How to learn and grow during corona
As all the events we look forward to each spring get canceled, we have to look inward and be creative…
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Finding our way without a map
The helplessness is the thing that’s making all of us so uneasy. Like being pushed along by a wave that…
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Like a virus, emotions are contagious
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued a new executive order stating schools would remain closed through May 15 due to…
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Living in the time of Corona
By Bob Scott, Mayor of Franklin I woke up this morning with the feeling I was in a murky, alternate…
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On main street, things won’t ever be the same
The world changed over the weekend, especially on main street. And it likely won’t ever again look the same as…
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In trying times, the cream rises to the top
If it feels like we’ve seen this all before, it’s because we have. All of a sudden, we are all…
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Trump’s pardons tell a story
To the Editor: Is it possible Donald Trump and the Republican Party he seems to have successfully hijacked have (together)…
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Demand nuclear disarmament now
To the Editor: In September 2019, I attended a meeting “Nuclear Disarmament Now: What can we do?” Prior to this…
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Budget passage critical for Western Carolina
You often hear that North Carolina’s public universities are the “crown jewel” of the state. While this is indeed true,…
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Helping kids keep out some of the noise
I’m a child of the 1980s. With side ponytails on full hairsprayed display, my big sister and I kept busy…
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There is no defense for hypocrisy
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist | One of the defenses I have heard most often offered for support for…
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Plenty of room in the arena
I became aware of a Facebook group recently called “Finding Solutions — Waynesville.” On the surface it appeared this group was…
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The rubble heap that was our basement
It has been over a week since my son had seven boys stay overnight at our house to celebrate his…
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No newspapers? No thanks
To the Editor: Imagine a world without your local newspaper. Imagine a world without any newspapers. Where would you get…
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Expand Medicaid without work mandate
To the Editor: At the recent Waynesville Town Board meeting on Feb. 11, there was a motion to support Medicaid…
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Bad choices will make things worse
By Steve Wall • Guest Columnist | There are over 200 cases of coronavirus that have appeared in Italy, with…
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Thanks for the reminder
To the Editor: I want to thank Scott McLeod for his encouragement to all of us in his “From the…
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Some political ads are not helpful
To the Editor: One of the blessings or curses of too many philosophy classes at university is an appreciation for…
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Democracy hits the mat
To the Editor: Just when I thought it was safe to be optimistic about the trajectory of our country, I…
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Lessons learned from a bird of prey
It was a crisp and cold morning. The lake was still, like a mirror. The sun had just risen. Every…
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A glut of information can paralyze voters
The phones we carry everywhere contain or have access to more information than the largest libraries in the world, many…
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The painful reality of car shopping
If I could go back now and talk to my 12-year-old self, I’d tell him a few things. First, most…
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The annual state of the lies
To the Editor: During his State of the Union address to Congress, President Donald Trump repeated more than 20 of…
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Senate loses power with impeachment
To the Editor: The President of the United States (no longer to be confused, or considered synonymous with, “Leader of…
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Trump deserves all the criticism
To the Editor: These comments are offered in rebuttal to a previously published letter. The first sentence in the letter…
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Why I’m backing O’Shea for Congress
To the Editor: I served two terms on Asheville’s City Council and am a former candidate for Congress in North…
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Good manners and good food go a long way
I’m not comfortable writing this, and that’s why I have to write it. In the past three weeks, I’ve given…
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Changing the world one book at a time
Lately I’ve been pondering the meaning of life. If everyone took their very best skills and traits and put those…
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Rep. Queen is leading the way
To the Editor: Our N.C. House Rep. Joe Sam Queen is fulfilling every campaign promise he made two years ago.…
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The president can do no wrong
To the Editor: Congratulations, by now the president has been acquitted of high crimes and misdemeanors. The Republican Senate has…
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Some call it the death of irony
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist | Some have called it the death of irony, the moment when Kenneth Starr,…
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A sports hero who left too early
When I came into the bedroom last Sunday afternoon, Tammy had this look on her face. “What is it?” I…
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Healthcare for those in need is threatened
By Steve Wall • Guest Columnist | Why do we even need any medical insurance programs or Social Security? Well, because about…
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No president is above the law
To the Editor: Draw a Venn diagram. Circle one is morality. Circle two is ethics. Number three is law. As…
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Finding middle ground is a must
Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.…
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Yellow blazes and Skip-Bo
It’s been a somber few days since the world learned of the death of Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter, Gianna,…
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Censure Pompeo for his conduct
To the Editor: I am constantly sickened by the rate at which our country is being driven into the toilet…
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Trump defies the global elites
To the Editor: The hysterical, savage and frenzied attacks on President Trump by Democrats, the media, powerful deep state and political…
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Who says a sitting president can’t be indicted?
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist | No one in America should be above the law, least of all the person…
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It’s me, it’s me, it’s Ernest T.
As a parent, I’ve tried hard to avoid indoctrinating my children with my political leanings, spiritual beliefs, sports fanaticism, or…
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Health care should not be about profits
To the Editor: Have you a favorite president? I do, Harry S Truman (no period after the S). Truman was the…
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Keep doing what you are doing
To the Editor: It is unbelievable that this quality paper can stand toe to toe with other publications and best…
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Becoming mindful in a chaotic world
Last October, I turned 40. It made me evaluate where I was physically, emotionally and personally. About a month after…
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WCU band trip is once in a lifetime opportunity
In the early hours of the morning on Saturday, Nov. 30, slightly more than 500 students at Western Carolina University…
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Franklin to honor Robert Burns, his work
Robert Burns is credited with saving the folk music of Scotland. He was born just a few years after England…
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Trump is doing a great job
To the Editor: The impeachment of President Donald Trump, the most partisan political witch hunt in our American history, is fraudulent,…
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Budget impasse harms retirees, taxpayers
To the Editor: It is my understanding that the state legislature and the governor are at an impasse over the…
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