Nibbling at the elephant: Plan to flip abandoned factory into community center inches forward
 

Nibbling at the elephant: Plan to flip abandoned factory into community center inches forward

The old Drexel furniture factory in Whittier isn’t producing much these days, unless you count bird nests and ivy vines…
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Is that a knuckleboom outside my window?
 

Is that a knuckleboom outside my window?

A new addition will soon be added to the town of Waynesville’s street fleet.
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Greening Up welcomes spring
 

Greening Up welcomes spring

The 18th annual Greening Up the Mountains spring kickoff street festival will be held Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m.…
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Turning through the years: Community invited to Carolina Wood Turning Company reunion
 

Turning through the years: Community invited to Carolina Wood Turning Company reunion

The furniture manufacturer remembered as Carolina Wood Turning Company has been closed for more than 30 years, yet the smell…
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House bill could make Cherokee a little less dry
 

House bill could make Cherokee a little less dry

Breweries could be built and alcohol served at special events in Cherokee, if a House bill currently awaiting hearing in…
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Haywood farmers to lawmakers: enough with the regulations
 

Haywood farmers to lawmakers: enough with the regulations

Haywood County farmers caught some face time with elected leaders this week over heaping plates of bacon, eggs, grits, biscuits…
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The swamp a ghost saved
 

The swamp a ghost saved

Yay! Spring break! That special time to be sequestered with adolescents and/or pre-adolescents in about 50 square feet while hurtling…
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Swain students illustrate wetlands
 

Swain students illustrate wetlands

Swain County students got creative on the theme “Wetlands are Wonderful” this spring, sending in their bookmark designs for a…
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Water ordinance nabs Jackson state award
 

Water ordinance nabs Jackson state award

Jackson County snagged one of eight statewide awards given to individuals and organizations that protect public drinking water sources.  The…
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WNC towns snag grants for bike route, pedestrian planning
 

WNC towns snag grants for bike route, pedestrian planning

The towns of Franklin and Canton were among 10 municipalities across the state to win a grant for bicycle and…
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Joyce Kilmer reroute planned for Benton McKaye Trail
 

Joyce Kilmer reroute planned for Benton McKaye Trail

The Benton McKaye Trail Association recently completed a major reroute of the trail’s path through the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness.
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Mapping project brings natural landmarks
 

Mapping project brings natural landmarks

Virtual views of some of America’s most iconic places are now online, with Chimney Rock, Grandfather Mountain and DuPont State…
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School partners with land trust for wetland conservation
 

School partners with land trust for wetland conservation

Though the wetland bordering U.S. 441 on the North Carolina-Georgia line isn’t that noteworthy on first glance, it’s an ecological…
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NOC rings in spring
 

NOC rings in spring

A celebration of spring and its waterborne joys will be held April 24-26 at Nantahala Outdoor Center with a Spring…
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Foundation pledges $600,000 for Parkway projects
 

Foundation pledges $600,000 for Parkway projects

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will spend $600,000 in 2015 on projects to benefit the Parkway and the plant and…
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Soaking in the sun: Solar energy movement comes to WNC
 

Soaking in the sun: Solar energy movement comes to WNC

Solar power is on the rise across the U.S., and a campaign recently launched in Western North Carolina is urging…
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Fate and fortune sing in new novel
 

Fate and fortune sing in new novel

Spartanburg poet and nonfiction writer John Lane has broken out of his comfort zone and journeyed into the netherworld of…
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A big thank you to Sen. Jim Davis
 

A big thank you to Sen. Jim Davis

To the Editor: Thank you Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, for raising my taxes. As with the majority of North Carolina…
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Time to get re-acquainted with an old friend
 

Time to get re-acquainted with an old friend

It is just mid-April and already too hot to sleep, but too early in the year to resort to air…
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Pseudo police force would lead to bigger problems
 

Pseudo police force would lead to bigger problems

Nothing would reflect better on this country than to have a rational, reasoned debate on gun violence and what steps…
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Friends of the Arts benefit, concert
 

Friends of the Arts benefit, concert

A special performance by WCU alumna and recording artist Jeanne Jolly will take place as part of the Friends of…
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WCU drummer tapped for  U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps
 

WCU drummer tapped for U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps

Western Carolina University Pride of the Mountains Marching Band drummer Seth Estes, who graduates in May with a bachelor’s degree…
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Vaudeville at The Strand
 

Vaudeville at The Strand

An intricate mix of artistic performance, The Moon Show will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at The…
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It's all about the chocolate
 

It's all about the chocolate

Bryson City chocolate cook-off Cooks of all things chocolate will square off at the 8th annual Chocolate Cook-Off from 2:30…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

They fascinate me the most — in a way that is captivating and haunting, ancient and mysterious. Women. The opposite…
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Mountains to Sea: The quest for fresh seafood
 

