Revised fracking rules head to Legislature
 

Revised fracking rules head to Legislature

They’ve plowed through the feedback, and now the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission has in hand a revised version of…
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Community rallies to keep Evergreen clinic
 

Community rallies to keep Evergreen clinic

Evergreen Packaging in Canton plans to close the Evergreen Family Medical Center and pharmacy on March 31, but county officials…
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Maggie still in dispute with Maniscalco
 

Maggie still in dispute with Maniscalco

Maggie Valley resident Joe Maniscalco has not given up on getting his property de-annexed from the town despite several failed…
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Healthcare grant pool opens in Haywood
 

Healthcare grant pool opens in Haywood

Programs and initiatives to address unmet health care needs in Haywood County could be eligible for mini-grants of up to…
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Finding its way: Foundation severs formal ties to hospital, forges new mission
 

Finding its way: Foundation severs formal ties to hospital, forges new mission

The most affluent, prominent charity in Haywood County has reinvented its mission but hopes to remain on donors’ radar as…
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Wynonna to bring music, stories to Franklin
 

Wynonna to bring music, stories to Franklin

Country star Wynonna Judd will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing…
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WCU to present ‘Appalachian Songbook’
 

WCU to present ‘Appalachian Songbook’

A performance of the “An Appalachian Songbook: North Carolina in Word, Music and Song” will be held at 7:30 p.m.…
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WNC celebrates MLK Day
 

WNC celebrates MLK Day

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 19, there will be an variety of events…
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York-Bridgers brings mixed media to Sylva
 

York-Bridgers brings mixed media to Sylva

Mixed media artist Dr. Rachel York-Bridgers will hold a workshop at noon Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Jackson County Public…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

They say all great art comes from conflict. It’s conflict of the soul, the heart and the mind, everything that…
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When it all clicks — the art of the angle
 

When it all clicks — the art of the angle

John MacLean will never forget his first photo shoot. “I was 19 years old and it was at a meat…
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Double the fun
 

Double the fun

I had the pleasure of participating in two Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) this past weekend. The first was the Balsam…
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Blue Ridge Biofuels expands
 

Blue Ridge Biofuels expands

Blue Ridge Biofuels, an Asheville-based biodiesel company, is planning to expand to a new facility in Catawba County. 
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Dig in to the white-collar side of farming
 

Dig in to the white-collar side of farming

Learn the business side of farming with the Appalachian Farm School, a pilot agricultural business training program for farmers in…
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Haywood Waterways invites you to take the plunge
 

Haywood Waterways invites you to take the plunge

There’s something alluring about plunging into icy midwinter water — enough so that it spawns polar plunge fundraisers for sundry…
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Sparrowing at Kituwah
 

Sparrowing at Kituwah

A quest for sparrow sightings will commence during the morning of Jan. 14 at Kituwah, an area of about 300…
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Land trust gets new executive director
 

Land trust gets new executive director

Land Trust for the Little Tennessee has a new executive director in Sharon Fouts Taylor, who will move into the…
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Wildlife commission roles out proposed hunting and fishing regs
 

Wildlife commission roles out proposed hunting and fishing regs

A public hearing on proposed changes to hunting, fishing and wildlife management regulations will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday,…
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School on the slopes: Cataloochee’s expanded kids program spreads the joy of sliding
 

School on the slopes: Cataloochee’s expanded kids program spreads the joy of sliding

Rain was beginning to set in on a fog-ridden day on the slopes when Annie Dephouse gave her 5-year-old charge,…
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Regrets: books I now know I shall never read
 

Regrets: books I now know I shall never read

For many of us, the bells ringing in the New Year carry a bittersweet tune. We look forward to better…
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Societal comedy to hit HART stage
 

Societal comedy to hit HART stage

The societal comedy “Elemeno Pea” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16-17 and at 3 p.m. Jan. 18 at…
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MacLean to speak on architectural photography
 

MacLean to speak on architectural photography

John MacLean will be the guest speaker during the Sylva Photo Club’s meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at…
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Haywood libraries welcome piano, jazz
 

Haywood libraries welcome piano, jazz

Pianist Richard Shulman and jazz band One Leg Up will perform in the Haywood public libraries.
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

364 days down, one to go. Hurtling down Interstate 95 from Boston to New York City, I’m sitting on a…
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One Way Out — Gregg Allman
 

One Way Out — Gregg Allman

It’s the soundtrack of America. Forty-five years ago, The Allman Brothers Band burst onto the scene. With an intoxicating blend of…
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We have to close the widening gap
 

We have to close the widening gap

To the Editor: About 10 years ago I said to a client of mine perhaps the most outrageous thing I’ve…
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New animal shelter is long overdue
 

