This must be the place
 

This must be the place

He was beloved by all who knew him. Richard Coker embodied the spirit of Appalachia. As a co-owner of the Cataloochee…
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So funky you can smell it
 

So funky you can smell it

Who the hell are those guys? It’s a question constantly asked about Porch 40, a Sylva-based funk/rock outfit barreling out…
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Creation or evolution: an age old debate
 

Creation or evolution: an age old debate

As the nation debates the role of creation and evolution in the classroom, a research paper assigned in a 10th-grade…
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Cashiers residents form civic group
 

Cashiers residents form civic group

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Members of the Cashiers area are organizing a new civic association to direct the…
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Grassroots organizing
 

Grassroots organizing

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer As residents in the Cashiers area pull together to address their community’s needs through…
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Town will be forced to make adjustments
 

Town will be forced to make adjustments

Waynesville’s residents have long reaped the benefits of the town’s electricity enterprise — a sideline business that was making $1.2…
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Waynesville could be hostage to Progress Energy prices
 

Waynesville could be hostage to Progress Energy prices

Two years ago, the future of Waynesville’s electric system — a lucrative cash cow for the town — was turned…
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Where did we come from? Student perspectives vary
 

Where did we come from? Student perspectives vary

As judges and lawyers, politicians and lobbyists, and parents and school officials debate the place of evolution and creationism in…
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The thrill of the chase lives on
 

The thrill of the chase lives on

Through the years, I’ve written at every opportunity about Aquilla (Quill) Rose — Civil War veteran, fiddle player, storyteller, moonshiner,…
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Celebrating culture and the need for a library
 

Celebrating culture and the need for a library

There are many worthwhile upshots from The Sounds of Jackson County recording project, but two stand out among them: one,…
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The vicarious lives of parents
 

The vicarious lives of parents

I wasn’t very good at sports when I was a kid. I wanted to be good — the star of…
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Trees up close and personal
 

Trees up close and personal

Winter is a great time for studying tree identification. The mountains look steel-gray from a distance. The forest, up close,…
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Seeking a new chill
 

Seeking a new chill

By Michael Beadle Freezing temperatures may keep some people bundled up indoors, but not Adam Fox. When the temperatures dip…
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Winter Fishing is more than it gets credit for
 

Winter Fishing is more than it gets credit for

By Eugene Shuler Winter is a great time to go fishing. Don’t believe me? Just look at what you don’t…
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A mysterious masterpiece
 

A mysterious masterpiece

By Chris Cooper Beautiful and alarmingly odd, Andrew Bird makes music that ambles pretty far outside description or categorization. “Chamber…
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Petal to the metal: Franklin metal artist Victor Raul Moraloza grows in art as in life
 

Petal to the metal: Franklin metal artist Victor Raul Moraloza grows in art as in life

By Michael Beadle For Victor Raul Moraloza, each day is a gift. From being a high school wrestling champion to…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

TV Yeah, fine: burn your television, TV is bad. It’s mind numbing and makes us lazy. Blah blah blah. But…
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A proper burial: The story of a wife who finds purpose transforming her Tennessee plantation into a hospital and cemetery during the Civil War
 

A proper burial: The story of a wife who finds purpose transforming her Tennessee plantation into a hospital and cemetery during the Civil War

Franklin, Tennessee. It is November 1864, and many of us (Civil War buffs) have been here before. We recognize this…
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What is an Appalachian forest?
 

What is an Appalachian forest?

As the USDA Forest Service’s revision plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests continues to be discussed — the…
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Time to get your run on
 

Time to get your run on

August is runners’ month in Western North Carolina. A slate of races throughout the region will give athletes a chance…
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Smokies tourism translates into dollars for local economy
 

Smokies tourism translates into dollars for local economy

According to a new National Park Service report, the 9.4 million people who visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in…
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Highlands Biological dives into cliff ecology
 

Highlands Biological dives into cliff ecology

A cliff face might not seem like a hospitable place to forge a life, but for a good-sized group of…
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Smokies rangers rescue fallen hiker in storm conditions
 

Smokies rangers rescue fallen hiker in storm conditions

A 64-year-old Michigan man is recovering after a fall while hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last Sunday…
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Faith-based environmental initiative organizes across WNC
 

Faith-based environmental initiative organizes across WNC

Faith-inspired environmental advocacy is the focus of Western North Carolina Alliance’s newest program, Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina.…
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WCU named top adventure school
 

WCU named top adventure school

Western Carolina University ranked as the No.1 college for outdoor adventures in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic in a recent online…
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Wilderness medical training offered in Cullowhee
 

Wilderness medical training offered in Cullowhee

Landmark Learning, an outdoor training institute in Cullowhee, has released its fall lineup of outdoor safety training courses. With everything…
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Going the distance: Athletes flock to compete in Lake Logan Multisport Festival
 

