If you put distance between yourself and a yellow jacket nest after the first sting, that’s probably the only one you’ll get. Fred Coyle photo
 

Yellow Jacket Muse

Before Becky and I retired up Moses Creek, I made my living as a backpack and canoe guide here in…
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A black-throated warbler sings from its perch.  Skyler Kardell photo
 

Dark skies help migrating birds

Audubon North Carolina is urging residents to help keep the skies dark this fall to help birds as they migrate…
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Monarch butterflies may fly thousands of miles during fall migration. File photo
 

Welcome monarchs to the mountains

The Mountain Monarch Festival will return to Gorges State Park in Transylvania County for its second year 11 a.m. to…
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In a 2022 photo, bears eat dog food a person intentionally placed on the ground to attract them, a behavior  that causes danger to both humans and bears. NPS photo
 

Rich Mountain Road reopens after bear scratch

After a monthlong closure enacted when a bear scratched a park visitor, Rich Mountain Road in the Great Smoky Mountains…
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The oldest building on the property  was built in 1790 by Uriah Davis. Holly Kays photo
 

Help plan Pisgah View’s future

A public meeting 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Candler will give the public the chance to help shape the…
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The fair offers a variety of categories for people to show off their domestic skills. File photo
 

Help out with the Haywood Fair

The Haywood County Fair is coming up Sept. 28-Oct. 1, and the Home Economics Division is looking for volunteers to…
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Pinnacle Park in Sylva offers sweeping views of the valley below. File photo
 

Pinnacle Park planning survey now open

Help plan the future of Pinnacle Park, a 1,500-acre natural area in Sylva, by participating in a survey now open…
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Explore the Bartram Trail
 

Explore the Bartram Trail

Take a 4.6-mile hike to a spectacular view along the Bartram Trail near Highlands 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday,…
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GAF returns to NOC
 

GAF returns to NOC

A weekend of riverside games, whitewater rafting, adventure films and gear deals will liven up the fall Sept. 22-24 at…
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Hang with bees and butterflies
 

Hang with bees and butterflies

Join in for the sixth annual Pollinator Field Day 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Mountain…
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Eve Barrett is running in Maggie Valley in the November municipal elections.
 

UPDATED: Hearing scheduled for challenge to Maggie Valley alderman candidate

UPDATE: Barrett dropped out of the race on Sept. 13, one day after this story was updated for print. Read…
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Municipal elections will be held Nov. 8.
 

Republican mayoral candidates drop out in Maggie Valley, Waynesville

With less than two months until Haywood County municipal elections are held, two candidates who filed to run back in…
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Michell Hicks
 

Hicks wins fourth term as Cherokee chief

Cherokee looked back for its future in today’s General Election, with an overwhelming majority of voters electing to oust incumbent…
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Down home radio: WPTL celebrates 60 years on the air
 

Down home radio: WPTL celebrates 60 years on the air

In the winter of 1978, Terryll Evans was a ninth grader in Orlando, Florida. But, by March, she and her…
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A love story from a more innocent time
 

A love story from a more innocent time

Every once in a while, a novel hits me with a punch I never saw coming, perhaps even one unintended…
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A rendering of the proposed arch, drawn by Waynesville artist Teresa Pennington, is available as part of fundraising efforts to complete the project. DWA photo
 

Waynesville arch nears fundraising goal

The replica of a decorative arch that once spanned Main Street in Waynesville but was removed in the early 1970s…
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In a March photo, Jason Harley Kloepfer’s home sits just as it was left following a December 2022 police shooting there.  Holly Kays photo
 

Police shooting defendants reply to lawsuit

Tribal officers in Cherokee County shooting say they thought victim was armed
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Summit breaks ground on new high school building
 

Summit breaks ground on new high school building

After graduating its first senior class in the spring of 2022, Summit Charter School has broken ground on phase II…
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Lambert Wilson stands at the opening of the 2016 “Solitude & Mystery” event at WCU’s Fine Art Museum. WCU Photo Services photo
 

Exhibition celebrates Lambert Wilson’s legacy

In 1972, Lambert Wilson’s life changed forever.
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Participants march down Main Street during the inaugural Sylva Pride celebration. Hannah McLeod photo
 

Get ready for Sylva Pride

The third annual Sylva Pride Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at Bridge…
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Film to highlight the ‘grit and wit’ of Gary Carden
 

Film to highlight the ‘grit and wit’ of Gary Carden

A film about one of Western North Carolina’s most revered literary figures will make its world premiere in a free event…
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 The Higdon property is located across the street from Franklin High School. Zillow photo
 

School board approves Higdon property lease

After months of back and forth, the Macon County School Board has approved a lease agreement for the Higdon property,…
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WCU Cherokee Language Program’s ECHT Project receives $64,905 grant
 

