People too gullible about Occupy movement
To the Editor: After reading Carol Larivee’s letter noting the differences between the Tea Party and the Occupy movement, it…
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Tea Party faithful are decent Americans
To the Editor: In the Nov. 23-29 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Carole Larivee wrote a letter comparing the…
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Remember that it’s Democrats raising taxes
To the Editor: So the Democrat North Carolina state senators have waived off the chance to cap the automatic 4…
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Backhanded compliments all a part of turning 50
When I turned 50 last week, I did not feel any older and certainly no wiser, but I did realize…
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Poppies beneficial to VFW projects
To the Editor: On behalf of Veterans Of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5202 in Waynesville, I would like to thank…
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Serving up a heaping helping of internal turmoil
I helped raise three turkeys this year. They were named Thanksgiving, Christmas and Extras. These turkeys were intended as the…
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With rights come responsibilities
To the Editor: I believe I can answer the question used as a headline for Quintin Ellison’s story in the…
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Why the deficit supercommittee failed
To the Editor: The deficit reduction supercommittee failed for two reasons. A deficit results when expenditures exceed revenues. The Republicans…
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Could we bring Shangri-La back to the mountains?
One fall when I was 9 years old, just about the time WWII ended, the Jackson County Elementary School was…
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The mad, mad world of Scroto Baggins
Newspaper people are a special breed. As a type, these are individuals who tend toward the eccentric and are decidedly…
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Warm memories from a frozen scout – awesome
During the winter, we met every Tuesday night in the conference room of the First Methodist Church, and on the…
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Enjoyed talking to mountain farmers
To the Editor, I just want to express my sincere appreciation to the farmers of Haywood County, the members of…
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‘I hear the train a comin’ … to Dillsboro
To the Editor: Every businessman and political and community leader in Jackson County should feel some gratitude this Thanksgiving and…
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Tea Party and Occupy are so similar – not
To the Editor: I guess it’s inevitable that comparisons will be made between the Occupy and Tea Party movements. In…
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No more important time than now to keep it local
There’s more than just a little irony the official Small Business Saturday promotion that encourages people to spend their money…
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Words bring us together and open pathways
Editor’s note: Dawn Gilchrist-Young teaches English at Swain County High School and was the 2011 winner of the Norman Mailer…
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To dream the impossible garden dream
As I have written previously, in my dreams I am a tidy gardener. One of those saints who uses a…
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Reducing stray cat population is goal
To the Editor: “Population shrinking and growing older,” a headline from a recent newspaper article, is exactly Haywood Animal Welfare…
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Newspaper policy bad for Bryson City
To the Editor: I found it curious that The Smoky Mountain Times in Bryson City had not run any articles…
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Awful timing for Duke’s rate hike request
I don’t know Duke Energy CEO James Rogers and don’t have anything against him. But it’s not very hard not…
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Youth have no time for the love of reading
Is reading — just for the pure, leisurely joy of it -— becoming the pastime of a bygone era? For…
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Cooperative marketing essential to success
To the Editor: With reference to Quintin Ellison’s and Becky Johnson’s excellent reporting on the tourism marketing program for Jackson…
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Professor George Herring could always flip the switch
During the five years that I spent at Western Carolina University (1954-58 and 1965), I had the good fortune to…
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Smart phone volunteers lead us into the future
One of the drawbacks perks of my job is the amazing number of meetings I’m forced fortunate enough to attend.…
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No town money spent to purchase public art
To the Editor: Recent political ads by the Waynesville-Haywood Concerned Citizens contain materially false representations. There has never been any…
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A golden literary opportunity is in my future, I’m sure
I missed a golden opportunity to see my name emblazoned on a book spine by not writing about Western North…
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WHCC claims skirt the truth
To the Editor: I appreciated your article “Meet the candidates: Who’s who in Waynesville’s race” (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/5412) regarding the upcoming elections,…
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Political ad mis-stated several key facts
To the Editor: As a member of the Waynesville Public Art Commission from September 2006 to March 2011, I am…
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Facts matter and homework counts
To the Editor: Homework counts. I like to think that candidates running for the Waynesville Town Board would be interested…
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Once you cross the line, there’s no going back
I followed the Janet Moore controversy from the beginning to its conclusion, which was all of three days. The former…
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Describing the indescribable sends me to my book shelves
The exquisite, fleeting beauty of autumn is with us now. Cold nights signal changes to come. Soon there will be…
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Smart bear kicks off ‘Bear Smart’ program
To the Editor: Just prior to the opening of the “Bear Smart” program, on Tuesday night at the Sapphire Valley…
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Despite problems, we need less government
To the Editor: In the Oct. 19 Smoky Mountain News, a photo and story feature covered the Oct. 15 Occupy…
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Candidates should promote unity
To the Editor: In the election article for Maggie Valley, I read three candidates — the mayoral candidate Ron DeSimone…
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We need to know who is pulling the strings
To the Editor: In reply to Shirley Slaughter’s letter of Oct. 19 in The Smoky Mountain News (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/5374), I don’t…
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Tricks, not literature, impress 6-year-olds
By all accounts, my wife’s trip to Riverbend Elementary School to talk to Mrs. Gidcumb’s first-grade class about her career…
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Don’t cut Postal Service jobs prematurely
Editor’s note: Rep. Health Shuler wrote this letter to U.S. Postmaster Pat Donahoe to express his concern for potential job…
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Cashiers Leaf Festival was huge success
To the Editor On behalf of the Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association we would like to thank everyone who contributed…
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Let Duke know rate hike request is too much
To the Editor: Duke Energy has applied to the N.C. Utilities Commission for yet another rate increase in an attempt…
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SMN needs to practice balanced journalism
To the Editor: I was born and raised in Cashiers and have always disliked the phrase “country come to town.”…
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The killer is among us, and she is Tuppence
When I moved to Sylva from Bryson City, two dogs stayed and three cats came with me. These are Edgar…
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Optimism in the public sphere is always refreshing
The Occupy Wall Street movement is leaderless, somewhat vague and lacking vision. Still, people are joining in growing numbers around…
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Box of spring bulbs will light the way through winter
A box of bulbs arrived Saturday, containing within the cardboard confines all the promises of fall work, winter waiting and…
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Student housing would benefit Forest Hills
To the Editor: In response to the article written by Quintin Ellison published Oct. 5 regarding the developer request to…
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Cutting food aid right now is deplorable
To the Editor: An elderly widow on a fixed-income already cannot afford a healthy diet and her medications, and now…
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Waynesville town board needs Mary Ann Enloe
To the Editor: One of America’s greatest statesmen, Thomas Paine, wrote a book called Common Sense. Unfortunately, this trait is…
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General Assembly puts burden on locals
To the Editor: It has become evident that the principle guideline being used by Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and the…
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Pope is pulling the strings in state politics
The news media in this country is abuzz with talk about North Carolina. Unfortunately, it’s not flattering. What they’re saying…
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When is Frontier DSL arriving in outlying areas?
To the Editor: While the good folks at Frontier (Everett, Wash., customer service call center) offered as a good faith…
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In my dreams, I am organized and efficient
I am a great admirer of efficient people. In my enthusiasm for them I sometimes mistake myself for one of…
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