Charges filed against escaped inmate
 

Charges filed against escaped inmate

Robert Edward Branning of Canton — the escaped inmate who was shot on Main Street in downtown Waynesville two weeks…
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Tax collector arrested for missing court date
 

Tax collector arrested for missing court date

Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews, 36, was arrested Wednesday night after failing to appear in court Oct. 20 to…
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Flying a drone near a wildfire is illegal
 

Flying a drone near a wildfire is illegal

Firefighters on the Dicks Creek Fire near Sylva have reported drone activity near the fire.
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Calling a place home is not to be taken for granted
 

Calling a place home is not to be taken for granted

My 18-year-old son, Liam, departed the mountains for Charlotte two weeks ago when his fall break had ended.  He’s our…
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Loving and kicking my way through October
 

Loving and kicking my way through October

I recently wrote a blog post about September being the worst month of my life. One day seemed to awkwardly…
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Trump enablers themselves unfit for office
 

Trump enablers themselves unfit for office

To the Editor: It would be dreadful enough if Donald Trump were merely the most unfit, unprepared, unworthy and uncouth…
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A clarification on last week’s column
 

A clarification on last week’s column

To the Editor: In last week’s guest column about Colin Kaepernick I wrote, “His protest is by kneeling (in prayer)…
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Mapping the Tuck: ‘Blue’ Trails project kicks off along the Tuckasegee River
 

Mapping the Tuck: ‘Blue’ Trails project kicks off along the Tuckasegee River

Western North Carolina is rife with trails and maps to facilitate exploration of the mountain landscape, but an effort is…
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Paddlesports club gets national recognition
 

Paddlesports club gets national recognition

Nantahala Racing Club’s “superior performance and program development” earned it recognition as the American Canoe Association’s 2016 Stroke of Achievement…
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HCC lumberjacks take second at competition
 

HCC lumberjacks take second at competition

The Haywood Community College Woodsmen’s Team took second place at the 2016 John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet this month,…
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Drought becomes extreme in far western N.C.
 

Drought becomes extreme in far western N.C.

Even as Eastern North Carolina is reeling from flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew, Western North Carolina is plunging deeper into…
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Failure to communicate?
 

Failure to communicate?

Well it seems there was one and I’m sure it could have been my fault. Smoky Mountain News reporter Holly…
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Sorry, but Bob Dylan didn’t deserve the Nobel
 

Sorry, but Bob Dylan didn’t deserve the Nobel

One moment, please. To ward off the brickbats, cudgels, stones, dirt clods, and rotten tomatoes sure to come my way,…
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Tuscola attends GWU Choral Clinic
 

Tuscola attends GWU Choral Clinic

Gardner-Webb University welcomed nearly 160 high school chorus students to campus Oct. 13 as the university’s music department sponsored the…
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This must be the place: NPR’s Ari Shapiro visits WNC
 

This must be the place: NPR’s Ari Shapiro visits WNC

It was weird hearing him speak. As host of “All Things Considered,” the flagship program on National Public Radio (NPR),…
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Haywood School board races complicated, important
 

Haywood School board races complicated, important

Haywood County Schools is at a crossroads, making this year’s crowded election for school board a pivotal one.
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Remains of missing Sylva women found in Cherokee National Forest
 

Remains of missing Sylva women found in Cherokee National Forest

Two months after a Silver Alert was issued in the disappearance of 81-year-old Sylva resident Eunice Gass, dental records have…
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Forest fire spreads to 374 acres in Jackson County
 

Forest fire spreads to 374 acres in Jackson County

Smoke is clouding the Sylva area following the eruption of a wildfire Sunday, Oct. 23, which grew to about 374…
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Sylva police department launches fundraising for police dog
 

Sylva police department launches fundraising for police dog

The town of Sylva is in hot pursuit of what Police Chief Davis Woodard called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to add…
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Gun rights event to take place in Haywood
 

Gun rights event to take place in Haywood

A group of Second Amendment supporters planning an open-carry gun rights rally will move ahead with their event, scheduled for…
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Meadows’ challenger questions congressman’s ethics
 

Meadows’ challenger questions congressman’s ethics

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows and his challenger Rick Bryson have opposing views on the success of Meadows’ two terms…
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Affordable Housing Task Force begins work
 

Affordable Housing Task Force begins work

As with any problem, the first step toward solving it is admitting that there is a problem.
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Early voting totals hint at turnout
 

Early voting totals hint at turnout

As of 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, almost 4,300 Haywood County residents had already cast their vote in person…
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SMN Commission forum highlights
 

SMN Commission forum highlights

The Smoky Mountain News held a forum with all four of the Haywood County Commission candidates at the Folkmoot Friendship…
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Tough choices for voters in Haywood commission race
 

Tough choices for voters in Haywood commission race

Four more-or-less equally well-qualified candidates are competing for just two open seats on the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, leaving…
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Sales tax increase to appear on Swain ballot
 

