To the Editor:

When my Needmore neighbors and I began working in 2000 to protect 4,500 acres from development, we never imagined that 26 years later we would be fighting Duke Energy over our own private property.

Duke Energy acquired 4,500 acres along the Little Tennessee River when it bought a local independent utility in 1988. The land had originally been purchased at low prices from residents of Swain and Macon counties for a dam project on the Little Tennessee that was never built.

To the Editor:

Duke Energy’s request to the Republican-controlled N.C. Utilities Commission (The Smoky Mountain News, April 22) will increase everyone’s monthly power bills by an average of $28 per 1,000 kilowatt hours, a 15% hike. Next year, an average of $6.59 will be added to that. Over the first two years, our higher electricity bills would give Duke about $728.6 million. 

To the Editor:

In reading the official press release from March 31, “USDA Prioritizing Common Sense Forest Management, Moves Forest Service Headquarters to Salt Lake City,” one would think, “All right, common sense!” 

I now realize why coloring books and sidewalk chalk were so appealing when I was a child, why watching snow fall out the window and staring at the flame of a candle calmed my racing thoughts, why exploring our wooded backyard, collecting leaves and rocks, felt like a grand adventure. 

The United States cannot keep breaking the rules of international law and then congratulate itself for the results. That is the uncomfortable truth exposed by the 2026 military operations in Venezuela and Iran. Both actions removed brutal, destabilizing leaders — one captured and jailed, the other killed. Many around the world understandably welcomed those outcomes. But the way the United States achieved them violated the very legal order that keeps the world from sliding toward permanent conflict. 

To the Editor:

You ever watch something happen in local government and think, “There’s no way they expect us to buy this?” That’s exactly how the push to change Macon County’s voting districts feels. Commissioner John Shearl is trying to sell this as some kind of fairness reform, but once you look at the details, it’s obvious what’s going on. And it’s not fairness. 

Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit has been suspended from office following allegations of abuse of power and misconduct related to an insurance investigation into a county commissioner. 

Under North Carolina law, an elected sheriff can be suspended and then removed only through a judicial process. The first step in the process is for a district attorney or county attorney or at least five voting residents in the county to file a petition to the court. 

To the Editor:

The elections last November ushered in a new wave in American politics with speeches and assurances of lower food and housing prices, the elimination of inflation, dramatically reducing the federal deficit, real government transparency and efficiency, a better healthcare system and a safer, wealthier America. Heck yeah! Who’s not in favor of helping all working people get ahead and keeping family safe? 

To the Editor:

Donald Trump has exerted power as no previous president has in our history. His actions raise a chilling question. Is Peggy Noonan right? She recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal that our republic is in jeopardy because of the actions of our president.

A Domestic Violence Protective Order, sometimes called a restraining order, is one of the most important legal tools available to protect survivors of domestic violence. A DVPO is a court order that forbids an abuser from contacting their victim. If that order is violated, the abuser can face criminal charges.