Mountains to Sea: The quest for fresh seafood

Debbie Milner has a simple philosophy. “If I won’t eat it, I won’t sell it,” she said. Standing next to…
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FBI investigating apparent homicide in the Smokies
 

FBI investigating apparent homicide in the Smokies

A Whittier man was discovered dead in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the early morning hours of March…
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Trash being tossed on Tuckasegee River bank
 

Trash being tossed on Tuckasegee River bank

Barbara Robinson of Bryson City drives by the Tuckasegee River on a daily basis, but lately the peaceful view of…
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Maggie Valley gears up for spring cleaning
 

Maggie Valley gears up for spring cleaning

Telling people what to do with their property is not an easy job, even when a town’s local economy may…
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Canton looks to set commercial building standards
 

Canton looks to set commercial building standards

Downtown Canton has seen better days.  A once vibrant and bustling Main Street is now struggling to hang on to…
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Fracking falls under industrial development rules, planning board says
 

Fracking falls under industrial development rules, planning board says

Discussion about a new industrial development ordinance is just getting going in the Jackson County Planning Board, but the board…
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Jackson jail didn’t follow detoxification, monitoring rules prior to inmate suicide
 

Jackson jail didn’t follow detoxification, monitoring rules prior to inmate suicide

A state investigation into jail conditions in Jackson County turned up a passel of compliance issues and a mandate that…
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State senate rematch already in the making
 

State senate rematch already in the making

Last fall’s election is barely in the rearview mirror, but battle lines are already being staked out for 2016. And…
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Accounting fumble, superfluous zero blemishes HCC audit
 

Accounting fumble, superfluous zero blemishes HCC audit

Haywood Community College had to pay back $126,000 in state funding after accidentally inflating its enrollment numbers. The state doles…
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Haywood Fairgrounds scuttled as potential animal shelter site, but new site already in the wings
 

Haywood Fairgrounds scuttled as potential animal shelter site, but new site already in the wings

Haywood County is back on the prowl for potential sites to build a new $3 million animal shelter to replace…
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Macon commissioners give board new direction
 

Macon commissioners give board new direction

With the six-month process of getting a nuisance noise ordinance passed behind them, members of the Macon County Planning Board…
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Tourism director in Jackson County’s future
 

Tourism director in Jackson County’s future

Jackson County’s Tourism Development Authority will soon launch a search for a tourism director, a milestone for the newly minted…
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Learn from the experts: Tourism conference to focus on festival success
 

Learn from the experts: Tourism conference to focus on festival success

Tourism is a huge topic with a major impact on Western North Carolina’s economy. Western Carolina University will host the…
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Festival frenzy fueling local economies
 

Festival frenzy fueling local economies

As a tourism expert in the Southeast, Dr. Steve Morse has been asked to judge competitions at festivals all over…
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Conference highlights native culture as integral to addressing health issues
 

Conference highlights native culture as integral to addressing health issues

It was a century ago that Beverly Kiohawiton Cook’s relative was taken from his family and shipped off to Carlisle…
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A birthday slap from Gov. Pat McCrory
 

A birthday slap from Gov. Pat McCrory

To the Editor: In March the North Carolina State Parks system celebrated its 100th anniversary with events, gathering and celebrations…
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Teaching is not for everyone
 

Teaching is not for everyone

To the Editor: The letter from Deanna Lyles, “I quit teaching because I love children,” (April 1, The Smoky Mountain…
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An opportunity for Dillsboro, Sylva
 

An opportunity for Dillsboro, Sylva

To the Editor: A representative from the N.C. Department of Transportation recently briefed Dillsboro board on plans to replace the…
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Living in fear is no way to live at all
 

Living in fear is no way to live at all

“Many of us are not living our dreams because we are living in fear.” Not sure where I came across…
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Batting away undeserved prejudice
 

Batting away undeserved prejudice

Unfortunately, more undeserved prejudice exists about bats than any other animal, except, of course, serpents.  In European lore, vampires (a…
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Remembering the horrors of Europe’s wars
 

Remembering the horrors of Europe’s wars

Many Americans — and I count myself among them — are often hard on Europeans when it comes to issues…
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Haywood exempt from emissions tests
 

Haywood exempt from emissions tests

Emissions tests for cars and trucks are no longer necessary to protect air quality in more than half the counties…
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The Terrace at Lake Junaluska Grand Opening Celebration
 

The Terrace at Lake Junaluska Grand Opening Celebration

The grand opening celebration for The Terrace at Lake Junaluska is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in The…
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Possum Drop returns to Raleigh
 

Possum Drop returns to Raleigh

For the third year in a row, opossums are making their way to the political scene in the N.C. General…
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Sylva considers two-way traffic on Main Street
 

Sylva considers two-way traffic on Main Street

Town commissioners are once again mulling over the question of two-way traffic in downtown Sylva with the conclusion of a…
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