Taking monuments down is just a mistake
 

Taking monuments down is just a mistake

To the Editor: Giving in to the misguided desire to remove statues and monuments, which Black Lives Matter admits is…
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People exaggerate COVID-19 suffering
 

People exaggerate COVID-19 suffering

To the Editor: In today’s America, we find ourselves facing the continued onslaught of biased reporting and erroneous “expert” advice…
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Comment

Separating truth from fiction
 

Separating truth from fiction

To the Editor: An early lesson that a child hears is “tell the truth” and “honesty is the best policy.”…
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Invest in people to strengthen community
 

Invest in people to strengthen community

To the Editor: By leaving households without reliable internet access, the marginalization of Southern Appalachia will perpetuate. Without a good connection to…
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Comment

Some people just don’t get it
 

Some people just don’t get it

To the Editor: A reader’s letter in the last issue complained about mainstream media and a limited view of events…
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Comment

Considerations for racial justice policies
 

Considerations for racial justice policies

To the Editor: All candidates for office: please, please reimagine justice for everyone and provide us a clear and comprehensive…
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For news, look beyond ‘The Frame’
 

For news, look beyond ‘The Frame’

To the Editor: The “Frame” is the view of the world news you get from the Main-Stream Media (MSM). The…
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Comment

Restorative justice helps all involved
 

Restorative justice helps all involved

To the Editor: Seeing people take to the streets to demand reform of the police system is gratifying. Yes, we…
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Comment

 

Looking for answers in a time of uncertainty

By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist | I am in the market for a good, slightly used, Ouija Board.  I…
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Comment

 

Walter moves on to a far greener cow pasture

Maybe we should have named our beagle-mix Lazarus, so often did he seemingly come back from the dead over the…
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Comment

 

Raising boys against the grain

Good girls are raised to be quiet, dainty and accommodating. Real boys are raised to be competitive, successful and tough.…
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Comment

 

Commissioner Pless acting like a third-rate politician

To the Editor: When it comes to the internet, I am the first to proclaim myself as a troll. Although…
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Comment

 

We can atone for our sins

To the Editor: Donald Trump talks about making America great again. But he ignores two sins that haunt America. Those…
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Comment

 

Moe Davis best option for 11th District

To the Editor: Don’t know who to vote for yet on Nov. 3 for Rep. Mark Meadows’ vacant U.S. House…
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Comment

 

Inequality comes in many flavors

To the Editor: Inequality plays out in all aspects of American life. For the past few weeks we have been…
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Comment

 

Graduates, you’ll miss this place we call home

By Liam McLeod • Guest Columnist | To the high school Class of 2020, congratulations! There is nothing more exciting than completing…
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Comment

 

Language has changed but racism remains

Though we are as divided as we have ever been as a country, the one thing we seemed to be…
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Comment

Bill of Rights born in June
 

Bill of Rights born in June

To the Editor: On June 8, 1789, James Madison (who is considered by many historians to be the Father of…
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Comment

Local authority paramount
 

Local authority paramount

To the Editor: Gentlemen, I understand that you voted to allow bars to open with restrictions which apparently surpasses the…
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Comment

 

Justice for all? Hopefully, one day in the future

When I saw the video of the mostly young crowd marching Monday night in Waynesville to protest the killing of…
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Comment

 

Celebrating a pivotal year

Many are focused on graduations right now. Amidst the pandemic and nationwide protesting, we’re trying to help our young people…
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Comment

Local customers are much appreciated
 

Local customers are much appreciated

To the Editor: We would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve you and say thank you…
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Comment

The making of a cluster outbreak
 

The making of a cluster outbreak

To the Editor: Donald Trump doesn’t want to wear a face mask. He feels he looks ridiculous in one. Donald…
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Comment

Trump makes us the laughingstock
 

Trump makes us the laughingstock

To the Editor: Did you know there is a group of essential workers who will not be getting a stimulus…
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Comment

Let’s enable police to do it right
 

Let’s enable police to do it right

To the Editor: On Monday, May 25, George Floyd of Minneapolis was the latest victim of wrongful police killings. May…
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Comment

 

What a ride: Born after 9/11, graduating during the pandemic

By Molly Boothroyd • Guest Columnist | Who would have thought the year 2020 could be so negative, life-changing but…
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Comment

 

The oh-so-sweet sound of bat and baseball

When our son, Jack, joined the high school marching band, he promptly announced his official retirement from baseball, unceremoniously closing…
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Comment

We need Moe Davis in Congress
 

We need Moe Davis in Congress

To the Editor: The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed many societal issues in our country — inadequate healthcare, the ever-widening…
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Comment

Vigilante justice can’t be tolerated
 

Vigilante justice can’t be tolerated

To the Editor: On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was jogging in a residential Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood,…
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Comment

Cherokee show greed toward other tribes
 

Cherokee show greed toward other tribes

To the Editor: The entire article on the Cherokee suing over the Catawba casino proves that the only reason for…
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Comment

 

We’ve been here before … sort of

It’s funny how you can hear a story your entire life but don’t see its relevance until it smacks you…
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Comment

 

A powerful need to help those in need

National Emergency Medical Services Week is May 17-23, and in the midst of a global pandemic the timing resonates more…
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Comment

AR-15 useless against this virus
 

AR-15 useless against this virus

To the Editor: I see these folks protesting, yelling and carrying weapons, as if a gun is an argument that…
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Comment

I prefer to be a live jerk
 

I prefer to be a live jerk

To the Editor: Come on guys, your MAGA hats won’t make me sick. Your bumper stickers can’t hurt me. Your…
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Comment

 

What we do to survive, and why

It seems every time I sit down to write these days, it has something to do with journalism and the…
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Comment

 

Time to re-ignite national service programs

By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist | COVID-19 has given me the opportunity to sit and think. Not just daydream. I…
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Comment

Take action now to protect voting
 

Take action now to protect voting

To the Editor: Long lines, limited polling place hours, inconvenient polling locations, not getting time off work and the COVID-19…
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Comment

America should open up
 

America should open up

To the Editor: Some people call it common sense, others call it critical thinking or logic, and it is so…
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Comment

Let’s help stop the spread
 

Let’s help stop the spread

To the Editor: I am not writing about a political issue but a health issue. I am a senior citizen…
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Comment

 

Look for the best in this new normal

By Nick Breedlove • Guest Columnist | Every May we commemorate National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) to celebrate the…
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Comment

 

A heavy heart on Mother’s Day

It’s been said that when a cardinal appears in your yard it’s a visitor from heaven. I’ve been spending a…
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Comment

Fantasy abounds at Haywood meeting
 

Fantasy abounds at Haywood meeting

To the Editor: In his book, FantasyLand: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History, Kurt Andersen discusses the “strange, post-factual,…
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Comment

Leadership in the age of Pandemics 
 

Leadership in the age of Pandemics 

To the Editor: About 58,000 American men and women died in the Vietnam war over a period of 20 years.…
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Comment

Trump ignorance a lethal problem
 

Trump ignorance a lethal problem

To the Editor: According to White House staff, since this past January Trump blew off — refused to read, as…
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Comment

 

In a crisis, ordinary people turn heroic

By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist | At 5:30 this morning I was staring at the ceiling. I doubt that I was…
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