Fly Fishing Hall of Famers announced
 

Fly Fishing Hall of Famers announced

Inductees for the 2018 Fly Fishing Hall of Fame have been announced, with an induction ceremony set for Saturday, Sept.…
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Report ranks N.C. 
high on solar growth
 

Report ranks N.C. 
high on solar growth

A new report from the Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center ranks North Carolina third for solar energy production…
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Harrah’s employee 
recognized for environmental commitment
 

Harrah’s employee 
recognized for environmental commitment

Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos’ housekeeping supervisor Arena Hall-Miller was one of three people chosen from across the Caesars brand for the…
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A summer 2017 thru-hike of the MST by renowned adventurer Jennifer Pharr Davis — together with her husband Brew and children Gus and Charley — helped raise awareness of the cross-state trail.
 

MST sees fundraising success

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail surpassed its fundraising goal of $200,000 to bring in $274,838 through its 40th anniversary campaign. 
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Water Management Trust Fund awards $26 million
 

Water Management Trust Fund awards $26 million

The N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund is closing out the 2017 grant year after having given nearly $26 million…
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Currently planted as a fescue hayfield, the land borders the Little Tennessee River and could be restored as important early successional habitat. Donated photo
 

Purchase to boost Bartram access: Mainspring conserves 71 acres of Little Tennessee River bottomland

A recent land purchase by Mainspring Conservation Trust could spell a new era for the Bartram Trail in Macon County. …
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Roseate spoonbills at Isle of Palms. The lighter one in front is an immature. Don Hendershot photo
 

The Naturalist's Corner: It’s getting pinker

Our annual beach and marsh R&R at Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms, South Carolina, is history. Thanks to the…
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Cartoon, Aug. 15, 2018
 

Cartoon, Aug. 15, 2018

By Will Studenc
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An antidote to our society’s hysteria
 

An antidote to our society’s hysteria

Over the past few decades, our society has pushed for more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students. Countries like…
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Grief is love’s souvenir
 

Grief is love’s souvenir

Three of life’s top five stressors are death of a loved one, divorce and moving. Within the past two years,…
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Bad website, long waits mar DMV experience
 

Bad website, long waits mar DMV experience

A recent attempt to update my driver’s license has exposed long waits and online delays at the North Carolina Division…
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Is this the president you want?
 

Is this the president you want?

To the Editor: One only has to watch a GOP rally when the president is present to see and hear…
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Rep. Clampitt definitely ‘needs improvement’
 

Rep. Clampitt definitely ‘needs improvement’

To the Editor: Last week I found in my mailbox a political flyer from Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City. He…
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Megan Galloway (left) and Ann Geers (right) have been paired through Big Brothers Big Sisters for almost eight years. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

My friend: Big Brothers Big Sisters fills youth mentorship needs

“When I was matched with Ann in fourth grade, I had grown up with some difficulties in my life,” said…
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Emily and I show off a freshly made pot of dirt pudding. Holly Kays photo
 

One-way ticket to kid world

My car is usually something of a mess, a magnet for loose papers, empty food wrappers and an impressively random…
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Members of the Canton Town Board James Markey (left to right), Kristina Smith, Ralph Hamlett, Gail Mull and Mayor Zeb Smathers attend an event at the Colonial Theater Nov. 29. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Flag flap far from finished

Just weeks after a violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville last August, complaints arising from the display of Confederate…
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Fairview Elementary School is the most centrally located of northern Jackson County’s four elementary schools, but it would also be the most expensive to turn into a middle school. Donated photo
 

Opinion split on middle school

A public input session on the question of whether Jackson County should form a middle school drew split opinion during…
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WCU’s electrical distribution system extends throughout the Cullowhee Valley and is maintained by a line crew that includes (from left) Travis Taylor, Randy Fox, Keith Dills, Andy Edwards and Brandon Green. WCU photo
 

WCU, Morris partnering to provide high-speed internet to Cullowhee Valley

Western Carolina University has reached an agreement with Morris Broadband to expand high-speed internet service to rural, underserved areas of…
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Bryson City resident Joe Hayes speaks in opposition to the town relinquishing its right of way on Fry Street. Jessi Stone photo
 

Train offers land in exchange for street closure

The debate over whether the town of Bryson City should relinquish its right of way on Fry Street has resurfaced,…
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Clean Slate residents sell their all-natural cleaning products to learn business skills and help support the program. Donated photo
 

Clean Slate Coalition gives hand up to women

Marsha Crites doesn’t believe in tough love. She believes in second chances — and even third and fourth chances if that’s…
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Councilmember Boyd Owl, of Birdtown, (right) gives his opinion on the proposed legislation. EBCI image
 

Cherokee looks to increase retirement vesting period

Pension plan double-dipping is prompting the Cherokee Tribal Council to consider tripling the number of years required to draw from…
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Southwestern Community College is planning for a new $20 million health sciences building. Donated rendering
 

SCC’s health building aims for fall groundbreaking

Southwestern Community College is moving forward with plans for a $20 million health sciences building, having accepted applications from 11…
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Bob Houde of the Carolina Veterans Peace Coalition was among the first to show up at an appearance in Waynesville by Rep. Mark Meadows Aug. 10. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Missing the mark: protestors, congressman differ on VA reform

Last August, three-term Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows held his fourth Veterans Solutions Seminar in Waynesville. Last week, he held…
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Jim Lauderdale.
 

