A new tax by any other name
By John Hood • Guest Columnist The North Carolina General Assembly seems poised to enact a new $300 million tax…
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In my neighborhood, I’m proud to say, the cows are homies
By David Curtis The cows ate my corn. My corn is Silver Queen sweet corn. It’s an 80-day corn, which…
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Al Gore to ride to the Democrats’ rescue
As the war in Iraq drags on with no end in sight amid reports that al-Qaeda has regrouped and is…
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The truth about the ‘Three R’s’ of conservatism
By Arthur Hancock • Guest Columnist With 70 percent of Americans now disapproving of the way George W. Bush is…
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North Carolina side of park needs bigger, better visitors center
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has known it needed a new visitors center on the North Carolina side of…
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A family’s painful ordeal with early onset Alzheimer’s
By Linda Watson • Guest Columnist Recently, a member of my family was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease at…
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Tomatoes really can save the world
I am a firm believer that the world would be a much better place if everyone just grew tomatoes. This…
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Lottery could help solve state’s teacher shortage
Since North Carolina is having such a hard time finding enough teachers, one place education leaders might look for help…
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LWCF has been a great resource for this country
When most of us here in Western North Carolina go for a hike on the Appalachian Trail, hunt or fish…
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A pack rat’s nightmare – a yard sale
You need some space. Believe me, I understand. The closets are so full, it takes two of you to press…
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Labor unions slowly losing power in U.S.
When Blue Ridge Paper employees voted to accept the recent buyout offer from the Rank group of New Zealand, union…
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Shuler shows that he will vote his conscience
Those who supported Heath Shuler’s bid to represent this region in Congress probably did not believe the detractors who spent…
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Some gifts are always keepers
Kayden is doing her very best not to tell me about the preparations she and mom and Jack have made…
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How do we really support the troops?
This is about war, but only from a distance. When I read about deaths in Iraq or Afghanistan, it mostly…
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Research farms will benefit from more efficient system
We want the state Agricultural Research Station in Waynesville to remain open, but the Senate budget proposal that attempts to…
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Feudin’ banjos and writin’ laws
By John Armour At the end of every week I take stock of what’s happened. Rare are the weeks which…
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Afterschool programs still looking for respect
By Chris Lowe • Guest columnist “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education,” said Albert Einstein. Einstein is…
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Another day, and it’s off to the races
7:37 a.m. — Snatched out of sleep by the ceaseless opening and closing of drawers. Goodness, woman, what can there…
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Momentum building for wisely guiding WNC’s rapid growth
Blessed are the planners, for in their hands rest the fate of these mountains.
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I’m sorry for all the impotence ads
By John Armor • Guest Columnist There are certain categories of ads on TV which offend me, and no doubt…
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Park Service opinion could seal road’s fate
The road, it appears, stops here. Now, elected leaders and citizens must demand a timetable for the $52 million settlement…
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A surprising reminder of a common bond
By Stephanie Wampler One morning in early spring, I woke up before anyone else and went out on my porch.…
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The lamentable loss of Appalachian yard junk
By Brent Martin The most popular subject of conversation in mountain communities today deals with the hollows and ridge tops…
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Ushering in a new era in Maggie Valley
A whole lot of residents and business owners are excited — and that’s putting it mildly — about Ghost Town’s…
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It’s all, really, about the tadpoles
The kids are doing their best to amuse themselves there at the water’s edge, but they are past restless. Something…
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Swain takes encouraging step with road proposals
Swain County is drafting a set of road standards that will serve its citizens well on two levels. First, the…
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The day Uncle Billy’s sheep got baptized
By Carl Iobst Down in the flatlands of Eastern North Carolina there’s an Apex man that’s got a powerful interest…
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Will we ever learn history’s lessons of war?
By Michael Beadle World wars, civil wars, the Crusades, wars of rebellion and independence. Why does humanity continue to go…
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Real estate school for elected leaders
Money and politics. Right now in the mountains, we can add real estate to that equation.
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Letter to Haywood Regional Medical Center
Dr. Michael Ray, who worked for Haywood Emergency Physicians before quitting in summer 2006, wrote this letter to the Haywood…
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Nurses deserve support for speaking up
By Michael Rey I would like to offer some words of support for those Emergency Department Nurses at Haywood Regional…
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A distant memory of child’s play
By Kathryn Stripling Byer Soon school will be over for the year. Students will leave their classrooms and bound out…
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Bush’s obstinance is a rare opportunity
With President Bush’s veto of the Democrats’ bill to set a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq,…
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Re-thinking transportation is a must
Dark clouds were rolling in on Saturday as I sat in our Sylva office while Western North Carolina’s original environmental…
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Fluffy turns out to be a greaser
By Stephanie Wampler My fluffy white dog was no longer white — his snout was grey with grease, the hair…
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West Waynesville roadwork needs to be designed well
Imagine how this scenario could work, if it was a reality: a state Department of Transportation in lockstep with the…
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Two Poems by Zora Walker
The Man in the Pickup Truck You may be a man who drives a cadillac and lives in a big…
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No time for sentimentality
By Dawn Gilchrist Young “ ... and all day I turn over my own best thoughts, each one as…
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Haywood nurses frustrated by changes
Editor’s note: A group of nurses who work at the Haywood Regional Medical Center Emergency Room recently contacted The Smoky…
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Media blew it at Virginia Tech
The same popular culture that some have alleged to produce yet another mass murderer wasted no time in trying to…
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WNC is at the forefront of the green revolution
The expansion announced last week by Smoky Mountain Biofuels and Mountain Energy will help place Western North Carolina at the…
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I know just what you’re thinking ...
Call me a little superstitious, but I defend my right to harbor a few fears. That’s why, after breaking my…
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Let’s stop the hypocrisy
Thank goodness for Don Imus. After 25 years of gutteral lyrics in the name of entertainment, none of which was…
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Landing jobs should be part of the mix
By Becky Anderson This is the time for members of the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly to follow their hearts…
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Some people — all the time
Some people complain all the time, about everything. They complain about the weather, the price of gasoline, their neglectful friends,…
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Cousin Eugene fights the train
By Carl Iobst Ed Stephens of Dillsboro recently had a problem with the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. According to the…
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There’s no acceptable reason not to recycle glass
He’s on record, and we for one will hold him to it: Haywood County’s new solid waste director says anything…
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Meal deal shines light on Swain’s dirty politics
It’s not clear what Swain County commissioners are hoping to accomplish by turning over to the District Attorney’s office the…
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Be a sport, get involved in Senior Games
By Dick and Sandy Michener Are you a serious competitor or a weekend athlete? Are you an accomplished artist or…
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Granny’s Farm and the boys from Chicago
By Jim Joyce My great- grandparents, on my mother’s side, “Bestafahr” and “Bestamour” (Nelson and Christiana Wurtz) emigrated from Denmark…
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