Insurance fix

Lots of us are trying to figure how to adjust our budgets for the coming year, given the health insurance increases many face.  We already know the problem: bills are too high, and there is not enough money to cover them!

Reflections after Thanksgiving holiday

G.K. Chesterton wrote, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”  I think most people see the superiority of giving thanks over taking things for granted.

Cherokees and the Civilian Conservation Corps

Much has been written about the Civilian Conservation Corps, the work performed and the part it played in pulling America out of the Depression. But when it comes to the part the Cherokees had in the effort, not so much.

Yuletide Ministries spreads holiday cheer

I remember as a youngster in school singing about Yuletide carols.  I didn’t know what Yuletide was, but I knew it had something to do with Christmas.  Originally, Yuletide was a Norse celebration during midwinter.

Holidays are a time for reflection

Ready, set, go!  The holiday season is right here, right now and I feel like the year has sped by unbelievably fast. Christmas decorations were in stores before Halloween and Thanksgiving. When we wait to put up our holiday decorations, it tends to make them more special. Why the rush?

Thankful for Mama’s raising

The columnist still looks back on the values instilled by her mother with fondness. You’ve heard the expression, “She worked her fingers to the bone.”  Well, my mother was the exact living embodiment of that phrase.

Origins of county’s Lewellyn Cove

During my career with the U.S. Forest Service, I was on the Lewellyn Cove Nature Trail – just outside of Fontana Dam, on N.C. 28 – many times.  I often wondered about the unusual name, but no one seemed to know.

What is ‘6-7?’

Dictionary.com crowned their 2025 word of the year: the word “6-7.” That’s six-seven, not sixty-seven.  I try to keep up with the latest trends and happenings. I understand if you ask a youngster how they are doing, they may respond, “6-7.

Long-term effects of data centers

How much have you thought about Artificial Intelligence when you do a ChatGPT search?  AI is with us for the long haul. The next time you do your ChatGPT search, know that it costs roughly 10 times more dollars to produce your results than Google pays for your Google search.  Why?

Cost of living in Graham County

An anonymous old fable – referred to as “Cows Don’t Give Milk” – endeavors to provide the secret to life in a parabolic way.  In it, the father says, “Listen, son: The cow does not give milk, you have to milk it.