WCU Cherokee Language Program’s ECHT Project receives $64,905 grant

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Sara Snyder Hopkins, assistant professor and director of the Cherokee Language Program at…
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Ashley Hindman. File photo
 

Harris Regional Hospital & Swain Community Hospital announces New CEO

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital, Duke LifePoint hospitals, announced the appointment of Ashley Hindman as the new chief…
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Wild nights and the bar fight
 

Wild nights and the bar fight

“There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto.”   — Cormac McCarthy, “Blood Meridian” 
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Freedom Park lifts up heroic stories
 

Freedom Park lifts up heroic stories

The state government complex in Raleigh is home to a new park. Constructed on Lane Street between the legislative building…
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The 4-acre property will offer a maze of rollers and obstacles for riders to try. American Ramp Company rendering
 

Ignition point

Cherokee’s next planned bike park to give kids, new riders a place to play 
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Volunteers work on the Sam Knob Trail. David Huff Creative photo
 

Workday gives nearly 400 hours of love to Sam Knob

With 54 volunteers turning out for the Carolina Mountain Club’s Quarterly Crew Day at Sam Knob last month, the group…
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A group organized by Latinos Aventureros take in the view. Vivianette Ortiz photo
 

Made X Mtns awards inaugural outdoor equity grants

A total of 20 organizations located across the western region have received grants from Made X Mtns in support of…
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Elizabeth S. Biser. NCDEQ photo
 

NCDEQ secretary chosen for national leadership role

N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser has been chosen as the next president of the Environmental Council…
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Beekeepers to swarm Bryson City
 

Beekeepers to swarm Bryson City

Spend time with beekeepers during the next meeting of the Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Association at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14,…
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Channel the power of pink
 

Channel the power of pink

The 16th annual Power of Pink 5K Run/Walk/Dog Walk will raise money for early breast cancer detection on Saturday, Sept.…
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Grant to spur regional watershed education efforts
 

Grant to spur regional watershed education efforts

A $36,500 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will fuel education efforts on the wonders of the French…
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Rec center hosts after-school program
 

Rec center hosts after-school program

Registration is open for an after-school program at the Waynesville Recreation Center, which will kick off Wednesday, Sept. 13.
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Endangered status  proposed for three mussel species
 

Endangered status proposed for three mussel species

Three freshwater mussel species have been proposed for designation as endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Cumberland…
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MST turns 46
 

MST turns 46

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail turns 46 on Sept. 9, and Friends of the MST is offering a variety of opportunities to…
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Play pickup futsal
 

Play pickup futsal

Adult pickup futsal games will be held starting 6:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Sept. 14 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center gymnasium
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Elementary bike club starting in Canton
 

Elementary bike club starting in Canton

A biking skills program will meet after school at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Canton on Thursdays from Sept. 14 through…
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The sovereign sheriff movement makes another appearance in Western North Carolina.
 

Above the law: Sheriffs largely silent on sovereign group’s meeting

A controversial law enforcement association that holds a fringe interpretation of the Constitution and has ties to white nationalism, the sovereign…
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The more things change, the more they remain the same
 

The more things change, the more they remain the same

When reporters, editors and publishers from all over North Carolina gather each year to hand out awards for the best…
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A broken heart is an open heart
 

A broken heart is an open heart

It was a beautiful sunny morning when I felt the urge to make the 45-minute drive to my hometown of…
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The Waynesville inn & Golf Club has undergone significant rehabilitation, inside and out. WIGC photo
 

The rebirth of mountain chic: Waynesville Inn & Golf Club tees up its second century

When old Jack Welch sold his Waynesville dairy farm to Jim Long in the early 1920s, he probably couldn’t have…
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The Smoky Mountain News won a host of awards across all categories. Tiffani Watts photo
 

Smoky Mountain News nets 38 NCPA awards

The staff of the Smoky Mountain News won 18 advertising awards, including three first-place honors, as well as 16 editorial…
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The paper machine and the winder making paper on Aug. 6, 1928. Jason Gregory photo
 

New book details history of manufacturing in Jackson

When Jason Gregory presented his new book on the history of manufacturing in Sylva at the Jackson County Public Library…
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U.S. Senator Thom Tillis returned to Canton last week to speak with local leaders. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Tillis looks towards the future in Canton

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis has taken a particular interest in Canton over the past few years, making multiple…
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Tourism in Western North Carolina continues to grow. File photo
 

TDA 2.0: Haywood’s tourism authority takes bold steps under new leadership

She’s only been on the job for a few months, but the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority’s new executive director…
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Birdtown plays Wolfetown in a stickball game during the 2021 fair week.  Jonah Lossiah/The One Feather photo
 

Cherokee fair plans for 111th year

The Cherokee Indian Fair will return Oct. 3-7 for its 111th year, but in a new location. This year’s event…
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