BPR names new arts journalist
 

BPR names new arts journalist

Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) continues to invest in the development of local programming and content with the hiring of…
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Front Street a success
 

Front Street a success

Wonderful blue skies, great entertainment and over 60 multi-talented artisans brought out more than 3,000 people to Front Street Arts…
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Council expresses support for vice chief special election
 

Council expresses support for vice chief special election

The September ballot could include a special election for vice chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, pending a…
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Dad was old school, but he accepted change
 

Dad was old school, but he accepted change

My dad’s been dead about 15 years now, and there’s still no fuzzy, larger-than-life, exaggerated memories that pop into my…
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She’s 16, and somehow it snuck up on me
 

She’s 16, and somehow it snuck up on me

I should have been ready for it, but I wasn’t. My daughter’s sixteenth birthday couldn’t have come as a shock…
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Trump’s dismissal of hacking is the problem
 

Trump’s dismissal of hacking is the problem

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist It’s easy to make a mistake, particularly when relying on another person’s promises or character.…
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The best opportunity for health insurance
 

The best opportunity for health insurance

To the Editor: How many people do you know who are old enough to be eligible for Medicare insurance but…
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Trails that dance: Cherokee opens 10.5-mile trail system with plans to expand
 

Trails that dance: Cherokee opens 10.5-mile trail system with plans to expand

The snip of a ribbon declared the destination that mountain bikers are hailing as “amazing” and “world-class” to be open…
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Invest in WNC’s great outdoors
 

Invest in WNC’s great outdoors

The National Forest Foundation has named the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest as a Treasured Landscape, a designation that unlocks funding to…
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A.T. plates fund conservation
 

A.T. plates fund conservation

Proceeds from North Carolina Appalachian Trail license plates resulted in $30,000 worth of awards to 12 projects intended to preserve…
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Parkway superintendent to retire
 

Parkway superintendent to retire

Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods has announced his retirement from the National Park Service following four years in the…
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Perhaps ‘possums are figuring it out
 

Perhaps ‘possums are figuring it out

I bless my lucky stars that I’m a columnist assigned the pleasant task of writing about this region’s natural and…
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Exercise tests federal, local catastrophe response
 

Exercise tests federal, local catastrophe response

By the dawn’s early light, about 300 members of the North Carolina National Guard along with a host of local…
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Permit denied for Cullowhee development
 

Permit denied for Cullowhee development

A controversial request to build a 388-bed student housing complex on South Painter Road in Cullowhee was denied this week…
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Public input will guide library’s renovation
 

Public input will guide library’s renovation

An ambitious dream of expanding and remodeling the main Haywood County library in Waynesville has been abandoned, with sights now…
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Haywood Dems hold spring rally
 

Haywood Dems hold spring rally

Several candidates announced their intent to run for office as Haywood County Democrats held their Spring Rally at the Maggie…
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Pool renovations finishing in Sylva and Cashiers
 

Pool renovations finishing in Sylva and Cashiers

If all goes according to plan, within the week folks in Jackson County will have their choice of pools to…
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Maggie Valley adopts tight budget with small tax increase
 

Maggie Valley adopts tight budget with small tax increase

Haywood County’s 2017 property revaluation was like a bucket of cold water in the face of every local government official…
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Mom delivers baby on way to hospital
 

Mom delivers baby on way to hospital

Expectant mother Caitlin Austin of Balsam never imagined giving birth to her second child in a car. 
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Public not invited to meeting with Mission
 

Public not invited to meeting with Mission

Mission Health leaders finally agreed to hold a meeting in Franklin to discuss their controversial decision to close the labor…
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Waynesville falls short in playground contest
 

Waynesville falls short in playground contest

Despite finishing first in an online contest with more than double the votes of its nearest competitor, Waynesville’s adaptive playground…
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Haywood housing task force sets goal, issues recommendations
 

Haywood housing task force sets goal, issues recommendations

A strategic plan developed by a subcommittee of the Haywood County Affordable Housing Task Force that proposes 400 affordable housing…
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Pisgah, Haywood Early College to get new principals
 

Pisgah, Haywood Early College to get new principals

Three Haywood County Schools will see new administrators this fall after the Haywood County Board of Education approved the personnel…
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Broadband group begins mapping plans for service
 

Broadband group begins mapping plans for service

By Kurt J. Volker • Contributing Writer Broadband internet service is vital for future economic growth in Macon County, but it…
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Franklin discusses climate change resolution
 

Franklin discusses climate change resolution

The town of Franklin is considering how to become more environmentally friendly after being presented with a climate solutions resolution…
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Calling all vets: Macon County wants you
 

