Current economic woes were all avoidable

To the Editor: It is not my purpose to simply compare costs from a time long past but rather to…
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Please support the free press

To the Editor: This might sound like a puff piece, but it is really a critical review of a local…
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We need to cap price of insulin

To the Editor: Late last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 6833, a bill that caps the price…
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Support for Ukraine a big mistake

To the Editor: Forgive me if I don’t share the general enthusiasm for the war in Ukraine.
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Managing growth has never been easy

Zoning. It’s one of those words— and concepts — that’s been cussed, spat upon and kicked unkindly to the curb…
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Raise a glass to St. Peter’s

When I was in high school, I was on the basketball team. We weren’t very good, but we loved the…
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Meadow ‘fraud’ is propaganda

To the Editor: It looks like the leftist propaganda media has teamed up to smear former Rep. Mark Meadows with…
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The facts about modern families

To the Editor: This is in response to David L. Snell’s letter published in the March 16 edition. 
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A long night, lots to think about

Last night was one of those nights. That means today I’m running on caffeine instead of sleep. Normal bedtime, three…
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Five things a month to smile about

In what feels like a previous life, I was a mom blogger. After the birth of my youngest son, now…
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Speeches revealed
 party priorities

To the Editor:  Given the current events many may have missed both the State of the Union and the Republican…
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Forests need diversity for their health

To the Editor: The revised forest management plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests have been under scrutiny lately.…
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Public wants more protected forests

To the Editor: I appreciate George Hahn’s perspective on old-growth forests and agree with many of his sentiments. A mix…
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Why N.C. is at bottom of right-to-know states

For decades, North Carolina has ranked near the bottom of all states in the country when it comes to the…
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Child rearing should 
take place at home

To the Editor:  It’s almost humorous to read about what a child should glean from Pre-K and kindergarten. I said…
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Good luck to all
 who oppose Cawthorn

To the Editor:  I will be so happy for this uneducated, law-breaking manchild — Rep.  Madison Cawthorn — to be…
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ARPA helped
 most Americans

To the Editor:  March 11, 2022 was the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that was signed…
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Connecting the human ties that bind

It is mind-boggling that in the year 2022 a barbaric, nonsensical war rages in Ukraine. It’s an example that no…
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New leadership a plus for downtown Waynesville

I have not attended any of the meetings of the new Downtown Waynesville Advisory Committee, but I sense an energy,…
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Trump enabled Putin,
and this is the result

To the Editor:  Vladimir Putin has been conducting a hacking and disinformation war against the U.S. for years (China, Iran,…
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Learning to live with the mess

Maybe it was one more box of Cheez-Its left open on the table, the box surrounded by crumbs, that pushed…
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Missing: Transparency and listening skills

To the Editor: The February 10 Sylva Town Board meeting invited public comment regarding a new zoning drdinance and a…
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Don’t generalize about race issues

To the Editor: It’s appalling that you only include a singular view by Michael Boatwright about the current reality involving…
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Lent offers chance to abstain from meat

To the Editor: In Western churches, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter, and provides…
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Put social districts to a referendum

To the Editor: On Thursday night, February 10, the Sylva Board of Commissioners, on a split vote of three to…
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A grand opportunity for the USFS and partners

The USFS recently released the final version of the forest management plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala National forests  After…
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Finding joy in the past and present

They say nostalgia and reminiscing can do two things to the psyche: be a buffer against ailments like depression and…
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School mask decision was a mistake

To the Editor: As parents and as a teacher and health care professional, we are troubled by the Haywood School…
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The nostalgia of football and Snoop Dogg

My mom was a tiny Southern lady who graduated salutatorian of her senior class and never said a cuss word…
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No endings, only new beginnings

I can’t tell you how many goodbye columns I’ve read over the years from reporters leaving their posts, lamenting over…
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From Me to We

“The story can’t be about the heroism of one person any more, it has to be about the heroism of communities.” —…
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Is justice really just?

To the Editor: Justice. What is it? 
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Careless book banning is seldom a good idea

Removing the book “Dear Martin” from a 10th-grade English class at Tuscola High School likely didn’t prevent students in that…
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A party adrift after Trump’s tenure
 

A party adrift after Trump’s tenure

To the Editor: Almost from the moment World War II ended, we have watched in horror as one dictator after…
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Moms, remember … new year, same you

I listened to a podcast recently that blasted January’s public relations company for making everyone feel bad about themselves. Instead…
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What lesson does censorship teach our children?

When I learned of the removal of the book “Dear Martin” from an English II class at Tuscola High School,…
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Birthdays, cardinals and roller skating

My older son turned 13 on Jan. 19, and my younger son turned 10 on Jan. 20. They are both…
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Pulling book was a mistake

To the Editor: I, too, deplore young people’s use of “foul language,” but hearing or reading it would not have…
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Police need more resources to succeed

Make no mistake, it would be a stretch to say a partnership between Western Carolina University and the town of…
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Truth, not lies, will keep us free

To the Editor: If we really seek the truth, we go to primary sources — those who originate an idea, policy,…
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Clampitt can’t have it both ways

To the Editor: Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, in The Smoky Mountain News addressed his membership in the Oath Keepers. 
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No to sanctuary bear hunting

To the Editor: The Bear Education and Resource (B.E.A.R.) Task Force stands in opposition to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission…
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Fight indoctrination with truth, integrity

To the Editor: We are being inundated with the phrase, “Educate Don’t Indoctrinate.” It is now on billboards and in…
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You’ll need to know this word — anocracy

To the Editor: A word most of us are unfamiliar with but will become commonplace in the months and years to…
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