This must be the place: Going home and saying goodbye
 

This must be the place: Going home and saying goodbye

The roaring of the plane engine shook me awake. Coasting into the skies over Newark, New Jersey, the flight was…
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Samuel Smith receives Governor’s award
 

Samuel Smith receives Governor’s award

Gov. Roy Cooper recently presented a Medallion Award for Volunteer Service to Samuel Smith of Waynesville at the State Capitol…
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Impeachment hearings begin: Prosecution alleges corruption in Lambert administration
 

Impeachment hearings begin: Prosecution alleges corruption in Lambert administration

During a full day of testimony Monday, May 22, the prosecution against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert made its case that Lambert’s administration has operated on a double standard, with one set of rules for him and his supporters and another set for everybody else.  SEE ALSO:• Cherokee council removes Chief Lambert from office• The charges• Tribal members speak The nine witnesses to take the stand spoke to…
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Impeachment hearings: The charges
 

Impeachment hearings: The charges

The impeachment process set in motion during a February Tribal Council meeting reached its climax this week as Principal Chief Patrick Lambert faced a list of 12 charges during all-day impeachment hearings May 22-23.
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Impeachment hearings: Tribal members speak
 

Impeachment hearings: Tribal members speak

The council house was packed to the gills Monday, May 22, as tribal members gathered to watch the impeachment proceedings against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert. They filled the seats, with additional fold-up chairs brought in to line the aisles. They stood in the halls, craning necks to watch the action, and they packed the lobby, where a livestream of the hearing played on a TV.
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Aldermen to councilmembers: Franklin changes its town board name
 

Aldermen to councilmembers: Franklin changes its town board name

The town of Franklin Board of Aldermen will now officially be referred to as the Franklin Town Council after the…
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Franklin faces tough decisions with tight budget
 

Franklin faces tough decisions with tight budget

When Franklin starting working on its 2017-18 budget, Town Manager Summer Woodard warned councilmembers that there was little wiggle room…
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David Joy helps Central Haywood students find their voice
 

David Joy helps Central Haywood students find their voice

As a writer, it’s easy to feel that one’s ability is never quite good enough; as a writer in the…
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Forgotten Pigeon Street school has historic roots
 

Forgotten Pigeon Street school has historic roots

More than a century ago, the state of African-American education in the antebellum South was so utterly deplorable that it…
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Pigeon Street revival continues at community center
 

Pigeon Street revival continues at community center

Things are happening in Waynesville’s historic African American community along the Pigeon Street corridor; the town is pursuing a grant…
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Harris positions itself as WNC health care hub
 

Harris positions itself as WNC health care hub

From a geographical prospective, Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva is strategically located to serve as a health care hub for…
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Public art set for Hazelwood
 

Public art set for Hazelwood

The Town of Waynesville has selected an artist and an art piece for its latest public art installation.
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Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations: Inclusiveness program graduates first class
 

Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations: Inclusiveness program graduates first class

When most people think about Folkmoot, they doubtlessly think about the huge 10-day international folk dance festival that has taken…
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North Shore Road case dismissed in federal court
 

North Shore Road case dismissed in federal court

A federal judge has dismissed Swain County’s breach of contract lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior to collect $39.2…
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Tiers of joy and sadness: State’s designation for Haywood brings mixed feelings
 

Tiers of joy and sadness: State’s designation for Haywood brings mixed feelings

A recent designation by the North Carolina Department of Commerce could have a detrimental impact on Haywood County’s economic development efforts.
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What’s in the cards? National, state, regional partners play a role in local economic development
 

What’s in the cards? National, state, regional partners play a role in local economic development

In the first installment of this series on Haywood County’s economic development, the analogy of a bathtub was used to illustrate the county’s economy: water flows in, water drains out and the freeboard is always changing, but amidst all the splashing, insular yet interconnected bubbles of industry rise and fall and swell and pop.
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N.C. GOP bans members of Haywood’s patriot faction from party events
 

N.C. GOP bans members of Haywood’s patriot faction from party events

Two conservative activists in Haywood County have been banned from Republican Party functions under the threat of trespassing charges from…
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Woman killed in fall from Parkway overlook
 

Woman killed in fall from Parkway overlook

An 83-year-old women died after falling 150 feet from an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Graveyard Fields in…
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Tanker spill closes I-40 near Tennessee
 

Tanker spill closes I-40 near Tennessee

The N.C. Department of Transportation is working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to advise drivers from the Knoxville area…
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Neglected animals relinquished in Macon County
 

Neglected animals relinquished in Macon County

Macon County Public Health Animal Services, along with the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, responded to an animal cruelty complaint on…
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Individuals are Christian, not nations
 

Individuals are Christian, not nations

To the Editor: The United States of America never has been, is not now and never will be a Christian…
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Help pets live a good life
 

Help pets live a good life

To the Editor: On a recent Friday night two 3-week-old kittens were dropped off at the side pen of the…
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The chickens are coming home to roost
 

The chickens are coming home to roost

To the Editor: By now, everyone in Macon County and the surrounding counties knows that Angel Medical Center in Franklin…
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Rep. Meadows wants to roll back protections
 

