Opinion

Thoughts from the day before the day before deadline

Kevin Hensley
Thursday, April 18, 2024
The editor has penned a column? Inconceivable! But, alas, I am emerging from a lengthy stint away from page 4. Truthfully, I have no idea how. The weekly newspaper cycle keeps me on the go, no doubt. People often ask me when I sleep and my immediate reply is, “When I can.
Eternal Truth Ministries President Ethan Ramsey (left) stands with the evangelical church leaders he recently met with in Albania, to present the ministry’s disciples training.

Eternal Truth Ministries President Ethan Ramsey (left) stands with the evangelical church leaders he recently met with in Albania, to present the ministry’s disciples training.

Ministering the Word – 5,266 miles from home

Eric Reece
Thursday, April 18, 2024
It is a long way from Robbinsville, N.C., to Tirana, Albania. The Rev. Ethan Ramsey – youth pastor of Robbinsville First Baptist Church – found this out firsthand, as he recently traveled to Albania on a mission with Eternal Truth Ministries.

Spring cold spells vary in name

Marshall McClung
Thursday, April 18, 2024
The return of cold weather in early-April – after a period of balmy spring days – may have had some people wondering what was going on. It’s actually nothing out of the ordinary: folks who have grown up in the mountains know to expect this and have given names to these returns of winter events.

A better way than feminism

Scott Kamps
Thursday, April 11, 2024
I’ve sought to shed light on feminist ideology’s ugly roots and the oppression feminism naturally leads to. In doing so, I’ve attempted to follow in the footsteps of Frederick Douglass, who would “agitate the public mind” about the oppression of his day through his writing.

Are corporations people?

Lynne Stevens
Thursday, April 11, 2024
The Supreme Court is starting to affect our lives in ways we have never predicted – and this seems to be only the beginning. Some like the direction, but public opinion polls are overwhelmingly showing we are not happy with relinquishing freedoms we have had for decades.
Larry McCracken’s mobile home was left scattered in a field near present-day Red Barn Hollow General Store, in the aftermath of April 3, 1974’s tornado. Photo courtesy of The Graham Star Archives

Larry McCracken’s mobile home was left scattered in a field near present-day Red Barn Hollow General Store, in the aftermath of April 3, 1974’s tornado. Photo courtesy of The Graham Star Archives

Memories linger 50 years after tornado

Marshall McClung
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Wednesday marked 50 years since a deadly tornado struck Yellow Creek and the Stecoah section of Graham County, killing two people and injuring several others.

Bright Sunday!

Eric Reece
Thursday, April 4, 2024
There was a hospital system that decided to have a new campaign, “Cheat Death.” It was very unpopular in the community and due to lots of criticism, killed before it rolled out. I thought marketing didn’t take into account the Christian understanding of death as part of God’s plan of eternal life.

Does feminism lead to oppression?

Scott Kamps
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Amid the liberal media’s recurring response to the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision – with allusions to handmaids in red dresses and white bonnets – I wondered what the connection was. Though I rarely agree with liberals, I try to understand their arguments.

Premium take on regular thoughts

Lynne Stevens
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Ah those pesky gas prices, up again. I see all those fingers pointing at the White House. It would be nice if it was that simple. First, North Carolina takes a 35-cent tax on every gallon and the feds take another 18.3 cents. That is 53.3 cents a gallon, non-negotiable.

Cross true symbol of Easter

Marshall McClung
Thursday, March 21, 2024
One of the most recognized symbols of the Easter season is the cross. Although it was also the cruelest form of death used by the Romans to execute prisoners, it became popular with the early Christians as a symbol of their faith.