When life comes full circle
When I was 7 years old, my dad spent hours assembling my Strawberry Shortcake dollhouse, taking time to ensure every…
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Cultivating visibility for WNC farmworkers
Fall is upon us and so are the beautiful colors and seasonal customs of our region. Just thinking of tomato…
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We must be honest about adolescent addiction
By Beth Young • Guest Columnist “It’s just a phase.” “They are just being teenagers.” “I drank when I was their…
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Surprisingly, we were able to pull it off
Before we go any further, let me be clear: I am not the guy you want to put in charge…
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Price tag for new central office is mighty high
Is it a Taj Mahal or a wise use of tax dollars? I’m talking about the proposal to spend around…
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What living well means to me
This is our annual Living Well issue where we offer suggestions and advice on topics related to fitness, nutrition and…
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More than medicine needed to address opioid epidemic
By Kae Livsey • Guest Columnist In the U.S., there is a common perception that there is a pill to…
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Wall a monument to damaged democracy
To the Editor: I am sickened by the thought of diverting yet another $18.4 billion for a border wall. That’s…
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America, get your C.R.A.P. together
To the Editor: My grandmother Evelyn was a stickler for just a couple of things. She was fortunate that her…
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Corporate socialism rewards the rich
To the Editor: A Republican acquaintance who won’t vote for her party’s candidate for president recently said, “But I don’t…
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SMN buried an important story
To the Editor: In the September 4 issue of The Smoky Mountain News I was happy to see that WCU,…
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Swain Democrats support animal control ordinance
To the Editor: Swain County Democrats recently passed a resolution in support of the county’s proposed animal control ordinance and…
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To reduce overdose deaths, start in the local jail
By Albert M. Kopak • Guest Columnist You may have a story about Peter, while someone down the road has…
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That urge just won’t go away
Every so often, she gets that feeling again. When she does, she scoots a little closer and begins tracing invisible…
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‘Blessed be the critics of newspapers’
To the Editor: Western North Carolina’s answer to Jim Acosta — Smoky Mountain News Editor Scott McLeod in his last…
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Time for Meadows to retire
To the Editor: Since North Carolina’s 11th Dist. Representative Mark Meadows, R, took office in 2013, 93,000 and counting US citizens…
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Ethically speaking, this can be a tough job
Remember those old movies where submarines find themselves navigating through an underwater minefield, sometimes relying on skill to avoid what…
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Coming full circle on an adventure
As a kid, I took the Blue Ridge Mountains for granted. They were always there in the background, but I…
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What’s peace got to do with it?
By Marsha Lee Baker • Guest Columnist Somewhere, sometime, and in some way, each of us thinks about peace. We…
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Trump is working to secure borders
To the Editor: Police drenched with buckets of water in New York, anti-police chanting as police attempt to remove a…
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Take it easy on Shining Rock
To the Editor: For the past few years I have gotten in the habit of picking up a copy of…
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Background checks are too onerous
To the Editor: In discussions with people who are clamoring for universal background checks, I find many people don’t understand…
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We have perverted the American ideal
To the Editor: Donald Trump’s only redeeming value may be that he is the shock to the system the U.S. needs…
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After 125 years, we can do better
Bob Savelson • Guest columnist Thinking about Labor Day, it has been a national holiday since 1894. Consistent with the nation’s…
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Cherry binging is a thing
One of the things I like the most about summertime is when the cherries begin showing up in the grocery…
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We stand by our brand of journalism
It’s rare when one newspaper questions the integrity of another paper and the intentions of a hard-working journalist whose entire…
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Finding inspiration in Haywood Early College wolfpack
Leaving Watami Sushi & Noodles on Main Street in Waynesville, I smiled at the hostess, a girl named Hannah. She…
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We are the problem, and we must change
To the Editor: It has been a long time sense I have written to an Editor, but the opinion in…
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All we have left is our vote
To the Editor: The only constant left in this country is our laws. We are only a great people if…
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We have a societal problem
To the Editor: The most recent despicable, senseless and tragic “mass shootings” (California, Texas and Ohio) and “mass stabbings” (California)…
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Don’t fall for Trump’s talk
To the Editor: Trump’s been talking about reducing payroll taxes. Beware everyone! Don’t fall for his shell game. Payroll taxes…
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Our daughter’s gone, unleashed on the world
I can hear her up there in her room moving those enormous, orange storage bins around. They make a scraping…
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Gun control legislation now
To the Editor: All of us are heartbroken with the recent reports of mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.…
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Opioid coverage great, but beware suboxone
To the Editor: As a nurse practitioner who treats opioid addiction, I am appreciative of The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage…
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Newspapers have beat up Shining Rock
To the Editor: Regularly, for four years, both the Mountaineer and The Smoky Mountain News have published articles lambasting the…
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Trump’s bigotry can’t be denied
To the Editor: Lindsay Graham had it right. In 2015, he described Donald Trump as “a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.”…
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Teachers just don’t get enough credit
Summer is ending and schools are opening. It’s the time year when I remember the teachers. These days, teachers are…
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She comes with the hummingbirds
Wed., Aug.14, marks the third anniversary of my mom’s passing. During those early weeks and months after she slipped into…
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Correction: Mistaken identity
The column that appeared in this space last week, “Death, violence and too many guns,” was not written by John…
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Pleasantly surprised by quality newspaper
To the Editor: On a visit to Bryson City this past weekend, I picked up the most recent copy of…
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Please, just respect choice
To the Editor: I am an registered nurse, and have been for more years than I’ll admit. Understanding my HIPAA…
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Background checks are a must
To the Editor: Actually, this letter is especially to Republican and Republican-leaning unaffiliated voters.
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Death, violence and too many guns
By John Beckman • Guest Columnist It is time that we honestly faced up to the basic issues concerning gun…
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A great teacher is like a poem: inspirational, direct
My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Pattyrae Busic, used to say, “Why, Chris, you’ve got your teeth in your mouth and your…
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Fight for Medicaid expansion
To the Editor: Mr. Patrick Gleason, we agree with part of your guest column that appeared in The Smoky Mountain…
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Let’s focus on real problems
To the Editor: I recently heard someone refer to Western North Carolina as a political backwater, populated with paranoid conspiracy…
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Immunization rates are huge concern
To the Editor: I just received the July 24 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, which gave the immunization records…
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The years pass, but Edisto remains
This year, it was the deer and the pelicans. We see deer every summer on Edisto Island, but never as…
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