WNC bike shops get national recognition
 

WNC bike shops get national recognition

Of 4,000 U.S. bike shops, Motion Makers Bicycles and Bryson City Bicycles were selected as two of the 253 listed…
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Restoration and demolition planned at Elkmont
 

Restoration and demolition planned at Elkmont

Work is underway to demolish some buildings and restore others in the Elkmont Historic District of the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Solar eclipse viewing tickets on sale
 

Solar eclipse viewing tickets on sale

 Tickets are now on sale for the Great American Solar Eclipse in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, available on…
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What me chase?
 

What me chase?

Regular readers of “The Naturalist’s Corner” may remember that I’ve decided to keep a 2017 year-list of birds. I noted,…
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The weight of desire: David Joy releases second book
 

The weight of desire: David Joy releases second book

What would you do? A pile of drugs. A stack of cash. More money than you’ve ever seen in your…
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This must be the place: It’s midnight, do you know where you life is?
 

This must be the place: It’s midnight, do you know where you life is?

I finally had a moment of silence. After a raucous Saturday night attending the Perpetual Groove show at The Salvage…
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HCAC elects new members
 

HCAC elects new members

The Haywood County Arts Council has elected three new members to its Board of Directors. The new members, who will…
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Triple Threat wins in Asheville
 

Triple Threat wins in Asheville

The Competition Teams of Triple Threat Performing Arts Academy in Sylva traveled to Asheville recently to compete in the regional…
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Swain Specialty Clinic opens new space
 

Swain Specialty Clinic opens new space

Swain Specialty Clinic, the longstanding group of specialty physician practices at Swain Community Hospital, has expanded to a new space…
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Reynolds Community Center to be a ‘safe haven’
 

Reynolds Community Center to be a ‘safe haven’

Canton native William McDowell and his wife, celebrity songstress Gladys Knight, have big plans for McDowell’s old alma mater, Reynolds…
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Gladys Knight, husband announce Canton community center
 

Gladys Knight, husband announce Canton community center

A dilapidated segregation-era high school in Canton purchased by a former student will become a $5 million community center by…
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National Register possible for Pigeon Street
 

National Register possible for Pigeon Street

Special recognition could be coming to an overlooked quarter of Waynesville if a recently submitted grant application receives funding.
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Faces and places from Pigeon Street’s past
 

Faces and places from Pigeon Street’s past

Standing in the parking lot of the Jones Temple AME Zion Church on Pigeon Street in Waynesville, Phillip Gibbs doesn’t…
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Jackson leaders debate whether utility hookup fees are too high
 

Jackson leaders debate whether utility hookup fees are too high

An unusual number of building vacancies has peppered downtown Sylva this winter, and as town leaders have scratched their heads…
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Haywood school board settles Central lawsuit
 

Haywood school board settles Central lawsuit

The Haywood County Board of Education and local attorney Mark R. Melrose have agreed to a settlement that brings an…
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Franklin prioritizes 2017 projects
 

Franklin prioritizes 2017 projects

Every year before budget time, the Franklin Board of Aldermen likes to get together and figure out what the town’s…
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Chief vetoes impeachment resolution
 

Chief vetoes impeachment resolution

Principal Chief Patrick Lambert has issued a veto against Tribal Council’s Feb. 2 resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against him.
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A new day for N.C. 107
 

A new day for N.C. 107

The congested, five-lane drag through Sylva will soon meet its maker. A $36 million project to re-do the commercial thoroughfare…
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ConMet closes in Bryson City: Canton plant to absorb many employees
 

ConMet closes in Bryson City: Canton plant to absorb many employees

Consolidated Metco, a designer and manufacturer of commercial vehicle truck components, has announced that it will close its Bryson City…
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Jackson homeless shelter receives $23,400 in emergency funding
 

Jackson homeless shelter receives $23,400 in emergency funding

The population of folks in need of overnight housing has been increasing in Jackson County, prompting Jackson Neighbors in Need…
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Former assistant principal will lead Sylva school
 

Former assistant principal will lead Sylva school

The newly hired principal of the newly formed Catamount School in Sylva won’t be new to the environment at Smoky…
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Clampitt’s constituents walk away without answers
 

Clampitt’s constituents walk away without answers

Newly elected Rep. Mike Clampitt was asked some tough questions during his first constituent meeting in Haywood County last Friday,…
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ConMet plant in Bryson City to close
 

ConMet plant in Bryson City to close

Consolidated Metco, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of commercial vehicle truck components, will close its Bryson City plant by February…
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Opinions sought for Sylva improvements
 

Opinions sought for Sylva improvements

State Transportation officials will host a public meeting Thursday, Feb. 23, on upgrading N.C. 107 through Sylva.
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The cracks are beginning to deepen
 

