, and some semblance of peace in the Middle…
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Comment

The delicious taste of the wait is disappearing
 

The delicious taste of the wait is disappearing

It must have been 20 years or more since I heard a futurist telling a skeptical crowd the extent to…
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Comment

Medicaid expansion equals economic growth
 

Medicaid expansion equals economic growth

To the Editor: A recent letter suggested that its author does not believe in economic projections. He may not realize…
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Comment

N.C. loses by not expanding Medicaid
 

N.C. loses by not expanding Medicaid

To the Editor: An earlier letter requires concrete proof of the success of the Affordable Care Act. Those truly interested…
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Comment

Jackson votes supports real free speech
 

Jackson votes supports real free speech

To the Editor: Thank you, Jackson County Commissioners for your courage in passing a resolution calling on the North Carolina…
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Comment

N.C. GOP leadership likes to bully opposition
 

N.C. GOP leadership likes to bully opposition

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Whether they strut across schoolyards or along the polished halls of a state capital, all…
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Time for universal, free pre-K is long overdue
 

Time for universal, free pre-K is long overdue

“… the long-term benefits of a high-quality pre-K program can be substantial. These include higher high school graduation rates, lower…
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Comment

For some, facts just don’t matter
 

For some, facts just don’t matter

“It is an Internet Age paradox: We have more information than ever before and yet, seem to know less. Indeed,…
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Comment

Beware the company you keep
 

Beware the company you keep

To the Editor: Jackson County Commissioners, I want to congratulate you on the entertaining meeting on Jan. 29 and your…
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In my world, estimates are different from facts
 

In my world, estimates are different from facts

To the Editor: Ed Morris’s recent letter to this newspaper criticized a letter I had written to The Franklin Press…
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Comment

Use Lent to try a meat-free diet
 

Use Lent to try a meat-free diet

To the Editor: This Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter, when many Christians abstain from…
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Appreciate community support for 5K run
 

Appreciate community support for 5K run

To the Editor: On behalf of Dryman’s Chapel United Methodist Church please allow me to express thanks and grateful appreciation…
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Comment

Let’s re-think attitudes toward wood
 

Let’s re-think attitudes toward wood

To the Editor: Have you ever heard the expression “waiting for the other shoe to drop”? I thought of it…
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Comment

Does Maggie Valley need 200-foot cross?
 

Does Maggie Valley need 200-foot cross?

To the Editor: At first blush the idea of a 200-foot cross seemed kind of cool. It could make Maggie…
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Comment

The sweet dreams of snow days
 

The sweet dreams of snow days

“Dad, do you think we’ll get out of school tomorrow?” My son, Jack, is standing in the doorway of our…
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Comment

Waynesville missing an opportunity
 

Waynesville missing an opportunity

To the Editor: It’s true, you only get one chance to make a good one. Entering Waynesville from any direction…
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Comment

Sen. Tillis wasted no time becoming an embarrassment
 

Sen. Tillis wasted no time becoming an embarrassment

To the Editor: It took newly elected Sen. Thom Tillis , R-N.C., merely a month in Washington to make himself…
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Comment

Too much of a good thing can be dangerous
 

Too much of a good thing can be dangerous

I wish those planning to open a new charter school in Haywood County the best. Their intentions are completely honorable.…
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Three men walk into a bar ...
 

Three men walk into a bar ...

To the Editor: A rich man, a middle class man and a poor man walk into a bar. They sit…
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Comment

Harris Regional committed to the region
 

Harris Regional committed to the region

Over the past couple of months there has been a fair amount of coverage in area media outlets about the…
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Comment

Pardon the explanation, but I can’t help myself
 

Pardon the explanation, but I can’t help myself

I am living the days I have dreamed of all my life. “One day,” I said, somewhere ages and ages…
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Comment

Facts and beliefs are different animals
 

Facts and beliefs are different animals

To the Editor: Vic Drummond’s recent letter about “The Economic and Employment Costs of Not Expanding Medicaid in NC.” was…
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Comment

