Ridge top homes eliminated from Cullowhee development plan
 

Ridge top homes eliminated from Cullowhee development plan

The Jackson County Planning Board approved construction of the 38-home Solitude Development in Cullowhee in August 2016, but following concern…
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Haywood officials condemn Charlottesville violence
 

Haywood officials condemn Charlottesville violence

Elected officials from across Haywood County and from across party lines were quick to speak out in the wake of…
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Hundreds show to denounce Charlottesville violence
 

Hundreds show to denounce Charlottesville violence

About 200 people gathered in front of the Haywood County Historic Courthouse Monday evening to stand in solidarity with Charlottesville…
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WNC welcomes ‘The Great American Solar Eclipse’
 

WNC welcomes ‘The Great American Solar Eclipse’

At 2:35 p.m. on Aug. 21, Western North Carolina residents and visitors will have the chance to watch as the…
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What to do, where to go?
 

What to do, where to go?

WNC prepares to celebrate Solar Eclipse
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Prepare to shoot: Eclipse photography takes research, preparation
 

Prepare to shoot: Eclipse photography takes research, preparation

It’s safe to say that a good solar eclipse photo requires a bit more preparation than your average snapshot.
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Local governments plan for the worst, hope for the best
 

Local governments plan for the worst, hope for the best

There are still many unknowns as the historic Total Solar Eclipse approaches Aug. 21, but local governments are trying to…
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Behold the Seer: Chris Robinson Brotherhood roll on
 

Behold the Seer: Chris Robinson Brotherhood roll on

The CRB sports a curious and mischievous grin these days, whistling a tune near-and-dear to their hearts, all while slowing…
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Blue Cross rejects Mission's latest proposal
 

Blue Cross rejects Mission's latest proposal

More than a month has passed since Mission Health announced it would terminate its contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield…
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Striking a balance between praying and politics
 

Striking a balance between praying and politics

Prayer as part of government meetings has a long — and often contentious — history in this country, and a…
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At what age does nostalgia set in?
 

At what age does nostalgia set in?

When I was just about the same age my son is now, my dad took me to Atlanta to see…
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Trump could learn from Boy Scouts
 

Trump could learn from Boy Scouts

To the Editor:     On July 4, the President of the United States addressed the quadrennial Jamboree of the…
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Cherokee had uses for many local plants
 

Cherokee had uses for many local plants

For the ancient Cherokees and other southeastern Indian tribes, the greatest causes of illness were the spirits of vengeful animals.…
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To try a tri: Race day is a whirlwind for  a first-time triathlete
 

To try a tri: Race day is a whirlwind for a first-time triathlete

As I stood freezing on the dock above 67.3-degree Lake Logan, the main thought running through my head was a…
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Emerald ash borer confirmed in Haywood County
 

Emerald ash borer confirmed in Haywood County

The emerald ash borer has been discovered in Haywood County, making it the 32nd confirmed county to which the invasive…
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The solar eclipse is coming
 

The solar eclipse is coming

News of the upcoming solar eclipse has been hard for Western North Carolinians to avoid this season, and the big…
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No way to stop the flow: A conversation with Tim O’Brien
 

No way to stop the flow: A conversation with Tim O’Brien

In the annals of bluegrass history, the chapter on multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien is not only long and bountiful, it’s also…
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This must be the place: ‘Catch my soul, catch the very light ... ’
 

This must be the place: ‘Catch my soul, catch the very light ... ’

It does mean something. Sitting in the darkness of the Grail Moviehouse last Thursday, this overwhelming feeling of deep sadness…
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Finding meaning in a disordered world
 

Finding meaning in a disordered world

Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option: A Strategy For Christians In A Post-Christian Nation (Penguin Random House, 2017, 255 pages) has…
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Knowing your neighbors: Vecinos health program is a bridge between migrant workers and the outside community
 

Knowing your neighbors: Vecinos health program is a bridge between migrant workers and the outside community

Whittier has been home to Elda Chafoya DePaz and her three children for less than a year, but it’s not…
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Coleman pleads guilty to murder
 

Coleman pleads guilty to murder

Tony Alan Coleman, 52, of Waynesville, recently pled guilty as charged to murder and felony child abuse in the death…
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Mine safety training saves a life
 

Mine safety training saves a life

Wresting huge chunks of granite from a hillside is inherently dangerous work, but the safety training provided at one Waynesville…
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Franklin to offer outdoor family movies
 

Franklin to offer outdoor family movies

Families will be able to enjoy free outdoor movies in Franklin in the next couple of months thanks to a…
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Haywood Tax Assessor to retire
 

