My critics just can’t get enough of me
I’m sitting here writing this column in the company of Suki, a 13-year-old Golden Retriever mix. Suki is not actually…
Read More
Alternating between joy and gloom, grasshopper and ant
Spring weather like we’ve been experiencing makes clear that we live in a world essentially comprised of two kinds of…
Read More
Psychos don’t know park boundaries
To the Editor: There seems to be a bent in this publication about taking away the gun rights of decent…
Read More
Stronger rules needed to regulate puppy mills
To the Editor: For the sixth time since the end of the 2011 legislative session in North Carolina, the state…
Read More
Motorcycles are asset to tourism economy
To the Editor, It is not my norm in life to write letters to a newspaper. However, I feel that…
Read More
Squeezing a little basketball into my life of madness
While I can appreciate that many citizens get caught up in this so-called “March Madness” every year, I no longer…
Read More
From Drags to Riches: Harrah’s host drag show
Harrah's Hotel and Casino will host three of the country's top Drag Queen entertainers in DRAGS TO RICHE$, a new drag…
Read More
Grace Noon Concerts to begin 4th year
The fourth season of Grace Noon Concerts will kick off at noon on March 15 at Grace Church Episcopal in…
Read More
WCU professor’s book about ‘H.D.’ published
The University of Iowa Press recently released "The American H.D.," a book by Annette Debo, a Western Carolina University associate…
Read More
Robin Whitley to perform songs and stories
Musician Robin Whitley will offer a program called "Songs and Stories of Life" at the Jackson County Public Library in…
Read More
Dora May featured in OICA Gallery
The gallery at the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts will feature an exhibition of work by artist Dora May during…
Read More
Edible book contest at Waynesville library
Craft an edible creation inspired by a book. Whether your favorite recent read is The Lorax or Lord of the…
Read More
Theatre presents the musical, Lamb of God
The Overlook Theatre Company will present the musical, "Lamb of God," March 22-25, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the…
Read More
Groovy Movie Club presents “The Double”
The Groovy Movie Club will show the film "The Double" on Friday, March 16. The event will begin with a…
Read More
Balsam Mountain Roller Girls host retro Prom-O-Rama fundraiser
Haywood County's first female flat track roller derby team, Balsam Mountain Roller Girls, is hosting a retro prom at the…
Read More
Stellar Chapman to lead Songwriters event
Stellar "Tall Girl" Marshall Chapman will head the next Songwriters-in-the-Round event on March 17 at Balsam Mountain Inn. Chapman is…
Read More
Renowned Christian artists to perform
Four legendary artists — Steve Green, Twila Paris, Wayne Watson and Michael Card — will unite together for their Christian…
Read More
Singers earn places in honor choir
Four members of Voices in the Laurel were selected to sing in the American Choral Directors Association Southern Division Children's…
Read More
Story of dramatic mountain rescue to be centerpiece of Liars Bench show
The Liars Bench will perform the first in a series of stories called "Balsam Chronicles" at 7 p.m. on March…
Read More
Another broken promise about national park
To the Editor The National Park Service says we need to charge for backcountry camping. After hundreds of letters and…
Read More
State GOP leaders did cut education
To the Editor: The Republican state legislators have repeatedly said that the $428 million in cuts to the public education…
Read More
Support of bike rallies not a good idea
To the Editor: I was amused to read recently that Scott Cochran, the promoter for the town's upcoming Rumble in…
Read More
Police presence should be a blessing
To the Editor: Complaints about the significant police presence in Maggie Valley, I think, are highly exaggerated. In the 10-plus…
Read More
Pressley deserves everyone's support
To the Editor: All of Haywood County — and especially Maggie Valley —should be standing on their heads in support…
Read More
Maggie Valley police presence appreciated
To the Editor: With regard to your news story "Are cops making a pest of themselves in Maggie Valley?" (Feb. 29…
Read More
Letter a sad example of misinformation
To the Editor: Since Obama took office Jan. 20, 2009, the DOW has risen 48 percent, the S&P 500 is…
Read More
Hitting the trail not so easy in Jackson – at least not yet
Thanks to work obligations that have put me in Franklin several days at a time these last few weeks, I've…
Read More
Celebrating a society built on open government
We — this country, its leaders and all of us — are imperfect. We're human, and that means we get…
Read More
WCU’s literary festival promises raft of talented wordsmiths
From written word to silver screen, Western Carolina University's Spring Literary Festival will celebrate its 10th year by featuring two…
Read More
The gorilla on the state’s back is getting heavy
Government at all levels needs to spend money judiciously. It is, after all, our money. I’m not convinced either major…
Read More
Pleasantly unearthing a few long-dormant memories
I unpacked my *euphonium recently — my first love was music; writing was a fallback position — and started fooling…
Read More
Lottery funds are a boost for Haywood schools
To the Editor: A headline on a Feb. 29 article in The Smoky Mountain News creates a misleading impression of…
Read More
Brigman story needed a second opinion
To the Editor: It is interesting that The Smoky Mountain News in its reporting on superintendent of Macon County Schools…
Read More
Headline showed SMN’s political bias
To the Editor: Somewhere during my school years I was taught about slanted journalism. One of the best examples of…
Read More
Time to send Barack down the road
To the Editor: Over the weekend we heard from our 44-year-old niece. She was fretting over her 401k. She is…
Read More
Critics off mark in planning board attacks
To the Editor: Back in the 1990s, I was privileged to serve several years on the Macon County Planning Board,…
Read More
We should provide health care to all
To the Editor: As of 2010, 50 million people in the U.S. had no health insurance (no doubt more now).…
Read More
Lest we forget: Whitney was a criminal
Pardon my insensitivity. Whitney Houston was a great singing talent, indeed. That was a gift of nature. She was also…
Read More
Ordinance revisions deserve public scrutiny
To the Editor: The Jackson County Planning Department is methodically revising sections of the subdivision ordinance. In the fall, the…
Read More
Justice delayed is justice denied
To the Editor: For centuries, the citizens of our state have extolled the virtues of a fair and judicious court…
Read More
Racial Justice Act should remain intact
To the Editor: It is painful and, frankly, disgusting to witness North Carolina’s prosecutors and their allies in the General…
Read More
When it’s all about the writing, I’m all in
Even after laboring for some two decades at various news publications I can’t say that I ever particularly considered myself…
Read More
The secret life of Quintin Ellison
In a time-wasting exercise, I was giving thought recently about my earliest memory, which is of getting my knee stuck…
Read More
Taxpayers deserve easier access to voting
To the Editor: My name is John Herrin and I am a registered voter in Swain County, and I wrote…
Read More
Swain needs to keep one-stop voting site
To the Editor: Ms. Sallie Smith Bradley will celebrate her 98th birthday on Saturday, March 3, at her residence in…
Read More
My go-to source for a shot of inspiration
Do you have a muse? At different times in my life that role has been filled by different entities. As…
Read More
Safer, smarter and nostalgic about a more reckless past
In the 1960s and 70s, everybody smoked, everybody but my mother, who didn’t smoke, drink, or do anything that Ann…
Read More
Alzheimer’s letter draws needed attention
To the Editor: My heartfelt gratitude to John Corkran of Black Mountain for his letter (Asheville Citizen-Times, Feb. 6) titled…
Read More
LTLT strives to be non-partisan, helpful
To the Editor: A letter appearing in The Smoky Mountain News two weeks ago incorrectly characterized the mission, work, and…
Read More
Cherokee bear zoos need to be shut down
To the Editor: How many times do the roadside zoos in Cherokee have to be cited for violations of federal…
Read More