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The Naturalist's Corner: Climate change brings more challenges
WNC Climate Action Coalition’s screening of David Weintraub’s new documentary “Guardians of our Troubled Waters” is both a history lesson…
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Humor, mystery and a wonderful menagerie of characters
Although migrations have become a significant and controversial aspect of our current history, there is another annual migration that has…
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“Deliverance” villain Cowboy Coward is not what he seems
The last of Fred and Moody Parker Coward’s nine children, Herbert “Cowboy” Coward, was born in rural Haywood County in…
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The softer side of Cowboy Coward
While Haywood County native Herbert “Cowboy” Coward may be best known for his spine-tingling performance as a toothless mountain man…
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Cherokee to crack down on fake Native goods
Passing off mass-produced tchotchkes as authentic Native American crafts could soon be illegal in Cherokee following Tribal Council’s unanimous vote…
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Haywood Commissioners decry cuts to mental health funding
The need for mental health, substance use disorder and intellectual/developmental disabilities resources in North Carolina is growing, but funding is…
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Cashiers Community Fund Awards Grants Totaling $141,000
The Cashiers Community Fund has awarded $141,000 in grants to nonprofits serving Cashiers and the surrounding region.
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Shining Rock fails to properly notice meeting — again
Taxpayer-funded Shining Rock Classical Academy’s attempt to address its long history of public transparency law violations got off to an…
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UNC strategizes for sustained enrollment
It’s no secret that Western Carolina University is a growing community, with enrollment topping 12,000 for the first time this…
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Boarding school moves into part of Folkmoot Center
Waynesville arts and cultural organization Folkmoot has reached an agreement with the Academy at SOAR, a longtime boarding school in…
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BRH to open new clinic in Swain County
Blue Ridge Health (BRH) has been awarded a $650,000 New Access Point grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration…
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Planning to begin on proposed Haywood Schools facility
Haywood County has taken its first formal step forward in pursuit of a proposed $13 million, 40,000-square-foot central administration facility…
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Shape of N.C. 107 plans set, DOT says
The time to tweak plans for Sylva’s controversial N.C. 107 project is past, residents were told during a well-attended town…
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New housing planned for Sylva
Five families could find themselves in a brand new home in Sylva if a planned endeavor by Mountain Projects comes…
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New voting machines demonstrated in Haywood
Election officials from across the region gathered in Haywood County last week to be among the first to witness public…
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Free from society’s handpicked hypocrisy: A conversation with G. Love
For the better part of the last three decades, G. Love (aka: Garrett Dutton) and his band Special Sauce have…
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This must be the place: Hear that lonesome whippoorwill, he sounds too blue to fly
I’ve been feeling some overwhelming gratitude this week during the premiere and continued rollout of Ken Burns’ 16.5-hour PBS documentary…
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Lockdown lifted at SCC
A lockdown at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson County campus has been lifted after law enforcement determined that students who reported…
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Ethically speaking, this can be a tough job
Remember those old movies where submarines find themselves navigating through an underwater minefield, sometimes relying on skill to avoid what…
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Coming full circle on an adventure
As a kid, I took the Blue Ridge Mountains for granted. They were always there in the background, but I…
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What’s peace got to do with it?
By Marsha Lee Baker • Guest Columnist Somewhere, sometime, and in some way, each of us thinks about peace. We…
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Trump is working to secure borders
To the Editor: Police drenched with buckets of water in New York, anti-police chanting as police attempt to remove a…
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Ancient Cherokees found protection from the cold
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a September 2002 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. It’s only late summer…
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Fear of collapse causes shelter closure
A beloved shelter on the Appalachian Trail near Roan Mountain is closed until further notice due to structural damage.
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Race to honor UNC Charlotte hero: Mighty Four Miler will raise money for Riley Howell Foundation Fund
Hometown hero Riley Howell’s legacy will live on in the form a 4-mile race through the streets of the town…
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Smokies species count reaches 20,000
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reached a biodiversity milestone with the discovery and documentation of 20,000 species of…
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Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users
The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time…
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Will the circle be unbroken: Ken Burns on new country music documentary, a life in filmmaking
Clocking in at over 16 hours, the new Ken Burns documentary “Country Music” is an extremely detailed and intricate look…
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This must be the place: When I pass by all the people say, just another guy on the lost highway
Last Sunday morning, at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Route 27 in Wiscasset, Maine, I decided to turn right…
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Hospital leaders reflect on five years with LifePoint
In 2014, Duke LifePoint Healthcare purchased three hospitals in Western North Carolina with the promise of drastically improving rural health…
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Land sale could offset cost of recycling center relocation
Jackson County hopes to offset the cost of moving its Dillsboro recycling center with proceeds from selling a piece of…
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Election Day in Cherokee: Voters speak at the polls
Election Day dawned clear and sunny in Cherokee Sept. 5, with polls opening at 6 a.m. for voters to choose…
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Court says gerrymandered NC districts must change, immediately
A ruling handed down by a North Carolina court last week declared N.C.’s legislative districts to be illegal partisan gerrymanders…
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Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Rep. Corbin
A powerful voice for Western North Carolina in the North Carolina General Assembly is about to pop the kickstand on…
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BI-LO’s transformation to housing moves forward
First steps are being taken on a major new residential development proposed for the site of a former grocery store…
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Shining Rock surges, Haywood Schools slips again
After a tumultuous year that saw all manner of controversy — from parental complaints to illegal meetings, transparency issues, secret…
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Waynesville’s Masonic Temple building ready for tenants
After years of disuse, a hidden gem in the heart of Waynesville’s downtown is finally ready to reclaim its rightful…
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Incumbents sweep Cherokee election
Principal Chief Richard Sneed produced a decisive victory in Cherokee’s Sept. 5 election, pulling in 55.11 percent of the vote…
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Sneed wins chief election
Richard Sneed will remain the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for four more years following an…
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Hurricane Dorian boosts Haywood occupancy rates
Hurricane Dorian has slowly but surely been making its way toward the east coast of the United States, but Haywood…
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Take it easy on Shining Rock
To the Editor: For the past few years I have gotten in the habit of picking up a copy of…
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Background checks are too onerous
To the Editor: In discussions with people who are clamoring for universal background checks, I find many people don’t understand…
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We have perverted the American ideal
To the Editor: Donald Trump’s only redeeming value may be that he is the shock to the system the U.S. needs…
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After 125 years, we can do better
Bob Savelson • Guest columnist Thinking about Labor Day, it has been a national holiday since 1894. Consistent with the nation’s…
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Cherry binging is a thing
One of the things I like the most about summertime is when the cherries begin showing up in the grocery…
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Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users
The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time…
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A complicated story that’s worth reading
Ever have those days when you’re running against the wind, sprinting through the minutes and hours, arms and legs pumping…
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The fungi forager: Franklin man develops a passion for wild mushrooms
Beneath the woodsy world of tree trunks, ferns and leaf litter is another, hidden realm. It’s the world of fungi,…
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Forest Service land closed in the Nantahala Gorge
Until further notice, public access to U.S. Forest Service lands in the Nantahala Gorge is closed due to hazards created…
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