WCU preps for visit from new UNC president
 

WCU preps for visit from new UNC president

Western Carolina University leaders are getting ready to roll out the red carpet for the impending arrival of Margaret Spellings,…
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Mountain Heritage Center selected for accreditation academy
 

Mountain Heritage Center selected for accreditation academy

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is among 10 museums selected to participate in the American Alliance of Museums’ new…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It is for all special occasions.
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Veteran reflects on World War II, life and poetry
 

Veteran reflects on World War II, life and poetry

He got to me before I could get to him. Turning into the large parking lot of the Canton Ingles…
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Florence King: a biting wit that took no prisoners
 

Florence King: a biting wit that took no prisoners

In Withering Slights: The Bent Pin Collection (National Review Books, 2015, ISBN 978-0-9847650-3-4, 186 pages, $24.95), the recently deceased (she…
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Discounted Penland classes for WNC residents
 

Discounted Penland classes for WNC residents

Penland School of Crafts has open spaces in a number workshops in its second summer session available at half tuition…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Editor’s Note: On Feb. 9, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. Garret posted a photo…
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Over the hills and far away: Balsam Mountain Inn ‘Songwriters in the Round’
 

Over the hills and far away: Balsam Mountain Inn ‘Songwriters in the Round’

Pulling off the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway onto the Cabin Flats Road, within an earshot of Waynesville, a cold wind…
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Say goodbye to stripper boobs
 

Say goodbye to stripper boobs

“Out: so-called stripper boobs. In: a woman’s natural shape.”  I read that sentence a couple of months ago in a…
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We need more wilderness areas
 

We need more wilderness areas

To the Editor: Here are three reasons why we should designate more federal land as wilderness to protect it from…
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Bond initiative would waste taxpayer money
 

Bond initiative would waste taxpayer money

To the Editor: Voters should vote AGAINST the $2 billion “Connect NC” bonds on the March 15 ballot. Gov. Pat…
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Support Connect NC bond initiative
 

Support Connect NC bond initiative

To the Editor: One of the greatest resources our state has is the University of North Carolina System with its…
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No reason to believe N.C. will fix redistricting mess
 

No reason to believe N.C. will fix redistricting mess

Maybe North Carolina will be a shining star of a state working to resolve petty partisanship, and maybe it won’t. …
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Prepare to show photo ID at the polls
 

Prepare to show photo ID at the polls

New voter identification laws are in effect for the 2016 elections, meaning voters should be prepared to show a valid…
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Free meal program going well at WNC schools
 

Free meal program going well at WNC schools

Half a year after launching a program that makes breakfast and lunch free for every child in school, the financials…
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No lifeline for Haywood School budget shortfall
 

No lifeline for Haywood School budget shortfall

Haywood County commissioners deflected calls from the public this week that they should step in and help the school system out of its budget dilemma.
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Waynesville begins mobile vending discussions
 

Waynesville begins mobile vending discussions

The debate over when, where and how mobile vendors should be allowed to operate within the town limits has now…
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Some say time is right for land-use discussions
 

Some say time is right for land-use discussions

The controversy over a proposed gun range in a rural farming community in Haywood County has raised questions about the…
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Haywood OKs outdoor shooting range moratorium
 

Haywood OKs outdoor shooting range moratorium

A moratorium on commercial outdoor shooting ranges took effect in Haywood County this week, temporarily halting any new shooting ranges…
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Swain County partnering with charter school for new gym
 

Swain County partnering with charter school for new gym

With the help of Swain County commissioners, Mountain Discovery Charter School is about to begin a capital campaign to build…
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Former church leader investigated for  sexual misconduct
 

Former church leader investigated for sexual misconduct

Rev. Howard “Howdie” White, former rector of the Episcopal Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville, is being investigated in…
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Sylva sets sights on revitalized Scotts Creek
 

Sylva sets sights on revitalized Scotts Creek

Running through the hearts of Dillsboro and Sylva on its tumble down from Balsam, Scotts Creek has star potential. It…
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Haywood commissioners question whether scattergun economic development approach is working
 

Haywood commissioners question whether scattergun economic development approach is working

A freewheeling discussion on how to create more jobs stumped Haywood County commissioners last week as they pondered what else…
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Haywood candidates come up empty on fresh ideas for economic development
 

Haywood candidates come up empty on fresh ideas for economic development

Candidates for Haywood County commissioner all agreed economic development is one of the top issues facing the county during an…
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Democrat candidates for commissioner weigh in on Swain issues
 

Democrat candidates for commissioner weigh in on Swain issues

Five Swain County Democrats are heading for the March 15 primary election in hopes of securing a seat on the…
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Four elk dead in Jonathan Creek
 

