“I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.” So says the Hippocratic Oath that I, along with all physicians, swore to uphold. It guides my practice as a pediatrician, and it guides my staunch support for expanding Medicaid.
Over the years celebrating the July 4th holiday has changed.
On Wednesday, June 26, a fire seriously damaged a local Blowing Rock business of a beloved shop owner. Citizens, town officials and the community stood in deep concern as Blowing Rock firefighters diligently worked to stop the blaze. Many were distressed, heartbroken and in tears for the bel…
Regarding dogs on the Boone Greenway, it has been brought to my attention that one of our members, while waiting for hikers to assemble and the hike to begin, encountered two young people who stopped to chat with a pair of interesting unleashed dogs. Both dogs began to romp; they were largis…
Some of you will know this and others won’t, but June is considered Pride Month for the LGBTQIA community. It’s a time where those of us who are lesbian, or gay are encouraged to come out and be visible to our family, friends, neighbors and enemies. It’s not that any of us want enemies, but …
I agree with the letter writer of “Hottest Day of 2019 so far” (May 26). Not enough is done to caution residents about the dangers of leaving their pets in the car.
Welcoming sunshine and 80 degree temperatures in Boone also comes with downsides.
About 4:30 on a recent afternoon, two fighter jets flew over Boone.
Isn’t it ironic that both President Donald Trump and National Security Advisor John Bolton, neither of whom have experienced military combat, are now, according to news reports, thinking about starting a war in the Persian Gulf?
If you have ever felt lonely, know that you are not alone. We live in an era where we are more connected with one another than ever yet the national rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s. Loneliness can be defined as “subjective distress” which does not always mean not having frie…
My heart breaks. My spirit suffers. Yet another sleepless night. I am left wondering — yet again.
It is shameful that the masses of social media have bullied Boone Saloon co-owner Skip Sinanian out of his business and livelihood for a perfectly reasonable observation and comment regarding consent.
An article Feb. 24, headlined “Council seeks to eliminate ‘non-conforming’ uses in neighborhoods,” turned my world upside down. Fifteen years ago, I bought my home in Boone; a small one-level, three-bedroom house with two rear-entrance apartments below. At that time I was given a letter from…
To even begin to think that this president, or for that matter, any president, could, in the course of one term or even two, actually make America great again is simply preposterous, or easily grossly short-sighted. To believe that millions of jobs, the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice…
I am deeply saddened by the news that a young person died after being shot by a Watauga County sheriff’s deputy over the weekend.
Relying on the generosity of strangers, telephone scams are again making the rounds of the High Country.
Watauga County is a thriving community defined by hard-working and caring individuals who come together in times of celebration and in times of need. We pride ourselves on the history and culture that exists in our mountain town, and work hard to preserve that culture.
Many of us celebrated love and Valentine’s Day recently with our spouses, partners, children and other loved ones, but another group of people within our country did not have the same experience; instead, this day of love was overshadowed by the remembrance of the deadliest school shooting i…
As we approach Easter and deal with a crisis in our culture concerning truth, perhaps we ought to think about the question Pilate asked Jesus not long before he gave his approval to Jesus being crucified. Pilate had asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus replied that his kingdom w…
I’m not sure that this widening project of US Hwy 421 is prudent at this time.
A sincere thank you is due to those folks in the town of Boone’s Public Works Department.
Senator Thom Tillis needs to prevent the health insurance tax from coming into effect again in 2020. This tax impacts health plans purchased by small businesses. It results in thousands of dollars in higher annual costs for businesses that offer health insurance. For my hardware store, this …
My dad spent his retirement years serving the community of Boone. With great humility he committed his efforts to improve the lives of the community and the environment.
This letter is not to “bring down,” but to uplift.
A new resident to our community wrote a letter, “Racism still exists,” which was published in the Nov. 28 issue of the Watauga Democrat. It hurt my heart to learn that anyone would be treated in such a bigoted manner by another resident of our community. I’m not naïve to this reality, but al…
It has been a little more than 90 days since Randy Collins left this world as we know it.
