Beware of cardboard coyotes
I consider it a good thing when you meet someone new from a very different background that provides a chance…
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That awful smell, yeah, that’s me. Seriously.
There is nothing that smells quite as bad as a male goat in rut. During the mating season, excited billy…
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Eichenbaum’s flip-flops can’t be ignored
To the Editor: In response to Dr. Dan Eichenbaum’s announcement that he is running for Congress again in the 11th…
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Democratic Party opposes rate increase
To the Editor: At the July meeting of the Jackson County Democratic Party Executive Committee, the executive committee voted to…
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Insurance mandate is not unconstitutional
To the editor: If mandatory health insurance is unconstitutional, as the Republicans hope the Supreme Court will rule, what about…
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State GOP leaders following a script
To the Editor: I found it curious that the slew of bills rushed through the first session of our new…
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The wheels of justice got stuck in the mud
I’ve loved rock and roll music all of my life. When I was a teenager, I listened to Fleetwood Mac…
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When it comes to stings, all aren’t created equal
A number of readers have informed me that the agonizing sting I described in last week’s column was the work…
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Lake issue raises complex questions
To the Editor: Thank you for the thoughtful, informative and balanced article on Lake Emory in Franklin. I would like…
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Park proposals add insult to injury
I recently wrote in the Swain County newspaper about a singularly misguided proposal by Great Smoky Mountains National Park leadership…
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Leading by example creates lasting legacies
Many people who lead exceptional lives never break an arm trying to pat themselves on their own back. They just…
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The insect sting that launched a frenzy of pill popping
If I overdose and you have to take me to the emergency room, I told a friend Friday night, please…
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Skateboarders treated unfairly, especially by police
What if we treated all athletes like skateboarders? I ask this question because I am a skateboarder. I grew up…
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SCC does not need this kind of road
To the Editor: After reading a recent article in The Sylva Herald, I feel it is time to further explain…
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Keep N.C. artifacts on N.C. side of the Smokies
To the Editor: For the last two weeks I have been hearing about artifacts donated to the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Restoring earth before the end of the world
I have some good news. But first the bad news. The world is ending. Evangelist Harold Camping has predicted it.…
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One Katahdin ram, two sheep and three really good lessons
Turkeys, I’ve learned, are curious animals. That curiosity was on full display for company this past weekend when Kirk Hardin…
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Free Press in Cherokee? Not now anyway
To the editor: In this recent atmosphere of mudslinging, it’s all too easy to lose focus on what’s important. What…
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New state abortion rules seek to coerce women
To the editor: I am writing to thank NC Representative Phil Haire for his courage and integrity in voting against…
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Life seems so good that nostalgia sets in
“It’s like floating on a cloud,” that’s what the man in the booth said about his nifty adjustable hammocks. We…
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Living the good life includes the arts
Art is aesthetic; crafts are practical. That’s the difference between the two, at least in theory. The distinction between arts…
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Put blame for budget woes where it belongs
To the Editor: The ad from Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS organization, funded by anonymous sources, about “no more blank checks”…
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New state abortion law slaps of irony
To the editor: I have just received a notice from Sen. Jim Davis that the N.C. Senate passed a bill…
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Chattooga plan bends to extreme paddlers at the expense of solitude
To the editor: I urge conservation-minded residents of Western North Carolina and all those hikers, birders, campers, anglers, hunters, nature photographers,…
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Wake up America, the world is watching
From the hotel window in Durban, South Africa, I can see the Indian Ocean. Freighters line the horizon like parapets…
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A few notes on habits and change
In her teachings, Buddhist nun Pema Chodron often relates a story about a great spiritual teacher, Atisha, who planned a…
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A chink in the good ol’ boys’ armor
I remember both my grandfathers very well. Both served in the military during WWI, and their grandfathers fought in the…
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Liberals will take this country down
To The Editor: Before Shirley Ches graced us with her commentary on the state of the universe in her recent…
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Is Duke a for-profit business or a utility?
To the Editor: Bob Scott, alderman, town of Franklin, wrote a pointed letter to the editor titled, “Rate increase should…
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Heat wave makes for a long, slow bake at the beach
EDISTO, S.C. — If you’re going to roast in a record-breaking heat wave anyway, you might as well do it…
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HART production just as good as Broadway
To the Editor: Have you ever wanted to go to Manhattan and see a Broadway musical? Well, you don’t have…
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General Assembly was fair with education
To the Editor: When funds are limited and cuts need to be made, wise decisions are imperative. As a former…
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SCC worked for years to fund road
The basic issue is safety. That’s it, plain and simple. While one Jackson County commissioner has questioned the need for…
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Leave politics at the door and enjoy Folkmoot USA
I’ve been volunteering with the Folkmoot USA International Dance Festival for about 15 years. It’s one of the most culturally…
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Sometimes a little wildness is a good thing
Out running early this morning, I was struck by the colors of summer found in the fields along Fairview Road…
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Duke rate hike request all about profits
If you read the information Duke Energy is spreading throughout the news media in its vast public relations campaign, you’d…
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Proposed 11th District rips out the center of WNC
Redistricting is always political, and voters on both sides have to accept that. The party with a majority will get…
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It’s time to get going with planting a fall garden
With the weather so hot and sticky, it’s hard to grasp that now is the time to start preparing the…
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Let’s give all candidates a U.S. history test
To the Editor: American students still aren’t learning their country’s history. In the latest National Assessment of Educational Programs, only…
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Social Security is a great success
To the Editor: As the saying goes, “if you repeat a lie often enough people will begin to believe it.”…
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Article on pastor was clearly biased
To the Editor: Some contrarian commentary is in order about Colby Dunn’s news and opinion piece (and it was both)…
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Duke’s rate hike request is perfectly justified
To the Editor: Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) ignited a firestorm over its request to the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC)…
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Jackson library should be dedicated to citizens
To the Editor: In response to “Strange at best – tacky at worst” (Smoky Mountain News, June 22 edition), I…
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Taking Asheville out of 11th makes no sense
To carve Asheville out of the 11th Congressional District is completely irrational. My campaign will work with all Western North…
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Date change caused absence at forum
To the Editor: A question has been asked as to why I was not at the Cherokee County “Meet the…
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‘Tang-ing’ to the flight of the honey bee
There is much myth and lore connected with beekeeping, such as telling the bees when the master has died so…
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Lorenzo dunk makes HOZE Squad history
For most people, Lorenzo Charles, who died last week in a bus accident at the age of 47, is little…
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It is time for shared responsibility and sacrifice
Today, in Macon County and throughout America, debate is under way regarding two basic principles: (1) the size, shape and…
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Perry’s Water Garden nurtures love of water plants
Most of the business being done at Perry’s Water Garden these days is selling plants through the wholesale market. But…
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Roads all about money, power and ethics
To the Editor: The patronage politics of roads, money, power, and ethics in North Carolina is a strange creature. Individual…
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