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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Harris provides new scoreboard
 

Harris provides new scoreboard

Harris Regional Hospital has provided a new scoreboard for the Carr Hooper Stadium and Babe Howell Field at Smoky Mountain…
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Chamber director earns certified status
 

Chamber director earns certified status

CeCe Hipps, president of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, was designated by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives…
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Swain County buys property to create fairgrounds
 

Swain County buys property to create fairgrounds

With the purchase of 8 acres in Bryson City, Swain County will now have an outdoor event area to host…
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New Swain library not possible without county support
 

New Swain library not possible without county support

The clock is ticking to get a new library constructed in Swain County before the land donation reverts back to…
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Canton awarded $350K pool grant
 

Canton awarded $350K pool grant

The Canton Board of Aldermen was in high spirits Aug. 25 even before Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss walked in to…
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Shining Rock seeks annexation
 

Shining Rock seeks annexation

The future site of Shining Rock Classical Academy at 1023 Dellwood Road isn’t in the town limits of Waynesville, but…
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New charter school campus behind schedule
 

New charter school campus behind schedule

Shining Rock Classical Academy leaders were hoping students would start classes this year at a new campus on Dellwood Road,…
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Road to Nowhere lawsuit stalled for another month
 

Road to Nowhere lawsuit stalled for another month

It’s been about five months since Swain County filed a lawsuit against the federal government for $38.2 million, and commissioners…
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Jackson County goes down on hospital value
 

Jackson County goes down on hospital value

Harris Regional Hospital saw its tax value slashed by 36 percent in the minutes before Jackson County’s Board of Equalization…
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Residents near Allens Creek Road seek solutions for failing septic systems
 

Residents near Allens Creek Road seek solutions for failing septic systems

A high water table wreaking havoc with aging septic systems that has left some residents in one Waynesville neighborhood seeking…
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Renters, homeowners can’t always get what they want, sometimes get what they need
 

Renters, homeowners can’t always get what they want, sometimes get what they need

A task force studying the issue of affordable housing in Haywood County since March recently issued findings presenter Dona Stewart…
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