Racism in Boone is alive and well. I moved to Boone in October 2017 just knowing that the serenity of being surrounded by the mountains with its quaint downtown would be the perfect place to retire. I knew before moving here that the African-American population was very low, but it never daw…
I feel compelled to write this letter about the result of the Oct. 9 meeting of the Blowing Rock Town Council, specifically concerning the very disappointing and frankly, disgusting outcome and “non-vote”on accepting the gifts to the town of Blowing Rock of the replicas of the Declaration of…
Obviously, some business entity is making money by causing hundreds of thousands of people to change their clocks twice a year which is a small, but unnecessary, inconvenience and a very small consideration compared to disrupting every individual’s circadian rhythm which nature provided for …
To students at ASU voting. For the first time in many, many years, thanks to President Donald Trump, there will be jobs waiting for you at graduation.
I just received in my mail the latest campaign poster from the NC Republican Party and I must say how appalled and downright outraged I am at how low a political party can go.
That this midterm election cycle has been contentious is an understatement. Reaching near to the interest of a general election — Watauga saw 1,700 early voters on the first day such ballots could be cast — voices from all sides of the political aisles are reaching out through social media, …
This message to voters pertains to one of the six proposed amendments to the Constitution of North Carolina which will be on your ballot.
When did we forget to lose graciously?
If you’ve ever doubted the old axiom, “the power of the press,” rest assured that it has been proven true yet again during First Horizon Foundation’s “25 Years of Giving” video contest.
Just how naïve can people be? During Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court justice nomination hearing he gave a very convincing performance of righteous outrage. If he truly was an innocent man being wrongly accused, why did he not demand a full-blown investigation to clear his name with the resul…
On Sunday, Sept. 23, I was taking the recycle bin to the street when I carelessly allowed it to get out of my control and cans, glass jars and bottles and other stuff rolled down my rather steep drive and into the street, completely covering one lane of the street.
On behalf of High Country Recreation, I would like to thank the county leadership for planning and funding a long needed community recreation center. With a 5-0 vote, the board of commissioners unanimously approved the funding for this new facility.
As the 2018 midterm elections approach, as when any election approaches, I think about the obligation we have to vote as citizens. Recently, myself — founder of a civics group called Small and Mighty Acts — and a few self-appointed (and wonderful) interns planned and hosted a “Midterms Are C…
Dear “Anonymous Senior Executive Administrative Official” who wrote that New York Times Op-ed last week,
The discussion of highly contentious political issues is virtually inescapable. The decisions being made by those who hold power in our nation’s capital has had significant impacts ranging from economic implications to societal transformations. It is because of this that I find it appropriat…
I would like to thank the community of Watauga County.
This morning I got my first look at the new recycle bins that have been provided to all citizens of Boone.
“He gets things done,” a friend recently said to me about the president of the United States. He does, indeed, get things done.
To the editor:
Hurrah to the Watauga Democrat and Tommy Brown for beginning a new column that promises to be useful and interesting to High Country readers. As someone who grew up in a college town and now teaches at Appalachian, I appreciate and understand the ebbs and flows of the “town and gown” experie…
Immediately after the November 2016 general election, a large group of Hillary Clinton supporters, including Washington DC bureaucrats, career establishment politicians and far left activists, began a group labeled “Resist” which was to oppose any dialog, act or proposal made by President Do…
The article “App State solar vehicle team debuts two-passenger car” was incredibly exciting to read (Mountain Times, June 28, tinyurl.com/ycgo54ly), given the dedication of the students working on their car. Solar energy has immense potential in the coming years in the movement to transition…
Everybody involved (Maymead, engineers etc.) deserves praise for keeping U.S. 321 open the whole time while making it a four-lane. Amazing! However, as one who still regularly commutes on 321, I have a few concerns.
A few weeks ago, I received a notice in the mail with information about Blue Ridge Energy’s Annual Membership Meeting and Board of Directors election on June 28. If you buy your electricity from Blue Ridge, you probably did too. Many people may not realize it, but this is the most important …
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