U.S. youth need unifying experience
 

U.S. youth need unifying experience

To the Editor: Historical injustices, real and perceived, create seeds of terrorism. Today’s policies create a fertile environment for the…
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Comment

Hunters and their dogs don’t deserve special protections
 

Hunters and their dogs don’t deserve special protections

By Bill Lea • Guest Columnist In the article about the bear dogs attacking a camper’s dogs (www.smokymountainnews.com/outdoors/item/14952), Wallace Messer (a…
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Comment

Surely there is a solution for noise dispute
 

Surely there is a solution for noise dispute

Here’s hoping No Name Sports Pub and the town of Sylva can work out their differences on noise so that…
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Comment

A perspective of a retired ob-gyn on today’s situation
 

A perspective of a retired ob-gyn on today’s situation

By Gwang S. Han • Guest Columnist Obstetrics is the branch of medicine dealing with parturition, including care before and after…
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Comment

Sounds preachy, but it’s right: be true to yourself
 

Sounds preachy, but it’s right: be true to yourself

One of the pure joys of my job — teaching English on the college level — is getting to spend…
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Comment

School boards need to fight the good fight
 

School boards need to fight the good fight

The Haywood County School Board narrowly voted (5 to 4, with Chairman Chuck Francis breaking a tie) to contribute money…
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Comment

Macon leaders should reconsider stance on wilderness
 

Macon leaders should reconsider stance on wilderness

To the Editor: The Nantahala Hiking Club requests that Macon County commissioners reconsider or rescind the resolution passed on July…
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Comment

Going ‘all in’ on free speech takes backbone
 

Going ‘all in’ on free speech takes backbone

I watched world leaders with arms linked lead a march of about 1.5 million people in Paris to commemorate the…
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Comment

We have to close the widening gap
 

We have to close the widening gap

To the Editor: About 10 years ago I said to a client of mine perhaps the most outrageous thing I’ve…
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Comment

New animal shelter is long overdue
 

New animal shelter is long overdue

To the Editor: I was happy to read the article about the need for a new animal shelter in Haywood…
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Comment

Some successional habitat a good thing
 

Some successional habitat a good thing

To the Editor: The recent announcement by the U.S. Forest Service of more potential logging in the new forest management…
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Comment

Time to break the holiday laws of inertia
 

Time to break the holiday laws of inertia

Two miserable characters — the larger one in a terry cloth bathrobe and fleece pajama bottoms, the smaller one in…
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Comment

Canary Coalition works to help WNC
 

Canary Coalition works to help WNC

By Thomas Crowe • Guest Columnist In case you didn't know it, right here in our midst we have a gem…
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Comment

Time to eschew meat products
 

Time to eschew meat products

To the Editor: It’s time for New Year’s resolutions, particularly those about our health. Although gun violence remains the leading…
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Comment

Time for appointed tax collector in Haywood
 

Time for appointed tax collector in Haywood

To the Editor: As we approach the year 2015, I appeal to the decision makers of Haywood County to take…
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Comment

The only lesson may be that there is no lesson
 

The only lesson may be that there is no lesson

One of my wife’s childhood friends lives near Wilmington. Her daughter, a senior at Appalachian State, died last week in…
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Comment

Real vs. fake facts, and knowing the difference
 

Real vs. fake facts, and knowing the difference

To the Editor: Denying facts because they conflict with a belief is a survival tactic for the human race. We…
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Comment

All are welcome at Pigeon Center
 

All are welcome at Pigeon Center

To the Editor: An article in the Dec. 17-23 issue of The Smoky Mountain News states that the Pigeon Center…
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Comment

Lonely this Christmas? Hire an old-time hermit
 

Lonely this Christmas? Hire an old-time hermit

Serendipity: an aptitude for making significant discoveries by accident. I have always loved that word, and I have had numerous…
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Comment

Somehow, I was meant to be right here
 

Somehow, I was meant to be right here

By Laura Amour • Guest Columnist “The mountains attract seekers.” That comment was made by a cherished friend that I have…
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