‘OK Boomers,’ let’s just settle down

By Bob Clark • Guest Columnist A 25-year-old New Zealand legislator, Chloe Swarbrick, was speaking about the environment when an older…
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The long wait is finally over

I didn’t know how much I would miss Shoney’s biscuits and gravy, potato soup, and hot fudge cake until they…
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Roadside trash hurts our economy

To the Editor: I recently sent this letter to Jackson County commissioners. I am writing because I am dismayed in…
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Gov. Cooper is red wolf ally

To the Editor: Fewer than 20 red wolves persist in the wild in Eastern North Carolina. Although the population has…
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Thanks for EV charging stations

To the Editor: This Thanksgiving season I would like to recognize and thank the towns of Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Sylva…
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2020 election could be compromised

To the Editor: Rachel Carson, legendary scientist and writer, made this profound statement in her 1962 classic environmental book Silent…
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Trump overplays his hand with military

Under this commander-in-chief, war criminals are framed as heroes for political gains with his base while veterans who served with…
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Food and exercise make good medicine

I was recently introduced to a book called What Made Maddy Run written by reporter Kate Fagan. It’s the story…
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Congress should fix drug prices

To the Editor: I am an older American and live on a fixed income. Some seniors have to choose between…
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DBD bill won’t help anyone

To the Editor: Back on Oct. 3 at WCU’s Opioid Town Hall, I found myself applauding Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon,…
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Celebrating family, longevity and all that’s possible

Lillie is my dad’s big sister. He’s been gone for nineteen years — from a heart attack, in bed, while…
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Politics too often beats our morality

The past few weeks have demonstrated the dark direction the United States is taking in foreign policy. Our country declared…
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Do us a favor, Meadows: retire
 

Do us a favor, Meadows: retire

To the Editor: Our NC 11th Dist. Rep. Mark Meadows suggested that he is bored with his job when he stated…
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Facts learned from impeachment hearings
 

Facts learned from impeachment hearings

To the Editor: Those of us who watched the impeachment inquiry testimony and some of the factual news reports afterward…
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It’s all about the journey

It’s called Blue Ridge Motorcycling Magazine, and it’s become part of our family. Let me explain. At almost 60 years…
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A winding plot to a published children’s book

Tattoos often follow times of darkness or transition. When my mom’s cancer got to a point of no return, I…
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Budget vote was for my district

To the Editor: In response to Kevin Brock’s letter to the editor regarding my vote on the North Carolina budget…
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Learning to relish the meaningful moments

As fall draws to a close, and the leaves turn brown to pile up on the sidewalk instead of in…
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Grocery store is stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey

Mushrooms. I needed mushrooms, and mushrooms were all I needed. It was my night to cook, and I wanted to…
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Trump echoes Joseph McCarthy

To the Editor: In the 1930s FDR’s administration passed the New Deal. The centerpiece of this legislation was Social Security.…
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Words matter, and this is extortion

To the Editor: We need to be clear that the impeachment inquiry is about extortion and not quid pro quo.…
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Why Corbin should not be our senator

To the Editor: In the stifling summer humidity of Philadelphia a couple of centuries ago, a group of men put…
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Can you put a value on what we provide?

Does the information we provide each week — information that we have been producing free for the last 20 years…
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A sweet reminder of fate

My two boys are children of divorce. That’s a phrase I never thought I’d say. But then again, life never…
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Compassion needed for homelessness

By Jesse-lee Dunlap • Guest Columnist After last Tuesday’s town hall forum at Frog Level Brewing, I found myself shocked and…
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Moving Open Door won’t solve anything
 

Moving Open Door won’t solve anything

To the Editor: I keep trying to grasp how a brewery can be the voice for a community battling addiction. 
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You don’t turn your back on friends

By Hannah McLeod • Guest Columnist The raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was…
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The drive-in brings back memories

I’m as nostalgic as the next guy. I mean, I don’t get choked up over the thought of bell bottoms…
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Thanks for offering diverse perspectives

To the Editor: Even though I do not agree with everything Franklin Graham said in the interview that appeared two…
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GOP grandstanding is an embarrassment

To the Editor: On Wednesday, Oct. 23 — the day after William Taylor gave damning testimony about the Trump Administration’s quid…
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Good Samaritans in Dillsboro

To the Editor: My husband and I were traveling through Jackson County headed home to Florida when we had a…
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Who wins from U.S. betrayal?

To the Editor: With the whirlwind of horrors in Syria, perhaps we should remind ourselves of basics: • The Kurds…
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Voter ID required in 2020 elections

To the Editor: North Carolina law now requires that everyone voting in 2020 must have an approved form of voter…
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Wide-ranging coverage, spirited opinions

These days, too many Americans refuse to concede that a point-of-view other than their own has any validity. I’m afraid…
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So this is 40

I turn 40 years old this week.  The idea has not been settling well, and I’m not sure why. I’m…
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Franklin Graham is too partisan
 

Franklin Graham is too partisan

To the Editor: The Rev. Franklin Graham (whose father, Billy Graham, my family and I saw in The Boston Gardens…
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Ban assault-style weapons
 

Ban assault-style weapons

To the Editor: U.S. taxpayers buy rapid-fire weapons for qualified military personnel, which is a vital part of the “common…
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Gavin Brown is best bet for mayor
 

Gavin Brown is best bet for mayor

To the Editor: I’m writing to acknowledge my support for the re-election of Gavin Brown as mayor of Waynesville. I…
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The facts are known, the outcome is not

People can disagree on whether or not Donald Trump should be removed from office. That is our right. But there…
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Next season, I’ve got some new mojo in mind

I am supposed to be watching a Dodgers game tonight. At this very moment, I should be pushing one of…
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GOP should stand up to Trump

To the Editor: Last week, the White House Counsel sent a letter to the House leadership that claims Trump is…
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Here’s the truth about immigration

By Paul Strop • Guest Columnist I read with interest a recent letter expressing concerns about immigration, truly one of the…
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Trump: a quintessentially American president
 

Trump: a quintessentially American president

To the Editor: Think about it! Donald Trump didn’t need to be President. He much prefers business to government and…
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There is no there there!
 

There is no there there!

To the Editor: There is no there there! The “there” is the latest accusation from the Democrats that President Donald…
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