When faith and government collide
To the Editor: In Rowan County, Kentucky, Kim Davis has been ordered to jail for contempt of court. Her confinement…
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Canton can rebrand itself, but it won’t be easy
With the right leadership, it can happen. If the national and regional economy continues chugging along for another few years…
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Friday night lights still shining bright
“So, you’re a band parent, huh? Boy, is your life about to change.” My wife and I heard that a…
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A bag of stories and an oil can
By John Beckman • Guest Columnist Forty-two years ago a very interesting man moved into the broken, haunted brick mansion two…
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Despite Sanders’ rhetoric, nothing is free
To the Editor: Such a nice man, this Bernie Sanders, we just love him, he just wants to help everyone!…
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Tourism figures point to a post-recession recovery
Recently released figures on the impact of tourism in Western North Carolina are encouraging. More visitors are spending more money,…
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Lawmakers simply need to do more for education
Editor’s note: The following letter was recently sent to all members of the North Carolina General Assembly As students and…
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We need more veggie options in schools
To the Editor: With the new school year just starting, parents’ attention is on school clothes, supplies and lunches. Yes,…
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Sanders has unique vision for U.S.A.
To the Editor: Like many across America, I’ve become very tired of politicians of both parties talking out of both…
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This is one ride I’m not gonna miss
Some of them arrive four or five days early, packed up and just sitting there on the Haywood County Fairgrounds…
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Macon citizens want to help the homeless
To the Editor: Thank you Macon County. It was truly humbling to see the community turnout for the Homeless Symposium.…
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You can choose your own worldview
To the Editor: I am a human being, a member of a family, an American, and a Democrat, in that…
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Trump may be best choice for president
To the Editor: Traditionally, Americans have sent lawyers to congressional offices in Washington. The assumption was that they would be…
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My ‘year of lasts’ is officially underway
I was watching my son’s soccer game last night and the old Al Stewart tune, “Time Passages,” kept running through…
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Shining Rock was not prepared for hearing
To the Editor: The August 17 Town of Waynesville Planning Board meeting provided first-time meeting participants a crash course in…
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Don’t mix faith with government
To the Editor: In Man for Himself, Erich Fromm gave us this valuable observation. He wrote, “Because of the fact…
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Bernie Sanders excitement builds
To the editor: July 29 Bernie Sanders spoke to the entire country using the Internet. It was an incredible event.…
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The Democrats’ war on babies is in trouble
To the Editor: Now Democrats have once again dredged up the fabricated notion that Republicans are waging a war on…
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Thoughts on my Southern heritage
To the Editor: The controversy in South Carolina revolving around the Confederate Flag has made me think about my Southern…
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Pay attention to new charter school
To the Editor: Every person who pays taxes in Haywood County needs to be aware of, and pay attention to,…
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GOP’s Trump problem won’t be easily resolved
I would wager that I despise politics just about as much as you do. Whatever your political affiliation, we would…
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Another constitutional crisis for Obama
To the Editor: Dear House and Senate national representatives: Are you going to allow Obama to precipitate another constitutional crisis…
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Ashamed of Cherokee Bear Zoo
To the Editor: I am a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee who has not lived in Cherokee since…
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Some concerns about charter school
To the Editor: Since the proposed Shining Rock Classical Academy Charter School has been in the news lately, I would…
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The public – not the newspaper – deserves to know
I’m sure the founders of Haywood County’s new charter school — Shining Rock Classical Academy — never imagined a week…
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Meaningful gun control deserves passage
To the Editor: House Speaker John Boehner boasted in a mass e-mail that he had gotten ahead of President Obama…
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It seemed like a great idea at the time ...
It looked so good on paper, the way terrible ideas always do. Instead of boarding our miniature dachshund as we…
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Tribal council takes the wrong stand on openness
The Tribal Council kicked us out again. Holly Kays, a reporter for The Smoky Mountain News, was told on July…
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Old steel should be used for footbridge
To the Editor: I have an idea for reducing the cost of the footbridge at the end of the Cullowhee…
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The Battle Flag was indeed about slavery
To the Editor: To get past the emotionality regarding the Virginia Battle Flag, we need to examine its history and…
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Hillary has way too much baggage
To the Editor: When Bill Clinton was president, Hillary assumed authority over health care reform. Even after threats, she couldn't…
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Parents should teach children to drive
To the Editor: The problem of how to fund driver's ed could be easily solved. Since when did it become…
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How can we be proud to be Americans?
To the Editor: USA Today has reported that on average there were 96 cases of a white police officer killing…
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The Confederate flag flap: Rapid policy change? yes; rapid shift in public opinion? no
By Gibbs Knotts & Chris Cooper A longstanding social science finding holds that collective public opinion is fairly sticky on…
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Folkmoot is about more than dancing, watching
By Hannah McLeod • Guest Columnist We all have those memories that lurk in the back of our brain, the hazy,…
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Our Edisto story is still being written
EDISTO ISLAND, SC — Whether it is a time-honored family tradition or simply the very real possibility that, as a…
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State should leave well enough alone at the local level
The North Carolina Senate has become emboldened in its partisanship over the last couple of years, and there appears to…
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The real meaning of religious freedom
To the Editor: The news of the last couple of weeks brings into sharp focus the divided world we live…
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The reality of the Confederate flag legacy
I have seen more Confederate flags flying in the past couple of weeks than I have seen in years. A…
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A story all about good people doing good things
I should get over being astounded by the way the world works. And I’m talking about the good stuff, not…
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Declare independence from meat industry
To the Editor: Nearly 240 years ago, our founding fathers declared our national independence from Great Britain. This Fourth of…
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Waynesville entryways are too junky
To the Editor: This piece could be titled, “How to beat a dead horse in 350 words or less.” First…
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DOT could stand for the Department of Trash
“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous…
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Symbols matter, and so does removing them
Complicated. Ignorant. Entrenched. It’s easy to come up with words to describe the state of race relations in this country…
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Relationship — and innocence — lost, just like that
Many years ago, in a time and a place that seems so far away to me now, I courted a…
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Do people really believe this stuff?
To the Editor: Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the scientific discoveries made on almost a daily basis,…
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Reacting to changing climate of medicine
To the Editor: As a pediatrician, it has been my privilege to serve the families of Western North Carolina for…
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One split-second separates heroism from its alternative
I remember someone once telling me that all the seemingly trivial, decidedly unimportant choices you make every day prepare you…
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Animal shelter needs proper planning
To the Editor: There has been recent news coverage and public discussion about the plans for the new Haywood County…
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Our elected leaders are out of control
To the Editor: It has appeared for a long time that the American people have turned into a flock of…
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