I’m sorry for all the impotence ads
By John Armor • Guest Columnist There are certain categories of ads on TV which offend me, and no doubt…
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Park Service opinion could seal road’s fate
The road, it appears, stops here. Now, elected leaders and citizens must demand a timetable for the $52 million settlement…
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A surprising reminder of a common bond
By Stephanie Wampler One morning in early spring, I woke up before anyone else and went out on my porch.…
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The lamentable loss of Appalachian yard junk
By Brent Martin The most popular subject of conversation in mountain communities today deals with the hollows and ridge tops…
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Ushering in a new era in Maggie Valley
A whole lot of residents and business owners are excited — and that’s putting it mildly — about Ghost Town’s…
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It’s all, really, about the tadpoles
The kids are doing their best to amuse themselves there at the water’s edge, but they are past restless. Something…
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Swain takes encouraging step with road proposals
Swain County is drafting a set of road standards that will serve its citizens well on two levels. First, the…
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The day Uncle Billy’s sheep got baptized
By Carl Iobst Down in the flatlands of Eastern North Carolina there’s an Apex man that’s got a powerful interest…
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Will we ever learn history’s lessons of war?
By Michael Beadle World wars, civil wars, the Crusades, wars of rebellion and independence. Why does humanity continue to go…
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Real estate school for elected leaders
Money and politics. Right now in the mountains, we can add real estate to that equation.
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Letter to Haywood Regional Medical Center
Dr. Michael Ray, who worked for Haywood Emergency Physicians before quitting in summer 2006, wrote this letter to the Haywood…
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Nurses deserve support for speaking up
By Michael Rey I would like to offer some words of support for those Emergency Department Nurses at Haywood Regional…
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A distant memory of child’s play
By Kathryn Stripling Byer Soon school will be over for the year. Students will leave their classrooms and bound out…
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Bush’s obstinance is a rare opportunity
With President Bush’s veto of the Democrats’ bill to set a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq,…
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Re-thinking transportation is a must
Dark clouds were rolling in on Saturday as I sat in our Sylva office while Western North Carolina’s original environmental…
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Fluffy turns out to be a greaser
By Stephanie Wampler My fluffy white dog was no longer white — his snout was grey with grease, the hair…
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West Waynesville roadwork needs to be designed well
Imagine how this scenario could work, if it was a reality: a state Department of Transportation in lockstep with the…
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Two Poems by Zora Walker
The Man in the Pickup Truck You may be a man who drives a cadillac and lives in a big…
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No time for sentimentality
By Dawn Gilchrist Young “ ... and all day I turn over my own best thoughts, each one as…
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Haywood nurses frustrated by changes
Editor’s note: A group of nurses who work at the Haywood Regional Medical Center Emergency Room recently contacted The Smoky…
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Media blew it at Virginia Tech
The same popular culture that some have alleged to produce yet another mass murderer wasted no time in trying to…
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WNC is at the forefront of the green revolution
The expansion announced last week by Smoky Mountain Biofuels and Mountain Energy will help place Western North Carolina at the…
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I know just what you’re thinking ...
Call me a little superstitious, but I defend my right to harbor a few fears. That’s why, after breaking my…
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Let’s stop the hypocrisy
Thank goodness for Don Imus. After 25 years of gutteral lyrics in the name of entertainment, none of which was…
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Landing jobs should be part of the mix
By Becky Anderson This is the time for members of the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly to follow their hearts…
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Some people — all the time
Some people complain all the time, about everything. They complain about the weather, the price of gasoline, their neglectful friends,…
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Cousin Eugene fights the train
By Carl Iobst Ed Stephens of Dillsboro recently had a problem with the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. According to the…
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There’s no acceptable reason not to recycle glass
He’s on record, and we for one will hold him to it: Haywood County’s new solid waste director says anything…
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Meal deal shines light on Swain’s dirty politics
It’s not clear what Swain County commissioners are hoping to accomplish by turning over to the District Attorney’s office the…
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Be a sport, get involved in Senior Games
By Dick and Sandy Michener Are you a serious competitor or a weekend athlete? Are you an accomplished artist or…
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Granny’s Farm and the boys from Chicago
By Jim Joyce My great- grandparents, on my mother’s side, “Bestafahr” and “Bestamour” (Nelson and Christiana Wurtz) emigrated from Denmark…
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Another deadline – not a problem
Everywhere I go, I get the same question: “How do you do it? How do you find the time and…
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In truth, boating won’t harm the Chattooga
By Bruce Hare • Guest Columnist I would like to respond to Mr. James Costa’s letter (March 14, The Smoky…
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Initiative puts a new face on an important issue
Being environmentally conscious has become mainstream, but we still have a long way to go before mankind figures out how…
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Giving up too much for fear
There’s been a lot of discussion about the attack on the student in the cafeteria of Tuscola High School a…
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A mother’s remedy for shark attacks
By Stephanie Wampler It was one of those days .... One of those days when an unnecessarily shrill alarm clock…
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Contacting my hirsute love
Back in the early 1950s when Western Carolina University was still Western Carolina Teachers College, I got a crush on…
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A new approach to smart growth
“What we’re trying to do here is reduce the impact of development. That’s really what conservation is, the wise use…
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Protecting the best of mountain culture
“The highest form of morality is not to feel at home in one’s own home.” “What has become alien to…
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High time for a new morning ritual
I don’t wear a watch. Why should I? Everywhere I look, I see the time of day. In fact, no…
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Upper Chattooga River will suffer from boating
By James Costa • Guest Columnist There has been much discussion in recent weeks regarding the notion of opening the…
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Tax policy can help save rural land
By Susan Ervin • Guest Columnist The recent tax revaluations in Macon County have many people worried — not just…
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Easley’s budget goes wrong way on lottery
Gov. Mike Easley’s proposed budget would decrease the portion of lottery proceeds going to education — before legislators have a…
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The day Uncle Curtis’ rabbits did the town
By Carl Iobst Well if this don’t beat all. Over in eastern Germany where lederhosen, apple strudel, and skinheads are…
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Moratorium will preserve building industry, not destroy it
The Jackson County commissioners should move forward with their temporary subdivision moratorium, notwithstanding all the concerns that have been raised…
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Now what will the wagging tongues talk about?
Jack Cox and Kayden Zollinger (soon to be Cox, pending paperwork) are proud — and relieved — to announce the…
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Tribe, unlike Google and others, isn’t asking for a handout
By David Redman • Guest Columnist There is absolutely no doubt about the economic impact the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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Common goal is the same – a thriving downtown
Downtown Sylva is a special place. The events of the last couple of months only reinforce that fact, and so…
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Ask not what your county can do for you
Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their county. Ask not…
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Tipping one back with Baby
By Carl Iobst Gee, what’ll they think of next. In Olympia, the capital of Washington state, there’s a state representative…
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