Women’s History Trail lands grant
 

Women’s History Trail lands grant

A $740 grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts will fuel efforts to create a Women’s History…
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State parks see record visitation
 

State parks see record visitation

North Carolina State Parks has logged its fourth consecutive year of record visitation, with 19.4 million visits to the state’s…
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Input sought on Waterrock Knob planning
 

Input sought on Waterrock Knob planning

Ideas for the future of the land surrounding Waterrock Knob and Plott Balsam are welcome during a public hearing slated…
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Park camping fees to rise
 

Park camping fees to rise

Fees for frontcountry campgrounds and picnic pavilions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be a little higher after…
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Did the southeastern Native Americans take scalps?
 

Did the southeastern Native Americans take scalps?

(Editor’s Note: Readers should be cautioned that several of the descriptions of scalping and related practices presented in this column…
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Don’t stop the music: A conversation with Del McCoury
 

Don’t stop the music: A conversation with Del McCoury

If there’s one singular force truly keeping the flame of Bill Monroe alive and kicking well into the 21st century,…
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This must be the place: ‘Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul’
 

This must be the place: ‘Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul’

The time had come. Last Friday, right around noon, I received a message on Facebook. It was a fella looking…
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Local histories serve important purpose
 

Local histories serve important purpose

For the past two centuries, local historians and writers in England have produced a large number of municipal and county…
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Duke customers: ‘Pay for your own mistakes’
 

Duke customers: ‘Pay for your own mistakes’

Western North Carolina residents recently made it clear they do not support Duke Energy Progress’s request for a 15 percent…
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Smaller increases slated for Waynesville electric customers
 

Smaller increases slated for Waynesville electric customers

Duke Energy isn’t the only utility company raising its electric rates this year amidst rising energy costs, but some local…
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Duke proposes $62 million solar rebate program
 

Duke proposes $62 million solar rebate program

Duke Energy is proposing a $62 million solar rebate program designed to help its North Carolina customers with the upfront…
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Selling Haywood County: Economic development partnership revs up
 

Selling Haywood County: Economic development partnership revs up

On the west side of Jonathan Creek Road in Haywood County sits a parcel of land where crops and cows…
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Shining Rock again violates open meetings laws
 

Shining Rock again violates open meetings laws

A North Carolina Open Meetings Law expert says Shining Rock Classical Academy’s School Board once again violated state laws regarding…
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Charter school selects new school director
 

Charter school selects new school director

After months of searching for someone to replace founding School Director Ben Butler, Waynesville public charter school Shining Rock Classical…
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Tribe hires first-ever TABCC director
 

Tribe hires first-ever TABCC director

The Tribal Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission gained its first-ever director with the hire of Terri Henry, who began work on…
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Chancellor search begins: Community forums to be held; search will be confidential
 

Chancellor search begins: Community forums to be held; search will be confidential

The 21-member committee charged with finding the next chancellor of Western Carolina University kicked off the search process with an…
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Funding lines up for new Cashiers sewer plant
 

Funding lines up for new Cashiers sewer plant

Development in Cashiers will soon reach the end of a longstanding stalemate following the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Board’s…
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'We will never go away': The 2017 Women’s March on Washington, revisited
 

'We will never go away': The 2017 Women’s March on Washington, revisited

The day after I stood before the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and watched Missouri Senator…
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Reclaiming the past: Cherokee land acquisition bill moves forward
 

Reclaiming the past: Cherokee land acquisition bill moves forward

A recent hearing on a congressional bill that would transfer 76 acres in Tennessee to the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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Health, DSS consolidation moves forward in Jackson
 

Health, DSS consolidation moves forward in Jackson

An ongoing push to see Jackson County consolidate its health and social services departments will come to a head during…
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Community conversation focuses on homelessness in Haywood County
 

Community conversation focuses on homelessness in Haywood County

There’s a road in Waynesville called the homeless highway. It runs from Frog Level to Hazelwood and during any given…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Will eagles dare?
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Will eagles dare?

A pair of mature bald eagles has been hanging out at Lake Junaluska for a few months now. I have…
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Watery restoration: Waynesville and partners restore stream flows, aquatic habitat
 

Watery restoration: Waynesville and partners restore stream flows, aquatic habitat

Waynesville is in the midst of a makeover on three of its streams, and it’s a renovation that fish, crayfish…
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Weekday programs offered at Cataloochee
 

Weekday programs offered at Cataloochee

Tuesdays and Wednesdays offer special opportunities at Cataloochee Ski Area, with programs now available for homeschoolers and families.
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SCC instructor will guide outdoor leadership standards
 

