Case dismissed in council pay raise suit
 

Case dismissed in council pay raise suit

A lawsuit seeking to declare illegal a controversial Tribal Council decision to issue its members pay raises has been dismissed…
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Cherokee give $50,000 to oppose North Dakota pipeline
 

Cherokee give $50,000 to oppose North Dakota pipeline

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians threw its support behind the cause of the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota…
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Elk hearing draws a crowd
 

Elk hearing draws a crowd

A minor adjustment to elk depredation rules brought 70 people — about 40 of them college students — out to…
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Asheville Regional Airport improvements continue
 

Asheville Regional Airport improvements continue

Geography and population conspire to make much of Western North Carolina a terrible place for an airport; west of Asheville,…
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Choose Booze? Haywood County appears poised to end dry spell
 

Choose Booze? Haywood County appears poised to end dry spell

This November, voters will have another choice to make at the polls — whether to allow beer and or wine…
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A hint of autumn, a sense of pride
 

A hint of autumn, a sense of pride

When we got out of the car on Sunday at the parking area in Jackson County at the end of…
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So this is what hell feels like
 

So this is what hell feels like

Beware, gentle readers. This story is not for the faint of heart. It is a story of betrayal, corruption, and…
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We should welcome political refugees
 

We should welcome political refugees

To the Editor: Widespread reports of Muslim terrorist activity in the media of late, and the incessant drumbeat of political…
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I love living in a small town
 

I love living in a small town

To the Editor: I have said many times that I love living in a small town; yesterday, something happened that…
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Homebuilding company wants to sell Plott Balsam tract for conservation
 

Homebuilding company wants to sell Plott Balsam tract for conservation

High in the Plott Balsams, there’s a swath of property riddled with panoramic views, sparking waterfalls and high-elevation solitude that…
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Carbon offsets program starts
 

Carbon offsets program starts

A relaunched carbon offsets program will give business, organizations and individuals in Western North Carolina a way to turn their…
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Park, tribe work to institute plant gathering privileges for tribal members
 

Park, tribe work to institute plant gathering privileges for tribal members

A meeting between leaders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians brought tribal…
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Buckeyes both a good luck charm and a poison
 

Buckeyes both a good luck charm and a poison

A large buckeye tree overhangs and supports the swinging gate leading into and out of our pasture. Since we are…
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HCC Shine & Dine Gala
 

HCC Shine & Dine Gala

The Haywood Community College Foundation will hold a Shine & Dine Gala from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16,…
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The Face in the Mirror: Ron Rash releases latest novel
 

The Face in the Mirror: Ron Rash releases latest novel

Can you find redemption within your own consequences? In The Risen, the latest work from famed Southern Appalachian writer Ron…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I awoke with a bit of a chill in the air.
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Sociologist got it wrong; religion is on the uptick
 

Sociologist got it wrong; religion is on the uptick

In 1968, Peter Berger, a Boston University sociologist, told the New York Times that by “the 21st century, religious believers…
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Maggie Chamber elects new board, awards volunteers
 

Maggie Chamber elects new board, awards volunteers

Maggie Valley Area Chamber of Commerce recently elected three new members to the board of directors: Dave Angel, owner of…
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Tourism economic impact growing in WNC counties
 

Tourism economic impact growing in WNC counties

Allen Alsbrooks serves on the Maggie Valley Zoning Board, and used to serve on the town’s planning board; he’s also…
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Anticipated Trout Capital designation likely to spur fly fishing tourism
 

Anticipated Trout Capital designation likely to spur fly fishing tourism

If all goes according to plan, by this time next year Jackson County will have been declared the trout capital…
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Great outdoors rakes in tourism dough for Macon
 

Great outdoors rakes in tourism dough for Macon

As outdoor recreation tourism continues to climb upward in Macon County, community stakeholders are trying to do a better job…
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Charters of Freedom dedication delayed
 

Charters of Freedom dedication delayed

Dedication of a new Charters of Freedom monument in Sylva originally planned for Sept. 17 — Constitution Day — is…
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Work to begin soon on new Bryson City assisted living facility
 

Work to begin soon on new Bryson City assisted living facility

It’s been almost a year since Cornerstone Assisted Living in Bryson City was closed down and more than 30 senior…
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Western breaks enrollment records
 

Western breaks enrollment records

Western Carolina University saw its previous high-water mark for enrollment blasted away this year as final student counts for 2016…
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Maggie Valley to regulate outdoor sales
 

Maggie Valley to regulate outdoor sales

Although the closure of Ghost Town in the Sky several years back has left many Maggie Valley businesses struggling just…
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Open houses for forest plan
 

