Somehow, I was meant to be right here
 

Somehow, I was meant to be right here

By Laura Amour • Guest Columnist “The mountains attract seekers.” That comment was made by a cherished friend that I have…
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Board games – most of the time – are a fun holiday tradition
 

Board games – most of the time – are a fun holiday tradition

We’re all at home, on vacation at last. Ella Fitzgerald is wishing us a swinging Christmas, as she does every…
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Faster than thought: two book covers
 

Faster than thought: two book covers

By Steve Ellis • Guest Columnist As we leave this political season, which has been nasty, brutal and long, I’d…
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This is no time to devalue our wild heritage
 

This is no time to devalue our wild heritage

By Bill McLarney • Guest Columnist We humans are highly skilled and devilishly clever. We can create ball fields, schools,…
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Letter writer needs help connecting the dots
 

Letter writer needs help connecting the dots

To the Editor:  I certainly hope Santa brings Bob Wilson a “Connect the Dots” book — he could use the…
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Time for many to relearn tolerance
 

Time for many to relearn tolerance

To the Editor: The letter “Democrats hurting African Americans” (SMN, December 3) confuses race with economics. The implication that Democrats…
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Plutocrats drive modern GOP agenda
 

Plutocrats drive modern GOP agenda

To the Editor: It’s amusing to hear Republicans and other reactionaries describe Democrats and the Democratic Party. Contrary to their fiction-based…
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What do people really want?
 

What do people really want?

Dr. Graeme Potter • Guest Columnist As one of the practicing, board-certified OB/GYNs in the community who provide prenatal care, I’ve…
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Hard to believe that it has been 14 years
 

Hard to believe that it has been 14 years

I am in my office between classes, eating egg drop soup out of a little plastic container with a white…
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Democrats hurting African Americans
 

Democrats hurting African Americans

To the Editor: Kudos to Bruce Gardner whose wise comments appeared in the Nov. 26 Opinion section of The Smoky…
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Ronald Reagan was an economic powerhouse
 

Ronald Reagan was an economic powerhouse

To the Editor: Even his critics agree that Ronald Regan did great things for the U.S. economy. Just look at…
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Bigger not better when it comes to health care
 

Bigger not better when it comes to health care

To the Editor: My husband’s recent illness caused me to have several strong reactions regarding medical care at Haywood Regional…
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Watching grief from across the street
 

Watching grief from across the street

By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Guest Columnist He usually arrives in the late afternoon, always before dinner time, and he doesn’t…
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Students are searching for a good life
 

Students are searching for a good life

My seniors are writing letters to themselves today, an activity I have students do every year just before the holidays.…
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The meaningful moments that make memories
 

The meaningful moments that make memories

Moments, mostly the ones unplanned, are the stuff of important and lasting life memories.  We had a great Thanksgiving day…
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Old Democratic Party is just a memory
 

Old Democratic Party is just a memory

To the Editor: For the most part, family traditions have been important in helping to bind families together. There are…
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Ebola nothing compared to gun violence
 

Ebola nothing compared to gun violence

To the Editor: News has recently come of the death of a second ebola victim on U.S. soil — a doctor…
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Obama plan sticks it to legal immigrants
 

Obama plan sticks it to legal immigrants

To the Editor: If Editor Scott McLeod thinks that Obama is giving the finger to the GOP with his amnesty for illegals,…
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Social problems permeate classrooms
 

Social problems permeate classrooms

One in 30 American children are homeless, and, overwhelmingly, the two most common causes are economics and parental abuse. That’s…
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Sorry, I don’t buy meat out of the back of a truck
 

Sorry, I don’t buy meat out of the back of a truck

I cannot take a nap, at least not on purpose. Whenever I try, I twist and turn as if my…
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Erasing ignorance expands opportunities
 

Erasing ignorance expands opportunities

By Deborah Miles • Guest Columnist As the Director of the Center for Diversity Education, I and other educators have been…
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Don’t make sophs live on campus
 

Don’t make sophs live on campus

To the Editor: First, let me say that I greatly respect Dr. Sam Miller and the administration at Western Carolina…
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Comment

Junaluskans should pay for upgrades
 

Junaluskans should pay for upgrades

To the Editor: Your opinion piece a few months back, “Changing mind  now won’t undo the damage,” left out a…
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Comment

A briefcase of possibilities
 

A briefcase of possibilities

I grade about 2,000 essays a year. I do so because I am a high school English teacher, and because…
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Comment

Obama poised to give the GOP the finger
 

Obama poised to give the GOP the finger

Just as President Obama seems poised to sign an executive order preventing the deportation of up to 5 million illegal…
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Comment

