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Free kids festival coming to Haywood fairgrounds
 

Free kids festival coming to Haywood fairgrounds

A free kids festival featuring music, activity areas, performances and give-aways will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.…
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Cemeteries ensconced by park remain a source of consternation
 

Cemeteries ensconced by park remain a source of consternation

It is a day Lawrence Hyatt looks forward to all year — venturing into the Smokies backcountry to pay homage…
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Lake Junaluska’s bold new plan to reclaim its future
 

Lake Junaluska’s bold new plan to reclaim its future

Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center has unveiled a $40 million, 10-year campus master plan in hopes of bolstering convention…
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One-size-fits-all tourism brand sought for Jackson
 

One-size-fits-all tourism brand sought for Jackson

Ask vacationers why they pick Jackson County, and you might heard words like “escape,” “relief” and “tradition.” 
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Lots of winners in festival grants
 

Lots of winners in festival grants

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will hand out a bevy of grants for festivals and niche tourism projects throughout…
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Folkmoot back in the tourism grant fold
 

Folkmoot back in the tourism grant fold

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will restore annual grant funding for Folkmoot USA, reversing a move last year to…
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Maggie aldermen bow out of business approval process
 

Maggie aldermen bow out of business approval process

The Maggie Valley town board will soon divest itself from the role of both judge and jury for new businesses…
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Flourishing in a fading art form
 

Flourishing in a fading art form

It’s Monday morning, and Mary Lou Rinehart is taking a moment to relax. Owner of Clyde Ray’s Flower Shop in…
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Horse trading comes full circle in Jackson school budget
 

Horse trading comes full circle in Jackson school budget

Jackson County Schools brokered a sweet deal with county commissioners last year, or so it seemed at the time. School…
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Tuscola High School student arrested for threats of mass violence
 

Tuscola High School student arrested for threats of mass violence

A 16-year-old Tuscola High School student was arrested by Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday afternoon, April 18, and charged…
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More school counselors could afford needed ounce of prevention
 

More school counselors could afford needed ounce of prevention

If a student at Central Elementary has a particularly tough weekend at home, school counselor Leslie Smith won’t get to…
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National Guard send off one of many seen in WNC during decade-long conflict
 

National Guard send off one of many seen in WNC during decade-long conflict

As Lieutenant James Rossi took the stage in his fatigues, a toddler’s voice cut across the auditorium, breaking the otherwise…
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No good deed goes unpunished in state’s domestic violence funding formula
 

No good deed goes unpunished in state’s domestic violence funding formula

The domestic violence nonprofit REACH of Macon County is facing a more than $80,000 shortfall next year due partly to…
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Neighborly lifeline for domestic violence victims could fray at the edges unless Jackson steps up
 

Neighborly lifeline for domestic violence victims could fray at the edges unless Jackson steps up

Nearly a year has passed since a domestic violence support agency in Jackson County abruptly shut down under financial duress,…
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Libraries brace for hit: Libraries play offense over state budget cuts
 

Libraries brace for hit: Libraries play offense over state budget cuts

For years, state funding for libraries has been on the decline. But librarians in Western North Carolina are not taking…
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DOT to pave the way for new casino coming to Murphy
 

DOT to pave the way for new casino coming to Murphy

The construction of a bridge and entrance road to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ second casino in Murphy has…
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‘We’ll go back’: Sylva doctor who helped at Boston bombing vows not to let terrorists win
 

‘We’ll go back’: Sylva doctor who helped at Boston bombing vows not to let terrorists win

As the manhunt ends, the nation begins to cope and the primary suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing either lay…
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The blue-grey gnatcatcher is a mighty mite
 

The blue-grey gnatcatcher is a mighty mite

Elizabeth and I were sitting on the deck Monday evening when a tiny bird made an abbreviated appearance — apparently…
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Beginners luck, or magic touch?
 

Beginners luck, or magic touch?

Fire is a life source. Without fire or some other form of heat, it’s nearly, if not impossible, to survive…
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Volunteers needed to liaison with elk viewers
 

Volunteers needed to liaison with elk viewers

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to impart wildlife viewing etiquette in high-traffic tourist areas at the…
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Delve into nature with Highlands Nature Center day camps
 

Delve into nature with Highlands Nature Center day camps

The Highlands Nature Center is offering a lineup of summer Nature Day Camps for children. Five different camps on ecology…
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Stomach bug takes to the A.T.
 

Stomach bug takes to the A.T.