Rep. Meadows wants to roll back protections

To the Editor: I found the article in the May 10 edition citing Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, as advocating “high-risk…
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Morality is relative; ignorance is not
 

Morality is relative; ignorance is not

To the Editor: This is a response to the letter written by Colton Bailey titled, “Festival is Immoral,” that was…
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Burr may be second N.C. senator to make history
 

Burr may be second N.C. senator to make history

Martin A. Dyckman • Guest Columnist A hero is, almost by definition, someone who didn’t set out to be one.…
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We don’t really ‘do’ camping
 

We don’t really ‘do’ camping

When my wife brought up the possibility of camping at this year’s Merlefest — a four-day and three-night music festival…
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Drought disappears
 

Drought disappears

Drought has officially disappeared from the mountains.
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Haywood Waterways announces T-shirt design winners
 

Haywood Waterways announces T-shirt design winners

Heather Grant of Bethel Middle School will see her artwork on 700 T-shirts after winning this year’s T-shirt design contest…
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Trio of trails get a makeover
 

Trio of trails get a makeover

Rainbow Falls Trail: The Rainbow Falls Trail is the next trail in line to get a complete rehabilitation through the Smokies…
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Trail crews get to work: Smokies crews work to improve trails and recover from storm damage
 

Trail crews get to work: Smokies crews work to improve trails and recover from storm damage

Dealing with the aftermath of two major storms while preparing for what could be another record-breaking visitor season, trail crews…
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New book revives Hazel Creek history
 

New book revives Hazel Creek history

A new book has hit the shelves exploring the history of the Hazel Creek community, which is now one of…
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Poll shows support for conservation funding
 

Poll shows support for conservation funding

A poll commissioned by the conservation coalition Land for Tomorrow showed wide support for land and water conservation, with mountain…
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Cherokee unveils trail system
 

Cherokee unveils trail system

A new 10.5-mile mixed-use trail system is complete in Cherokee, with trails open to the public following a ribbon-cutting ceremony…
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The honest little bird
 

The honest little bird

On one level, the natural history of a region consists of its terrain, habitats, plants, animals and how they interrelate.…
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Rivers that I’ve crossed: Unspoken Tradition rolls into Sylva
 

Rivers that I’ve crossed: Unspoken Tradition rolls into Sylva

The key element of bluegrass music is the “unspoken” — in practice, in performance and in personality.  Whether you’re 8…
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This must be the place: Ode to Steve Sutton — banjo legend, dear friend
 

This must be the place: Ode to Steve Sutton — banjo legend, dear friend

It came as a shock that has had a ripple effect within music circles around Western North Carolina and beyond.
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Mountain Heritage Day named one of Southeast’s best
 

Mountain Heritage Day named one of Southeast’s best

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Day has been named as one of the top 20 festivals in the Southeast by…
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A memoir written in songs and poems
 

A memoir written in songs and poems

In his Preface to Love Songs For A Country Lane, country music icon Chris Gantry writes: “Grant King was a…
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More changes coming for Canton Labor Day fest?
 

More changes coming for Canton Labor Day fest?

If Canton’s legendary Labor Day festival – the oldest in the south – is to survive, it’s going to have…
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A Tale of Two Cities: Canton, Maggie Valley chart different budget courses
 

A Tale of Two Cities: Canton, Maggie Valley chart different budget courses

Each year, counties and municipalities must pass their upcoming year’s budget by July 1.
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Small increase proposed for Haywood budget
 

Small increase proposed for Haywood budget

A recovering economy and low unemployment along with a 30 percent increase in tourist spending since 2011 has kept Haywood…
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Contest could help fund adaptive playground
 

Contest could help fund adaptive playground

Thanks to Kiwanis International and Landscape Structures Inc., one lucky community will walk away with $25,000 in free playground equipment…
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Emissions testing scrapped in Haywood
 

Emissions testing scrapped in Haywood

Offering “credit where credit is due,” Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, congratulated Gov. Roy Cooper for recently signing a bill that…
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Haywood schools to keep Central Elementary
 

Haywood schools to keep Central Elementary

The strange saga of a shuttered school still casts a shadow over Haywood County, but it may turn out that…
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Suit targets ‘aggressive’ Department of Social Services
 

Suit targets ‘aggressive’ Department of Social Services

A complaint filed in Haywood County Superior Court late last month alleges that several defendants committed battery and inflicted emotional…
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Swain’s band blossoms despite budget constraints
 

Swain’s band blossoms despite budget constraints

Karen Williams only had a handful of students in her beginner class when she first took the band director position…
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Swain fights to change school funding formula
 

Swain fights to change school funding formula

While many local school districts are struggling to make ends meet these days, Swain County Schools is facing a much…
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Lawmakers reach classroom size compromise
 

Lawmakers reach classroom size compromise

Local school districts will have one more year before they have to abide by much stricter classroom size requirements thanks…
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South Painter Road development approved
 

South Painter Road development approved

A Georgia developer hoping to build a 388-bed student housing complex in Cullowhee has cleared two of three major hurdles…
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