We admired Andy but related to Barney
We lost Barney Fife last week. When the news came that Don Knotts had died of pulmonary and respiratory failure…
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Power carries a yoke of responsibility
By Michael Beadle • Columnist The recent worldwide protests against cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Mohammed have given humanity a…
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No loaves, just fish ... sticks
I pride myself on being a good cook. After 10 years of effort, I have finally mastered homemade cinnamon rolls.…
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Banning tobacco in schools shouldn’t be so difficult
There’s really not much to say except this: why has it taken so long? The Haywood County School Board apparently…
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With Mike gone, train’s call is truly lonesome
Mike and I were not exactly a match made in heaven. In fact, I didn’t think we were much of…
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A thank you for helping hands
Editor’s note: Barbara McCarty worked on a flood task force that allocated more than $800,000 in private donations to victims…
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Open government always a good thing
It’s easy for elected leaders to say they support open government. Proving that support is something altogether different and more…
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TDA board on track, confident in director
By Dori Pope • Guest columnist I recently had the honor and exciting challenge of being voted the Chair of…
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Time for change at Cherokee’s ‘Unto These Hills’
“It’s going to be a bit of a change, but change is not always bad. This is just one little…
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Small towns make for different news
I remember the specific moment in my journalism career when I sealed my future as a small-town newspaperman. I was…
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A primer on the right way to use a gun
By Sarah Kucharski On a chilly, rain soaked Sunday morning the last weekend of January I stood under a peaked,…
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Religion and public schools a volatile mix
When a high school biology teacher in Macon County asked students to compare evolution and creation from a scientific perspective,…
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Customers say restaurant grades matter
Editor’s note: Last week The Smoky Mountain News cover story was about cleanliness at restaurants and what health department inspectors…
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Looking in on the iPod cocoon
It is now official. I am not young anymore. I guess I should have paid more attention to the signs,…
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The difference between precaution and fear
By Lee Shelton I found Scott McLeod’s column, “Living in Fear....” , in theJan. 18 issue of the Smoky Mountain…
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The vicarious lives of parents
I wasn’t very good at sports when I was a kid. I wanted to be good — the star of…
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Celebrating culture and the need for a library
There are many worthwhile upshots from The Sounds of Jackson County recording project, but two stand out among them: one,…
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There were valid reasons for Horton’s departure
(Editor’s note: Haywood County Manager Jack Horton tendered his resignation to the board of commissioners on Jan. 3. The three…
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Storytime just didn’t work out for me
By Stephanie Wampler One day last year, I had high hopes for a glorious time at the library. I envisioned…
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Time apparently not right for casino alcohol sales
The proposal to hold a referendum on whether alcohol could be sold at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino was withdrawn before it…
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Living in fear of ... everything
It started over a discussion about the merits of that sanitizing gel that is now so often found in restrooms,…
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A long history culminates in one tumultuous day
When Haywood County Manager Jack Horton was asked to resign or be fired last week, it was, potentially, a watershed…
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The goose won’t keep laying golden eggs without proper care
By Lee Shelton The town limits of Maggie Valley encompass only 1.8 square miles, and there is only one commercial…
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Empowered by Dr. Phil to entertain Jack
I’ve become hooked on Dr. Phil. Don’t ask me how it happened because I don’t know. He caught me unawares,…
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Words of warning, words of wisdom
At a time when weather and the environment is making all the news headlines and is rendering hundreds of thousands,…
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Methane gas project at old landfill is all good
It’s not always about the money, at least not at first. That’s a point to keep in mind as the…
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Newspapers in need of iPod moment
We in the newspaper business are supposed to be having the bejesus scared out of us because of the power…
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Nurture your spirit, and the details will take care of themselves
By Jason Kimenker • Guest Columnist Winter has arrived, and the holiday season is in full swing. Wonderful and warm…
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Not so long ago, we treated liars differently
By Kirk Adcock • Guest Columnist I would first like to thank Gen. Geoffrey Higgenbotham (“Playing politics at the expense…
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Count on me to lead the Grinch Fan Club
About this time each year, when the days and tempers get short and the traffic lines get long — when…
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Watershed decision was right on target
Bryson City leaders avoided the temptation to sell off their watershed land for development, instead opting to follow through with…
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Hemp and the rule of law
It looks like the old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” may bear fruit (or gas) when it is…
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Jackson, others need to learn to plan
By John Edwards • Guest Columnist Positive planning by developers, government officials and local citizens could be of great benefit…
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Remember the privilege of giving
By Bill Nolte • Guest Columnist Last week I was providing my ongoing parental taxi service. I can’t remember if we…
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The downside of motorcycle tourism
By Lee Shelton • Guest Columnist There has been much discussion about attracting more motorcyclists and motorcycle rallies to the…
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Things change, and sometimes not for the best
I’m not sure where home is, but my children know. They’re first-generation mountaineers, which means, should they stay, they’ve got…
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Playing politics at the expense of our soldiers
By Major Gen. Geoffrey B. Higginbotham In 1998, while serving as a Marine Corps Bases Commander in Japan, I had…
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Pressure mounts to get out of Iraq
Many of us who call these mountains home rely on the isolation, the distance from the cold realities of modern…
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Schools must help with obesity woes
It should come as no shock to learn that children in Western North Carolina, as in the rest of this…
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Paying the price – a parents’ weekend at WCU
By Nancy Geiger • Guest Columnist I went to my first college parent’s weekend this month. I’d been to plenty…
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Who’s dying in Iraq?
Seventy-five percent of the deaths were active duty and 24.8 percent were National Guard or Reserves. Of these, 67.9 percent…
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The job’s done, now it’s time to leave
By Lee Shelton • Guest Columnist The U.S. recently incurred — and then quickly exceeded — the 2,000th casualty in…
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Contemplating the end of Eden
“At times I think there are no words But these to tell what’s true And there are no truths outside…
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Summer's gone, but not forgotten
By John Beckman • Columnist The summer now seems long gone and autumn is headed in the same direction as…
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Press, newsgatherers get special powers in U.S.
I'm sure my paranoia was partly flamed by the buzz about the case of the CIA operative whose name was…
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Every effort should be taken to help elk project succeed
The experimental elk reintroduction into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park should be given every chance to succeed. If that…
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