No endings, only new beginnings

I can’t tell you how many goodbye columns I’ve read over the years from reporters leaving their posts, lamenting over…
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From Me to We

“The story can’t be about the heroism of one person any more, it has to be about the heroism of communities.” —…
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Is justice really just?

To the Editor: Justice. What is it? 
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Careless book banning is seldom a good idea

Removing the book “Dear Martin” from a 10th-grade English class at Tuscola High School likely didn’t prevent students in that…
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A party adrift after Trump’s tenure
 

A party adrift after Trump’s tenure

To the Editor: Almost from the moment World War II ended, we have watched in horror as one dictator after…
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Moms, remember … new year, same you

I listened to a podcast recently that blasted January’s public relations company for making everyone feel bad about themselves. Instead…
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What lesson does censorship teach our children?

When I learned of the removal of the book “Dear Martin” from an English II class at Tuscola High School,…
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Birthdays, cardinals and roller skating

My older son turned 13 on Jan. 19, and my younger son turned 10 on Jan. 20. They are both…
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Pulling book was a mistake

To the Editor: I, too, deplore young people’s use of “foul language,” but hearing or reading it would not have…
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Police need more resources to succeed

Make no mistake, it would be a stretch to say a partnership between Western Carolina University and the town of…
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Truth, not lies, will keep us free

To the Editor: If we really seek the truth, we go to primary sources — those who originate an idea, policy,…
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Clampitt can’t have it both ways

To the Editor: Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, in The Smoky Mountain News addressed his membership in the Oath Keepers. 
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No to sanctuary bear hunting

To the Editor: The Bear Education and Resource (B.E.A.R.) Task Force stands in opposition to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission…
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Fight indoctrination with truth, integrity

To the Editor: We are being inundated with the phrase, “Educate Don’t Indoctrinate.” It is now on billboards and in…
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You’ll need to know this word — anocracy

To the Editor: A word most of us are unfamiliar with but will become commonplace in the months and years to…
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Clampitt speaks on Oath Keepers

Editor’s note: Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, has been open about his membership in the right-wing militia group known as…
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Trump is indeed to blame

To the Editor:  This is in response to Dennis Ford’s letter  from the Jan,. 5 issue of The Smoky Mountain…
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Democracy demands certain rights

To the Editor:  Let’s talk about the upcoming elections – not the candidates, but the voting. Regardless of your political…
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Medicaid expansion is badly needed

To the Editor:  More than one million North Carolinians (12.9%) have no health insurance. 
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Enough is enough with developers

To the Editor: Over the last few years I have read with incredulity article after article about how our town…
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Much to be thankful about

To the Editor: Rolling into the end of this year we have experienced trials and tribulations. From one virus to…
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Do your part, let’s beat this thing

Three tests, two shots, but just let me know if more is needed. That’s a short and very superficial synopsis…
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Don’t blame woes on Trump

To the Editor: This is in response to another Trump hit piece disguised as an opinion letter to the editor.…
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What else can we say about Cawthorn?

To the Editor: Apparently, though he took the sacred vows of marriage in front of a cross, meeting Donald Trump’s…
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Haywood County has dropped the ball

To the Editor: We are in the middle of another wave of Covid and Haywood County has dropped the ball.…
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Medicare changes bad for patients

To the Editor: If you survived the daily bombardment of TV ads for Medicare Advantage plans during Medicare Open Enrollment…
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Universal intelligence and hope for the New Year

I read a quote recently by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones that said, “You will be the same person in five years…
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How valuable is the survival of local news?

“A democracy ceases to be a democracy if its citizens do not participate in its governance. To participate intelligently, they…
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We all have something to give

It was a tight space, but that’s often the deal with parallel parking. There were three bicycles in the bed…
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The problem with Sylva Sam

To the Editor: Recently I decided to take a closer look at the new plaques added to “Sylva Sam,” Jackson…
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Is this how democracy dies?

To the Editor: Mark Meadows (former congressman from North Carolina and President Trump’s White House chief of staff) may very…
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Jim Stevens was a true mountain man

To the Editor: Recently, we lost a true mountain man. You may have known him as Jim Stevens or maybe…
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Meadows an embarrassment to his former state, district

The recent revelations regarding Mark Meadows and his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the events…
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Creating the holiday meant for me

Glennon Doyle is a favorite writer of mine and currently hosts a powerful podcast called “We Can Do Hard Things.”…
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Peace on earth, good will toward men?

To the Editor: Every faith tradition has special occasions to honor God’s goodness and mankind’s desire for peace on earth. 
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Don’t abandon freedom of religion

To the Editor:  I see where Michael Flynn, former President Trump’s National Security Advisor, is calling for us to have…
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Can you hear Johnny Cash?

To the Editor: The late, great Johnny Cash wrote: “Don’t take your guns to town, son.” In the song, Billy…
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Here it comes; we better be ready

“Both the median sales price ($325,000) and the average sales price ($379,003) rose 26.5 percent and 20.3 percent year-over-year respectively…
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GOP leaders espouse radical views on education

By Rob Schofield • Guest Columnist | It’s a bedrock principle of American law that average people can vindicate their…
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American democracy is backsliding

To the Editor: By now most Americans (and people around the globe) will have learned that the United States (for…
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Don’t let ‘conservatives’ destroy our ideals

To the Editor: This is in regards to Sen. Thom Tillis email of 3:10 a.m. Saturday morning, Dec 4, “Preventing…
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