Town leaders to don historical roles in Green Hill cemetery tour
 

Town leaders to don historical roles in Green Hill cemetery tour

A public walking tour of Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesville with living history talks will be held at 4 p.m.…
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Waynesville seeks recognition for Green Hill Cemetery as a historical gem
 

Waynesville seeks recognition for Green Hill Cemetery as a historical gem

Historians in Waynesville are building a case to get Green Hill Cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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‘In God We Trust’: Local governments asked to display national motto
 

‘In God We Trust’: Local governments asked to display national motto

Members of the U.S. Motto Action Committee have been making their way around the state asking county commissioners and town…
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Jackson water and sewer enterprise looks to encourage economic growth
 

Jackson water and sewer enterprise looks to encourage economic growth

From permit fees to lease agreements to equipment purchases, many costs accompany the launch of a new business. And while…
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Rhonda Cole Schandevel to run for NC House
 

Rhonda Cole Schandevel to run for NC House

Haywood County School Board member Rhonda Cole Schandevel, 51, of Canton announced her 2016 candidacy for the North Carolina House…
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Jackson tourism group tightens up granting requirements
 

Jackson tourism group tightens up granting requirements

When the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority sat down this spring to review applications for its advertising grants, it wound…
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Looking toward the future: Master planning process starts for SCC’s Webster campus
 

Looking toward the future: Master planning process starts for SCC’s Webster campus

Southwestern Community College is in the business of dreaming big as it works through the preliminary stages of a master…
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Wandering as a way of life: Bryson City man takes to the road
 

Wandering as a way of life: Bryson City man takes to the road

Most people have had the inclination at some point in their lives to just pack it up and hit the…
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Haywood commissioners back plan to run sewer lines out N.C. 209
 

Haywood commissioners back plan to run sewer lines out N.C. 209

Haywood County commissioners have endorsed a plan to run sewer lines out N.C. 209 to Interstate 40, pledging $300,000 toward…
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Plan hatched to untangle town street from school parking lot
 

Plan hatched to untangle town street from school parking lot

Officer Dave Clancey has a dicey job, perhaps the most dangerous of any cop in Haywood County. But instead of…
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New casino to expand professional opportunities, financial security for Cherokee
 

New casino to expand professional opportunities, financial security for Cherokee

In the words of Principal Chief Michell Hicks, it’s been “a whirlwind year” for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
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Why Murphy?
 

Why Murphy?

At first blush, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is competing with itself by opening a new casino in Murphy…
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Opening day draws a crowd to new Murphy casino
 

Opening day draws a crowd to new Murphy casino

Mary Anderson didn’t have much time to stop for an interview. It was just after 1 p.m., and the Atlanta…
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New casino likely to transform Murphy
 

New casino likely to transform Murphy

The new Valley River Casino and Hotel built by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on the outskirts of Murphy…
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Oversized political signs cause a stir in Waynesville
 

Oversized political signs cause a stir in Waynesville

An explosion of campaign signs so large they could pass for miniature billboards cropped up seemingly overnight in Waynesville last…
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Book explores persecution of early Japanese Christians
 

Book explores persecution of early Japanese Christians

In 1549, Jesuit priest Francis Xavier, two companions, and a Japanese translator entered Japan, seeking to bring the Gospel into…
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Taste of Sylva returns
 

Taste of Sylva returns

Featuring local food, music and children’s activities, the sixth annual Taste of Sylva culinary tour will run from 1 to…
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Molding a passion
 

Molding a passion

Standing in her Dillsboro studio, potter Zan Barnes can’t help but smile. “If you told me in high school that this…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

The blazing Knoxville sun was quickly falling to the west, heading further down the road to Memphis and points beyond.…
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Valuing the process more than the outcome
 

Valuing the process more than the outcome

This is one tradition that could just die and I don’t think many will care. I’m talking about the recently…
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Asheville baristas’ behavior a sad commentary
 

Asheville baristas’ behavior a sad commentary

I had never heard of “The Red Pill Theory” or the “manosphere” until I saw references to them in the…
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Smart action on cell towers in Jackson
 

Smart action on cell towers in Jackson

By Craig Pendergrast • Guest Columnist I am writing to applaud the Jackson County commissioners for recently completing a difficult re-write…
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Dealing with the dreaded writer’s block
 

Dealing with the dreaded writer’s block

In the June 14, 2004, issue of The New Yorker magazine, there is an essay titled “Blocked! Why Do Writers…
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National Park Service designates SCC for pilot program
 

National Park Service designates SCC for pilot program

When National Park Service officials increased Seasonal Law Enforcement Training from 400 hours to 650, they decided to use Southwestern…
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Security screening on the way at Jackson courthouse
 

Security screening on the way at Jackson courthouse

Starting Sept. 28, employees and visitors to the Jackson County Justice and Administration Building will no longer have their choice…
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Visitor centers may be fading, but not into oblivion
 

