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Segway tours make debut in Waynesville
 

Segway tours make debut in Waynesville

The train was the first to arrive in Waynesville back in 1886; then, the rise of the automobile; but, this…
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Dobyns novel reveals small town underbelly
 

Dobyns novel reveals small town underbelly

Stephen Dobyns has written 20 novels and more than 10 volumes of poetry; however, he is difficult to “classify.” His writing…
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Wedding Day chaos in Bryson City
 

Wedding Day chaos in Bryson City

The wild romantic comedy “Perfect Wedding” will hit the stage at 7 p.m. May 24-27 and May 31-June 2 at…
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Highlands to showcase Ephron play
 

Highlands to showcase Ephron play

The romantic comedy “Love, Loss & What I Wore” will take the stage this month at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts…
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Art camps conjure creativity in WNC youth
 

Art camps conjure creativity in WNC youth

Several summer youth art camp workshops will be held by the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS at the Fine Arts Building at…
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Sony gifts state-of-the-art camera to WCU
 

Sony gifts state-of-the-art camera to WCU

The film program at Western Carolina University scored a professional $100,000 motion picture camera from Sony, presented during the recent…
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Artists open their studios in Caney Fork
 

Artists open their studios in Caney Fork

The Cullowhee Studio Tour will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. May 25-26 in the Caney Fork community of…
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Stecoah Valley bluegrass celebration
 

Stecoah Valley bluegrass celebration

A bluegrass festival will showcase the sounds and tastes of Southern Appalachia at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the…
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Learn the secret of home cooking
 

Learn the secret of home cooking

The Taste of Home Cooking School will demonstrate live recipes and cooking tips on stage at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May…
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Cherokee bonfire opens for summer
 

Cherokee bonfire opens for summer

Community Cherokee bonfires will kickoff for the summer season on Friday, May 17, at Ocoaluftee Island Park in Cherokee.
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Heart of the matter
 

Heart of the matter

It’s the sound of the ancient mountains, the unique people and rich culture of Southern Appalachia. It’s the sound of Soldier’s Heart. Filled…
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PCs for grads program thanks supporters
 

PCs for grads program thanks supporters

To the Editor: A little over a year ago, the concept of annually awarding donated and refurbished PCs to Haywood…
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Predator beetles work for all hemlocks
 

Predator beetles work for all hemlocks

To the Editor: Congratulations to the National Park Service for getting the word out about the predator beetles being used…
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State GOP decimates public education
 

State GOP decimates public education

To the Editor:  North Carolina’s once proud public education system is under siege by the radical Republican gang in control…
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This time I’m sure of it; at least I think so
 

This time I’m sure of it; at least I think so

When I sat down to write a piece for this week’s paper my topic was already chosen. I was going…
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Thanks to a mighty big carrot, Swain sets its sights on the future
 

Thanks to a mighty big carrot, Swain sets its sights on the future

Out of all the problems each county faces, how do you one narrow them down to focus on just three?
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Tax hike phobia trumps school request for officers, counselors
 

Tax hike phobia trumps school request for officers, counselors

The Haywood County Board of Education has concluded that the cost of putting officers in elementary schools is not worth…
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Remembering Fontana’s sacrifice
 

Remembering Fontana’s sacrifice

The Proctor Revival Organization is hosting its third annual month long remembrance and celebration of the Proctor, Judson, Bushnell and…
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In-town shooting ranges weighed in Franklin
 

In-town shooting ranges weighed in Franklin

Franklin Town Board members have decided to put off action on whether to allow an indoor shooting range in town…
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Sylva gun shop brings Bullet Bunker online
 

Sylva gun shop brings Bullet Bunker online

A Sylva gun storeowner was given special permission to fire weapons in the town limits by town leaders this month.
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Tuscola dominates WNC welding competition
 

Tuscola dominates WNC welding competition

Tuscola High School students placed first and second in the Western High School Welding Competition May 11 at Tuscola. Keith…
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Macon and Jackson locked in a friendly feud over 1/10th of a cent
 

Macon and Jackson locked in a friendly feud over 1/10th of a cent

Who has the lowest tax rate in the state — Macon County or Jackson County? The answer is both, it…
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Fire department funding debate heats up in Jackson
 

Fire department funding debate heats up in Jackson

Jackson County commissioners may be looking to change how fire departments are funded.
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Drawing the line between panhandling and charity at Franklin’s intersections
 

Drawing the line between panhandling and charity at Franklin’s intersections

A group of folks allegedly raising funds on behalf of an out-of-state church have sparked complaints and questions from Franklin…
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Duke rate hike beats the drum of fossil fuel power production
 

Duke rate hike beats the drum of fossil fuel power production

Well raise my electric bill … again. Duke Energy is looking to hike its rates by nearly 10 percent.
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Beloved amusement park brought back to life one piece at a time
 

