This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Boo yah. That was my exact response (loudly) when I was informed last week I’d won a few awards from the…
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Where East meets West: Thai fusion restaurant enters next chapter in Waynesville
 

Where East meets West: Thai fusion restaurant enters next chapter in Waynesville

It’s lunchtime in downtown Waynesville. Hungry bellies wander up the sidewalk in search of nourishment. It is the calm before…
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An oddly familiar photo brings back memories
 

An oddly familiar photo brings back memories

I hate having my picture taken. The simple truth is that I have found clever ways to avoid it for…
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Who changed words on Statue of Liberty?
 

Who changed words on Statue of Liberty?

To the Editor: I have recently learned from a D.C. resident that the wording on the base of the Statue…
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Time for a little torture, a la Trump?
 

Time for a little torture, a la Trump?

Stephanie Wampler • Guest Columnist Good news, fellow citizens.  It’s only a matter of time before we can all sleep easily,…
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Apple or Uncle Sam? I don’t like my choices
 

Apple or Uncle Sam? I don’t like my choices

Who you going to trust, Apple or Uncle Sam? By deciding not to obey a court order to unlock the…
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Classic Hikes of the Smokies kicks off
 

Classic Hikes of the Smokies kicks off

Exploration of the remote Little Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will kick off this year’s Classic…
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Poster contest winners announced in Jackson
 

Poster contest winners announced in Jackson

Students in Jackson County got a chance to show the artistic side of what it means to live in a…
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Agreement signed to protect rare fish
 

Agreement signed to protect rare fish

The sicklefin redhorse is a rare fish found nowhere else in the world other than six Southern Appalachian counties, but…
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Boats banned from new Lake Glenville swimming area
 

Boats banned from new Lake Glenville swimming area

Starting in August, no boating vessels will be allowed at the new swimming area at the Pines Recreation Area on…
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Community leaders recognized in Haywood
 

Community leaders recognized in Haywood

Before a roomful of dedicated citizens, Haywood’s Commission for a Clean County doled out its annual awards last week to…
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The fly collector: Collection of 9,000 flies holds memories, knowledge for Bryson City angler
 

The fly collector: Collection of 9,000 flies holds memories, knowledge for Bryson City angler

“This is the ugliest fly I have,” says Mike Kesselring, pulling a battered-looking brown-bodied, black-feathered fly from a box marked…
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Katrina-spawned novel finally getting its due
 

Katrina-spawned novel finally getting its due

Hurricane Katrina spawned an awesome number of literary works, and it may be that, given sufficient time to determine the full…
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Animal hospitals donate pet oxygen masks
 

Animal hospitals donate pet oxygen masks

Country Lane Animal Hospital in Clyde and The Animal Hospital in Waynesville teamed together to address the issue of pet…
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WCU chancellor to host forum on NC bond issue
 

WCU chancellor to host forum on NC bond issue

Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher will host an educational forum at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29, in the theater…
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Development could be in Cullowhee’s future
 

Development could be in Cullowhee’s future

Phones in Jackson County’s planning department have been buzzing lately with people interested in developing property in Cullowhee, and that…
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Schools work through calendar challenges
 

Schools work through calendar challenges

Macon County teachers recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of adding 20 minutes to their school days in an effort to…
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Tobacco-free ordinance on hold in Swain
 

Tobacco-free ordinance on hold in Swain

Swain County Commissioners postponed a vote on whether to make the county recreation center a tobacco-free area after hearing feedback…
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Homeless shelter planned for Cherokee
 

Homeless shelter planned for Cherokee

Work will begin on establishing a shelter for Cherokee’s homeless following passage of a resolution Principal Chief Patrick Lambert introduced…
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Artificial turf likely for Smoky Mountain High
 

Artificial turf likely for Smoky Mountain High

A plan to replace the football field at Smoky Mountain High School with artificial turf is likely to move ahead…
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Parents feel railroaded in Central Elementary closure
 

Parents feel railroaded in Central Elementary closure

A study conducted by Haywood County Schools justifying the closure of Central Elementary School was a sham and failed to meet state requirements for a school closure, two speakers argued before the Haywood County School Board last week.
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Republican legislature castigated for its role in Haywood school budget woes
 

Republican legislature castigated for its role in Haywood school budget woes

State Republican lawmakers were strongly chastised for penning Central Elementary School’s death warrant during a rally prior to the Haywood County School board meeting last week.
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Blurred lines for Haywood commissioner race
 

Blurred lines for Haywood commissioner race

On the right track or wrong track? That question was posed to candidates running for Haywood County commissioner and could…
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Republican candidates deliberate Macon’s future
 

Republican candidates deliberate Macon’s future

Even though all five of the candidates running for two open seats in the Macon County commissioner primary are Republicans,…
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Oscar winners to film movie in Sylva
 