New animal shelter is long overdue

To the Editor: I was happy to read the article about the need for a new animal shelter in Haywood…
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Some successional habitat a good thing
 

Some successional habitat a good thing

To the Editor: The recent announcement by the U.S. Forest Service of more potential logging in the new forest management…
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Time to break the holiday laws of inertia
 

Time to break the holiday laws of inertia

Two miserable characters — the larger one in a terry cloth bathrobe and fleece pajama bottoms, the smaller one in…
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Park changes firewood rules to protect forests
 

Park changes firewood rules to protect forests

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will limit the type of firewood brought into the park in order to protect forests. …
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A possumless possum drop
 

A possumless possum drop

Just like they have for the last two decades, residents of Clay County and beyond gathered in Brasstown to ring…
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LifePoint making good on pledge to upgrade Haywood Regional
 

LifePoint making good on pledge to upgrade Haywood Regional

More than $6 million has been spent on upgrades and improvements at Haywood Regional Medical Center since it was bought…
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Haywood Regional’s new CEO now on the job
 

Haywood Regional’s new CEO now on the job

The new CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center assumed his role this week, pledging to lead the hospital into a…
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From prison to platter: Haywood Pathways Center kitchen serves up first meals in Hazelwood
 

From prison to platter: Haywood Pathways Center kitchen serves up first meals in Hazelwood

Dinnertime came a little late at Haywood Pathways Center Sunday night (Jan. 4), but for all the right reasons. It…
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Musical tiers: Counties receive 2015 economic designations
 

Musical tiers: Counties receive 2015 economic designations

Each year an economic report card issued by the North Carolina Department of Commerce determines which counties will be given…
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Brick by brick: Fred Baker’s long view crafts Waynesville into model town
 

Brick by brick: Fred Baker’s long view crafts Waynesville into model town

Fred Baker’s title isn’t particularly glamorous. For nearly three decades, he kept the potholes patched, the trash picked up, the…
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Insurance agents adjust to industry under ACA
 

Insurance agents adjust to industry under ACA

Since the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, people have been urged to get signed up for health insurance online…
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Study shows Swain benefited most from ACA
 

Study shows Swain benefited most from ACA

More than 10 million people now have health care coverage because of the Affordable Care Act, and Swain County residents…
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Jackson commissioners consider county attorney applicants
 

Jackson commissioners consider county attorney applicants

Jackson County got plenty of response back when its new board of commissioners put out the word that they were…
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Jackson, Macon work together on transportation
 

Jackson, Macon work together on transportation

Public transit in Macon County is slated to get a boost as Jackson and Macon counties work out an agreement…
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Cullowhee planning proposals set for Jan. 13 hearing
 

Cullowhee planning proposals set for Jan. 13 hearing

A final public hearing to solicit public input on a draft set of standards to guide development in Cullowhee will…
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It’s the ‘other information’ that makes almanacs interesting
 

It’s the ‘other information’ that makes almanacs interesting

Now is the time to make resolutions, order seeds for the coming year’s garden and buy an almanac for 2015.…
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Forest Stewards honored for conservation forestry
 

Forest Stewards honored for conservation forestry

A Cullowhee-based forest management group was recently recognized for its work by Root Cause, a regional initiative to raise awareness…
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Haywood Waterways does good work
 

Haywood Waterways does good work

Editor’s note: The following is a submission from Haywood Waterways Association reflecting on the organization’s work to protect and improve…
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Roan Mountain viewsheds protected by land trust
 

Roan Mountain viewsheds protected by land trust

A 76-acre tract along the Appalachian Trail on Roan Mountain has been permanently protected thanks to the Southern Appalachian Highlands…
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Trending in nature: WNC outdoors enthusiasts talk about trends in outdoor rec
 

Trending in nature: WNC outdoors enthusiasts talk about trends in outdoor rec

When Jim Brendle put together the first Smoky Mountain Relay in 2009, it was a pretty small affair. With only…
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The fascinating evolution of the fool killer
 

The fascinating evolution of the fool killer

One of the oldest traditional folktales, ‘Godfather Death,’ exists in all cultures; however, the tone of the stories may vary…
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Oil painting demo in Bryson
 

Oil painting demo in Bryson

Oil painter Jon Houglum will demonstrate “Oil Painting Techniques in a Portrait” for the Art League of the Smokies at…
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SCC instructor named Regan Residency Grant recipient
 

SCC instructor named Regan Residency Grant recipient

A Dillsboro book artist and adjunct instructor at Southwestern Community College, Frank Brannon has been selected for the first Mary…
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Shearin brings Americana to Wine Seller
 

Shearin brings Americana to Wine Seller

Singer-songwriter Dan Shearin will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, at The Classic Wine Seller in Waynesville.
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