Open houses for forest plan

National forest users who want to share their thoughts on issues and projects, including the forest plan revision, will have…
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Wilderness advocates criticize congressman
 

Wilderness advocates criticize congressman

A meeting to talk about wilderness started off with a bang last week when a group of pro-wilderness folks who…
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Swain sheriff proposes gun range at Alarka School
 

Swain sheriff proposes gun range at Alarka School

Swain County commissioners are considering possible locations for a law enforcement gun range after Sheriff Curtis Cochran explained the inconvenience…
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Haywood County to build animal shelter
 

Haywood County to build animal shelter

Dr. Kristen Hammett had just left the current Haywood County Animal Shelter when she appeared before the Haywood County Board…
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Charter schools a mixed bag, statewide and locally
 

Charter schools a mixed bag, statewide and locally

Charter schools have long been touted by proponents as an innovative and enticing option for parents of children in low-performing…
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Haywood schools improve in state rankings
 

Haywood schools improve in state rankings

School performance indicators issued last week paint a picture of a very good Haywood County School System that continues to…
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Libertarian Party gaining momentum
 

Libertarian Party gaining momentum

It’s a great time to be a Libertarian, according to Brian Irving, the party’s North Carolina chairman.
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Supreme Court denies McCrory’s request to reinstate voter ID
 

Supreme Court denies McCrory’s request to reinstate voter ID

A request by Gov. Pat McCrory to reinstate North Carolina’s 2013 voter identification requirement and shortened early voting period was…
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Safety construction concluding in Pigeon River Gorge
 

Safety construction concluding in Pigeon River Gorge

Orange barrels have been flying out of the Pigeon River Gorge on Interstate 40 near the North-Carolina Tennessee border. On…
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Democrats need to learn their history
 

Democrats need to learn their history

To the Editor: A recent letter-writer states, “most Republican politicians will continue to tell you that tax cuts are the…
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A little perspective is in order, please
 

A little perspective is in order, please

To the Editor: There are those who would have us fear going about our daily lives due to possible terrorist…
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We must deal with affordable housing problems
 

We must deal with affordable housing problems

If you don’t think there is an affordable housing problem in the mountain region, you’re just not paying attention. In…
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The before and the after — living with grief
 

The before and the after — living with grief

There are only a handful of life experiences that result in a definitive before and after. I now know that…
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Where are all the women?
 

Where are all the women?

As my siblings and I became more interested and engrossed in politics growing up, my father always tried to impress…
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The best way to learn to write is simple – write
 

The best way to learn to write is simple – write

This one’s for students, especially those of you in secondary school and college. Let’s get right to the point. Reading,…
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Can’t see the forest for the webs
 

Can’t see the forest for the webs

From what I gather from Facebook and overhear in the checkout line, the view I encounter every morning on my…
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The value of a view: Thousands of acres added to the Parkway for Park Service centennial
 

The value of a view: Thousands of acres added to the Parkway for Park Service centennial

It’s not unusual for Waterrock Knob, which boasts some of the best views on the Blue Ridge Parkway, to see…
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Fall color forecast a waiting game
 

Fall color forecast a waiting game

September temperatures will make or break fall color quality this year, according to Western Carolina University’s new fall foliage forecaster…
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Emerald ash borer found in the Pisgah
 

Emerald ash borer found in the Pisgah

An infestation of destructive emerald ash borers has been confirmed in the Appalachian Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest…
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Telethon for the Smokies
 

Telethon for the Smokies

Friends of the Smokies raised $205,562 at its 22nd annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon last week, with the hundreds…
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National treasure: National Park Service celebrates 100 years
 

National treasure: National Park Service celebrates 100 years

When President Woodrow Wilson scrawled the signature that brought the National Park Service into being — 100 years ago, on Aug.…
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Drug use in Cherokee to come with a price
 

Drug use in Cherokee to come with a price

Possessing drugs on the Qualla Boundary will get a lot more expensive following a decision this month to ratchet up…
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Group plans Second Amendment protest
 

Group plans Second Amendment protest

Haywood County political activists hope to hold a gun rights rally on the grounds of the Historic Haywood County Courthouse…
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Sylva endorses one-lane Mill Street
 

Sylva endorses one-lane Mill Street

Mill Street in Sylva will likely become a one-lane road in the future following a vote from the town board…
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Houseboat owners raising legal funds to challenge sunset provision
 

Houseboat owners raising legal funds to challenge sunset provision

While the Tennessee Valley Authority seems unwilling to reconsider its decision to sunset all lake houseboats within 30 years, houseboat…
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