A proper burial: The story of a wife who finds purpose transforming her Tennessee plantation into a hospital and cemetery during the Civil War
 

A proper burial: The story of a wife who finds purpose transforming her Tennessee plantation into a hospital and cemetery during the Civil War

Franklin, Tennessee. It is November 1864, and many of us (Civil War buffs) have been here before. We recognize this…
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What is an Appalachian forest?
 

What is an Appalachian forest?

As the USDA Forest Service’s revision plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests continues to be discussed — the…
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Time to get your run on
 

Time to get your run on

August is runners’ month in Western North Carolina. A slate of races throughout the region will give athletes a chance…
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Smokies tourism translates into dollars for local economy
 

Smokies tourism translates into dollars for local economy

According to a new National Park Service report, the 9.4 million people who visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in…
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Highlands Biological dives into cliff ecology
 

Highlands Biological dives into cliff ecology

A cliff face might not seem like a hospitable place to forge a life, but for a good-sized group of…
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Smokies rangers rescue fallen hiker in storm conditions
 

Smokies rangers rescue fallen hiker in storm conditions

A 64-year-old Michigan man is recovering after a fall while hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last Sunday…
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Faith-based environmental initiative organizes across WNC
 

Faith-based environmental initiative organizes across WNC

Faith-inspired environmental advocacy is the focus of Western North Carolina Alliance’s newest program, Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina.…
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WCU named top adventure school
 

WCU named top adventure school

Western Carolina University ranked as the No.1 college for outdoor adventures in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic in a recent online…
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Wilderness medical training offered in Cullowhee
 

Wilderness medical training offered in Cullowhee

Landmark Learning, an outdoor training institute in Cullowhee, has released its fall lineup of outdoor safety training courses. With everything…
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Going the distance: Athletes flock to compete in Lake Logan Multisport Festival
 

Going the distance: Athletes flock to compete in Lake Logan Multisport Festival

Sunrise was still hours away when the day started at Lake Logan. With the first starting gun firing at 7…
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A critic’s guide to literary genres renamed
 

A critic’s guide to literary genres renamed

Not so long ago, a neighbor in the building where I love in Montford, a budding comedian in her early…
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Franklin welcomes Dailey & Vincent
 

Franklin welcomes Dailey & Vincent

Bluegrass/gospel legends Dailey & Vincent will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the…
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Pisgah/Tuscola tailgate in Canton
 

Pisgah/Tuscola tailgate in Canton

The inaugural Haywood County Fall Sports Tailgate Kickoff Party will be from noon until 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at…
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Student films to screen in Cashiers
 

Student films to screen in Cashiers

Some of the most riveting and moving student-created films from Western Carolina University’s Controlled Chaos Film Festivals in recent years…
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Energy park open call for artists
 

Energy park open call for artists

In anticipation of the growing popularity of the Youth Arts Festival, the Jackson County Green Energy Park is seeking both…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

For all the naysayers, rock-n-roll is alive and kicking — especially in the hands of Rich Robinson. Guitarist and founding…
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Boiling down the essence of humanity
 

Boiling down the essence of humanity

Heading west out of Bryson City, just before the highway narrows into a twisting two-lane road, a small, ramshackle hut…
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Taking matters into their own hands
 

Taking matters into their own hands

It promised to be one of the most riveting nights of the year for members of the Jackson County Genealogical…
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Greenway bridge hits a $350,000 snag
 

Greenway bridge hits a $350,000 snag

A new 1.2-mile greenway section along the Tuckasegee River in Cullowhee has encountered higher-than-expected costs as it nears completion. The…
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Whiteside cell tower on the table
 

Whiteside cell tower on the table

A public hearing over a controversial cell tower in the scenic Whiteside Cove area of Cashiers will be held at…
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Focused on Franklin: Residents pack in to sound off at town hall meeting
 

Focused on Franklin: Residents pack in to sound off at town hall meeting

The boardroom in Franklin’s town hall was so packed last Wednesday that town employees had to scavenge chairs from the…
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Haywood to spend millions sealing old landfill
 

Haywood to spend millions sealing old landfill

The old Francis Farm Landfill in Waynesville has been closed for nearly 20 years, but its ghost continues to haunt…
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Haywood makeover of old prison lands cash and celebrity muscle
 

Haywood makeover of old prison lands cash and celebrity muscle

It’s official — TV personality Ty Pennington is coming to Waynesville, and Haywood Pathways Center has secured $50,000 of its…
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Haywood tourism board talks strategy
 

Haywood tourism board talks strategy

After contracting with Magellan Strategy Group in May to come up with a five-to-ten-year marketing and management strategy, the Haywood…
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Maggie Valley mudslide lawsuit settled on the eve of trial
 

Maggie Valley mudslide lawsuit settled on the eve of trial

A lawsuit casting blame for a massive landslide in Maggie Valley four years ago was settled at the 11th hour…
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Outbid or passed over? Haywood businessman questions school contract for cleaning supplies
 