The cracks are beginning to deepen

There has never been a president like Donald Trump. There has never been a campaign like the campaign that Trump…
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Tax collector likely too easy on too many
 

Tax collector likely too easy on too many

We reported last week that Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews may have been showing favoritism to some local Republican…
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We were the original immigrants
 

We were the original immigrants

To the Editor: It is interesting that the U.S. is so outraged over Mexican illegal immigration when Mexico was actually…
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We deserve the truth from Trump
 

We deserve the truth from Trump

To the Editor: In these days of political bickering, I believe that words we use must be precise in order…
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Remember the 1970s before gutting EPA
 

Remember the 1970s before gutting EPA

To the Editor: We have made much progress in our long-term protections of air, water and the environment since President…
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We should all rally for the environment
 

We should all rally for the environment

To the Editor: The right to clean air and clean water seems to have become a partisan issue in our…
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Listening can work magic
 

Listening can work magic

To the Editor: Democrats might well consider that you can’t justify your actions based on the idea that, “we are…
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Why I still vote Democrat
 

Why I still vote Democrat

To the Editor: For the last decade, I have questioned my party allegiance, as well as the allegiance of others…
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Article’s premise was totally unfounded
 

Article’s premise was totally unfounded

To the Editor: The article ”Unfair collection practices in tax collector’s office?” (Feb. 25 edition) wisely includes a question mark…
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Old-time surveyors used some interesting tools, markers
 

Old-time surveyors used some interesting tools, markers

“The line runs down the meander of the ridge to where Bossy dropped her first calf.”  “The line runs to where…
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Down to bare rock: Smokies’ Chimney Tops could be closed for years following fire
 

Down to bare rock: Smokies’ Chimney Tops could be closed for years following fire

When starting the hike, it’s not immediately obvious why the Chimney Tops Trail should be appointed for long-term closure. The…
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Firefighters combat Cold Mountain Fire
 

Firefighters combat Cold Mountain Fire

A human-caused fire estimated at 132 acres is burning in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area about 20 miles south of…
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‘Casablanca’ one of the finest scripts of all time
 

‘Casablanca’ one of the finest scripts of all time

“Casablanca.” For some, that name evokes a city in Morocco, an urban center of four million people quartering one of…
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Behind the scenes: Artist brings theater productions to life
 

Behind the scenes: Artist brings theater productions to life

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville is fortunate to be one of few theaters to have a talented scenic artist…
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Bank robbery suspect caught
 

Bank robbery suspect caught

The Waynesville Police Department responded to the report of a robbery on Feb. 17 at Entegra Bank located at 2045…
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Gladys Knight, husband to host community event
 

Gladys Knight, husband to host community event

A dilapidated segregation-era high school in Canton purchased by a former student will become a $5 million community center by…
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Sylva begins budget talks
 

Sylva begins budget talks

Sylva is just starting budget planning for 2017-18, but this year’s process promises to be less arduous than last year’s,…
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Community ready for a fight
 

Community ready for a fight

Macon County commissioners heard impassioned cries for help last week from families that have lost loved ones to addiction.
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Two elk found dead on Jonathan Creek dairy farm
 

Two elk found dead on Jonathan Creek dairy farm

A technician with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission was out for a routine check of an elk fence installed at…
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Calendar change could affect some Haywood school workers
 

Calendar change could affect some Haywood school workers

A 2012 change to a law that lays out requirements for yearly school calendars has the Haywood County School Board…
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Canton board faced with growing needs, shrinking budget
 

Canton board faced with growing needs, shrinking budget

Canton officials and town staff met for four hours Feb. 16 to discuss achievements and goals, but will have to…
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Outdoor adventure park proposed in Dillsboro
 

Outdoor adventure park proposed in Dillsboro

Construction on an outdoor adventure park offering everything from rafting to ropes courses could begin in Dillsboro as early as…
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Tribal Council calls chief’s hotel contract into question
 

Tribal Council calls chief’s hotel contract into question

Opponents of Principal Chief Patrick Lambert are crying foul over a $5.6 million contract between the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise…
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Haywood Commissioners decide on tax collector issue
 

Haywood Commissioners decide on tax collector issue

The rift between Haywood County commissioners and the last remaining elected tax collector in North Carolina — Mike Matthews —…
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Public safety, transportation top Haywood budget wish list
 

Public safety, transportation top Haywood budget wish list

Budgeting for the 2017-18 fiscal year is underway across the state, but in Haywood County, a decrease in property tax…
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HART’s traveling backdrops wow theaters far and wide
 

HART’s traveling backdrops wow theaters far and wide

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre is known for is top-rate shows and high-caliber acting not typical of community theaters. But HART…
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