Haywood Tax Assessor to retire

After 19 years with county government, former Haywood County Tax Collector and current Haywood County Tax Assessor/Solid Waste Administrator David…
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Haywood tax collections up
 

Haywood tax collections up

Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews told the Haywood County Board of County Commissioners Aug. 7 that preliminary tax collection…
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Best use for Franklin property still being debated
 

Best use for Franklin property still being debated

The town of Franklin has been sitting on a valuable piece of land for more than 12 years and still…
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Back to the water: Friends, family remember Bryson City Olympian
 

Back to the water: Friends, family remember Bryson City Olympian

Adam Clawson of Bryson City spent some of his best days on the water. At 8 years old, he tied…
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Tribal Council approves special election
 

Tribal Council approves special election

Cherokee came one step closer last week to having a special election to fill the vacant vice chief’s seat, but…
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Antique toy museum moves into Cowee School
 

Antique toy museum moves into Cowee School

Jim Geary has been collecting toys since he was a boy in 1950. The fascination and hobby that has stuck…
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Cherokee approves needle exchange program
 

Cherokee approves needle exchange program

A needle exchange program will likely be underway in Cherokee by the end of the year following Tribal Council’s unanimous…
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Haywood Republicans boot Miller
 

Haywood Republicans boot Miller

High political drama — the likes of which is not often seen in rural counties — came to a head…
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Veterans’ seminars have ‘beneficial impact’
 

Veterans’ seminars have ‘beneficial impact’

Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows hosted his fourth annual Veterans’ Solutions Seminar in Waynesville last week, and judging by the…
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Meadows gets an earful at town hall
 

Meadows gets an earful at town hall

A boisterous crowd in a packed auditorium on the campus of Blue Ridge Community College engaged in a lively two-hour…
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Roundabout: YES swings through WNC
 

Roundabout: YES swings through WNC

Spanning over six decades, British prog-rock act YES were recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Although…
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Reckless hikers should pay for rescue
 

Reckless hikers should pay for rescue

To the Editor: I read about the rescue at Yellowstone Falls in the July 26 edition of The Smoky Mountain…
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Immigration laws need enforcing
 

Immigration laws need enforcing

To the Editor: This is in response to Mr. Paul Strop’s letter from the June 7 issue. There is a…
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Franklin 4th of July a huge success
 

Franklin 4th of July a huge success

To the Editor: On behalf of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, I would like to thank those who helped to…
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High-speed enforcement too dangerous
 

High-speed enforcement too dangerous

To the Editor: The recent accident involving a state trooper and the elderly couple near Balsam was a tragedy for…
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Mission’s plea falls on deaf ears
 

Mission’s plea falls on deaf ears

To the Editor: Dear Mission Health, I saw your full page ad in the July 19 issue of The Smoky…
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Supermarket flowers
 

Supermarket flowers

My mom loved fresh flowers. It was a fun routine for my dad, sister and I to pick up a…
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Plotting Cullowhee Dam’s future: Organizations weigh environmental and financial costs of repair and removal
 

Plotting Cullowhee Dam’s future: Organizations weigh environmental and financial costs of repair and removal

Nearly a century old, the aging Cullowhee Dam is at a crossroads — with risk of failure increasing, Western Carolina…
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Become part of the garden tour
 

Become part of the garden tour

While Western North Carolina is still in the thick of summer 2017, the Haywood County Master Gardeners are already looking…
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Smokies volunteers honored
 

Smokies volunteers honored

The team of skilled volunteers that organized the mission to connect with the next generation of park users during the…
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Gleaners needed
 

Gleaners needed

The harvest is rolling in, and Haywood Gleaners is looking for volunteers to help get the leftovers from the field…
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NPS re-establishes partnership with Oconaluftee Job Corps Center
 

NPS re-establishes partnership with Oconaluftee Job Corps Center

For the first time in 10 years, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is operating a career development center aimed…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Rock Hill on the river
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Rock Hill on the river

My family and I were in the Rock Hill, S.C.-Charlotte area a few weeks back to visit my sister and…
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Searching for the 60s
 

Searching for the 60s

If you are one of those people who thinks that the 1960s hippie culture was only about sex, drugs and…
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Free clinic coming to Bryson City, Murphy
 

Free clinic coming to Bryson City, Murphy

Free medical, dental, eye and veterinarian services will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis Aug. 2-10 in Bryson City…
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Elected officials in Swain proud to pray
 

Elected officials in Swain proud to pray

Praying in public has never been something politicians in Swain County have shied away from and it’s unlikely the recent…
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