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Parkway Foundation selects new leaders
 

Parkway Foundation selects new leaders

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which is the nonprofit partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, has confirmed new leadership to…
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Elk graze near Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Doug Brinkmeyer photo
 

Sights on elk season: Bill would implement N.C.’s first elk hunt

North Carolina could see its first elk hunt since wildlife rules existed if a bill introduced to the General Assembly becomes…
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Heavy rains in July washed out culverts in the Greenbriar area. NPS photo
 

Greenbrier area closed for flood repairs

Access to the entire Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed from Feb. 13 until…
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Visitors cruise the Parkway on a late summer day. Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation photo
 

Boone firm chosen for Parkway planning effort

Boone-based Destination by Design will be leading efforts to create an economic development plan tying together all 29 counties along…
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White-tailed deer. File photo
 

Federal funding 
to combat chronic wasting disease

The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act that became law on Dec. 29, 2022, included a major win for wildlife advocates — inclusion…
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A hermit thrush flies off with a holly berry. Quintin Ellison photo
 

Mole and Thrush and Pretty Polly

A mole tunneled out of the woods early this winter and started digging back and forth behind the house in…
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Dylan scores with ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’
 

Dylan scores with ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’

This was a fine morning in the coffee shop.
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Tapping gently at her door, fate beckoned me in
 

Tapping gently at her door, fate beckoned me in

Some sage once observed that your whole life really comes down to just a handful of moments, and it has…
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Evergreen Packaging's PM20 paper machine sits idle on Feb. 8, 2022.
 

Canton’s Evergreen Packaging scales back production

A leaked, undated internal memo from Evergreen Packaging’s Canton General Manager John McCarthy says that the mill will idle one…
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Some anti-vaxxers spread lies
 

Some anti-vaxxers spread lies

To the Editor: I recently read in The Smoky Mountain News the article regarding the January 17, 2023, county commissioner meeting…
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Uncle Joe was 
proud to pay taxes
 

Uncle Joe was 
proud to pay taxes

To the Editor: I don’t like paying taxes. Why should I pay my hard-earned money to a government? Governments are full…
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As local icon Miss Maggie embraces a new generation, she seems as fresh as ever
 

As local icon Miss Maggie embraces a new generation, she seems as fresh as ever

There are many things that come to mind when folks think of Maggie Valley. 
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Haywood County’s jail expansion project continues to move forward. File photo
 

Haywood commissioners decide on jail financing

Commissioners in Haywood County will move forward with pursuing a bank loan to finance the jail expansion after Davenport and…
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Dozens of cars sit on the grass at Green Hill Cemetery last Halloween. Town of Waynesville photo
 

Cemetery committee chair under fire after whistleblower resignation

On the same day her concerns about a parking issue were published, a Waynesville Cemetery Committee whistleblower resigned after the…
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Special 
election set for March 2 in Cherokee
 

Special 
election set for March 2 in Cherokee

Wolfetown/Big Y voters will cast ballots Thursday, March 2, during their second special election in three months, the Eastern Band…
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A rendering shows what a future Sports Illustrated Resorts property might look like. SI Resorts image
 

Tribal LLC announces partnership 
with Sports Illustrated Resorts

In October, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council approved $324 million for Kituwah LLC to control a “worldwide” brand…
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Those who can’t access the Fairview cafeteria via the stairwell must navigate a ramp outside the building (below). Dana Ayers photos
 

Jackson Schools lay out capital needs

During a recent meeting between the Jackson County Commission and Board of Education, the school system laid out its most…
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Jackson County Schools now lists a traditional middle school as one of its top capital budget priorities.
 

Jackson makes the case for a middle school

There has long been talk of creating a traditional middle school in Jackson County, but now the conversation appears to…
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Controversial ‘Parent Bill of Rights’ bill moving quickly
 

Controversial ‘Parent Bill of Rights’ bill moving quickly

A controversial education bill making its way through the Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly proposes granting parents a slate of “rights”…
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Jason Harley Kloepfer stands at the door with his hands up one second before officers fired. Photo from Kloepfer security video
 

CIPD officers shoot Murphy man in SWAT response

When officers shot Murphy resident Jason Harley Kloepfer, 41, while responding to a disturbance call Monday, Dec. 12, a press…
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Haywood County resident Eddie Cabe speaks in support of medical freedom during a Feb. 6 meeting. Haywood County government photo
 

Haywood grant approval comes after opponents once again rail against the vaccine

Two weeks after it was pulled from the consent agenda to allow more time for research and discussion, a $75,735…
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An array of jewelry by Ilene Kay. (File photos)
 

Cultivating creativity: Haywood artists receive support grants

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), along with regional partners — including the Asheville Area Arts Council, Transylvania Community Arts Council,…
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Mom at The Weathercock, June 2022. (Garret K. Woodward photo)
 

This must be the place: Ode to The Weathercock, ode to the fine folks of Chazy

I caught first word of The Weathercock burning to the ground mid-afternoon on Saturday. Scrolling the Facebook news feed, I…
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Harbor Freight seeks workers for new Waynesville location
 

Harbor Freight seeks workers for new Waynesville location

More than a year after announcing plans to open a location in Waynesville, popular tool retailer Harbor Freight Tools said…
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Heather Blackmon submitted her resignation on Feb. 6.
 

