Our president is a disaster
To the Editor:
Disappointing national employment numbers were released last week. Estimates were much lower than expected, and may be precursors of a shrinking economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that 19,000 jobs were filled in May, 14,000 in June, and 73,000 in July (bls.gov/economic news release 8/1/2025).
Trump and Musk are a joke
To the Editor:
Despite what MAGA Republicans say, our esteemed president inherited a robust economy from President Biden (except for egg prices, apparently). The stock market was booming, unemployment was low and inflation was going down.
By the numbers: Where Helene recovery stands, and where it's going
While the financial impact of Hurricane Helene has been apparent since the morning of Sept. 27, 2024, economic data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce and other sources now show Western North Carolina counties started to feel the pain even before the storm hit.
Inflation, deflation and the presidency
To the Editor:
The economy of this great nation, and indeed, the world, is a huge thing that, like those supertankers and container ships that help keep it all running, does not change direction very fast or easily short of some major shock to the system.
Be careful who we vote for
To the Editor:
Savings and Loan Collapse. The year 1982 marked the beginning of supply side economics in which deregulation and tax cuts were viewed as the solution to stimulating corporate growth.
On the right path: Pathways celebrates a decade of service to the community
What started off as a clever idea to address recidivism has grown into something more — a community-driven response to concerning and costly social ills like homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse disorder.
Man describes what led him to Pathways and what led him out
It’s tough for a person to get back up on their feet, no matter how well they may have done in the past. Such was the case for Jeremiah Moynihan, a Florida man who after living in Western North Carolina for the last several years found himself sick and homeless with nowhere to turn.
Afterlife: Tentative mill deal provides a peek at what could be next
On May 24, 2023, Canton Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull sat on a bench in Sorrels Street Park, waiting to hear the shrill shriek of the steam whistle at Pactiv Evergreen’s century-old paper mill at the heart of town blow for the last time.
Assistance available for dislocated workers
A substantial grant from the U.S. Department of Labor has already provided help for more than 50 dislocated workers in Western North Carolina, but Southwestern Commission Workforce Development Director David Garrett wants to get the word out that they’re looking to help a whole lot more.
Odds are stacked against working families
It’s the kind of street – lined with modest, well-kept houses flying U.S. flags – where neighborhood children haphazardly cast their bicycles in piles on a playmate’s lawn to tear off and play in the woods or on a backyard Slip ‘N Slide.