Four elk dead in Jonathan Creek

After three elk were shot on the Ross dairy farm in Jonathan Creek for eating winter wheat, a follow-up visit…
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Wildlife Commission OKs elk hunting rules
 

Wildlife Commission OKs elk hunting rules

Elk hunting could be on the way to becoming legal in North Carolina following the N.C. Wildlife Resource’s Commission unanimous…
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P.T. would be jealous
 

P.T. would be jealous

One of the greatest shows on Earth is about to take center stage. Spring ephemerals will begin clawing through the…
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Taste — and hear — the wild
 

Taste — and hear — the wild

Get a taste of the wild with students in the Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College as they host the…
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Franklin-area forest road closed for logging
 

Franklin-area forest road closed for logging

A 6-mile stretch of Rainbow Springs Road near Franklin will stay closed through mid-May for logging going on nearby.
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Help Franklin become more bikable and walkable
 

Help Franklin become more bikable and walkable

Share ideas for making Franklin more pedestrian and cyclist friendly during a public input meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m.…
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Celebrate winter Smoky-style
 

Celebrate winter Smoky-style

WinterFest Smoky Style will return for its second year Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, injecting the…
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Nearly 50 acres conserved along national forest boundary
 

Nearly 50 acres conserved along national forest boundary

A purchase of 48 acres adjacent to the Pisgah National Forest and the Highlands of Roan by the Southern Appalachian…
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Control from the top: WNC hunters attempt to curb coyote populations with hunt
 

Control from the top: WNC hunters attempt to curb coyote populations with hunt

Mark Rogers sticks his hand through the cold air outside Bethel Grocery into the even more frigid interior of the…
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Here to stay: Coyotes make themselves at home in WNC
 

Here to stay: Coyotes make themselves at home in WNC

It’s been 30 years since Raymond Bunn saw his first coyote, and that moment — Clay County, 1986 — is…
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Budget cuts to shutter Central Elementary School: Haywood School board says it was the only option
 

Budget cuts to shutter Central Elementary School: Haywood School board says it was the only option

Parents, students and teachers of Central Elementary School in Waynesville made a desperate and impassioned final stand to save their beloved school last week, but to no avail.
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Haywood County Schools: Response from Rep. Michelle Presnell
 

Haywood County Schools: Response from Rep. Michelle Presnell

Enrollment has fallen in Haywood County Schools every year since at least 2008, and Jimmy Rogers was on the school…
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Waynesville lumber company recognized for exports
 

Waynesville lumber company recognized for exports

Waynesville lumber company Oaks Unlimited Inc. got recognition in Raleigh last week, named 2016 Exporter of the Year by the…
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Polar Plunge attracts record number
 

Polar Plunge attracts record number

The water of Lake Junaluska was a balmy 41 degrees as a parade of 158 people — sanity questionable —…
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Drawdown starts at Lake J for silt removal
 

Drawdown starts at Lake J for silt removal

Water levels at Lake Junaluska are falling following the start of a drawdown to dredge silt and litter — and…
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Beekeeping school offered
 

Beekeeping school offered

Newbie beekeepers will get a leg up with an all-day class in beginning beekeeping Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Haywood…
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Cross-country skiing in WNC offers breathtaking but limited-time experience
 

Cross-country skiing in WNC offers breathtaking but limited-time experience

When the snow starts falling and Western North Carolina’s main streets, schools and businesses go to sleep in wait for…
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This year’s flowers, last year’s berries
 

This year’s flowers, last year’s berries

Last summer while I was walking along the creek below our home, small splotches of red and white at the…
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A polite listener for those bizarre stories
 

A polite listener for those bizarre stories

I have always been an Art Bell fan, and judging from the extensive archives on YouTube, I am not the…
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Where everybody knows your name: Tipping Point Brewing celebrates five years
 

Where everybody knows your name: Tipping Point Brewing celebrates five years

It all started in a boat. “Dan [Elliot], Jon [Bowman] and I were fishing on Wolf Lake,” Doug Weaver said. “And…
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Open call for artists, designers
 

Open call for artists, designers

The Jackson County Arts Council is looking for local artists/designers to participate in their spring fundraiser event “Trashion Show” to…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It ain’t so bad. Getting older. Tomorrow is my 31st birthday, and as I reflect on my first year of…
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Bottom line: State needs to do more for public schools
 

Bottom line: State needs to do more for public schools

It’s a fundamental question and voters will be the ultimate arbiters: is North Carolina spending adequately on education? The short…
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Self-esteemers having trouble with Panther loss
 

Self-esteemers having trouble with Panther loss

For some time, I have been worried that my children are not learning the coping skills they will need in…
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WCU should stay away from Koch money, influence
 

WCU should stay away from Koch money, influence

By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist In Sons of Wichita, Daniel Schulman relates a story about Charles Koch’s attempt to…
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