Methane gas project at old landfill is all good
 

Methane gas project at old landfill is all good

It’s not always about the money, at least not at first. That’s a point to keep in mind as the…
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Newspapers in need of iPod moment
 

Newspapers in need of iPod moment

We in the newspaper business are supposed to be having the bejesus scared out of us because of the power…
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Nurture your spirit, and the details will take care of themselves
 

Nurture your spirit, and the details will take care of themselves

By Jason Kimenker • Guest Columnist Winter has arrived, and the holiday season is in full swing. Wonderful and warm…
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Not so long ago, we treated liars differently
 

Not so long ago, we treated liars differently

By Kirk Adcock • Guest Columnist I would first like to thank Gen. Geoffrey Higgenbotham (“Playing politics at the expense…
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Count on me to lead the Grinch Fan Club
 

Count on me to lead the Grinch Fan Club

About this time each year, when the days and tempers get short and the traffic lines get long — when…
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Watershed decision was right on target
 

Watershed decision was right on target

Bryson City leaders avoided the temptation to sell off their watershed land for development, instead opting to follow through with…
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Hemp and the rule of law
 

Hemp and the rule of law

It looks like the old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” may bear fruit (or gas) when it is…
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Jackson, others need to learn to plan
 

Jackson, others need to learn to plan

By John Edwards • Guest Columnist Positive planning by developers, government officials and local citizens could be of great benefit…
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Remember the privilege of giving
 

Remember the privilege of giving

By Bill Nolte • Guest Columnist Last week I was providing my ongoing parental taxi service. I can’t remember if we…
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The downside of motorcycle tourism
 

The downside of motorcycle tourism

By Lee Shelton • Guest Columnist There has been much discussion about attracting more motorcyclists and motorcycle rallies to the…
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Things change, and sometimes not for the best
 

Things change, and sometimes not for the best

I’m not sure where home is, but my children know. They’re first-generation mountaineers, which means, should they stay, they’ve got…
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Playing politics at the expense of our soldiers
 

Playing politics at the expense of our soldiers

By Major Gen. Geoffrey B. Higginbotham In 1998, while serving as a Marine Corps Bases Commander in Japan, I had…
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Pressure mounts to get out of Iraq
 

Pressure mounts to get out of Iraq

Many of us who call these mountains home rely on the isolation, the distance from the cold realities of modern…
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Schools must help with obesity woes
 

Schools must help with obesity woes

It should come as no shock to learn that children in Western North Carolina, as in the rest of this…
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Paying the price – a parents’ weekend at WCU
 

Paying the price – a parents’ weekend at WCU

By Nancy Geiger • Guest Columnist I went to my first college parent’s weekend this month. I’d been to plenty…
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Who’s dying in Iraq?
 

Who’s dying in Iraq?

Seventy-five percent of the deaths were active duty and 24.8 percent were National Guard or Reserves. Of these, 67.9 percent…
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The job’s done, now it’s time to leave
 

The job’s done, now it’s time to leave

By Lee Shelton • Guest Columnist The U.S. recently incurred — and then quickly exceeded — the 2,000th casualty in…
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Contemplating the end of Eden
 

Contemplating the end of Eden

“At times I think there are no words But these to tell what’s true And there are no truths outside…
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Summer's gone, but not forgotten
 

Summer's gone, but not forgotten

By John Beckman • Columnist The summer now seems long gone and autumn is headed in the same direction as…
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Press, newsgatherers get special powers in U.S.
 

Press, newsgatherers get special powers in U.S.

I'm sure my paranoia was partly flamed by the buzz about the case of the CIA operative whose name was…
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Every effort should be taken to help elk project succeed
 

Every effort should be taken to help elk project succeed

The experimental elk reintroduction into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park should be given every chance to succeed. If that…
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