You’ve got a way all yours: A conversation with Jim Lauderdale

Legendary troubadour Jim Lauderdale is a longtime pillar of the fiercely independent singer-songwriter scene in Nashville. He’s always gone his…
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Rural New Jersey. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

This must be the place: Tomorrow’s gonna be a brighter day

Back to square one. Dammit. You’d think that after existing on this earth for 33 years, and being a legal…
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Mark Mothersbaugh. Ryan Schude photo
 

DEVO frontman to appear at WCU

The Western Carolina University School of Art and Design and WCU Bardo Arts Center present a special evening with Mark…
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Printed maps provided by NCDOT at a public presentation Aug. 9 show big changes to Waynesville's South Main Street.
 

Renaissance on South Main Street

Near the end of 2016, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced plans for an $18 million makeover of Russ…
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Boating access improvements coming to the Chattooga
 

Boating access improvements coming to the Chattooga

Restoration and recreation work has begun on the Chattooga River in the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest thanks to funding from the…
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Grants awarded for farmland preservation
 

Grants awarded for farmland preservation

Farmland in several Western North Carolina counties will now be protected thanks to funding from the Agricultural Development and Farmland…
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Study field manager Sam Millman talks to a group of students at a trap site. Kristy Keel-Blackman photo
 

Counting the bears: UTK conducts largest-ever black bear survey

Barbed wire and hundreds of pounds of donuts are the key ingredients in a University of Tennessee Knoxville effort to…
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The members of team Queretaro pose following their victory. Donated photo
 

Champions crowned in Haywood

The 2018 Haywood County Recreation and Parks Summer Soccer Tournament concluded Monday, July 30, with a victory for the team…
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MST now complete in the mountains
 

MST now complete in the mountains

The longest continuous section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is now complete in Western North Carolina thanks to Carolina Mountain Club…
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Cherokee thought buzzards possessed powers
 

Cherokee thought buzzards possessed powers

The recent heavy rains here in the Smokies region have been a blessing, especially to those of us who like…
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To make a donation to Richard Reeves’ firewood for the needy ministry or for Alzheimer’s research, send checks to PO Box 611, Waynesville, NC, 28786.
 

In this case, the choice is obvious

“Take the high road.” It’s a simple code for life, but one too few take to heart and even fewer…
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No hazy nostalgia with my first car
 

No hazy nostalgia with my first car

Some people’s memories of their first car are glazed with sugar, like candy apples at the county fair. It is…
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Apartment complex pleas ignored
 

Apartment complex pleas ignored

To the Editor: On 30 July, the Waynesville Planning Board met once again concerning the proposed apartment complex on Plott…
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Some agency should have saved turkeys
 

Some agency should have saved turkeys

To the Editor: I would like to know why the animal rescue agencies in the Waynesville area, which there are…
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Trump should reveal tax information
 

Trump should reveal tax information

To the Editor: Donald Trump can bellow out from the tallest building in New York that he is an innocent…
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Trump is full of bad ideas
 

Trump is full of bad ideas

To the Editor: It is always amusing to hear supporters of President Trump claim that others are uninformed and vicious.…
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Phish’s “IT Festival.” Garret K. Woodward photo
 

This must be the place: Pebbles and marbles like things on my mind

Well, 15 years ago this past weekend, I spontaneously bolted from Upstate New York straight to northern Maine to attend…
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Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City.
 

Nantahala Brewing to open Asheville outpost

Following the announcement of its upcoming Sylva outpost, aimed at a fall opening, Bryson City-based Nantahala Brewing will launch an…
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An endearing coming of age teaching story
 

An endearing coming of age teaching story

When we are in school, we consider ourselves fortunate when we find ourselves in the company of inspiring teachers. We…
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Catch him if you can: David Joy releases highly-anticipated third novel
 

Catch him if you can: David Joy releases highly-anticipated third novel

If you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t even notice him. Sitting by himself at the counter of the Innovation Station…
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Tribal member sues over alleged workplace hostility, harassment
 

Tribal member sues over alleged workplace hostility, harassment

A Cherokee woman who successfully fought off disorderly conduct charges earlier this year has filed suit against nine parties in…
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The vacant motel building will be demolished and the property redeveloped. Holly Kays photo
 

Tribe to expand casino parking

New parking is coming to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino following the Cherokee Tribal Council’s unanimous vote Aug. 2 to transfer a…
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Jatanna Feather speaks to Tribal Council about 7 Clans Brewing and its use of Cherokee names and culture to promote its beer. File photo
 

Regulations on use of cultural terms discussed in Cherokee

A brief conversation in Tribal Council Wednesday, Aug. 1, was the first public discussion on how the Eastern Band of…
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DOT engineer Brian Burch discusses the N.C. 107 project to a more-than-full room at Sylva Town Hall. Holly Kays photo
 

Sylva community turns out in force to oppose N.C. 107 plans

Sylva Town Hall was filled beyond capacity as Mayor Lynda Sossamon called a public forum on the redevelopment of N.C.…
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Haywood County and the Town of Waynesville are incentivizing a “flagship brand” hotel just west of the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway and north of Hyatt Creek Road. Haywood GIS photo
 

No mystery behind hotel incentives

As first reported in The Smoky Mountain News more than four months ago, Waynesville’s getting a new hotel, and that…
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Candidates for the N.C. General Assembly are busy fundraising in advance of November’s General Election. File photo
 

Funding the fight

With a net pickup of four seats in the House or six in the Senate, North Carolina Democrats could break…
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WNC employers — Haywood Chamber wants to hear from you
 

WNC employers — Haywood Chamber wants to hear from you

As Haywood County’s economic development efforts ensue, one oft-overlooked aspect of the area’s offerings — like land development opportunities and…
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