Teaching manners and other life skills
Recently I had the opportunity to speak by phone with writer and podcaster Jennifer L. Scott. The author of the Madame Chic books — “Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris” was the first — Scott is as delightful a conversationalist as we might expect, witty, thoughtful and easily given to laughter.
Of parched corn and rank strangers: Ahead of new book, Gary Carden reflects on a lifetime of storytelling
So I walk into Gary Carden’s room in the ICU and the first thing he says to me in his sonorous growl is, “OK newspaperman, take this down. I want you to turn this into a story.”
Youth soccer camp comes to Jackson County
Jackson County Parks and Recreation is hosting a youth soccer camp. The camp is open to boys and girls ages 8-14. Camp will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. Aug. 19, 21 and 23.
‘Bridging the gap’: Macon school board to request county funding for school meals
In the face of rising prices for school lunches, the Macon County Board of Education is set to request funding from the county commission that would ensure all students in Macon County receive free lunch for the coming school year.
The ‘Anxious Generation’ – Part 1
A month ago I called my brother-in-law, known to all the family as Uncle Jim, to ask a favor. He readily said yes to the favor, then said he had one for me. He wanted me to read “The Anxious Generation,” the book about the first generation to go through adolescence with smartphones.
Youth fishing event in Cherokee
The Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby will be held from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Oconaluftee River Islands Park in Cherokee.
The problem of childhood hunger can be fixed
A recent town hall in Cullowhee laid out a heartbreaking problem in our public schools, as well as a sensible solution. The problem is hunger. The solution is to provide free meals to all students in our public schools. But, how do we get there?
Pride is not a virtue
To the Editor:
I have no hatred towards anyone who chooses a different lifestyle than me. The vast majority of Americans do not care about an individual's sexual preference or what books they read.
Haywood County children, youth need loving foster homes
The COVID pandemic may seem like ancient history to most western North Carolinians, but foster children in Haywood County are still feeling its ripple effects. Due to abuse, neglect or other adverse circumstances, they need stable and supportive temporary homes and there are not enough foster homes.
Legislative infighting overshadows child care crisis
Without immediate action from the General Assembly, Pandemic-era federal grants to child care providers will run out on July 1 — plunging the state into a child care crisis that will hamper economic and workforce development, make child care more difficult to find and further burden North Carolina’s working parents already feeling the pinch from unaffordable housing and the relentless corporate greed that’s driving inflation.
