Here they are again, those inviting snowflakes on our lamp posts in Boone. Thank you for going back to the warmer lights after a couple years of the colder LED ones.

This time of the year schools are planning their annual 8th grade trips.

On Oct. 15, I attended a meeting of the Watauga County Commissioners to discuss the Application for Text Amendment to The Valle Crucis Historic District Ordinance. In preparation to build a new school in Valle Crucis, county commissioners are seeking a change which would render schools to be…

Pam Williamson is the de facto head of the Watauga County Democratic Party. Prominent among her many activities is writing “Pam’s Picks” every election season. Her website offers her views on all of the races on the ballot, and near the polling stations you’ll always find a replica of her sa…

A letter in the Watauga Democrat Oct. 23 (“Democracy not well”) scolded me for weighing in on candidates running for seats on the Boone Town Council.

Regarding the current municipal election in the Town of Boone, the Watauga County Democratic party did not recruit candidates, has not endorsed candidates and has not expended any Party resources to benefit any candidate.

Under the mantra “Make America Great Again.” the present administration in Washington has redefined greatness.

Yes, President Donald Trump abandoned the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria in our war on terror. But let’s not forget that President Kennedy abandoned the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front at the Bay of Pigs in our war on communism.

In March the Watauga County Board Of Education entered into a contract to purchase 14.4 acres (the Hodges site) for $1.105 million as a possible site for a new Valle Crucis School grades 1-8. They are offering to pay 2-3 times the market value of that land. Thirteen of the 14.4 acres are des…

I am writing in protest of the proposed new school construction site in Valle Crucis on the Hodges Farm property on Broadstone Road.

On Sept. 3, the Watauga County Board Of Commissioners filed an Application for Text Amendment to the Valle Crucis Historic District Ordinance. The applicants have asked that all public schools be grouped with Bona Fide Farms in section 2.3 of the ordinance and that sections 2.4 and 2.5 not b…

I heard the D.O.T. is bringing the new left turn arrangement at all intersection on U.S. 221 between Boone and West Jefferson to other intersections in Boone. To turn left, you have to first turn right, fight your way to the far left lane and make a U-turn to complete the left turn. What a n…

Far too often, after another mass shooting of innocent people in our nation, our politicians and media reporters naturally demand action that “something must be done.” Some call for stronger purchasing restrictions and regulations for gun ownership or banning assault rifles, bump stocks and …

I believe the recent letter to the editor about the “NO to HATE” signs (Aug. 7) around the area bears witness to the fact of the great divide in our country —everything is viewed as one side against the other. In fact, the signs came as an act to try to bring our community together against h…

The recent debacle surrounding the renaming of a street in Boone to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a perfect example of getting what you vote for.

As one of thousands of year-round residents who welcome the second-plus home residents, students, tourists, the friends of friends or relatives of friends or the passers through and by who appreciate these beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, I write to give a local perspective.

Considering the letter, “About those ‘Don’t Hate-Love God’ signs” (Aug. 7): I have to remember to be a nice person, as I was raised and baptized in faith and Belief of Jesus Christ. I am thankful I had wonderful loving parents who taught me to love and abide by God’s commandments

I was deeply distressed to read the letter which expressed being offended by the ”Don’t Hate-Love God” signs (Aug. 7).

I am 91 years old. As far as I know, I am the oldest of the residents of Valle Crucis who were actually born in Valle Crucis and have lived in Valle Crucis their entire life. I have read all 80 comments written by the signers of the petition to prevent moving the Valle Crucis Elementary Scho…

This letter is in regard to the Aug. 7 letter, “About those ‘Don’t Hate-Love God’ signs.” The letter seems to be offended by signs placed by the High Country faith community earlier this spring. They are a renunciation of hate in response to the epidemic of senseless violence in our country.

Recently, a Your View opinion piece, “Housing and poverty in Boone” (Aug. 7), suggested that the Boone economy offers an illusion of prosperity propped up by the toils of its workers. Although the importance of reducing poverty, expanding a stock of affordable housing and making more widely …

A letter recently expressed discomfort, to the point of being disturbed, with the volume of faith-based signs located throughout our community (“About those ‘Don’t Hate-Love God’ signs,” Aug. 2).

I just finished reading the letter “About those Don’t Hate -Love’ signs” (Aug. 7).

In response to the story, “Boone council to continue discussion on renaming local street after MLK” (https://bit.ly/2YT7aMY), doing this change will invite and incite more hate.

(1) Nurses today in the 21st century are also speaking up about healthcare policies that hinder or help our society. As an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse residing in Boone and a practicing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for the past 22 years, I am concerned about the affordabilit…

I am one of thousands of folks who pour into these mountains for the summer, the same lovely blue ridges I grew up in as a child in Virginia. The worries back home and the destructive political banter that infects our lives now — all this disappears behind the mountains.

Read a while, blackout of a word, phrase, line or paragraph. Read a while, blackout of a word, phrase, line or paragraph. It is enough to make one black out while reading it, but it is the Mueller Report published by the United States Department of Justice.

In the executive and legislative branches of our national government there appears to be a dearth of real leaders. It has reached the point where it is fair to say we are desperate for real leaders who can find common ground, build a consensus and move forward with solutions, rather than the…

“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.

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…

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…

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.