Like canaries in a coal mine

By Sandi Sox • Guest Columnist I have been haunted this week by words Kathryn Stripling Byer wrote in a piece…
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Drinking in the memories at the beach

We had plans to take the kids to a remote island outside of Charleston for a summer beach trip. I…
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Defining America’s religious philosophy
 

Defining America’s religious philosophy

To the Editor: Here we are in 2019 arguing about worthiness to be an American citizen. Down through time some…
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N.C. needs Medicaid expansion
 

N.C. needs Medicaid expansion

To the Editor: I read with interest the recent article by Patrick Gleason titled “What Queen didn’t tell readers about…
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Coyotes can be loving
 

Coyotes can be loving

To the Editor: I was sad to read the article “Wolf Tales” in last week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain…
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Kudos for addressing brush clear cutting
 

Kudos for addressing brush clear cutting

To the Editor: I just finished reading the story in the July 17 issue of The Smoky Mountain News by…
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What Queen didn’t tell readers about budget standoff

By Patrick M. Gleason • Guest Columnist What Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, failed to mention in his recent column in these pages…
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The four R’s help the earth

To the Editor: What are you doing to implement the four R’s to help our environment, which are Recycle, Re-use,…
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Story of acceptance saddened me greatly

To the Editor: The article regarding Waynesville’s First United Methodist Church’s from July 10 (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/27236) saddened me greatly. I am…
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No theocracy for this country

To the Editor: Have you really, really thought about these five words: “In the beginning God created…? Maybe it’s time…
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Aquarium project slowed, but end is in sight

By Michael Glover • Guest Columnist This is in response to the letter “Disappointed in New Aquarium” from Chuck Harrell…
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I’m grateful for the fleas

It’s important for us to name that which brings us gratitude. This week, I’m grateful for the fleas that invaded…
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A festival that all of WNC should embrace

It’s fascinating to watch a cultural arts organization grow up, mature, get a little long-in-the-tooth, and then re-define itself to…
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The mountains are calling
 

The mountains are calling

To the Editor: As mid-summer escorts me past three personal milestones — the one-year anniversary of the death of my…
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Time to jettison elected leaders
 

Time to jettison elected leaders

To the Editor: The dead silence of the Republican members in Congress responding to Trump’s blatantly racist comments against sitting…
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The time is now for the Earth
 

The time is now for the Earth

To the Editor: The latest issue of Sierra had to be one of the most depressing in a long time.…
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Independent redistricting is the only answer

As we celebrate Independence Day, it seems an appropriate time to call for an independent commission to address North Carolina’s…
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Budget is about $95 million for Haywood, Jackson and Swain

By Rep. Joe Sam Queen • Guest Columnist I will stand with our governor and uphold his budget veto because…
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Our people are acting crazy again

Our people are leaving. Again. We’ve seen this all before. We see it every year around this time. It’s hot…
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We need God, not Trump

To the Editor: We have this evil problem in the U.S.A. because a stupid woman took God out of our…
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So embarrassed by this President

To the Editor: Two and a half million dollars! $2,500,000!! That was money diverted from the Park Service for an…
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Climate change is in our children’s hands

Last Friday, as I watched the U.S. women’s soccer team defeat France at the Parc des Princes stadium, I kept…
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Disappointed in new aquarium
 

Disappointed in new aquarium

To the Editor: I visited the new aquarium in Bryson City on Saturday. I was very disappointed. Volunteers put thousands of…
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Educators are indeed professionals
 

Educators are indeed professionals

To the Editor: I’m writing to express my outrage regarding the claim in a letter recently printed in local paper…
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The dog’s eating our daughter’s college fund

I think our chihuahua has an eating disorder. He’s a rescue, and since we rescued him, he’s twice the dog…
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Leveraging the best requires better broadband 

By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist Those of us fortunate enough to live in communities where natural amenities abound know…
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Impeachment is worth the risks
 

Impeachment is worth the risks

To the Editor: To impeach or not to impeach, that is the question on the minds of many Americans and…
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Right-wingers spread fake news
 

Right-wingers spread fake news

To the Editor: FAKE NEWS!  While I don’t make a habit of using Trump terms, it’s the best way to…
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Let’s encourage young adults to engage

Many readers know or suspect that Hannah McLeod, who has been publishing columns semi-regularly in The Smoky Mountain News since…
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Potential life lessons of burlesque dancing

Burlesque dancing may be in my future.  Some of us gals at The Smoky Mountain News have been invited to…
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‘Reasons’ for war?
 

‘Reasons’ for war?

To the Editor: In the summer of 1964, I was a 20 year old boiler-man aboard the U.S.S. Preston (DD-795),…
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OWM built the nation
 

OWM built the nation

To the Editor: In a recent issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Ms. Hannah McLeod expressed her disdain for evangelical…
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Opposing abortion because of the victim
 

Opposing abortion because of the victim

To the Editor: In the June 5 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Hannah McLeod imputes the motives of those…
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Thanks for speaking out so forcefully
 

Thanks for speaking out so forcefully

To the Editor: I commend Hannah McLeod for speaking so forthrightly and forcefully about the new extreme abortion laws.
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Twenty down,  20 more to go
 

Twenty down, 20 more to go

To the Editor: Hats off to Scott McLeod and the staff at SMN for navigating two decades of informative, entertaining…
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Thank the hard-working journalists
 

Thank the hard-working journalists

To the Editor: Congratulations The Smoky Mountain News for its 20th anniversary. As a fifth-generation journalist, I thoroughly enjoyed reading…
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Respect for others missing in Edwards’ response
 

Respect for others missing in Edwards’ response

In the most recent edition of the SMN (June 5), I read a guest editorial written by Mr. Sam Edwards…
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When the universe offers gifts, unwrap them

The final school bells have rung.  When I was teaching, the last few weeks of school were grueling and felt…
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Passion is no excuse for spreading error

Upon seeing Hannah McLeod’s recent guest column published in these pages on May 29, my first reaction was that it…
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You won’t make friends like this again

 By the time she was 4-years-old, my daughter was better at making friends than I have ever been. When we…
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Memorial Day is more than flags and speeches

My wife, Lori, and I recently attended the wedding of my nephew in Fayetteville. While there, we wandered around downtown…
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A prayer for Mike and all who served

I wish I knew where Mike is. I haven’t seen or heard from him in 10 years at least. I…
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Evangelical fingerprints all over abortion bills

By Hannah McLeod • Guest Columnist Living outside the United States makes it easier to ignore the day-to-day whirlwind of…
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Why deny health coverage?
 

Why deny health coverage?

To the Editor: Many people in our Western North Carolina counties are in a health care coverage void. Through no…
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Trump threatens our ideals
 

Trump threatens our ideals

To the Editor: Thank you for publishing Norman Hoffman’s diagnosis of our president’s obvious disorder. Hoffman’s approach is logical, analytical,…
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HRMC leaders support HB 655
 

HRMC leaders support HB 655

To the Editor: You don’t have to look far to see that many in North Carolina — approximately 500,000 —…
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We have been attacked by Russia
 

We have been attacked by Russia

To the Editor: What if you could attack a country without building a single plane, or ship, or even one…
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