An antidote to our society’s hysteria
Over the past few decades, our society has pushed for more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students. Countries like…
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Grief is love’s souvenir
Three of life’s top five stressors are death of a loved one, divorce and moving. Within the past two years,…
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Bad website, long waits mar DMV experience
A recent attempt to update my driver’s license has exposed long waits and online delays at the North Carolina Division…
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In this case, the choice is obvious
“Take the high road.” It’s a simple code for life, but one too few take to heart and even fewer…
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No hazy nostalgia with my first car
Some people’s memories of their first car are glazed with sugar, like candy apples at the county fair. It is…
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Apartment complex pleas ignored
To the Editor: On 30 July, the Waynesville Planning Board met once again concerning the proposed apartment complex on Plott…
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Some agency should have saved turkeys
To the Editor: I would like to know why the animal rescue agencies in the Waynesville area, which there are…
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Trump should reveal tax information
To the Editor: Donald Trump can bellow out from the tallest building in New York that he is an innocent…
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Trump is full of bad ideas
To the Editor: It is always amusing to hear supporters of President Trump claim that others are uninformed and vicious.…
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Politics and the search for WCU’s chancellor
As the yoke of political influence grows ever heavier around the neck of the UNC Board of Governors, Western Carolina…
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Coming full circle as a cat owner
Growing up, my family had an abundance of cats running amok. These were the days before spaying and neutering were…
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President Trump, stop the obstruction
To the Editor: Donald Trump has already obstructed justice in the Russian election interference investigation. Number one, he has failed/refused…
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Conservatives harming our infrastructure
To the Editor: The conservative right has controlled Western North Carolina politics for decades with an ideology of lower taxes…
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Let’s restore checks and balances
To the Editor: In 2016 the Fourth Circuit of Appeals declared the 2013 N.C. Voter ID Act to be unconstitutional on…
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Lawmakers fail to protect our vote
To the Editor: Western North Carolina’s federal representatives have failed their leadership report card on Russia’s interference in our elections. Rep.…
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N.C. 107 safety issues ignored
To the Editor: The stated reason for the N.C. 107 project in Sylva is to reduce traffic problems and increase…
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Trump is for a better America
To the Editor: It always amazes me that folks don’t seem to get it. Economic growth is at 4.1 percent,…
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There’s magic in these evening Edisto walks
EDISTO ISLAND, SC – For us, the magic of Steamboat Landing Road begins where the pavement ends, where the asphalt…
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Mission should not control money
To the Editor: The Mission Health board and CEO Ron Paulus clearly don’t get it: the system’s billions in assets…
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Even conservatives can’t take Trump
To the Editor: A number of letters in The Smoky Mountain News have rightly pointed out that liberals are not…
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President’s ties to Putin are dangerous
To the Editor: It is time for the U.S. Congress to act as a co-equal branch of government and rein…
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They don’t care; we have to
To the Editor: Recently I spoke with N.C. Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, about the…
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My eyes and heart open after Mexico trip
Though my parents were both teachers and worked second jobs to give my sister and me all we needed, they…
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Don’t traffic in fake news
To the Editor: In reference to the letter from Lowell Crisp titled, “The whole truth about Red Hen incident,” I…
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DACA immigrants should leave U.S.
To the Editor: Here is the news … but it is not new — there is a legal way to…
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Folkmoot wins friends around the world
To the Editor: I would like to express my enthusiastic support for the thoughts expressed in Scott McLeod great article…
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The final call to save red wolves
To the Editor: Some of you may have read my red wolf letter to the editor published in early May.…
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Watershed may not meet standards
To the Editor: The Waynesville Watershed has a Water Supply 1 (WS-1) classification, which is the most strict in North…
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Festival’s intangible value is immeasurable
Lori and I have always loved to travel, to go to new places or to get better acquainted with places…
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It’s a broken record, that’s for sure
Quite a few people have contacted me this week seeking an English translation of President Donald Trump’s recent reflections on…
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President Trump doesn’t understand volunteerism
To the Editor: It is not hard to find a lot of things to detest about what President Donald Trump…
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The whole truth about Red Hen incident
To the Editor: Just a note to let you know that I did not like your Opinion editorial about the…
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Hold off on vote for new justice
To the Editor: I am appalled that Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr want to rush through any nominee for…
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Small-town papers help knit communities together
I’m dedicating my July 4 to the courageous journalists who were murdered last week at the Capital Gazette in Maryland.…
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Thoughts on water and traditions during the holiday
Are you a lake person or a beach person? I always thought I was a beach person, but now I’m…
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Leaders need to act like adults
To the Editor: Thank you so much for so eloquently stating your opinion in this article about “not much room…
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We are a nation in crisis
To the Editor: Children are being shipped around the nation with no records and officials are either lying about their whereabouts or…
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Troubling times for this country
To the Editor: Troubling times? Very troubling times! Is America the beacon of liberty we claim to be? Is America…
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There’s not much room left in the gutter
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders got asked to leave a restaurant because the owner can’t stand her boss’…
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After the shock, and the pain, life goes on
It has been about eight months since my stepfather died. My mother has been talking about getting her house in…
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We are fractured as a nation
To the Editor: All of us who rely upon the local news as a monitor on morality have heard and…
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Environmentalism needs a new leader
To the Editor: One question that keeps going over and over in my mind is, will there be an environmental…
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Anti-Trump vitriol just too much
To the Editor: Oh my goodness! What an amazing bunch of nonsense from anti-Trump letter writers in the June 20…
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No harm in striving to understand each person
By Hannah McLeod • Guest Columnist Do not decry this generation for pushing the boundaries of respect/understanding/acceptance. People today like…
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Living in The Valley
During a divorce, one person is required to move out of the family home. After months of rigmarole and this…
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Such a sad people we have become
To the Editor: Based on available evidence, how would we describe the American population? The answer would seem to be…
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False reporting in sheriff story
To the Editor: In a news article (Swain sheriff suspends mutual aid to town, opponent claims the move is purely…
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