Take opioids or visit DMV?
A few days ago, I received a card from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles saying that my driver’s license needed to be renewed, but I can renew online if I went to the NCDMV website.
This morning, I got on the DMV website to renew. After entering my date of birth and license number, the system responded that despite the DMV sending me a card telling me I can renew online, I was not eligible to renew online and to call a certain telephone number for assistance.
I finally find the original card that was sent by DMV. In the fine print its says, “If you renewed online last time, you must renew in-person this time.”
Perhaps this was the reason that I am not eligible. I guess the DMV must think renewing your driving license online is such a memorable event that no sane person would forget the moment five years later.
I dialed the number and worked my way through numerous voice-generated prompts. After a few minutes, it was clear that there was no prompt to inquire why their computer changed its mind and I was suddenly not eligible. There was also no prompt to talk to a human.
There was, however, a prompt to set up an appointment with the local DMV office. The voice then directed me to an online service to set up an appointment with my local DMV office.
I got online and went to the DMV website, only to have the website tell me there were no appointments available. I now understand why there is an opioid crisis in North Carolina.
Jan Lukens, Unaka
Be a warrior in prayer life
To be a prayer warrior, we need to know there is a battle that rages inside every follower of Jesus Christ. If we excessively worry about what is going on in this old sinful world, then we set ourselves up for defeat.
We need to always remind ourselves that we possess the Holy Spirit of God, who lives inside us, and it is He who stirs our hearts and minds to lean on His mighty promises.
The battle is real between our fleshly desires and sinful nature, but God’s word tells us that greater is He that lives in us, then he who lives in this world. Satan only has power over us when we yield ourselves under his authority, but because we have the power and authority of Almighty God living in us, we can be victorious warriors over any foe that comes our way.
When is the last time you opened God’s word of truth and read the many promises that God has given us – not only to defeat every enemy, but to rejoice that God has given us the reason why the cross of Calvary is so dear to our hearts? Without the shed blood of Jesus, we have no hope of eternal life. We have no reason to serve a God who has no plans for His children to lean onto. If this is case, then we need to worry and fret, because this life is all there is for anyone ever born.
I have great news for everyone. The cross of Christ has forgiven mankind’s sins – past, present and future – because the victory was won by the shed blood of Jesus.
God will meet you where you are and transform you. What a promise from a loving God who thought you were worth dying for.
Frank Combs, Blairsville, Ga.
Unaka happy with reporting
The Unaka community wishes to express our gratitude for your exceptional journalism for us. Aiden McCoy Williams’ reporting of our events is exceptional. You are our exclusive reporter.
Thank you so much!
Holly Willis, Unaka
Cows could end country
To avoid a Sisyphean procedure, would anyone hire a shoemaker to perform heart surgery? Would you hire a heart surgeon to build your house?
How about electing a tortuous bartender from a slop house in New York to run the government? What would you expect the result to be?
The 2025 congressional election answered these questions and more. The voters of New York City once again elected a political leader who has the answer to America’s problems.
Our government leaders have been focused on protecting the homeland and Americans, and now we have a leader who has zeroed-in on the real problem facing our country. It’s not foreign governments, or ISIS. No, it’s “global warming.” If something isn’t done, we will “cease to exist in 12 years.”
Not only has she identified the problem, but she has proposed a solution. “Global warming” is caused by bovine flatulence. All you self-indulging steak eaters are the problem, and the solution is to get rid of all cows.
Who knew the anal gas of a Black Angus could cause the demise of our great country!
Ed Huber, Copperhill, Tenn.
Doctor tells area goodbye
After 23 years of providing care to the women of this area, the time has come to say goodbye.
The feeling is bittersweet. My daughters were raised here, and over the years my family formed deep connections in the local communities.
We moved back to the mountains in 2002 after my Army service. With a lot of hope (and a loan), I opened an OBGYN practice with a simple goal: to offer a level of care equal to that found in any big city.
Thanks to the dedication of so many, both in the office and the hospital, tremendous progress has been made toward that end. In a time when many rural hospitals were eliminating their Labor & Delivery units we have grown almost fivefold in births. OBGYN surgeries have increased from none to hundreds yearly.
The women of southern Appalachia are special. They spend much of their lives caring for those around them. They are unstoppable because they have to be.
I knew this from a young age – having been raised by a single mother of three kids in tough financial circumstances in east Tennessee – and continue to be inspired by the resilience and compassion of my patients on a daily basis.
Some reading this may have heard my mantra, “All you can do is do your best.”
It has been the greatest privilege of my career to help many of you through moments of joy, hardship and everything in between. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives.
Though our journey here is ending, it is not quite time for retirement. We are moving to Colorado Springs, where I will practice at Fort Carson, the Army post there. I am very excited to serve those who serve and to be surrounded by like-minded colleagues. In a way, my family is coming full circle.
We will always carry the spirit of this place with us. Being from the mountains has shaped who I am as a doctor, father, husband and person. I feel lucky and full of gratitude.
Keeping up with families as they grow is so much fun. If anyone has pictures
they would like to share, please email them to DrDavisbabypics@gmail.com.
Dr. Kevin S. Davis, Blairsville, Ga.