Outbid or passed over? Haywood businessman questions school contract for cleaning supplies

A well-known businessman in Haywood County is questioning why school officials would steer a contract for cleaning supplies to a…
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Wells event center opens  in downtown Waynesville
 

Wells event center opens in downtown Waynesville

The music inside Wells Event and Reception Center is noticeably different than next door at Wells Funeral Home. Instead of…
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A good ‘move’ for Swain farmers market
 

A good ‘move’ for Swain farmers market

The Swain Farmers Market is enjoying its new location near the Tuckasegee River in downtown Bryson City on Island Street.…
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Recreation node added along the Tuck, this time down Whittier’s way
 

Recreation node added along the Tuck, this time down Whittier’s way

Jackson County will soon get a new park at Barkers Creek. County commissioners approved a lease this week for a…
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Sold: Duke LifePoint takes ownership of Haywood Regional and WestCare hospitals
 

Sold: Duke LifePoint takes ownership of Haywood Regional and WestCare hospitals

When Janie Sinacore-Jaberg walked the halls of Haywood Regional Medical Center Friday morning, the congratulations were flowing and the balloons…
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N.C. citizens do not want fracking
 

N.C. citizens do not want fracking

To the Editor: “I not only voted for the law, I was one of the co-sponsors,” Davis said. “I’m really…
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Sylva’s ETJ attempt a bad idea
 

Sylva’s ETJ attempt a bad idea

To the Editor: Paige Roberson, Sylva’s town manager, says she would be surprised if anyone opposes Sylva’s plans to extend…
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Visions of a kitten color this beach trip
 

Visions of a kitten color this beach trip

EDISTO ISLAND, S.C. – My daughter has ordered an elaborate omelet, with spinach and cheese and who knows what else,…
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Cupid’s reading list
 

Cupid’s reading list

Valentine’s Day is just around the bend, and for anyone with even a breath of romance in the heart —…
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Time spent outdoors always validates itself
 

Time spent outdoors always validates itself

By Ed Kelley When I think of the mountains of Western North Carolina, I like to believe I know a…
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700 acres near Cashiers put into easement
 

700 acres near Cashiers put into easement

More than 700 acres outside Cashiers has been placed in a conservation easement by the Albert Carlton family, protecting the…
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Haywood development entity contributes to business start-up competition
 

Haywood development entity contributes to business start-up competition

The Haywood Advancement Foundation, a non-profit economic development entity, has pledged $2,700 to the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce start-up…
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New patient data system to link WNC hospitals
 

New patient data system to link WNC hospitals

Every patient knows the drill. Walk up to the window, tell the nurse your name, take the clipboard and seek…
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Mystery of the coveted mad stone
 

Mystery of the coveted mad stone

Last week’s Back Then column described a deer hunt conducted by Quill Rose and his relatives and neighbors in the…
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Consumer tips for dining out
 

Consumer tips for dining out

Eating healthy can also mean eating safe. In North Carolina, three food borne diseases are at the top of health…
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Watch what you eat: Consistency, cleanliness are paramount to good sanitation ratings
 

Watch what you eat: Consistency, cleanliness are paramount to good sanitation ratings

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Donna Stephens, owner and operator of The Yellow House bed and breakfast in Waynesville,…
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The difference between precaution and fear
 

The difference between precaution and fear

By Lee Shelton I found Scott McLeod’s column, “Living in Fear....” , in theJan. 18 issue of the Smoky Mountain…
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Congress debates longevity of the Endangered Species Act
 

Congress debates longevity of the Endangered Species Act

A move to rewrite the Endangered Species Act has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is expected to come…
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Local BMX teen aims high
 

Local BMX teen aims high

A 15-year-old from Waynesville hopes to be part of the women’s USA BMX bike team at the 2008 Olympics after…
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A lone cry of reason from the wilderness
 

A lone cry of reason from the wilderness

The January 2006 edition of “The Auk,” the journal of the American Ornithologists’ Union, includes a 15-page article by Jerome…
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The art of forgery: Jackson County blacksmiths learn the art of their business and the business of art
 

The art of forgery: Jackson County blacksmiths learn the art of their business and the business of art

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Deep in the mountains that surround Jackson County’s Tuckasegee community, the sound of metal…
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A little frisky — much better than fair
 

A little frisky — much better than fair

By Chris Cooper It’s harder than you would think to write a song. As a musician, it is tempting to…
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A Mysterious Island: ‘The Tempest’ twists and turns in WCU’s Hoey Auditorium Feb. 8-12
 

A Mysterious Island: ‘The Tempest’ twists and turns in WCU’s Hoey Auditorium Feb. 8-12

By Michael Beadle The Duke of Milan and his daughter have been shipwrecked on a strange island far from civilization.…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Most Secret I was given this book over Christmas and finally got around to reading it. It’s a fascinating tale…
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Elk negotiations continue
 

Elk negotiations continue

Dick Hamilton, director of the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Biologists with…
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