Calling all vets: Macon County wants you

By Kurt J. Volker • Contributing Writer A program designed to offer free I.D. cards to Macon County veterans for discounted…
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Franklin wants to address noise complaints
 

Franklin wants to address noise complaints

Franklin Mayor Bob Scott was recently awoken at midnight on a Friday by a phone call from Franklin resident Janet…
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Jackson’s comprehensive plan nears approval
 

Jackson’s comprehensive plan nears approval

After two years of meetings, research and public input, the Jackson County Comprehensive Land Use Plan must go through one…
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Innovation Brewing to open Dillsboro location
 

Innovation Brewing to open Dillsboro location

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) has announced that Innovation Brewing will be the new tenant of the GSMR Dillsboro…
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Cataloochee Ranch welcomes Chatham County Line
 

Cataloochee Ranch welcomes Chatham County Line

If you want to understand the history of bluegrass music, you need to look at its entire spectrum — of…
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New Cherokee chief addresses employees: Richie Sneed calls for collaborative, equitable government
 

New Cherokee chief addresses employees: Richie Sneed calls for collaborative, equitable government

Principal Chief Richard Sneed laid out communication, collaboration and community as the guiding principles of his new administration in an…
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A few thoughts on immigration
 

A few thoughts on immigration

To the Editor: Immigration has been a reality for hundreds of years as people leave the safety of their homes…
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Welcome to Country Club America
 

Welcome to Country Club America

To the Editor: It has dawned on me that Trump’s vision for America is to make it into an exclusive…
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Gerrymandering takes power from voters
 

Gerrymandering takes power from voters

To the Editor: It’s no secret that gerrymandering has severely distorted representation in North Carolina and undermined the principle of…
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A world of wonder at a cheap motel
 

A world of wonder at a cheap motel

When you’re a kid, there’s something magical about hotel pools.  I’ve written before about growing up in a dance studio.…
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GOP’s corrupt elections agenda meets its demise
 

GOP’s corrupt elections agenda meets its demise

North Carolina’s efforts to change the elections process to help keep its GOP majorities in office have been declared illegal…
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Life on the road: Asheville couple trades stability for life of mobile adventure
 

Life on the road: Asheville couple trades stability for life of mobile adventure

Ching Fu and Jerud Crandall had professional careers and a comfortable home when they left it all behind in 2015,…
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Students fight stormwater pollution
 

Students fight stormwater pollution

Students from the Haywood Community Learning Center did their part to reduce stormwater runoff through a service project to mark…
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Parkway delivers $1 billion economic impact
 

Parkway delivers $1 billion economic impact

In 2016, Blue Ridge Parkway visitors spent $979.3 million in communities near the park, supporting 15,649 jobs for a cumulative…
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Franklin greenway could expand with land purchase
 

Franklin greenway could expand with land purchase

A 13.9-acre land purchase in Franklin could help expand the Little Tennessee River Greenway. 
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Kids plant trees for the future
 

Kids plant trees for the future

A tree planting in celebration of Arbor Day was held at Hazelwood Elementary School in Waynesville, using rooted cuttings of…
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Flagged
 

Flagged

I was in Morganton over the Memorial Day Holiday chasing birdies in the Grandfather District of the Pisgah National Forest…
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Joey's Pancake House - a Maggie Valley institution
 

Joey's Pancake House - a Maggie Valley institution

Joey’s Pancake House owner Brenda O' Keefe announced June 6 that the revered Maggie Valley landmark that served visitors and locals…
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Hewson’s mysteries should come with a warning
 

Hewson’s mysteries should come with a warning

So a friend thrusts a book into your hands and tells you, “You gotta read this one. I know you’ll…
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‘Purrfect’ harmony: The American Museum of The House Cat
 

‘Purrfect’ harmony: The American Museum of The House Cat

It took over 30 years, but Harold Sims can now show the world. “It’s been very rewarding,” he said. “I…
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HCC crafts Asheville exhibit
 

HCC crafts Asheville exhibit

The Folk Art Center in Asheville is currently celebrating Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program graduate class of 2017. With…
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This must be the place: You say ‘covfefe,’ I say ‘who cares?’
 

This must be the place: You say ‘covfefe,’ I say ‘who cares?’

I’m exhausted. I think y’all out there reading this can attest to the pure exhaustion — of body, mind and…
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Meister named Mountain Heritage Center director
 

Meister named Mountain Heritage Center director

Pam Meister has been named director of Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, well known as a showcase for Southern…
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African-American heritage at Hayesville museum, slave cemetery
 

African-American heritage at Hayesville museum, slave cemetery

Clay County residents joined with Western Carolina University representatives in celebrating the county’s African-American heritage with the opening of a…
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