Oscar winners to film movie in Sylva

Sylva is going to hit the big screen next year, made over as the fictional town of Ebbing, Missouri, and…
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Bishop back out on bond after failing drug test
 

Bishop back out on bond after failing drug test

Former Macon County Elections Director Kim Bishop recently had to appear before a federal judge for the second time to…
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WCU preps for visit from new UNC president
 

WCU preps for visit from new UNC president

Western Carolina University leaders are getting ready to roll out the red carpet for the impending arrival of Margaret Spellings,…
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Mountain Heritage Center selected for accreditation academy
 

Mountain Heritage Center selected for accreditation academy

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is among 10 museums selected to participate in the American Alliance of Museums’ new…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It is for all special occasions.
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Veteran reflects on World War II, life and poetry
 

Veteran reflects on World War II, life and poetry

He got to me before I could get to him. Turning into the large parking lot of the Canton Ingles…
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Florence King: a biting wit that took no prisoners
 

Florence King: a biting wit that took no prisoners

In Withering Slights: The Bent Pin Collection (National Review Books, 2015, ISBN 978-0-9847650-3-4, 186 pages, $24.95), the recently deceased (she…
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Discounted Penland classes for WNC residents
 

Discounted Penland classes for WNC residents

Penland School of Crafts has open spaces in a number workshops in its second summer session available at half tuition…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Editor’s Note: On Feb. 9, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. Garret posted a photo…
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Over the hills and far away: Balsam Mountain Inn ‘Songwriters in the Round’
 

Over the hills and far away: Balsam Mountain Inn ‘Songwriters in the Round’

Pulling off the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway onto the Cabin Flats Road, within an earshot of Waynesville, a cold wind…
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Say goodbye to stripper boobs
 

Say goodbye to stripper boobs

“Out: so-called stripper boobs. In: a woman’s natural shape.”  I read that sentence a couple of months ago in a…
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We need more wilderness areas
 

We need more wilderness areas

To the Editor: Here are three reasons why we should designate more federal land as wilderness to protect it from…
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Bond initiative would waste taxpayer money
 

Bond initiative would waste taxpayer money

To the Editor: Voters should vote AGAINST the $2 billion “Connect NC” bonds on the March 15 ballot. Gov. Pat…
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Support Connect NC bond initiative
 

Support Connect NC bond initiative

To the Editor: One of the greatest resources our state has is the University of North Carolina System with its…
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No reason to believe N.C. will fix redistricting mess
 

No reason to believe N.C. will fix redistricting mess

Maybe North Carolina will be a shining star of a state working to resolve petty partisanship, and maybe it won’t. …
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Prepare to show photo ID at the polls
 

Prepare to show photo ID at the polls

New voter identification laws are in effect for the 2016 elections, meaning voters should be prepared to show a valid…
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Free meal program going well at WNC schools
 

Free meal program going well at WNC schools

Half a year after launching a program that makes breakfast and lunch free for every child in school, the financials…
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No lifeline for Haywood School budget shortfall
 

No lifeline for Haywood School budget shortfall

Haywood County commissioners deflected calls from the public this week that they should step in and help the school system out of its budget dilemma.
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Waynesville begins mobile vending discussions
 

Waynesville begins mobile vending discussions

The debate over when, where and how mobile vendors should be allowed to operate within the town limits has now…
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Some say time is right for land-use discussions
 

Some say time is right for land-use discussions

The controversy over a proposed gun range in a rural farming community in Haywood County has raised questions about the…
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Haywood OKs outdoor shooting range moratorium
 

Haywood OKs outdoor shooting range moratorium

A moratorium on commercial outdoor shooting ranges took effect in Haywood County this week, temporarily halting any new shooting ranges…
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Swain County partnering with charter school for new gym
 

Swain County partnering with charter school for new gym

With the help of Swain County commissioners, Mountain Discovery Charter School is about to begin a capital campaign to build…
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Former church leader investigated for  sexual misconduct
 

Former church leader investigated for sexual misconduct

Rev. Howard “Howdie” White, former rector of the Episcopal Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville, is being investigated in…
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Sylva sets sights on revitalized Scotts Creek
 

Sylva sets sights on revitalized Scotts Creek

Running through the hearts of Dillsboro and Sylva on its tumble down from Balsam, Scotts Creek has star potential. It…
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Haywood commissioners question whether scattergun economic development approach is working
 

Haywood commissioners question whether scattergun economic development approach is working

A freewheeling discussion on how to create more jobs stumped Haywood County commissioners last week as they pondered what else…
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Haywood candidates come up empty on fresh ideas for economic development
 

Haywood candidates come up empty on fresh ideas for economic development

Candidates for Haywood County commissioner all agreed economic development is one of the top issues facing the county during an…
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