Newly issued alcohol permits cause backlash against off-casino sales
 

Newly issued alcohol permits cause backlash against off-casino sales

Five years ago, Cherokee voters gave a decisive response on a referendum question asking whether they’d like to see the…
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Kneeling in protest is a proper protest
 

Kneeling in protest is a proper protest

To the Editor: Will Americans allow the symbol of “liberty and justice for all” to be more highly regarded than…
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Do you write stories to dispel rumors?
 

Do you write stories to dispel rumors?

“A lie can run around the world before the truth has its boots on.” That’s one of the few quotes…
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If truth doesn’t matter, we are doomed
 

If truth doesn’t matter, we are doomed

By Norman Hoffman • Guest Columnist Some time ago a cartoon had Donald Trump’s press secretary and Kelly Ann Conway…
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Embracing the wicked vibe of Halloween
 

Embracing the wicked vibe of Halloween

In less than a week, I’ll spend Tuesday evening traipsing the streets of Waynesville watching two little boys knock on…
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An alternative to opiates for pain relief
 

An alternative to opiates for pain relief

Like placing a bandage over a deep wound and hoping it will just go away, opiate painkillers are prescribed to…
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Keeping the river clean: Adopt-a-Stream volunteers keep litter out of Haywood’s waterways
 

Keeping the river clean: Adopt-a-Stream volunteers keep litter out of Haywood’s waterways

It’s a sunny, abnormally warm October afternoon, and Tom Anspach is ready to meet it with a canoe on the…
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Volunteers plant hundreds of spruce
 

Volunteers plant hundreds of spruce

More than 900 young spruce trees were planted in the Black Balsam area of the Pisgah National Forest this fall,…
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Serenity Garden complete in Waynesville
 

Serenity Garden complete in Waynesville

The first project of the Town of Waynesville Arboretum has celebrated its first full year of growth and blooming, with…
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Special Olympics athletes celebrate a well-played season
 

Special Olympics athletes celebrate a well-played season

Haywood County Special Olympics held its first Fall Games Celebration Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Waynesville Recreation Center, honoring the…
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HCC students dominate at lumberjack meet
 

HCC students dominate at lumberjack meet

The Haywood Community College Lumberjack Team placed first out of 10 teams in this year’s John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s…
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Waynesville native to study lemurs
 

Waynesville native to study lemurs

Waynesville native Christopher Lile is on his way to Madagascar for three months following his graduation from Gardner-Webb University this…
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Stay calm and creep on
 

Stay calm and creep on

Two years in a row — for this Hendershot family that’s like a tradition. We pedaled the Virginia Creeper Trail…
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New book delves into ‘Death of Europe’
 

New book delves into ‘Death of Europe’

Recently I came across an online article on Powerline regarding French president Emmanuel Macron. I knew little of President Macron,…
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Mountain Heritage Day award winners
 

Mountain Heritage Day award winners

A popular component of Western Carolina University’s annual Mountain Heritage Day are the judged and juried contests, and other competitions.…
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This must be the place: ‘It’s times like these you learn to live again’
 

This must be the place: ‘It’s times like these you learn to live again’

It was right around the third song or so that the goosebumps kept appearing. Up and down my arms, the…
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Growing up in freedom: Gladys Knight performance to benefit proposed Canton community center
 

Growing up in freedom: Gladys Knight performance to benefit proposed Canton community center

Just outside of a small Western North Carolina community known as “Papertown USA” sits a dilapidated 84-year old brick schoolhouse…
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WNC Municipal Elections
 

WNC Municipal Elections

Municipal Election season is upon us in Western North Carolina, and six towns have candidates running for a chance to…
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Development a priority in Canton race
 

Development a priority in Canton race

Canton Alderman Zeb Smathers isn’t quite mayor yet, but that didn’t stop one local brewery from releasing a “Mayor Smathers…
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Maggie Valley candidates ask for votes
 

Maggie Valley candidates ask for votes

Unlike Haywood County’s other contested municipal election — in Maggie Valley — two incumbents are running for reelection and seek…
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Bryson City election: Five fight for future of their hometown
 

Bryson City election: Five fight for future of their hometown

The five candidates running for Bryson City Board of Aldermen all hold their hometown near and dear to their hearts,…
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Seven run for Dillsboro town board
 

Seven run for Dillsboro town board

The years ahead are likely to be lively ones for the tiny town of Dillsboro, with a new river park…
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Contested race on tap for Forest Hills
 

Contested race on tap for Forest Hills

The Village of Forest Hills could have a new member on the town council depending on the outcome of this…
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Franklin Election: Candidates excited about Franklin’s future
 

Franklin Election: Candidates excited about Franklin’s future

Every election year there are a few hot button issues that entice candidates to throw their hats into the ring…
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Franklin mayor runs unopposed
 

Franklin mayor runs unopposed

Bob Scott is seeking his third term as mayor of Franklin, and it’s his second time running unopposed for the…
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Electric rate increase coming for Waynesville
 

