Canton keeps it moving: Burrell to replace departing Hendler-Voss
 

Canton keeps it moving: Burrell to replace departing Hendler-Voss

Canton’s search for a new town manager took about an hour. “We’ve sent a clear signal to the town and…
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Grand Council votes to stop impeachment
 

Grand Council votes to stop impeachment

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians held its first Grand Council in 20 years yesterday, with traffic backing up for more than a mile down Big Cove Road as tribal members flocked to the event, held at Cherokee High School.
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Trump’s trips are a waste of taxes
 

Trump’s trips are a waste of taxes

To the Editor: White House budget director Michael Mulvaney recently said in an interview that: “When you start looking at…
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Rep. Presnell should not politicize school boards
 

Rep. Presnell should not politicize school boards

To the Editor: As a former teacher of children with learning disabilities in Alabama, I have experienced the politicization resulting…
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Patriot faction not being honest
 

Patriot faction not being honest

To the Editor: Each of Ms. Becky Johnson’s two articles about the Haywood Republican Party were well researched and accurately…
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Boiling days down to simple routines
 

Boiling days down to simple routines

“The ONLY thing is, we don’t have to go all the way to Adam’s Creek,” my wife Lori said. We…
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Chaos comes in several shapes and sizes
 

Chaos comes in several shapes and sizes

As all successful couples understand, the key to happiness is mastering the art of communication. When facing a Big Decision…
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Spring fire season arrives: Steady rain keeps wildfire to normal levels as region recovers from historic fall blazes
 

Spring fire season arrives: Steady rain keeps wildfire to normal levels as region recovers from historic fall blazes

When rains finally quelled the flames of 2016’s historic fall fire season, firefighters breathed sighs of relief and mountain residents…
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Pondering the power of forgiveness
 

Pondering the power of forgiveness

In Charles Martin’s novel A Life Intercepted (Center Street Publishers, 2014, 326 pages), college senior Matthew “the Rocket” Rising has…
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This must be the place: No time for eggplant parm, let’s talk the cosmos
 

This must be the place: No time for eggplant parm, let’s talk the cosmos

I had just reached for the eggplant parmesan sandwich when it was asked. “What do you think about God?”
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Take it all in: The art of Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
 

Take it all in: The art of Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)

It’s about finding your center.  Though they’re hundreds of miles from the closest ocean, the members of Sylva-based Positive Mental…
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Bear activity reported in Panthertown
 

Bear activity reported in Panthertown

Recent bear encounters in Panthertown have spurred the U.S. Forest Service to issue a warning for visitors to the area. 
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Court denies lawsuit of anti-impeachment councilmember
 

Court denies lawsuit of anti-impeachment councilmember

The Cherokee Tribal Court has denied a complaint that Councilmember Teresa McCoy, of Big Cove, filed asking that the court restrain the Tribal Council from taking certain types of actions.
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Unstable ground: Complex questions surround upcoming Cherokee impeachment process
 

Unstable ground: Complex questions surround upcoming Cherokee impeachment process

More than a year of tension and fighting within the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians government will come to a head this week, with a hearing for impeachment charges against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert slated for Thursday, April 20, and Lambert calling a Grand Council of all enrolled members for Tuesday, April 18, in an attempt to save his position.  But, while some big decisions about…
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A grassroots progressive group takes off in Haywood
 

A grassroots progressive group takes off in Haywood

A progressive tour de force has emerged across the mountains since the election of President Donald Trump.
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The petri dish of American politics: Homegrown factions wreak havoc on mainstream parties
 

The petri dish of American politics: Homegrown factions wreak havoc on mainstream parties

The recent tug-of-war for control of the Haywood County Republican Party has left many conservatives cringing and embarrassed over the…
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Bryson City reconsiders railroad request
 

Bryson City reconsiders railroad request

It only took about two weeks for the Bryson City Board of Aldermen to change its mind regarding a request…
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Swain ER visits down from last year
 

Swain ER visits down from last year

Still struggling to make people understand that Swain Community Hospital’s emergency room is still open 24 hours, seven days a…
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Mill Street lane reduction work to begin soon
 

Mill Street lane reduction work to begin soon

Mill Street will be getting a makeover after Sylva’s board of commissioners approved funding for the lane reduction project in…
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Panthertown purchase gets a boost
 

Panthertown purchase gets a boost

A key piece of land bordering Panthertown Valley Backcountry Area will be conserved following a pledge from the Jackson County…
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Macon changes policy to include elected officials
 

Macon changes policy to include elected officials

Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland said he’s been trying for years to get commissioners to change the county’s personnel policy…
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Tax Day cometh, but not for Trump
 

Tax Day cometh, but not for Trump

A little rain couldn’t drown out the voices of a small group of protestors who gathered at the Historic Haywood…
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Mountain Projects acquires building
 

Mountain Projects acquires building

A Waynesville-based regional social services agency will finally get that new building its been after.
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DOT land could go to Haywood schools
 

DOT land could go to Haywood schools

Parking may get easier and safer for Junaluska Elementary School parents if a bill introduced by Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson…
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New Maggie police chief brings experience, focus
 

New Maggie police chief brings experience, focus

The straightforward Russ Gilliland is a fifth-generation Haywood County resident, but his path to becoming Maggie Valley’s newest police chief…
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Get a peek behind the curtains of Maggie Valley government
 

