Defending their turf
Four-wheel drive enthusiasts are prepared to defend their use of the Tellico Off-Road Area in the Graham County section of…
Read More
SCC ranking a sign of the high quality of community colleges
In this day and age, as the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen and this country’s manufacturing…
Read More
Osama, this is George: I need you, man
By Arthur Hancock • Guest Columnist I had a dream that the following communication came into my hands. I read…
Read More
Roll the credits, please – ASU 34, Mich. 32
For the last 24 hours, I have felt like a character in a movie. You have seen the movie, probably…
Read More
Heaven in a bucket, a hillside and some blueberries
By Stephanie Wampler Have you ever doubted the existence of Heaven? If so, then I will jump to the hasty…
Read More
Mills new owners have a strong legacy to live up to
When the new owners of the Canton paper mill announced a few weeks ago that company headquarters were being moved…
Read More
When did the need for AC move up the mountain?
When we were having record and near record heat back in August, I did what any overheated mountain dweller would…
Read More
Vick a poster child for depraved stars
Has any professional athlete ever made more a mess of his life than Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick? At the…
Read More
Voting in North Carolina just got easier
The U.S. Justice Department gave final approval last week to a new North Carolina law allowing people to register and…
Read More
TDA changes ramrodded by county manager
By Scot Warf As past chairman of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), I feel compelled to share with…
Read More
It’s always somebody’s fault, isn’t it
We are a nation of blamers. When something goes wrong, or something tragic happens we, as Americans, are quick to…
Read More
Duke just hasn’t offered much to the region
The phrase “do the right thing,” the name of an early Spike Lee movie, has become a part of the…
Read More
Hats off to Jackson County commissioners
Last week Jackson County commissioners passed what is being called the strongest set of development regulations in North Carolina. They’ve…
Read More
Bury Ed in Appalachia
By Brett Martin Western North Carolina is rich with great literature written on the region, and there are still a…
Read More
Is summer over already?
When I went back to teaching full time about three years ago, one of the things I looked forward to…
Read More
Use the ‘front porch’ barometer for politicians
By John Armour If you’ve read many of these columns you know I’m addicted to politics. My spouse, among others,…
Read More
For teachers, success is in smell
By David Curtis As a schoolteacher you always wonder how your students will remember you. “She was a good teacher,…
Read More
Poo by any other name is still...
What’s in a name? What about Scat? Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Maybe. Shakespeare seemed…
Read More
Energy bill weak, but a good start
There are serious problems with the energy legislation passed this session in the North Carolina General Assembly, but the bill…
Read More
Is anyone counting the losses?
By Sami Felmet • Guest Columnist The birds and the bees. We’re losing them, you know. How will we explain…
Read More
Macon takes a stand, and developer is OK with it
It used to be the “revenooers” who were considered the most vile characters in the mountains, but now we have…
Read More
Give me a deck of cards and no sand
My dad hated the beach. At least, that is how I remember it. We only went a couple of times…
Read More
It’s not about the trees at all
I really don’t think we are as stupid as they think we are. Developers of commercial retail shopping centers have…
Read More
Town elections are important for future of WNC
A coin toss. That’s what decided the race for mayor two years ago in the Jackson County town of Forest…
Read More
Here’s what is wrong with the debates
By Marshall Frank As of this writing, five presidential debates — three Republican and two Democratic — have been held,…
Read More
A new tax by any other name
By John Hood • Guest Columnist The North Carolina General Assembly seems poised to enact a new $300 million tax…
Read More
In my neighborhood, I’m proud to say, the cows are homies
By David Curtis The cows ate my corn. My corn is Silver Queen sweet corn. It’s an 80-day corn, which…
Read More
Al Gore to ride to the Democrats’ rescue
As the war in Iraq drags on with no end in sight amid reports that al-Qaeda has regrouped and is…
Read More
The truth about the ‘Three R’s’ of conservatism
By Arthur Hancock • Guest Columnist With 70 percent of Americans now disapproving of the way George W. Bush is…
Read More
North Carolina side of park needs bigger, better visitors center
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has known it needed a new visitors center on the North Carolina side of…
Read More
A family’s painful ordeal with early onset Alzheimer’s
By Linda Watson • Guest Columnist Recently, a member of my family was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease at…
Read More
Tomatoes really can save the world
I am a firm believer that the world would be a much better place if everyone just grew tomatoes. This…
Read More
Lottery could help solve state’s teacher shortage
Since North Carolina is having such a hard time finding enough teachers, one place education leaders might look for help…
Read More
LWCF has been a great resource for this country
When most of us here in Western North Carolina go for a hike on the Appalachian Trail, hunt or fish…
Read More
A pack rat’s nightmare – a yard sale
You need some space. Believe me, I understand. The closets are so full, it takes two of you to press…
Read More
Labor unions slowly losing power in U.S.
When Blue Ridge Paper employees voted to accept the recent buyout offer from the Rank group of New Zealand, union…
Read More
Shuler shows that he will vote his conscience
Those who supported Heath Shuler’s bid to represent this region in Congress probably did not believe the detractors who spent…
Read More
Some gifts are always keepers
Kayden is doing her very best not to tell me about the preparations she and mom and Jack have made…
Read More
How do we really support the troops?
This is about war, but only from a distance. When I read about deaths in Iraq or Afghanistan, it mostly…
Read More
Research farms will benefit from more efficient system
We want the state Agricultural Research Station in Waynesville to remain open, but the Senate budget proposal that attempts to…
Read More
Feudin’ banjos and writin’ laws
By John Armour At the end of every week I take stock of what’s happened. Rare are the weeks which…
Read More
Afterschool programs still looking for respect
By Chris Lowe • Guest columnist “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education,” said Albert Einstein. Einstein is…
Read More
Another day, and it’s off to the races
7:37 a.m. — Snatched out of sleep by the ceaseless opening and closing of drawers. Goodness, woman, what can there…
Read More
Momentum building for wisely guiding WNC’s rapid growth
Blessed are the planners, for in their hands rest the fate of these mountains.
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
