To the Editor: If you are unfamiliar with Jeff Miller, the Republican candidate for the 11th Congressional District, or if…

To the Editor: As citizens of Haywood County, we would like to call your attention to some proposals that the…

To the Editor: The race is on now that Labor Day has come and gone. For a while we will…

To the Editor: I am a proud Democrat. An intelligent, articulate Democrat became President and he brought back America’s honor…

To the Editor: Why did the Jackson County Home Builders Association organize the upcoming Jackson County Town Hall Forum at…

Part of becoming a parent is making peace with the proposition that virtually everyone in the world except you knows…

Poor Tiger Woods. He is not only the greatest golfer of all time, but also perhaps the world’s most popular…

“Winter Storm Warning, Haywood County.” That’s what it said on television Thursday night, up in the top right corner of…

I felt something clutch, almost seize up, and then a shooting pain in my chest, and my first thought was,…

His harshest critics delight in daring you to characterize their frothing hatred — and there is no other word for…

Let’s just say it’s about time. A state special deputy attorney general said in a Nov. 25 letter that alcohol…

In the news business, the interplay between the Internet, mobile devices, television and print is at a precipitous crossroads where…

More and more these days, it seems those who follow the news have strong opinions on the tone of public…

Haywood County elected officials may sometimes get fed up dealing with the incessant public record requests and the three-hour meetings…

Satire is one of language’s most powerful weapons, and when used effectively, it can foster meaningful dialogue on important topics.…

According to the government standards defining poverty in the 1950’s, I was poor. My father did not hold a regular…

Waynesville’s land-use plan is an ambitious set of ideas adopted during a booming economic era and thus full of the…

By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist I’ve spent most of my life minding my own business. I was raised by…

By Kirkwood Callahan • Guest Columnist Conservative victories and liberal angst – often repressed — characterized last week’s elections in…

Now that it’s clear that Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, did indeed mislead everyone about his involvement in a land deal…

By Brent Martin • Guest Columnist When President John F. Kennedy formed a federal-state committee in 1963 known as the…

By Kirkwood Callahan • Guest Columnist In the election of 2008 many Americans aspired for hope and change when Barack…

By Karen Dill • Guest Columnist “Mom,” my daughter Anna began on her phone call from Washington, D.C., “wasn’t Grandpa…

“Don’t do it, Dan.” Michael Douglas is Dan Gallagher, and he is sitting across the table from Alex Forrest, played…

“Pssst!” I was just finishing up my lat pull-down exercise when I heard it, but I was too busy thinking…

I have an irresistible urge to make a list. Apparently, it is what people must do at year’s end, especially…

To the Editor: This year we have three county commissioners running for re-election in Jackson County. Brian McMahan is running…

To the Editor: We write with deep concern over recent attacks on Muslims and Muslim communities in our country. One…

To the Editor: Having been involved when Forest Hills sought to impose an ETJ on surrounding communities several years ago…

To the Editor: I have several concerns about the Forest Hills annexation after attending the second extended meeting between Forest Hills and Western…

To the Editor: The article titled “Creeks now flow clean through Waynesville and Sylva” (Sept. 8 Smoky Mountain News) described…

To the Editor: I would like to respond to the Cindy Solesbee letter to the editor in the Sept. 8…

A lot of ink has been spilled over the new $10.3 million crafts education building at Haywood Community College, and…

By Joe Cowan • Guest Columnist Editor’s note: Jackson County Commissioner Joe Cowan made the following comments following a vote…

The Smoky Mountain News cover story last week about the troubles faced by returning National Guard soldiers after deployments in…

Michael Watson, assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, contends the state’s overhaul of its behavioral health…

Religion and its place in local government have once again arisen as issues in North Carolina. This means that many…

With so many unknowns ahead, it’s comforting there are proven solutions to one big challenge — the aging of the…

What to say about 2009? How about this: it ended on a high note for the overall economy, and that…

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and…

The cash settlement now signed and sealed for Swain County in lieu of building the North Shore Road is a…

I felt sure this morning the thermometer was telling lies. It read 48 degrees, but the chill in the air…

To the Editor: With the occurrence of each election cycle, more and more Americans are choosing to support and vote…

To the Editor: Congressman Heath Shuler just sent out an email talking once again about the wisdom of his “S.A.V.E.…

To the Editor: I want to thank the League of Women Voters in Franklin for holding candidate forums for our…

Writing about the weather is usually about as exciting as a yawn. For 12 months, though, we in the mountains…

By Buffy Queen • Guest Columnist As the middle school girls trailed out of the classroom one morning last spring,…

Back in early January, I found myself waking early to pack for a day-long excursion into the backwoods of Chunky…