Sylva statue demeans Memorial Day display
To the Editor: On Memorial Day — a holiday that originally honored Union soldiers who died defending the principles enshrined…
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It’s FRL that may be limiting library funding
Let's be clear. No one is “attacking” libraries because we all support the basic function of a true library which…
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Finding space for two emotions at once
Growing older isn’t all bad. My grandparents once gave me nuggets of wisdom and I would look at them and…
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Managing the visitor experience is no easy task
I’m sitting alone in the cockpit of the boat anchored at Cape Lookout National Seashore off the coast of North…
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Lessons learned from garden gnomes
The garden gnomes stared at me from our cluttered carport, dirty and bored, no blooming flowers to observe or tomato…
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Tell the truth about immigrants
To the Editor: I am 91 years old. For close to 50 of those years we lived at 116 Cowan…
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Jackson commissioners’ plaque removal a mistake
To The Editor: I appreciate your straightforward and informative coverage of the removal of the plaque over Sylva Sam’s Confederate…
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Strike three for Trump, but Congress sleeps on
To the Editor: The tariff disaster is the last of three major events that demonstrate that the Trump administration and…
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WNC does not need martial law
To the Editor: Here in Western North Carolina, we know the value of independence, personal responsibility and limited government. That’s…
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The new sheriff wants DEI to DIE
To the Editor: Since President Trump, by the will of the majority of American voters, has come into office he…
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We deserve better leadership than this
To the Editor: This Easter season — a time for moral reflection and renewal — I feel compelled to speak…
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As Earth Day nears, let’s talk plastic pollution
Picture this — your bottle of body wash, discarded and forgotten, now sits floating in the Pacific Ocean, mingling with…
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Term limits are not a cure all
To the Editor: To prescribe term limits for what ails Congress is like offering bleach for COVID-19. It can’t help.…
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Let’s keep debate focused on facts
To the Editor: My family has called Webster, N.C., home for six generations. In the past I have served the…
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Trump has never really had to work
To the Editor: Migrant/immigrant workers know what real work is, tending crops under a blazing sun that provide the food…
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Righting the ship is necessary
To the Editor: Since adolescence, I have stood for the principles and platform of the Republican Party, especially in the…
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Stand against partisanship in schools
It’s been a few weeks since I wrote a column for this space. Instead, we’ve been fortunate enough to print…
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Preservation is a long-term commitment
To the Editor: I was recently honored with Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Award, an award I treasured receiving. In…
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Trump doesn’t care about our suffering
To the Editor: The other day, while driving to a golf outing, President Donald Trump demonstrated a callous disregard for…
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Gas station would be a big mistake
To the Editor: I used to go to the old Jack the Dipper building between Cullowhee and Sylva. It was…
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When it comes to libraries, let’s keep the faith
Growing up as an educator’s daughter, I spent afternoons running the halls of my mom’s school with the other teachers’…
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Rally against Trump at Haywood courthouse
To the Editor: For the past month, several hundred people have gathered in front of the Haywood County Courthouse at…
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What happened to honesty, integrity?
To the Editor: Whatever happened to honesty and integrity in the United States of America? Lying, cheating and immorality seem…
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Term limits promote good government
To the Editor: The United States' founding fathers envisioned a government where elected officials would serve the nation selflessly, free…
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Elected officials need to speak up
To the Editor: This morning I read an article in the New York Times titled “Musk Targeted FEMA. Storm-Battered Communities…
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Our rights are on endangered
To the Editor: Myself, like many other people these days, are trying to keep up with the constant bombardment of…
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Lying about Social Security isn’t the answer
As an attorney, I have direct experience and the unique point of view that comes from working with the Social…
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Trump’s cronies don’t live in our universe
To the Editor: Every so often, some politician will say something so arrogant and tone-deaf as to be compared to…
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Appeal of election needs to end
To the Editor: It’s unfathomable that the citizens of North Carolina are still dealing with delays in the certification of…
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It’s time to stand against hate
To the Editor: I am a retired military officer (veteran); senior citizen; middle class; have grandchildren that are part of…
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Thank God we elected Trump
To the Editor: Thank God, most Americans were intelligent enough to see through the sleazy leftist persecution of President Trump…
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Trump agenda hurts the working man
To the Editor: Is it really necessary to make getting Social Security benefits harder, if not impossible, for elderly and…
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Slow down and be more adventurous
Is it just me or, as we get older, doesn't it seem like time moves at warp speed? When I…
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Now is the time to get involved
To the Editor: As a woman who is active in Indivisible and has protested the decisions of our government since…
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Thankful to live in this community
To the Editor: On what was supposed to be a simple one-mile hike off an overlook on the Blue Ridge…
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Pless works against taxpayers
To the Editor: State Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood, is facilitating property de-annexation with a group of current Town of Maggie…
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Paul Revere rides again
To the Editor: The other night I dreamed I heard hoofbeats on Main Street in Sylva. At first, I paid…
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Trump and Musk are a joke
To the Editor: Despite what MAGA Republicans say, our esteemed president inherited a robust economy from President Biden (except for…
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Are they malicious or incompetent?
To the Editor: Are Donald Trump and Elon Musk incompetent or malevolent in their actions toward America and the American…
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President, secretaries control agencies
To the Editor: It seems many have talked about the three branches of government and their separation and nonelected personnel.…
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All Americans must protect Constitution
To the Editor: A significant event in history is being replayed in our time. The Magna Carta was a landmark…
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A tale of two hospital systems
To the Editor: An elderly person very dear to me that I’ve known my whole life recently fell in her…
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No fraud found by Musk, DOGE
To the Editor: In response to a letter from David Lawson, MD, (SMN, Feb. 26 issue) I would like to…
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Don’t be taken in by Elon Musk
To the Editor: I write to correct misinformation in a letter to the editor written by David Lawson. He made…
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Apple bucks trend, affirms DEI support
To the Editor: In this day when actual facts can be hard to assess/confirm, here is an interesting one that…
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Musk-DOGE will lead to more fraud
To the Editor: Many of the letter writers the week of February 28 have a grasp of what is happening…
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Oval Office meeting provides clarity
To the Editor: I realize by the time this is printed that the Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky (Friday,…
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Where’s the ‘waste, fraud and abuse?’
To the Editor: The Franklin Social Security office has been closed. It was the only such office west of Asheville.…
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Headline was not appropriate
To the Editor: The Smoky Mountain News has done a great disservice to the American people with the headline “America’s…
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Ripped off by leftist operatives
To the Editor: I read the newspaper one morning when visiting the area last weekend and was legitimately shocked when…
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