A pesky stomach virus has turned up among hikers along the Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs, especially on a stretch…
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Hikes explores pocket of old-growth forest
 

Hikes explores pocket of old-growth forest

A guided hike involving some off-trail bushwhacking to a little-known stand of old growth forest in Graham County will be…
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Share your favorite swimming holes
 

Share your favorite swimming holes

Don’t be greedy and keep your favorite swimming hole for yourself. A regional environmental organization is developing a new guide…
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Arbor Day plantings planned for Island Park
 

Arbor Day plantings planned for Island Park

An Arbor Day flower planting will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 20, at Island Park in…
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Tour de Cashiers bike ride off and pedaling
 

Tour de Cashiers bike ride off and pedaling

Riders are gearing up for this year’s Tour de Cashiers coming on Saturday, May 4. The route will feature stunning…
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Poacher gets jail time for killing bear cub
 

Poacher gets jail time for killing bear cub

A Robbinsville man was sentenced to five months in prison last week for killing an black bear cub in Nantahala…
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Earth Day rant
 

Earth Day rant

Earth Day 2013 is Monday, April 22. The first official “Earth Day” occurred in 1970 and environmentalists celebrated. Environmental lawyer…
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Sharpening their skills: HCC lands spot on the national lumberjack scene
 

Sharpening their skills: HCC lands spot on the national lumberjack scene

Dana Dowdy raised a razor-sharp axe above her head, let it hover a moment and then slammed into her competition…
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History of Cherokee War is top notch
 

History of Cherokee War is top notch

We Americans sometimes forget how new we are to the history of the world. Here in Western North Carolina, for…
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Presnell not interested in freedom of religion
 

Presnell not interested in freedom of religion

To the Editor:  I was horrified to learn that my representative in the N.C. House, Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, co-sponsored…
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Drive a hard bargain with railroad
 

Drive a hard bargain with railroad

To the Editor: I’d like to ask the Jackson County Commissioners why, in the midst of high unemployment and a…
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Rep. Presnell violates oath of office
 

Rep. Presnell violates oath of office

To the Editor: There are conflicting lights in which to view the co-sponsorship by Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, of the…
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Legislators should support Haywood room tax hike
 

Legislators should support Haywood room tax hike

The room tax hike being sought by Haywood leaders needs to pass and deserves the support of the legislative delegation…
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Students to share ideas at Discovery Forum
 

Students to share ideas at Discovery Forum

Western Carolina University will host its inaugural Discovery Forum, an event designed to encourage students to share innovative ideas for…
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Haywood County prepares for 30th annual Senior Games
 

Haywood County prepares for 30th annual Senior Games

Seniors around the region are gearing up for Senior Games during the month of May. In Haywood County, registration will…
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Homelessness to Hope: a campaign to improve teen support services
 

Homelessness to Hope: a campaign to improve teen support services

Barium Springs, a nonprofit that serves troubled youth, is hosting its first Giving Them Hope Breakfast at 8:30 April 25…
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Social worker charged in cover-up agrees to talk as part of plea bargain
 

Social worker charged in cover-up agrees to talk as part of plea bargain

A Swain County social worker pleaded guilty in court this week to doctoring and fabricating records two years ago following…
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Keeping it real: Waynesville ponders historic district guidelines
 

Keeping it real: Waynesville ponders historic district guidelines

The town of Waynesville has hired a consultant to help create mandatory design standards for buildings in historic districts.
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Macon forges ahead with $1.1 million ballpark
 

Macon forges ahead with $1.1 million ballpark

Macon County commissioners narrowly voted last week to buy a 50-acre tract for $550,000 to create a sprawling baseball and…
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Building freedom through mobility
 

Building freedom through mobility

It was a moment that forever stuck with Don Schoendorfer. While on vacation in Morocco several years ago, the southern…
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Emergency action plans layout game plan well before disaster strikes
 

Emergency action plans layout game plan well before disaster strikes

What if a tornado ripped through Western North Carolina? What if a tanker hauling dangerous chemicals overturned on Interstate 40?…
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Macon County pledges suite of raises all around
 

Macon County pledges suite of raises all around

Macon County government employees will have a fatter paycheck now, thanks to a new pay plan approved last week by…
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Robbery ring targeting vacation homes busted
 

Robbery ring targeting vacation homes busted

Ten suspects have been charged in connection with a rash of property crimes in the Cashiers and Glenville area.
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Pigeon Gorge dead spot could be solved soon for AT&T cell customers
 

Pigeon Gorge dead spot could be solved soon for AT&T cell customers

A new cell phone tower in the Pigeon River Gorge could mean fewer dropped calls as motorists cruise down Interstate…
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Swain inmates no help on roadside trash pickup
 

Swain inmates no help on roadside trash pickup

Swain County commissioners said they have fielded queries lately about why jail inmates aren’t put to work picking up trash…
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Lake Junaluska merger with Waynesville sails through Senate
 

Lake Junaluska merger with Waynesville sails through Senate

A state bill that would bring Lake Junaluska into Waynesville’s town limits has cleared the N.C. Senate and is now…
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County commissioners cry foul over state budget proposals
 

County commissioners cry foul over state budget proposals

County commissioners across the state are protesting proposed state budget cuts and bills that they say pass the buck and…
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Cherokee leaders green light second casino near Murphy
 

Cherokee leaders green light second casino near Murphy

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians could open a new $110 million casino in Murphy as early as spring 2015,…
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Trial by dirt
 

Trial by dirt

While sunlight, water and good soil may seem a simple enough equation for getting a plant from seed to fruit,…
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