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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Grave consequences to follow assassination
The assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem Suleimani is the latest in a string of incoherent, dangerous foreign policy decisions…
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Coffee grounds for breakfast no more
I’m not that big on New Year’s resolutions, but one thing I do want to do in 2020 is practice…
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Bumper stickers can divide us
To the Editor: On a recent ride into town, I found myself behind a car with a bumper sticker that…
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Four more years for Trump
To the Editor: Recently, a prolific contributor of letters to editors asked how much longer we could stand to have…
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Sixty snuck up and smacked me
I just turned the big 6-0. Sixty. What the hell? I’ve been reading essays on reaching this point in life,…
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Twelve commandments for the New Year
When I was a little girl, my dad would make huge snack trays on New Year’s Eve and pour sparkling…
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Trump’s mental health issues a problem
To the Editor: Mr. Waldrop, as always, nails the truth to the sticking-place in his last letter to The Smoky…
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Because one day they aren’t there
The hardest thing to get used to is the stillness. The quiet. The absolute absence of any movement at all.…
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National parks should not depend on fees
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist | In Democracy’s Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy, the political philosopher…
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How much longer can we tolerate Trump?
To the Editor: Only a few short years ago Americans criticized Russian leaders for their overt political philosophy: “The end…
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