Visitor centers may be fading, but not into oblivion

Do visitor centers still have a role in the new world of travel intel? That’s the question Haywood County tourism leaders…
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Nonprofits line up for Franklin funding
 

Nonprofits line up for Franklin funding

Each year, Macon County organizations stand before the Franklin Board of Aldermen to ask for a piece of the nonprofit…
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Norovirus outbreak at North Canton Elementary winding down
 

Norovirus outbreak at North Canton Elementary winding down

An outbreak of the highly contagious intestinal bug known as norovirus has been raging through North Canton Elementary School over…
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Hillbilly festival accused of trademark infringement
 

Hillbilly festival accused of trademark infringement

Six years ago, Becky Ramey and Terry Frady started a little festival in the parking lot of their Maggie Valley…
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SCC gets input on future of Swain campus
 

SCC gets input on future of Swain campus

What should the future of Southwestern Community College look like in Swain County five to 10 years from now?
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Jackson businessman floats alternative fate for vacant Whittier factory
 

Jackson businessman floats alternative fate for vacant Whittier factory

Its future has been envisioned as an agricultural center, a recreation facility, a Cherokee cultural site, a farming co-op and…
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Where art meets architecture
 

Where art meets architecture

Sam Olbekson has never met a duality he couldn’t reconcile. As the lead architect for the $110 million Harrah’s Cherokee Valley…
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Getting ready for game day: Preparations at new casino in full swing as opening day approaches
 

Getting ready for game day: Preparations at new casino in full swing as opening day approaches

Spirits were high last week as Lumpy Lambert made his morning lap around the floor of the new casino. The count…
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Savannah community could get its first park
 

Savannah community could get its first park

If the details work out, Jackson County’s Savannah community could soon have a park to call its own. 
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Waynesville grants Giles’ Chemical zoning flexibility in the name of economic expansion
 

Waynesville grants Giles’ Chemical zoning flexibility in the name of economic expansion

Waynesville leaders have granted a free pass on many of its aesthetic development standards to pave the way for a…
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Waynesville rolls out the red carpet for riders
 

Waynesville rolls out the red carpet for riders

It’s all hands on deck this weekend as Waynesville prepares to welcome more than 1,100 cyclists and their families to…
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Haywood wants a share of cycling tourists
 

Haywood wants a share of cycling tourists

Since the first wheels starting turning in 2010’s inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway bike ride, cycling has been picking up speed…
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Signs pinpoint greenway opportunities in Haywood
 

Signs pinpoint greenway opportunities in Haywood

The results of a plan to install signs demystifying Haywood’s disjointed collection of greenway paths will be unveiled at a…
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Kid-friendly event celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day
 

Kid-friendly event celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day

A family-friendly event celebrating fishing, hunting and wildlife conservation will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26,…
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LTLT named river champion
 

LTLT named river champion

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee was named the Tennessee River Champion of the year by the Tennessee Valley…
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Film showcasing forestry’s WNC roots premiers on UNC-TV
 

Film showcasing forestry’s WNC roots premiers on UNC-TV

A documentary telling the story of Dr. Carl Schenck, the German forester who managed the Biltmore Estate’s forests and helped…
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Conservation award nominations open
 

Conservation award nominations open

Nominations are open to recognize the people and businesses most instrumental in promoting conservation this year for MountainTrue’s annual awards. …
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Pink it up: annual race raises money for mammograms
 

Pink it up: annual race raises money for mammograms

It’s time to get ready for a relay, race and walking event raising money for breast cancer detection, coming up…
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Referendum on tobacco assessment coming up
 

Referendum on tobacco assessment coming up

On Nov. 19, North Carolina tobacco growers will get to choose whether to continue paying 10 cents per 100 pounds…
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Free annual National Park passes offered to fourth-graders
 

Free annual National Park passes offered to fourth-graders

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway are always free to enter, but fourth grade students have…
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Water quality monitors wanted
 

Water quality monitors wanted

People wanting to get wet while volunteering to keep an eye on water quality in local streams have a chance…
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Symposium to explore mountain plant lore
 

Symposium to explore mountain plant lore

The annual symposium “Rooted in the Mountains: Valuing our Common Ground” at Western Carolina University will be held on Thursday,…
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Smokies rangers battle graffiti
 

Smokies rangers battle graffiti

With the fall season coming, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is gearing up to guard against graffiti — lasting…
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Search continues for missing hiker
 

Search continues for missing hiker

The search for an overdue Tennessee hiker in the Shining Rock wilderness area continues for a second day after Sunday’s…
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End of the bloody tetrad
 

End of the bloody tetrad

All the lunar-phobes out there, as well as many of the astronomically challenged – like me, will be praying for…
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