Zoning has been a dirty word in Cherokee for as long as I can remember. In a discussion during one of my early days in working with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the subject was brought up by one of the folks less educated on the history of the subject on the Qualla Boundary.

Well, the time is finally up on us.  If you haven’t already done so, then it is time to pick a side. 

“I’ve noticed of late, that many more folks seem to be going through some things. 

Tis the season when politicians of all stripes make desperate promises to get votes, but the pandering has reached new levels with the embrace of legislation to extend federal recognition to the Lumbee in North Carolina.

The light at the end of a long, long, long tunnel is there! I can see it faintly now but I can definitely see it! On Tuesday, Nov. 3, two weeks away, we vote for the people that will govern us for the next two and/or four years.

When President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) did an about-face on his past policy to deny consideration of Supreme Court nominees in an election year.

Many thought we would be seeing life return to “normal” by now, but we are fast realizing that normal as it looked in December of 2019 may not be a reality even in the year to come. 

It seems like we just experienced Domestic Violence Month, yet it is October once again, and it is time to take another focused look at this problem that deserves our year-round attention.