Career politicians are the problem
To the Editor: Career politicians are ruining this country. Unfortunately, once elected, most of our politicians’ concerns are to become…
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Dillsboro and Jackson need railroad back
To the Editor: How will the saga of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad end? There have been many letters written…
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Presnell not interested in freedom of religion
To the Editor: I was horrified to learn that my representative in the N.C. House, Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, co-sponsored…
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Drive a hard bargain with railroad
To the Editor: I’d like to ask the Jackson County Commissioners why, in the midst of high unemployment and a…
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Rep. Presnell violates oath of office
To the Editor: There are conflicting lights in which to view the co-sponsorship by Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, of the…
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Legislators should support Haywood room tax hike
The room tax hike being sought by Haywood leaders needs to pass and deserves the support of the legislative delegation…
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Recent charm offensive will influence Obama legacy
We have been hearing a lot lately about President Barack Obama’s charm offensive. He has been traveling a short distance…
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Prescription drug industry needs to be reined in
What’s deadlier than a crazed maniac in a kindergarten class with a loaded assault weapon? In the most horrifying massacre…
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It’s our home, keep it clean
To the Editor: Every time I drive to and from Bryson City, I become distressed by the volume of litter…
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Meadows’ vote just doesn’t make sense
To the Editor: I am a white woman and a God-fearing Democrat. I could not sleep well this Easter Sunday.…
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Nuclear proliferation just needs to stop
To the Editor: How many nuclear weapons does it take to make us “safe?” According to a recent report by…
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Taking it easy on the obnoxious street preacher
Cigar smoke swirled around my face as the eardrum splitting street preacher invaded the festive mood of the thousands meandering…
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Consider safety issues related to steep slopes
To the Editor: I once again would like to bring up the safety issues regarding fire, rescue and sheriff’s department…
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Dillsboro will welcome railroad back
To the Editor: There seems to be some confusion as to the withdrawal of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad from…
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Return train to Dillsboro, but not as proposed
To the Editor: Let’s remember when talking about the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR), we are talking about two different…
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Voter ID issue just keeps getting better
To the Editor: The radical Republican regime in Raleigh has a new pretext for the voter ID scheme North Carolina…
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Investing in the region’s creative minds
When the city of Asheville decided that this year’s Bele Chere street festival would be the last it funded, little…
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Chavez did some real good in Venezuela
To the Editor: With the recent death of Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, there has been much speculation in the…
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Voter ID law a waste of time, money
To the Editor: The voter suppression monster has reared its ugly head again in Raleigh. Although details are not known…
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My journey to the center of the Earth, and back
By Stephanie Wampler • Columnist Our Saturday morning cave adventure started out innocently enough. We would need flashlights. Check. I had…
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My cousin the Keynesian and his mistaken ideas
By Kenn Jacobine I have this cousin, let’s call him Giovanni. He is a great guy – industrious, hospitable, great…
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Don’t forget First Amendment as we debate the Second
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” For years I had ascribed those words to Thomas Paine, the fiery British-American…
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Don’t be in a rush to cut courthouse trees
To the Editor: I am concerned that the decision to remove the trees at the courthouse was hasty and ill-judged.…
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Once again, we need to save Needmore
To the Editor: After all the time and effort put forth by the citizens of Macon and Swain counties, the…
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The roots of the U.S. gun culture
To the Editor: In all the current commentary about gun violence in the wake of the tragic shooting at Sandy…
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A great night of music at the Bardo Center
To the Editor: What a wonderful evening recently at the Bardo Arts Center. Western Carolina University School of Music presented…
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Joining Waynesville right move for Junaluska
To the Editor: From my perspective, much of the discussion of whether or not to allow annexation of Lake Junaluska…
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Give McCrory, GOP a chance before piling on
To the Editor: Ms. Abel’s letter said that the state’s Democratic ideals are fading fast since the last election (“State’s…
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Making tourism sustainable as economic development
By Ken Stahl • Guest Columnist There appears to be controversy concerning the proposed 2 percent occupancy tax increase. This…
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Increasing Medicare coverage could lower healthcare costs
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist The United States spends twice as much on health care as most other modern…
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MV Lodging Association opposes TDA tax hike
To the Editor: Contrary to articles recently published in our local papers, there is much opposition to the proposed law…
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State’s democratic ideals are fading fast
To the Editor: Our founding fathers, framing our Constitution, created a representative democracy. They formed a republic, a government where…
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Writer spouted false facts about Obamacare
To the Editor: A recent letter writer makes a number of unsubstantiated and flat out erroneous claims about Obamacare, otherwise…
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Time to be rid of all Cherokee bear zoos
To the Editor: Little has changed in Cherokee since a 1989 Parade Magazine cover story, “Are Our Zoos Humane?” named…
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Not all doom and gloom in Dillsboro
To the Editor: The claim of Frank Parrish and others over the past few years that Dillsboro is a ghost…
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Wouldn’t it be wonderful ... to use local builders
To the Editor: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the building boom of million dollar homes in Jackson County supported this…
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Liberals arts education enriches one’s life
To the Editor: Scott McLeod (Feb. 6 SMN) pays tribute to the value of a liberal arts education. Even though…
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We have to decide which side we’re on
To the Editor: Well over a half century ago, the infringements, abridgments and usurpations of government against our liberties ordained…
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Ball fields bad use of tourism money
To the Editor: Why on earth tap the tourism development funds in Haywood County for a ballpark that won’t result…
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Weakened slope laws could prompt lawsuits
To the Editor: This is an open letter to the Jackson County Planning Board and county commissioners. Things to consider: …
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Beware plastic power strips, and many thanks
To the Editor: It is hard to believe it was a month ago that our little house in Waynesville burned.…
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We need sanity in gun debate
To the Editor: As a gun owner, parent, teacher and American, I believe that there is no legitimate reason for…
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Macon County may need second pay study
To the Editor: I believe Macon County’s commissioners need to closely analyze and thoroughly discuss the results and proposals made…
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Obamacare will drag down health care
To the Editor: Recently, after a serious falling accident, I experienced medical treatment from our local health care system at…
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Downtown Sylva needs some help
To the Editor: Tourism, tourism and tourism are the three most important words to line the struggling businessmen’s pockets and…
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By chance, by sea, bye bye
By John Beckman • Columnist Thirty-five years ago, I moved into my first dorm room and this small-town lad had…
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All Cherokee bear zoos should be shut down
To the Editor: It’s about time that the USDA finally suspended operations at Chief Saunooke’s antiquated concrete pit in Cherokee.…
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Lake J property owners need more information
To the Editor: The article about the upcoming decision regarding possible annexation of Lake Junaluska by Waynesville in the Feb.…
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Gov. McCrory needs to put up or shut up
To the Editor: Thanks for standing up to the governor in your column about our state universities (“Majoring in philosophy?…
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This diplomacy stuff just isn’t that hard
By Stephanie Wampler • Guest Columnist Well, it seems that John Kerry is our new secretary of state, ready to…
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