Recent events bring up a truth that bears constant remembrance and reminder. It was beat into my head during my education in business and marketing and has been borne out for decades in my career; “Perception is reality”.

Lew Harding, Post 143 commander, praised the One Feather for speaking truth to power. We, at the newspaper, believe that the power is our tribal community, the citizens, and members of the Eastern Band Cherokee.

It is probably a good time to revisit the many outcries by the One Feather and the community regarding the continued need for an organized office for the distribution of public information and at least an update of the Cherokee Code section dealing with public records.

It’s been a frustrating week here at Smoky Mountain Times because despite our efforts, we have come up short on getting more information as to what happened at El Camino Motel this past Thursday.