Beloved amusement park brought back to life one piece at a time

Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park is scheduled to kick off its 2013 season Memorial Day weekend, thanks to…
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Will Holder Branch hold? Double landslides make residents uneasy
 

Will Holder Branch hold? Double landslides make residents uneasy

Twice in one week, the mountainside along Holder Branch Road in Canton slid away — and that was twice too…
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Landslide protocol: a muddied affair
 

Landslide protocol: a muddied affair

The tragic death of a railroad worker investigating a fresh landslide along a rail line last week highlighted the hidden,…
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Cherokee casino hits earning milestone
 

Cherokee casino hits earning milestone

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort’s bottom line is improving steadily each year as the nation continues to recover from the…
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The long and short of it: Space crunch leads to cosmetology waiting lists
 

The long and short of it: Space crunch leads to cosmetology waiting lists

About 30 cosmetology students stand at their individual workstations cutting, coloring and chatting; they are elbow-to-elbow and back-to-back, cramped as…
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Macon commissioner duo wants to spend down savings to bring on tax cuts
 

Macon commissioner duo wants to spend down savings to bring on tax cuts

Two tight-pocketed Macon County commissioners, who have voted consistently against all sorts of new government spending, have decided to go…
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Cashiers sewer plant at capacity, but only on paper
 

Cashiers sewer plant at capacity, but only on paper

Sewage and what to do with it has posed a complicated set of problems for the community of Cashiers —…
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Upfront costs don’t deter plans for Cashiers ABC store
 

Upfront costs don’t deter plans for Cashiers ABC store

Jackson County leaders are moving ahead with plans to open a liquor store in Cashiers, despite up to $200,000 in…
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Macon School leaders ask county for bailout, or harmful cuts are imminent
 

Macon School leaders ask county for bailout, or harmful cuts are imminent

Macon County Schools are facing a $2 million budget shortfall and are hoping the county will come to the rescue.…
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Walmart debate prompts Sylva to consider more flexible sign rules
 

Walmart debate prompts Sylva to consider more flexible sign rules

Walmart in Sylva was asking for the town board to grant them an exemption for a larger storefront sign. But…
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HCC makes pitch for continued building plan
 

HCC makes pitch for continued building plan

Haywood Community College has asked for more than $1.4 million from the county for building and renovations projects on campus…
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News notes from Cherokee
 

News notes from Cherokee

State of housing in Cherokee to be surveyed A federal study researching housing conditions on Indian reservations across the U.S.…
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Price tag inches up on Cherokee jail and justice center
 

Price tag inches up on Cherokee jail and justice center

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Tribal Council took issue with a construction budget increase for the tribe’s…
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Walking the dog: The trials and tribulations of being homeless in Haywood
 

Walking the dog: The trials and tribulations of being homeless in Haywood

Standing next to Louis “Louie” Bing, you’d never know he was homeless. While waiting for a cup of coffee at City Bakery…
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Cops in schools offer more than peace of mind
 

Cops in schools offer more than peace of mind

At first blush, Officer Nan Tritt looks like any other cop. She wears a badge and a gun, and the…
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Haywood weighs cost-benefit of more school cops
 

Haywood weighs cost-benefit of more school cops

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners have made it clear that without a property tax increase, funding is unlikely for…
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MedWest-Haywood board change averts potential for tie votes ahead of controversial decision
 

MedWest-Haywood board change averts potential for tie votes ahead of controversial decision

The 10-person Haywood Regional Medical Center board will now include an 11th member. The Haywood Board of Commissioners Monday approved…
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Bring on the tourists
 

Bring on the tourists

This week is Travel and Tourism Week in Haywood County. The Haywood County Board of Commissioners Monday officially dubbed May…
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Bill would weaken newspapers as conduit for government oversight
 

Bill would weaken newspapers as conduit for government oversight

Haywood County commissioners weighed the merits of saving money versus government transparency this week. State law requires counties and towns…
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New courthouse landscape to be less lush, more spartan
 

New courthouse landscape to be less lush, more spartan

A new landscape plan for the Haywood County historic courthouse is mostly devoid of large shade trees, in stark contrast…
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Landslide kills railroad worker
 

Landslide kills railroad worker

A Waynesville man who works for Norfolk Southern Railway was buried and killed by a landslide in the middle of…
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Canton residents trapped after landslide blocks road
 

Canton residents trapped after landslide blocks road

A landslide east of Canton took out a dirt road early Monday morning following two solid days of unceasing rains,…
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Some scarlet tanagers are orange
 

Some scarlet tanagers are orange

Last Saturday, I led a bird identification workshop for the Smoky Mountain Field School. We started out in the morning…
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Park reopens trails damaged by tornado
 

Park reopens trails damaged by tornado

Two trails that have been closed since 2011 after receiving extensive damage from a tornado in the western end of…
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Market vendors get shelter form the storm
 

Market vendors get shelter form the storm

The Haywood County Health Department pitched in and gave away tents, tables, coolers and other equipment to vendors at area…
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