Opinion
An ultramarathon, a book, a flood and a prayer
On the weekend of Sept. 20-21, I went to the Grindstone 100-Mile Ultramarathon at Natural Chimneys Park in Virginia, where my oldest son was a participant. 294 runners took part in this grueling ordeal. Of these, 168 finished the race in the required time of 36 hours.
In the middle of an unimaginable tragedy
It’s hard to know what to write about when my mind is swirling in so many directions, as I’m sure most of yours are as well. As someone said, not only were the effects of Hurricane Helene on a mountain region improbable, they were unimaginable.
Election officials prepare for new rules
Voting is going to look a bit different in North Carolina this year thanks to new partisan observers who will be eyeing voters as they cast ballots when in-person early voting kicks off in October. The new observers are touted as a way to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Teaching teens in a tumultuous world
Recently I had the privilege of sitting and talking with a group of adolescents who weren’t my own children or my friends’ children. These were teens who I knew well enough to where they felt comfortable with me, but not so well that I was privy to their ongoing emotional patterns or personal stressors.
Election fraud claims are just that — a fraud
The looming 1980 presidential election was all over the news, the unpopular incumbent Jimmy Carter facing the charismatic former actor and California Gov. Ronald Reagan. A college junior in Boone walked into the Watauga County Board of Elections sometime in September and registered to vote in his first presidential election.
Already leaning into the fall season
Once Labor Day has come and gone, I lean fully into fall. I know that technically autumn does not officially begin until Sept. 22, but for my own personal joy, I’ve decided to initiate the season sooner.
He’s not gone, he’s just getting started
When I became a parent for the first time, I asked my brother what to expect. He already had two small children and another on the way.
“It’s overwhelming in every way,” he said.
He was right. It was, and it has been. They grew up too fast. That’s the oldest cliché in the book, but my God.
How about some respect for all athletes
Editor’s note: Bob Clark coached the Tuscola boys and girls discus and shotput athletes for the past three seasons. Prior to that he coached the boys and girls throwers for four seasons at Waynesville Middle School. Six of those seven years he was a volunteer.
This spring Tuscola High School’s principal, accompanied by the athletic director (AD), threw $30,000 of taxpayer money away to change the color suggested for the new Tuscola track.
MDMA will, eventually, help many with PTSD
As the executive director of the nonprofit Pearl Institute here in Waynesville, I wanted to express my gratitude to The Smoky Mountain News for the feature story written by Cory Vaillancourt about the recent decision by the FDA to request more research into using the drug MDMA in combination with therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