Going the distance: Athletes flock to compete in Lake Logan Multisport Festival

Sunrise was still hours away when the day started at Lake Logan. With the first starting gun firing at 7…
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A critic’s guide to literary genres renamed
 

A critic’s guide to literary genres renamed

Not so long ago, a neighbor in the building where I love in Montford, a budding comedian in her early…
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Franklin welcomes Dailey & Vincent
 

Franklin welcomes Dailey & Vincent

Bluegrass/gospel legends Dailey & Vincent will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the…
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Pisgah/Tuscola tailgate in Canton
 

Pisgah/Tuscola tailgate in Canton

The inaugural Haywood County Fall Sports Tailgate Kickoff Party will be from noon until 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at…
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Student films to screen in Cashiers
 

Student films to screen in Cashiers

Some of the most riveting and moving student-created films from Western Carolina University’s Controlled Chaos Film Festivals in recent years…
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Energy park open call for artists
 

Energy park open call for artists

In anticipation of the growing popularity of the Youth Arts Festival, the Jackson County Green Energy Park is seeking both…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

For all the naysayers, rock-n-roll is alive and kicking — especially in the hands of Rich Robinson. Guitarist and founding…
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Boiling down the essence of humanity
 

Boiling down the essence of humanity

Heading west out of Bryson City, just before the highway narrows into a twisting two-lane road, a small, ramshackle hut…
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Taking matters into their own hands
 

Taking matters into their own hands

It promised to be one of the most riveting nights of the year for members of the Jackson County Genealogical…
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Greenway bridge hits a $350,000 snag
 

Greenway bridge hits a $350,000 snag

A new 1.2-mile greenway section along the Tuckasegee River in Cullowhee has encountered higher-than-expected costs as it nears completion. The…
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Whiteside cell tower on the table
 

Whiteside cell tower on the table

A public hearing over a controversial cell tower in the scenic Whiteside Cove area of Cashiers will be held at…
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Focused on Franklin: Residents pack in to sound off at town hall meeting
 

Focused on Franklin: Residents pack in to sound off at town hall meeting

The boardroom in Franklin’s town hall was so packed last Wednesday that town employees had to scavenge chairs from the…
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Haywood to spend millions sealing old landfill
 

Haywood to spend millions sealing old landfill

The old Francis Farm Landfill in Waynesville has been closed for nearly 20 years, but its ghost continues to haunt…
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Haywood makeover of old prison lands cash and celebrity muscle
 

Haywood makeover of old prison lands cash and celebrity muscle

It’s official — TV personality Ty Pennington is coming to Waynesville, and Haywood Pathways Center has secured $50,000 of its…
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Haywood tourism board talks strategy
 

Haywood tourism board talks strategy

After contracting with Magellan Strategy Group in May to come up with a five-to-ten-year marketing and management strategy, the Haywood…
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Maggie Valley mudslide lawsuit settled on the eve of trial
 

Maggie Valley mudslide lawsuit settled on the eve of trial

A lawsuit casting blame for a massive landslide in Maggie Valley four years ago was settled at the 11th hour…
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Outbid or passed over? Haywood businessman questions school contract for cleaning supplies
 

Outbid or passed over? Haywood businessman questions school contract for cleaning supplies

A well-known businessman in Haywood County is questioning why school officials would steer a contract for cleaning supplies to a…
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Wells event center opens  in downtown Waynesville
 

Wells event center opens in downtown Waynesville

The music inside Wells Event and Reception Center is noticeably different than next door at Wells Funeral Home. Instead of…
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A good ‘move’ for Swain farmers market
 

A good ‘move’ for Swain farmers market

The Swain Farmers Market is enjoying its new location near the Tuckasegee River in downtown Bryson City on Island Street.…
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Recreation node added along the Tuck, this time down Whittier’s way
 

Recreation node added along the Tuck, this time down Whittier’s way

Jackson County will soon get a new park at Barkers Creek. County commissioners approved a lease this week for a…
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Sold: Duke LifePoint takes ownership of Haywood Regional and WestCare hospitals
 

Sold: Duke LifePoint takes ownership of Haywood Regional and WestCare hospitals

When Janie Sinacore-Jaberg walked the halls of Haywood Regional Medical Center Friday morning, the congratulations were flowing and the balloons…
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N.C. citizens do not want fracking
 

N.C. citizens do not want fracking

To the Editor: “I not only voted for the law, I was one of the co-sponsors,” Davis said. “I’m really…
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Sylva’s ETJ attempt a bad idea
 

Sylva’s ETJ attempt a bad idea

To the Editor: Paige Roberson, Sylva’s town manager, says she would be surprised if anyone opposes Sylva’s plans to extend…
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Visions of a kitten color this beach trip
 

Visions of a kitten color this beach trip

EDISTO ISLAND, S.C. – My daughter has ordered an elaborate omelet, with spinach and cheese and who knows what else,…
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