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Haywood commissioners take a pass on shooting range controversy
Haywood County commissioners aren’t likely to intervene in the controversy over a proposed indoor firing range and gun store coming…
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Turning Haywood’s shuttered hospital into apartments hinges on tax credits
The plan to convert the old hospital in Haywood County into low-income apartments isn’t a done deal. It’s contingent on…
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Abandoned hospital to find new purpose
A new plan is the works to convert the abandoned old hospital in Haywood County into an affordable housing apartment…
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Weather doesn’t trip up traditions
When we wake up on Christmas Eve, it is nearly 70 degrees and raining so hard that when our miniature…
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Haywood just not prepared for growth
If there was ever a time in recent memory when Haywood County leaders and its citizens need reminding that they…
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People of Franklin in good hands
To the Editor: Kudos to Bob Scott, mayor of Franklin, for his decision to take his oath of office on…
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Plants and animals who choose to hunker down
The evergreen plants and birds that overwinter here in the Southern Appalachians have made fundamental “choices” in how their lives…
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Funds for open spaces cut by half
A federal fund that supports parks and open spaces across the nation has been spared, but was reduced to half…
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N.C. national forests get new supervisor
North Carolina has a new U.S. Forest Service forest supervisor in Allen Nicholas, who currently works as forest supervisor for…
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Smokies plates raise $800K in 2015
Sales of license plates supporting the Friends of the Smokies were strong in 2015, with sales in North Carolina and…
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Appalachian Trail use breaks records in 2015
The number of Appalachian Trail hikers passing through the trail’s “psychological midpoint” in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, hit an all-time…
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Students learn about chemistry, fish and water quality through trout raising project
When the holidays wind down and schools go back in session, kids in some Western North Carolina classrooms will have…
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E.M. Forster 1907 novel relevant today
When I was in graduate school at Western Carolina University back in 1970, I encountered a remarkable teacher, Dr. Louise…
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New direction for ‘Stories of Mountain Folk’
In 2008, Catch the Spirit of Appalachia (CSA), a Western North Carolina not-for-profit 501c3 organization, began recording “Stories of Mountain…
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New Year’s Eve at The Imperial
A New Year’s Eve Masquerade Party will be held from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, at The…
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Open call for vendors
An open call is currently underway for artists, crafters, environmental groups and food vendors for the 19th annual Greening Up…
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Balsam Range Winter Concert Series returns to the Colonial
Renowned bluegrass/gospel group Balsam Range will kick off the sixth annual “Winter Concert Series” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 2,…
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This must be the place
I cracked the foamy Sam Adams Boston Lager and relaxed into my seat. Christmas Eve. Red-eye flight. Charlotte to Burlington, Vermont.…
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Beer, Bluegrass, and Bloodshed: The Best of Arts & Entertainment 2015
With each impending New Year, we tend to take a look back and reflect on just what made the last…
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Former Jackson commissioner booted from TWSA board
Doug Cody was quite clear in his request to the Jackson County Commissioners when he showed up at their meeting…
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Warm start to winter puts dent in ski-based tourism
The winter tourism industry in Haywood County is reeling from unseasonably warm temperatures that have shuttered Cataloochee Ski Area during…
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2015: News in review
Time to put a bow on 2015 and call it wrapped. But not just yet, at least not for all…
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Roberts Burns Night a unique event
To the Editor: Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, is the only poet or musician that has a worldwide…
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Forest plan does not need more wilderness
To the Editor: I vehemently oppose designating more wilderness areas within the Pisgah and Nantahala Forests. These lands are already…
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Put aside Fry Street prejudices
To the Editor: I have been a proud employee of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) for nine years and an active…
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I swear, it’s really much ado about nothing
Sometimes in the world of journalism, the story becomes more about the reaction than the original news event. By my…
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Possum Drop on for New Year’s
After taking a hit in court earlier this month, the folks behind the annual Clay’s Corner Possum Drop got some…
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Six candidates vie for two Macon commission posts
Six candidates have signed up to run for two commissioner seats in Macon County next year.
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Canton proposes $2 million pool project
Canton’s outdoor pool has given the community a place to gather, play, exercise and relax for more than 70 years.
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Seven in running for Swain commission
Seven candidates will be vying for two commissioner seats in Swain County next year.
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Elk hunting by permit being debated by wildlife commission
As the elk herd in Western North Carolina continues to grow, an elk-hunting season could become a possibility under a…
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Jackson hires planning director
After plugging along for seven months without one, Jackson County will welcome a new planning director when 2016 begins.
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Cashiers development gets green light for expansion
A plan to double the capacity of a planned development near Cashiers got the go-ahead from Jackson County commissioners when…
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Haywood commissioners vexed by attendance record of tax collector
Haywood County commissioners expressed concern this week over what they claim is poor work attendance of the county tax collector,…
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Uncontested primaries on tap for Jackson
Though both of the Jackson County commissioners up for re-election will have competition when November rolls around, the primary season…
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Seven seek two commissioner seats in Haywood
Two additional Republicans joined the race for Haywood County commissioner in the final days of the candidate sign-up period that…
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Swearing to God still carries political weight
Public officials aren’t required to place their hand on a Bible to be sworn into office, but a majority of…
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Separating church and state: Mayor’s oath of office sparks larger debate
In the last couple of weeks, Franklin Mayor Bob Scott has been called un-American, arrogant and an asshole, but he’s…
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Farming community rattled by prospect of indoor shooting range
Janie Higgins was crushed to learn a week before Christmas that the rolling pastures and fields her family has tilled…
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Things that go peent! in the dark
I think Lewis Carroll could have just as easily warned of the Timberdoodle as the Jubjub bird in the “Jabberwocky,”…
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A double-edged sword: Rising visitation in the Smokies brings challenge and reward
Lynda Doucett and her staff at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were pretty excited to move into the new…
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WNC health planning gets recognition
A project aiming to help Western North Carolina communities consider health needs when doing long-term planning revealed that issues such…
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Wildlife officer connects kids and vets to the outdoors
A Macon County man was presented the 2015 Governor’s Award for Excellence, the highest honor a state employee can receive,…
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New acreage added to Pisgah National Forest
The Pisgah National Forest will see the addition of 178 acres in the Mills River area of Henderson County thanks…
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Farmland conservation preserves views, lifeways in Madison
A new conservation agreement on a 318-acre farm in Madison County through the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will help the…
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Courage, greed and political intrigue in Peru
When we think of Peru, we think of captivating pictures of Machu Picchu. We’ve all seen them. Some of us…
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Do you believe in magic? The lore of the ‘Smokey Mountain Santa’
Standing in the lobby of North Canton Elementary School last Friday morning, one could hear and witness the frenzied nature…
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The man behind the white beard
So, just who is the “Smokey Mountain Santa”? After an appearance last week at North Canton Elementary School, Santa and Mrs.…
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The gift of reading
Atop all the festivities surrounding the holidays, the students of North Canton Elementary School each received one more gift “under…
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This must be the place
She grabbed for my hand and held it up. “No ring, huh? You should meet my daughter sometime. Single. Beautiful.…
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