Tuscola principal resigns

Just weeks after the resignation of Tuscola’s head football coach, Principal Heather Blackmon has handed in her resignation from the…
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New year brings new species to the Smokies
 

New year brings new species to the Smokies

Discover Life in America had a busy year, with many new species added to the nonprofit’s ever-increasing inventory of species…
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Since opening in 2017, Fire Mountain Trails has drawn mountain bikers from across the country while stirring enthusiasm locally. File photo
 

Bike swap: With Motion Makers exit, Bryson City Outdoors expands in Cherokee

Less than a year after owner Kent Cranford sold his three Motion Makers Bicycles stores to Specialized Bicycles, the company…
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DuPont’s many waterfalls are a draw for visitors. File photo
 

Master planning process starts for DuPont Forest

Friends of DuPont Forest has received $99,000 in grants from the Tourism Development Authorities in Henderson and Transylvania counties. The…
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A peregrine falcon soars through the sky. USFS photo
 

Rock faces closed for falcon protection

Twelve rock faces in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are closed to climbing, rappelling, hang-gliding and other activities through…
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Adventure at the arboretum
 

Adventure at the arboretum

Registration is open for two upcoming sessions of Outdoor Adventure Kids, or OAK, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. 
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The low-growing wintergreen plant keeps its leaves — and its minty smell — throughout the winter. Adam Bigelow photo
 

Notes from a plant nerd: Winter Green

While there are many plants that stay green throughout the winter, there is only one plant known as wintergreen.
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Resurrected: a review of Mark Twain’s ‘Is He Dead?’
 

Resurrected: a review of Mark Twain’s ‘Is He Dead?’

Samuel Clemens, best known by his penname Mark Twain, is arguably the master of American novelists, with his great classic…
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The Times Bar in Asheville. (Garret K. Woodward photo)
 

This must be the place: ‘Either way I wonder sometimes about the outcome of a still verdictless life’

With my 38th birthday right around the corner, I went on a first date last week. It seemed to go…
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Important lessons from time spent with my dog
 

Important lessons from time spent with my dog

It’s been another hard news week. It seems like that’s becoming the norm in modern American society. No matter which…
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North Carolina economy continues to excel
 

North Carolina economy continues to excel

North Carolina faces many challenges. You and I may disagree with how to rank those challenges, or what to do…
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Many have questions
 about Covid vaccine
 

Many have questions
 about Covid vaccine

To the Editor: I’m writing a very heartfelt concern I have for the health and safety of all the people in…
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‘Native Renaissance’: Cherokee filmmakers seek to tell Native stories with Native voices
 

‘Native Renaissance’: Cherokee filmmakers seek to tell Native stories with Native voices

When Cherokee Nation member Brit Hensel got hired for the camera department of FX’s Reservation Dogs, her resume was short and…
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Waynesville police issued pre-emptive statement on Tyre Nichols video
 

Waynesville police issued pre-emptive statement on Tyre Nichols video

On Jan. 26, one day before the Memphis, Tennessee Police Department released video footage of the beating that led to…
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The Town of Sylva has begun its annual budget process. File photo
 

Sylva begins budget process

The Town of Sylva began its budget process last week with the first workshop of the year. Staff and elected…
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Sylva fills board vacancies
 

Sylva fills board vacancies

News of Sylva Mayor Lynda Sossamon’s resignation last week left the town board with decisions to make about who would…
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Jackson votes to keep school-based and district sports in place
 

Jackson votes to keep school-based and district sports in place

After much discussion and community input, the Jackson County School Board has decided to keep its middle school sports situation…
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Chief David Adams.
 

Police in Waynesville kick-start motorcycle program

Chief David Adams and the Waynesville Police Department will begin implementing a motorcycle program and hope to have bikes on…
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Canton’s new town hall will require renovations to serve the administrators who will work there. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Canton selects architects for municipal buildings

The town that refuses to stay down made another big move toward getting back on its feet last week, selecting…
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Bo Crowe.
 

Crowe resigns Tribal Council seat

Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe has announced his resignation from the Tribal Council seat he’s held since 2013. The announcement follows…
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Rob Saunooke is challenging Principal Chief Richard Sneed’s bid for re-election in September. Donated photo
 

Saunooke turns down TGC nomination

In January, Principal Chief Richard Sneed made the unusual move of nominating a man who is attempting to unseat him…
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Mountain BizWorks now accepting applications for first Latino 
catalyst cohort
 

Mountain BizWorks now accepting applications for first Latino 
catalyst cohort

Mountain BizWorks is now accepting applications for its first Latino Catalyst Cohort, which will be facilitated entirely in Spanish.
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Dozens of cars sit on the grass at Green Hill Cemetery last Halloween. Town of Waynesville photo
 

Waynesville cemetery committee 
will address parking issues

Haywood County residents have always been very protective — and particular — about Waynesville’s historic Green Hill Cemetery, but at…
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Know before you go: cemetery etiquette
 

Know before you go: cemetery etiquette

Maintaining a dignified and beautiful resting place for departed loved ones is no easy task. It is important to have…
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