Be careful what you wish for
To the Editor: How strange is it that some of you are becoming the thing you hate the most? In…
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Not enough lipstick to cover this pig
To the Editor: Trump’s attack on the WHO (World Health Organization) is classic Trump. Make bad decisions and then blame…
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Frontline heroes deserve our thanks
To the Editor: The “front line” people who risk their lives and health (both mental and physical) to help safeguard…
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Advice to stay sane during the insanity
Hannah McLeod, a new writer for The Smoky Mountain News, shares her advice for staying calm and connected during the…
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A glimmer of light, perhaps, in the darkness
Way back, way back, like three or four weeks ago, our little company was on track for its best year…
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Right now, life as an otter sounds pretty good
Can we all admit that this quarantine is getting a little weirder every week? The rules for what we can…
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Raise concerns if you have them
To the Editor: These are challenging days for everyone. This is particularly true for the long-term healthcare community. Whether you…
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Thank You Haywood County
To the Editor: For the past several weeks, Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) has been busy preparing for COVID-19 to…
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Actions to save us from COVID-19 Pandemic
This moment is unprecedented. In North Carolina, COVID-19 will likely infect millions, kill thousands, leave thousands unemployed and devastate families…
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Getting married in the time of coronavirus
The COVID-19 pandemic hit us all differently. For some of us, it blew to pieces what was otherwise a normal,…
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History lessons being learned the hard way
By Jerry DeWeese • Guest Columnist | When in grade school, I wondered why my teachers spent so much time…
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Finding Easter in the COVID-19 era
Growing up, my family spent the week of Easter at Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We had…
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Health care is a human right
To the Editor: This is in response to last week’s story, “Democratic candidates in WNC call for immediate Medicaid expansion”…
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We need leadership from Washington
To the Editor: Thank you for your complete coverage of the worst national health disaster of my long life. President…
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Why all the out-of-state plates?
To the Editor: I realize there are illiterate people in this world but, really, who hasn’t heard or read the…
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Trump was too slow to react
To the Editor: Regarding the letter writer in the April 1 issue, blaming the news media for our current problems,…
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Lessen COVID-19 impact on small businesses
Social distancing is taking its toll on North Carolina’s small businesses. We don’t have state-specific numbers, but a new survey by…
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Supporting efforts to keep our community healthy
Our community — along with communities around the world — is navigating unprecedented challenges as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues…
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Distracting yourself during social distancing
I have a childhood friend from Chicago — we nicknamed him “Lucky” — who messed up bad and deserved what…
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It’s time to be the hero in your own life
Guys aren’t supposed to sit and wait. Guys are supposed to take action, to get things done. Yet we seldom…
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The days just drone by, listlessly
I am thinking of a scene in the movie “Fargo” that captures exactly how I am feeling a couple of…
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A good time to share hope
To the Editor: While I applaud the federal government for the passage of their Coronavirus Stimulus Packages to ease the…
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Democrats, media want to blame Trump
To the Editor: Congratulations to the politicians and the news media! You have been able to take a serious virus…
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Local food pantries in need
Dear Haywood County Neighbors, Haywood’s Outdoor Pantries wants you to know about one of the ways that members of our…
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How to learn and grow during corona
As all the events we look forward to each spring get canceled, we have to look inward and be creative…
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Finding our way without a map
The helplessness is the thing that’s making all of us so uneasy. Like being pushed along by a wave that…
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Like a virus, emotions are contagious
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued a new executive order stating schools would remain closed through May 15 due to…
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Living in the time of Corona
By Bob Scott, Mayor of Franklin I woke up this morning with the feeling I was in a murky, alternate…
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On main street, things won’t ever be the same
The world changed over the weekend, especially on main street. And it likely won’t ever again look the same as…
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In trying times, the cream rises to the top
If it feels like we’ve seen this all before, it’s because we have. All of a sudden, we are all…
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Trump’s pardons tell a story
To the Editor: Is it possible Donald Trump and the Republican Party he seems to have successfully hijacked have (together)…
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Demand nuclear disarmament now
To the Editor: In September 2019, I attended a meeting “Nuclear Disarmament Now: What can we do?” Prior to this…
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Budget passage critical for Western Carolina
You often hear that North Carolina’s public universities are the “crown jewel” of the state. While this is indeed true,…
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Helping kids keep out some of the noise
I’m a child of the 1980s. With side ponytails on full hairsprayed display, my big sister and I kept busy…
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There is no defense for hypocrisy
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist | One of the defenses I have heard most often offered for support for…
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Plenty of room in the arena
I became aware of a Facebook group recently called “Finding Solutions — Waynesville.” On the surface it appeared this group was…
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The rubble heap that was our basement
It has been over a week since my son had seven boys stay overnight at our house to celebrate his…
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No newspapers? No thanks
To the Editor: Imagine a world without your local newspaper. Imagine a world without any newspapers. Where would you get…
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Expand Medicaid without work mandate
To the Editor: At the recent Waynesville Town Board meeting on Feb. 11, there was a motion to support Medicaid…
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Bad choices will make things worse
By Steve Wall • Guest Columnist | There are over 200 cases of coronavirus that have appeared in Italy, with…
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Thanks for the reminder
To the Editor: I want to thank Scott McLeod for his encouragement to all of us in his “From the…
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Some political ads are not helpful
To the Editor: One of the blessings or curses of too many philosophy classes at university is an appreciation for…
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Democracy hits the mat
To the Editor: Just when I thought it was safe to be optimistic about the trajectory of our country, I…
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Lessons learned from a bird of prey
It was a crisp and cold morning. The lake was still, like a mirror. The sun had just risen. Every…
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A glut of information can paralyze voters
The phones we carry everywhere contain or have access to more information than the largest libraries in the world, many…
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The painful reality of car shopping
If I could go back now and talk to my 12-year-old self, I’d tell him a few things. First, most…
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The annual state of the lies
To the Editor: During his State of the Union address to Congress, President Donald Trump repeated more than 20 of…
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Senate loses power with impeachment
To the Editor: The President of the United States (no longer to be confused, or considered synonymous with, “Leader of…
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