Electric rate increase coming for Waynesville

An electric rate study Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown called “sobering” was presented to the Waynesville Board of Aldermen Oct. 10…
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EBCI and Smokies work toward agreement for plant gathering in park boundaries
 

EBCI and Smokies work toward agreement for plant gathering in park boundaries

Cherokee tribal members could be gathering sochan plants from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as early as next spring…
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Boom or bust? New index charts Haywood’s economy
 

Boom or bust? New index charts Haywood’s economy

Earlier this year, a series of stories in The Smoky Mountain News focusing on Haywood County’s economy explored its various…
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Guilty pleas filed in marriage fraud case
 

Guilty pleas filed in marriage fraud case

Four people accused of entering into fraudulent marriages with non-U.S. citizens will plead guilty to the charge of marriage fraud,…
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Shining Rock school director resigns
 

Shining Rock school director resigns

The Shining Rock Classical Academy Board of Directors accepted the resignation of School Director Ben Butler during a Sunday night…
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Jack Ewing to retire as leader of Lake Junaluska
 

Jack Ewing to retire as leader of Lake Junaluska

Lake Junaluska Executive Director Jack Ewing announced today that he will retire on Dec. 31, 2017.
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Early voting underway across NC
 

Early voting underway across NC

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Until then, residents of North Carolina can vote on various days and at various…
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Details emerge surrounding Jacob Ray’s death
 

Details emerge surrounding Jacob Ray’s death

Charges against two Charlotte teens arrested following the shooting of 21-year-old Jacob Alexander Ray, of Hendersonville, have been upgraded from…
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Gun debate a microcosm of a deeper challenge
 

Gun debate a microcosm of a deeper challenge

By William Everett • Guest Columnist Garret Woodward’s Opinion piece “After tragedy in Vegas, where to from here?” (Oct. 4-10) leads…
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My son’s a ham, while I was Houdini
 

My son’s a ham, while I was Houdini

There are very few decent photographs of me as a child. When I die, I feel sorry for the poor…
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Planting garlic means it’s fall, y’all
 

Planting garlic means it’s fall, y’all

As if the changing colors, cooler temps and falling leaves weren’t reminders enough, there’s also those walnuts dropping like cluster…
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The NRA and waiting periods
 

The NRA and waiting periods

To the Editor: I agree 100 percent with Andy Borowitz that there should be a mandatory three-day waiting period whenever…
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Growing community: Church garden project brings neighbors together to grow healthy food
 

Growing community: Church garden project brings neighbors together to grow healthy food

Two short years ago, the backyard of Waynesville’s Grace Church in the Mountains was basically just grass, save for a…
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Western Carolina gets green cred
 

Western Carolina gets green cred

Western Carolina University has been listed as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges on the continent — for the…
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Haywood grant to help fund elk volunteers
 

Haywood grant to help fund elk volunteers

A $2,650 grant from the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will help improve the experience of visitors journeying to Cataloochee…
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High-elevation overlooks are awe-inspiring
 

High-elevation overlooks are awe-inspiring

High-elevation overlooks are one of our finest natural resources. These vantage points allow us to rise above our everyday humdrum…
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A keen eye for France, and great recipes
 

A keen eye for France, and great recipes

Elizabeth Bard’s Lunch In Paris: A Love Story, With Recipes (Little, Brown and Company, 2010, 324 pages) offers readers both…
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Shining Rock’s scores below most others
 

Shining Rock’s scores below most others

When Shining Rock Classical Academy opened in 2015, the public charter school was hailed as a victory for local proponents…
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Sylva’s mayoral race nears the finish line: Sossamon and Allen to rematch for mayor’s seat
 

Sylva’s mayoral race nears the finish line: Sossamon and Allen to rematch for mayor’s seat

Sylva voters might feel a bit of déjà vu when they enter the polling place this year, with both names…
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Swain County schools apply for $7 million grant
 

Swain County schools apply for $7 million grant

Swain County Schools will apply for a multi-million dollar grant through the new Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund that can…
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Showdown looming over Canton brunch ordinance
 

Showdown looming over Canton brunch ordinance

A highly anticipated public hearing that drew double the usual crowd to a Canton Town Board meeting wasn’t as contentious…
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Brunch Bill stalls in Jackson
 

Brunch Bill stalls in Jackson

A planned vote on whether to approve Sunday morning alcohol sales was delayed Oct. 16 when the Jackson County Commissioners…
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Comprehensive plan update coming for Waynesville
 

Comprehensive plan update coming for Waynesville

Inasmuch as any document can be truly hallowed on a local government level, that document is the comprehensive plan.
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Haywood hires interim county manager
 

Haywood hires interim county manager

Haywood County native Joel R. Mashburn has been selected to serve as interim county manager following the recent and unexpected…
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Women in Business 2017
 

Women in Business 2017

Women owning their own businesses is nothing new, and in fact North Carolina is among the nation’s leaders in this…
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