Court ruling promises sleazy campaign season
To the Editor: Are you sickened by the millions of dollars spent to elect politicians at a time when too…
Read More
Medwest affiliation will benefit patients
By Kate Queen • Guest Columnist At the beginning of December, Mountain Medical Associates, an established, multi-specialty internal medicine practice…
Read More
A good time to get back to the beginning
I’ve put my keyboard-soft finger on what is probably the most common flaw of the human species: the unnerving tendency…
Read More
Building community protects against calamity
While reading the article “Getting ready: Growing number of preppers work to ensure survival in case of societal collapse” (Dec.…
Read More
Does the right practice what it preaches?
To the Editor: We find ourselves during the holidays celebrating the birth of a man whose teaching greatly affected our…
Read More
99 percenters better pay attention to GOP
To the Editor: To all 99 percenters. You had better be paying attention to what Newt Gingrich and his cronies…
Read More
Why spend money moving art during tough times?
To the Editor: As I bounce merrily along the potholes on the way into town, I often wonder if the…
Read More
Cutting Russ Avenue trees was bad move
To the Editor: I think that clear-cutting the slope on Russ Avenue across the road from Kmart was ridiculous. I…
Read More
Staring down a blank computer on deadline
It happens to writers much better than me. I know this, because I need only to open a book and…
Read More
Navel oranges bring back memories of Dad, Christmas
On Christmas Eve, my dad would always bring home a huge box of navel oranges and bags of pecans, walnuts,…
Read More
The story of the Christmas tree and the wife
Another Christmas tragedy appeared on the horizon with the arrival of our Christmas tree. I have often thought the holiday…
Read More
The sage gardener won’t put off these chores
If you haven’t covered your greens yet — and I’m among those who have not — it’s time. We’ve been…
Read More
Marketing success depends on cooperation
To the Editor: With reference to Quintin Ellison’s and Becky Johnson’s excellent reporting on the tourism marketing program for Jackson…
Read More
Think before making a taxpayer-backed loan
To the Editor: “When asked about the likelihood of the AM radio station surviving in today’s advertising landscape, Jackson County…
Read More
Gingrich’s rise a sad indictment on GOP field
For Newt Gingrich to have floated to the top of the Republican presidential slough tells what a dismal swamp it…
Read More
Read it here – the truth about how the world will end
I normally veer from airing my opinion as a columnist in the editorial pages on issues that I cover as…
Read More
People too gullible about Occupy movement
To the Editor: After reading Carol Larivee’s letter noting the differences between the Tea Party and the Occupy movement, it…
Read More
Tea Party faithful are decent Americans
To the Editor: In the Nov. 23-29 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Carole Larivee wrote a letter comparing the…
Read More
Remember that it’s Democrats raising taxes
To the Editor: So the Democrat North Carolina state senators have waived off the chance to cap the automatic 4…
Read More
Backhanded compliments all a part of turning 50
When I turned 50 last week, I did not feel any older and certainly no wiser, but I did realize…
Read More
Poppies beneficial to VFW projects
To the Editor: On behalf of Veterans Of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5202 in Waynesville, I would like to thank…
Read More
Serving up a heaping helping of internal turmoil
I helped raise three turkeys this year. They were named Thanksgiving, Christmas and Extras. These turkeys were intended as the…
Read More
With rights come responsibilities
To the Editor: I believe I can answer the question used as a headline for Quintin Ellison’s story in the…
Read More
Why the deficit supercommittee failed
To the Editor: The deficit reduction supercommittee failed for two reasons. A deficit results when expenditures exceed revenues. The Republicans…
Read More
Could we bring Shangri-La back to the mountains?
One fall when I was 9 years old, just about the time WWII ended, the Jackson County Elementary School was…
Read More
The mad, mad world of Scroto Baggins
Newspaper people are a special breed. As a type, these are individuals who tend toward the eccentric and are decidedly…
Read More
Warm memories from a frozen scout – awesome
During the winter, we met every Tuesday night in the conference room of the First Methodist Church, and on the…
Read More
Enjoyed talking to mountain farmers
To the Editor, I just want to express my sincere appreciation to the farmers of Haywood County, the members of…
Read More
‘I hear the train a comin’ … to Dillsboro
To the Editor: Every businessman and political and community leader in Jackson County should feel some gratitude this Thanksgiving and…
Read More
Tea Party and Occupy are so similar – not
To the Editor: I guess it’s inevitable that comparisons will be made between the Occupy and Tea Party movements. In…
Read More
No more important time than now to keep it local
There’s more than just a little irony the official Small Business Saturday promotion that encourages people to spend their money…
Read More
Words bring us together and open pathways
Editor’s note: Dawn Gilchrist-Young teaches English at Swain County High School and was the 2011 winner of the Norman Mailer…
Read More
To dream the impossible garden dream
As I have written previously, in my dreams I am a tidy gardener. One of those saints who uses a…
Read More
Reducing stray cat population is goal
To the Editor: “Population shrinking and growing older,” a headline from a recent newspaper article, is exactly Haywood Animal Welfare…
Read More
Newspaper policy bad for Bryson City
To the Editor: I found it curious that The Smoky Mountain Times in Bryson City had not run any articles…
Read More
Awful timing for Duke’s rate hike request
I don’t know Duke Energy CEO James Rogers and don’t have anything against him. But it’s not very hard not…
Read More
Youth have no time for the love of reading
Is reading — just for the pure, leisurely joy of it -— becoming the pastime of a bygone era? For…
Read More
Cooperative marketing essential to success
To the Editor: With reference to Quintin Ellison’s and Becky Johnson’s excellent reporting on the tourism marketing program for Jackson…
Read More
Professor George Herring could always flip the switch
During the five years that I spent at Western Carolina University (1954-58 and 1965), I had the good fortune to…
Read More
Smart phone volunteers lead us into the future
One of the drawbacks perks of my job is the amazing number of meetings I’m forced fortunate enough to attend.…
Read More
No town money spent to purchase public art
To the Editor: Recent political ads by the Waynesville-Haywood Concerned Citizens contain materially false representations. There has never been any…
Read More
A golden literary opportunity is in my future, I’m sure
I missed a golden opportunity to see my name emblazoned on a book spine by not writing about Western North…
Read More
WHCC claims skirt the truth
To the Editor: I appreciated your article “Meet the candidates: Who’s who in Waynesville’s race” (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/5412) regarding the upcoming elections,…
Read More
Political ad mis-stated several key facts
To the Editor: As a member of the Waynesville Public Art Commission from September 2006 to March 2011, I am…
Read More
Facts matter and homework counts
To the Editor: Homework counts. I like to think that candidates running for the Waynesville Town Board would be interested…
Read More
Once you cross the line, there’s no going back
I followed the Janet Moore controversy from the beginning to its conclusion, which was all of three days. The former…
Read More
Describing the indescribable sends me to my book shelves
The exquisite, fleeting beauty of autumn is with us now. Cold nights signal changes to come. Soon there will be…
Read More
Smart bear kicks off ‘Bear Smart’ program
To the Editor: Just prior to the opening of the “Bear Smart” program, on Tuesday night at the Sapphire Valley…
Read More
Despite problems, we need less government
To the Editor: In the Oct. 19 Smoky Mountain News, a photo and story feature covered the Oct. 15 Occupy…
Read More
Candidates should promote unity
To the Editor: In the election article for Maggie Valley, I read three candidates — the mayoral candidate Ron DeSimone…
Read More