Sales tax increase to appear on Swain ballot

Swain County residents will be asked whether they support an additional quarter-cent sales tax when they vote during the Nov.…
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Voters unsure about wording on county alcohol vote
 

Voters unsure about wording on county alcohol vote

Perhaps it’s because Haywood County residents haven’t seen such a measure since the Truman administration, but the wording on the…
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Future of hospital foundation funds to be decided
 

Future of hospital foundation funds to be decided

Two organizations hoping to manage an estimated $20 million in restricted funds resulting from the sale of Haywood Regional Medical…
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At gathering of tribal nations, Dakota Pipeline discussed as catalyst for advocacy
 

At gathering of tribal nations, Dakota Pipeline discussed as catalyst for advocacy

Strength in unity. Identity in culture. Power in the past. Momentum toward the future.  Despite the diversity of traditions and…
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Remains likely belonging to missing Sylva woman found
 

Remains likely belonging to missing Sylva woman found

Two months after issuing a Silver Alert in the disappearance of 80-year-old Sylva resident Eunice Gass, the Jackson County Sheriff’s…
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Jail escapee shot in downtown Waynesville
 

Jail escapee shot in downtown Waynesville

(Last updated at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26.)  Main Street in downtown Waynesville was packed with pedestrians and vehicle traffic…
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Robin redbreasts are a perennial favorite
 

Robin redbreasts are a perennial favorite

Our elementary school primers were populated by robins pulling worms out of holes. They appeared on television screens on Saturday…
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Daughters of the American Revolution brings forgotten forest to light
 

Daughters of the American Revolution brings forgotten forest to light

The sun had barely risen over the Pisgah Ridge, but the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Devils Courthouse pull-off was teeming — mainly…
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High fire danger prompts burning caution in Western N.C.
 

High fire danger prompts burning caution in Western N.C.

Fire danger is increasing throughout the forests of Western North Carolina, necessitating caution for any kind of outdoor burning. 
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Livestock producers prepare for hay shortage
 

Livestock producers prepare for hay shortage

Drought is continuing and frost has ended the growing season in much of Western North Carolina, so hay could be…
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Locals make strong showing in grueling trail race
 

Locals make strong showing in grueling trail race

Local athletes figured prominently in the top places for the Naturalist Epic 25K/50K race held Oct. 8, a grueling undertaking…
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Smokies celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
 

Smokies celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

The Smokies came to the Latino communities of Knoxville this month in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, with more…
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Grab your waterfall calendar and support WNC
 

Grab your waterfall calendar and support WNC

Seasonal images of Western North Carolina’s most exquisite waterfalls adorn a newly published calendar set to raise money for the…
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Map publisher donates to maintain Tsali trails
 

Map publisher donates to maintain Tsali trails

A new map of Tsali Trails not only creates a better guide to the nationally known trail system on the…
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Environmental, economic leaders converge at WCU
 

Environmental, economic leaders converge at WCU

More than 100 leaders from across Western North Carolina came together at Western Carolina University this month to talk about…
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A reviewer must learn to roll with the changes
 

A reviewer must learn to roll with the changes

Have you ever experienced one of those moments when you look at what you are doing and where you are…
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Pisgah wins 50th anniversary rumble
 

Pisgah wins 50th anniversary rumble

It was the tale of two halves as the Pisgah Black Bears went toe-to-toe against their Haywood County rivals, the…
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WCU to celebrate Homecoming 2016
 

WCU to celebrate Homecoming 2016

The Western Carolina University community will come together under the theme “Purple Reigns” to celebrate Homecoming 2016 with major public…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I’m entering hostile waters here, folks. So, bear with me as I bring up this ideology I recently heard, which…
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Relishing common ground amid the political divide
 

Relishing common ground amid the political divide

I am at the salad bar, evaluating the freshness of the broccoli and spinach, deciding whether I want croutons or…
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‘Get the hell out’ is not an answer
 

‘Get the hell out’ is not an answer

By Dave Waldroup • Guest Columnist Legendary former Chicago Bears head football coach Mike Ditka has now joined the chorus of…
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Negativity is infesting our politics
 

Negativity is infesting our politics

To the Editor: The greatest problem facing our country today and in the future is not from abroad but from…
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Raleigh ‘magicians’ must be held accountable
 

Raleigh ‘magicians’ must be held accountable

To the Editor: A key skill for magicians is misdirection. Look this way so you won’t see what I’m actually…
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Twenty questions for America’s citizens
 

Twenty questions for America’s citizens

To the Editor: The future of the American system of representative government is under attack, and who is heeding the…
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We are all going to be losers this election
 

We are all going to be losers this election

To the Editor: Thank you for your honest opinion regarding Trump running for our highest office (www.smokymountainnews.com/opin-ion/item/18589). I respect your…
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