Get a peek behind the curtains of Maggie Valley government

A new program by the Town of Maggie Valley offers citizens a candid look at what the town does, how…
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Partisanship over statesmanship, Raleigh knows best
 

Partisanship over statesmanship, Raleigh knows best

Sorry Haywood County citizens and others in the western part of the state, the most grassroots and local ballots you…
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Hello darlin’, nice to see you
 

Hello darlin’, nice to see you

Ever since I left for college and began talking to my dad on the phone regularly, he’s answered my call…
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Voters should decide tax collector issue
 

Voters should decide tax collector issue

To the Editor: Haywood County Board Chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick has publicly complained “It feels like we have no representation” in…
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Voters have decided tax collector issue
 

Voters have decided tax collector issue

To the Editor: Funny how Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, never mentions once that we are the only county in…
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Healthcare needs to be affordable
 

Healthcare needs to be affordable

To the Editor: As I prepared to leave home to participate in Sylva’s rally and march for affordable health care…
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EPA — the Eviscerated Protection Agency
 

EPA — the Eviscerated Protection Agency

Our new denier-in-chief believes “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make…
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Clyde river park gets a facelift: Plans call for extensive tree planting, walking paths and river access
 

Clyde river park gets a facelift: Plans call for extensive tree planting, walking paths and river access

On the chilly, windy afternoon of April 7, a crew of seven people gathered to install a passel of hefty…
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Parks open for the season
 

Parks open for the season

Spring is here, and that means that most roads and facilities on the area’s many acres of public lands are…
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HCC wildlife students earn top award
 

HCC wildlife students earn top award

Students from Haywood Community College came in fourth in a wildlife-centric competition during which they competed against 24 other schools.
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Smokies upgrades to cleaner fuel
 

Smokies upgrades to cleaner fuel

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park now boasts two new propane-fueling stations and six new propane-fueled trucks following an unveiling…
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The Final Day brings Forstche’s trilogy to a close
 

The Final Day brings Forstche’s trilogy to a close

In 2011, William Forstchen’s apocalyptic novel, One Second After, appeared on best-seller lists. After reading for review this story of…
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This must be the place: You may be gone, but your impact remains
 

This must be the place: You may be gone, but your impact remains

I remembered immediately. Scrolling through the Facebook stream on Monday afternoon, I came across a post from a dear high…
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Hop, skip and a pour away: Waynesville’s Leap Frog Tours
 

Hop, skip and a pour away: Waynesville’s Leap Frog Tours

Stepping out of a large passenger van into the sunshine last Saturday afternoon, a group of around 10 people entered…
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Bryson City welcomes second brewery
 

Bryson City welcomes second brewery

Although the official “Grand Opening” is May 20 for Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City, the newest brewery in Western…
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HCC crafts students in Atlanta
 

HCC crafts students in Atlanta

Haywood Community College Professional Crafts students recently participated in the School-to-Market Program at the American Craft Council’s American Craft Show…
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School libraries install STEM stations
 

School libraries install STEM stations

In many of Haywood County Schools’ media centers, including North Canton Elementary School, media specialists are working with teachers to…
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An uphill battle: Without parental support, finishing college is hard
 

An uphill battle: Without parental support, finishing college is hard

Sophia Calhoun was 9 years old the day the world changed. Her mother died, leaving her dad to care for…
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Student center aims to reach parentless students, increase graduation rates
 

Student center aims to reach parentless students, increase graduation rates

On virtually any college campus, they’re there — students who have recently exited foster care, are homeless, wards of the…
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Comment

Grounds for impeachment
 

Grounds for impeachment

The articles of impeachment passed by the Cherokee Tribal Council on April 6 outline seven grounds on which to remove Principal Chief Patrick Lambert from office. In a Facebook post, Lambert offered a counterpoint to each accusation. 
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Governmental crisis in Cherokee: Impeachment hearing scheduled for Chief Lambert
 

Governmental crisis in Cherokee: Impeachment hearing scheduled for Chief Lambert

From the moment April’s Tribal Council session began — 8:30 a.m. sharp on the sixth — the Cherokee Council House was packed. Tribal members filled the seats and stood against the walls leading out to the lobby, where chairs in front of a TV broadcasting the meeting inside quickly reached capacity. Faces bearing expressions of sadness, or anticipation, or grim resignation, they waited for the action…
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Mystery Meadows challenger identified?
 

Mystery Meadows challenger identified?

A “Mark Meadows Town Hall” meeting on health care in Waynesville April 23 doesn’t promise U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows will…
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Meadows supports Appalachian Regional Commission
 

Meadows supports Appalachian Regional Commission

North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, is known as a staunch fiscal conservative, opposing expansive federal fiscal policy set forth…
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Meadows’ message on ACA is heard loud and clear
 

Meadows’ message on ACA is heard loud and clear

“More for less” — that’s the message Western North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, is trying to send to Congress…
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Back to Dillsboro? Railroad considers moving Polar Express from Bryson City
 

Back to Dillsboro? Railroad considers moving Polar Express from Bryson City

While rumors are flying around town about the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad looking to move its Polar Express event from…
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