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…
Read More
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.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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.”…
Read More
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.
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
American democracy is backsliding
To the Editor: By now most Americans (and people around the globe) will have learned that the United States (for…
Read More
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…
Read More
Disgraceful redistricting commonplace in N.C.
By Gary St. Arnauld • Guest Columnist | North Carolina’s General Assembly has a long and not so honorable history…
Read More
A unique kind of holiday
Every year of our girlhood, my sister and I woke up early on Thanksgiving Day, sat at the kitchen barstools…
Read More
You can’t un-develop land
To the Editor: I grew up in what used to be a small town in New Jersey. Everything was peaceful…
Read More
Thankful we passed infrastructure bill
To the Editor: In the spirit of Thanksgiving and the coming holidays, I’m writing to express my gratitude to Senators…
Read More
We can all learn by listening to each other
Letter to the Editor: I enjoyed reading Dr. Norman Hoffman’s opinion piece in the Friday, November 12, issue. I appreciate…
Read More
Trump remains a danger to the republic
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist | Some people may still wonder how the Germany of a century ago could…
Read More
Let’s talk honestly about social programs
To the Editor: Communism, socialism and Democrats are all the same, always bad, all the time. Democratic-leaning relatives, friends, and…
Read More
Cawthorn in line for Pinocchio award
To the Editor: I recently received an email from Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-Hendersonville. If only there was a Pinocchio award, so…
Read More
Thankful for infrastructure bill
To the Editor: At long last after years of inaction, there will be greatly needed improvements to the infrastructure of…
Read More
Inspiration from Mary Oliver, Sadhguru and Ted Lasso
“Sometimes I need / Only to stand / Wherever I am / To be blessed.” — Mary Oliver
Read More
Now we know what the COVID police will do
I’ve had mixed feelings about the “COVID police” since the beginning of the pandemic’s lockdowns.
Read More
Development does not fit Waynesville
To the Editor: I find myself perplexed over the “housing crisis” in Waynesville. It seems all our town does is…
Read More
De-mock-racy and gerrymandering
To the Editor: Folks, it is gerrymandered maps time again.
Read More
History is complicated, let’s teach it that way
There has been a lot of hype about Critical Race Theory (CRT) — most of it false. CRT actually involves…
Read More
Back to near normalcy is a treasured gift
When practice begins each year for the new high school marching band season, summer is still bearing down, the sun…
Read More
Cawthorn’s fears should worry us
To the Editor: As each new report comes to light about Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s concealed weaponry, we should be asking…
Read More
No guarantee the republic will survive
To the Editor: I’ve been giving much thought recently to what the framers had in mind when contemplating the creation…
Read More
Clampitt’s Oath Keeper membership an embarrassment
I know Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Swain, and he’s a likeable, personable guy whom I disagree with on a lot of…
Read More
The circle of life for Main Street commerce
For several years, The Smoky Mountain News has partnered with the Haywood Chamber of Commerce to publish its annual magazine.
Read More
No big money from outsiders
To the Editor: My name is Carrie McBane and I was a candidate for Town of Sylva Council 2021 in…
Read More
Non-conservatives won’t accept fascism
To the Editor: A recent letter purports to represent conservatives but contains mostly platitudes and hardly anything substantive. The writer’s…
Read More
Always something new around the corner
Travel is one of my favorite soul foods, but it’s also cool to really get to know the place you…
Read More
Newman has my vote in Sylva
To the Editor: I was once a candidate for the Sylva Town Council but withdrew when I realized that I…
Read More
When being a mom breaks your heart
Being a mom is always hard, but there is something uniquely challenging about parenting an adolescent. For me, it felt…
Read More