SMN editor lacks journalist ethics
 

SMN editor lacks journalist ethics

To the Editor: Journalists like Scott McLeod, SMN Editor, usually follow a code of ethics that includes fairness and impartiality…
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Do something together for Nikwasi Mound
 

Do something together for Nikwasi Mound

To the Editor: I have read the opinions going back and forth regarding the Nikwasi Mound in Franklin and am…
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Comment

Doing just as he accuses others
 

Doing just as he accuses others

To the Editor: Regarding Bob Wilson’s latest letter on negative campaign rhetoric, Wilson exemplified the hate-filled distorted rhetoric that he…
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Comment

Franklin and Cherokee should work together on Nikwasi
 

Franklin and Cherokee should work together on Nikwasi

By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist In a letter to the editor published in the Nov. 5 edition of  The…
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Classrooom contemplations: Showing up is always half the game
 

Classrooom contemplations: Showing up is always half the game

Absenteeism in American public schools has reached epidemic proportions. Six million students, one in eight, miss 30 days of school…
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Trade you an itchy shirt for a little shiver
 

Trade you an itchy shirt for a little shiver

We called it “in-between weather,” too warm for a coat, too chilly for short sleeves. Back then, just about every…
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Comment

Political rhetoric reaches a new low
 

Political rhetoric reaches a new low

To the Editor: It was very sad to witness all the hateful rhetoric tossed around during elections this year. I…
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Comment

Make Lake Junaluska annexation more fair
 

Make Lake Junaluska annexation more fair

To the Editor: Your opinion piece from the summer titled "Changing mind now won't undo the damage" left out a…
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Comment

There is no moral equivalent to ISIS
 

There is no moral equivalent to ISIS

To the Editor: A recent letter to the editor states a moral equivalence between ISIS weird beards who behead journalists, crucify…
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Big mistake not to return Nikwasi Mound
 

Big mistake not to return Nikwasi Mound

To the Editor: I am writing in regards to the Nikwasi Indian Mound. I am concerned for the community of…
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As students change how they learn, teachers must adapt
 

As students change how they learn, teachers must adapt

Every attentive person knows there is a revolution occurring in language, and much of what was once communicated by words…
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Give Cullowhee a chance to fulfill potential
 

Give Cullowhee a chance to fulfill potential

Cullowhee rising. Sounds like a fitting name for some aspiring college band, but it best describes what’s happening at Western…
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Comment

You have permission to vote Democrat
 

You have permission to vote Democrat

To the Editor: Recently I have heard folks say things like, “My daddy” or “Momma” would “roll over in their…
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Best choice for school board is Goode
 

Best choice for school board is Goode

To the Editor: Don’t we all desire what’s best for our kids? The best schools. The best teachers. The best…
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Comment

Thanks for coverage of candidates
 

Thanks for coverage of candidates

To the Editor: I would like to applaud The Smoky Mountain News for the articles on the Haywood County Commission…
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Comment

We should fear the puppet politicians
 

We should fear the puppet politicians

To the Editor: In the campaign financial reports from 2012, Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Yancey, spent $107,039 with $3,611 from individuals…
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Comment

Goode is fresh choice for school board
 

Goode is fresh choice for school board

To the Editor: Eleven years ago, I came home from work to find my wife — Wende Goode — holding…
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Comment

Keep all school staff in mind when voting
 

Keep all school staff in mind when voting

To the Editor: Most of the talk regarding education has been about teacher pay, which is critical such that we…
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Comment

Tillis clear over incumbent Sen. Hagan
 

Tillis clear over incumbent Sen. Hagan

To the Editor: The Senate race in North Carolina is the most important election in our state this year. Sen.…
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Comment

Choose science over a salesman’s snake oil
 

Choose science over a salesman’s snake oil

To the Editor: I’m really impressed with Tom Hill, candidate for District 11 of the U.S. Congress, hoping to unseat…
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Comment

This is what GOP legislature did for us
 

This is what GOP legislature did for us

To the Editor: Are you better off now than you were, say, a year ago? For most of us that…
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Comment

Hunter Murphy best option for Appeals Court
 

Hunter Murphy best option for Appeals Court

To the Editor: I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Mr. Hunter Murphy for election to the North…
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Comment

A letter to Gov. McCrory and the Legislature
 

A letter to Gov. McCrory and the Legislature

To the Editor: The actions taken in the last few years under Republican leadership have awakened a sleeping giant of…
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Comment

Vote for Hill, send Meadows home
 

Vote for Hill, send Meadows home

To the Editor: I truly believe Tom Hill will stand up for us, the common person. If you haven’t seen many…
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Comment

Time for new county commissioners
 

Time for new county commissioners

To the Editor:  What have the incumbent county commissioners brought to Haywood County? I am a 55-year resident of Haywood…
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