SCC instructor will guide outdoor leadership standards

Paul Wolf, leader of Southwestern Community College’s Outdoor Leadership Program, has been chosen as a member of the international Association…
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Land conserved along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Jackson
 

Land conserved along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Jackson

The Blue Ridge Parkway will soon acquire an additional 46 acres in Jackson County thanks to a pair of land…
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Insightful books to kick off the new year
 

Insightful books to kick off the new year

In early January, I sat with two friends in a café discussing the New Year. We were all coming off…
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Cartoon, Jan. 17, 2018
 

Cartoon, Jan. 17, 2018

By Will Studenc
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Let’s eliminate the power of the Electoral College
 

Let’s eliminate the power of the Electoral College

By Martin A. Dyckman • Guest Columnist Americans are asking why we now have a president whom they wouldn’t trust to…
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Lessons learned on the black diamond
 

Lessons learned on the black diamond

While standing atop a black diamond run at Beech Mountain last weekend, several thoughts crossed my mind. It’s been a…
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GOP supports childrens’ health care
 

GOP supports childrens’ health care

To the Editor: It is easy to understand Dr. Stephen Wall’s compassion for young children. Knowing Dr. Wall well, I…
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I’ll have a beer and hash browns
 

I’ll have a beer and hash browns

To the Editor: It’s been interesting to read the controversy about the Sunday “brunch bill” enactment in Bryson City, Jackson…
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Impact fees to change in Jackson
 

Impact fees to change in Jackson

A state law passed in July 2017 will lead to changes in water and sewer fees across North Carolina this…
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Cherokee sues opioid companies
 

Cherokee sues opioid companies

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has filed a federal lawsuit seeking damages from 23 companies that manufacture or distribute…
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Court dismisses majority of Mystic Lands claims
 

Court dismisses majority of Mystic Lands claims

This story was updated Jan. 22, 2020. Mystic Lands property owners may have prevailed in court over one issue —…
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Minor parties seek NC ballot access
 

Minor parties seek NC ballot access

Disillusionment with the two-party American political system has been around for a long time, but with a polarizing President in…
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NC Congressional districts struck down
 

NC Congressional districts struck down

Just one month before candidates start signing up to run for the 2018 elections, a three judge panel from the…
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Melrose to run for Superior Court judge
 

Melrose to run for Superior Court judge

Waynesville attorney Mark Melrose has announced his intentions to run for Superior Court Judge for the 30th Judicial District of…
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Welch to seek second term as DA
 

Welch to seek second term as DA

First-term District Attorney Ashley Welch recently announced her candidacy for re-election at the GEM Country Republican Women’s Club meeting in…
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Reroute planned for Blackrock Trail
 

Reroute planned for Blackrock Trail

The infamously steep trail leading up to Blackrock from Pinnacle Park will soon find itself with a gentler incline following…
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Brewery trademark dispute dismissed
 

Brewery trademark dispute dismissed

The ongoing and exhaustive trademark dispute between Sylva’s Innovation Brewing and Bell’s Brewery is now over.
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Life in Limbo: Franklin native fighting to have rights restored
 

Life in Limbo: Franklin native fighting to have rights restored

Hannah LeAnn Nix says she’s not the same person she was a few years ago when a judge deemed her…
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Canton wants to help you sign up for Haywood alerts
 

Canton wants to help you sign up for Haywood alerts

Haywood County’s new emergency alert system startled many Jan. 11 with a “shelter in place” notification just after 6 p.m.,…
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Canton water leaks irk public
 

Canton water leaks irk public

A series of water line breakages in Canton during a recent period of extreme cold provoked unusually lengthy complaints from…
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Brunch Bill finally passes in Maggie Valley
 

Brunch Bill finally passes in Maggie Valley

It was déjà vu all over again in Maggie Valley, where the Board of Aldermen once again passed the controversial…
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Eye of the beholder: Outdoor photographer shares love of the craft
 

Eye of the beholder: Outdoor photographer shares love of the craft

Catch him if you can. For the last few years, Steve Yocom has made quite a name for himself as…
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This must be the place: ‘You know I’m such a fool for you’
 

This must be the place: ‘You know I’m such a fool for you’

They said it happens. When I was younger, and very much so in conversation nowadays, it was always said that…
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Grant awarded to Women’s History Trail
 

Grant awarded to Women’s History Trail

The Women’s History Trail (WHT), a project of Folk Heritage Association of Macon County, has received a $740 grant from…
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Duke Energy rate hike request to hurt working families
 

Duke Energy rate hike request to hurt working families

Working families in Western North Carolina know that when you earn less money, you tend to use less electricity to…
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I support our state’s treasures
 

I support our state’s treasures

To the Editor: In light of Mr. Holliday’s letter to the editor on Jan. 3, I’d like to take this…
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