Boone is known for its beautiful scenery, hiking trails and small-town feel. However, more people continue to move here without knowing the damage it is causing. Urbanization, in the dictionary, is defined as “taking on the characteristics of the city.” Due to the high demand for housing and the continuous growth of the population, urbanization is becoming more normal than ever before. This is...

Being a hater is one of the finest luxuries of being a human. Bonding with the girlies over a mutual dislike builds strong relationships and can bring together groups of people. There is a fine line separating what is corrective and what is bullying. It comes down to what is changeable. A person can change their attitude, they can change their behavior but a person cannot change their body. National...

In 1637, Thomas Morton wrote “New English Canaan” a book criticizing the Puritan culture after leaving a Puritan colony and creating his own settlement. Morton’s book ended up being the first banned book in United States history, and 386 years later, the list has grown exponentially. Banning books deemed unsafe or unfit to read is a harmful approach to censorship and dangerously close to violating...

Everyone deserves a chance to be healthy, and that includes about 50% of the world's population with a uterus. Sexual and reproductive ill-health accounts for one-fifth of the burden of disease worldwide. The reality is women's health is grossly underfunded and when it comes to the U.S., the disparities scream louder in smaller and rural areas such as Boone.  When Googling women’s health in Boone,...

With an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway just minutes away, tourists and High Country residents are no strangers to sights such as the outstanding Linville Falls and views on the Profile Trail of Grandfather Mountain. To protect such magnificent sights, the Blue Ridge Parkway has established a set of rules to facilitate tourism that protects both visitors and nature alike. Before someone hits...

Growing up, students’ first exposure to college life is through the media, which often depicts the college experience as one full of parties, drugs and alcohol, late nights of fun, unplanned adventures and more. A lot of these depictions can ring true, but that experience is not accurate for all college students, nor is it desirable to all college students. Entering college knowing nothing about...

All.  When debating over the topic of choice in which to write this letter, there was a question that stood out to me; “What would you do if somebody told you to wait?” The question is most certainly one to draw moments from my life when I was told to wait. I was told to wait as a child, perhaps in line at the grocery. I have been told to wait until I’m older on more than one occasion. And...

I refuse to be an educator. So please do not ask me to explain why I would prefer to leave my bonnet on if I am not leaving my home or why I choose to do my hair on a certain day I call wash day. And, please do not ask me why I do not wash my hair every day or every other day. It is just not in my capacity to explain. You see, I simply am not an educator, I refuse to be one for many reasons; the biggest...