Actions to save us from COVID-19 Pandemic
 

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
 

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
 

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?
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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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Trump deserves all the criticism

To the Editor: These comments are offered in rebuttal to a previously published letter.  The first sentence in the letter…
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Why I’m backing O’Shea for Congress

To the Editor: I served two terms on Asheville’s City Council and am a former candidate for Congress in North…
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Good manners and good food go a long way

I’m not comfortable writing this, and that’s why I have to write it. In the past three weeks, I’ve given…
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Changing the world one book at a time

Lately I’ve been pondering the meaning of life. If everyone took their very best skills and traits and put those…
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Rep. Queen is leading the way
 

Rep. Queen is leading the way

To the Editor: Our N.C. House Rep. Joe Sam Queen is fulfilling every campaign promise he made two years ago.…
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The president can do no wrong
 

The president can do no wrong

To the Editor: Congratulations, by now the president has been acquitted of high crimes and misdemeanors. The Republican Senate has…
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Some call it the death of irony

By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist | Some have called it the death of irony, the moment when Kenneth Starr,…
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A sports hero who left too early

When I came into the bedroom last Sunday afternoon, Tammy had this look on her face. “What is it?” I…
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