Court of Appeals hearing Cherokee cases
 

Court of Appeals hearing Cherokee cases

On Thursday, Nov. 15, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will make history by holding oral…
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Balsam Range. David Simchock photo
 

‘Any old road will take you there’: Balsam Range reflects on successful past, a bright future

In 12 years together, Haywood County-based Balsam Range have played some of the biggest stages in the music industry, and…
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Tom McNish at his Franklin farmhouse. Garret K. Woodward
 

This must be the place: ‘The air was just electric. The air was quivering.’

I was handed a telephone number and told good luck. In the fall of 2007, I was 22 years old.…
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Regional Artist Project grantees announced
 

Regional Artist Project grantees announced

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), administrator of this year’s Regional Artist Project Grant (RAPG), is pleased to announce grantees…
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Grassroots Arts Program subgrants awarded
 

Grassroots Arts Program subgrants awarded

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), serving as a Designated County Partner of the North Carolina Arts Council, is pleased…
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‘Hyper-partisan’ moves threaten UNC’s future
 

‘Hyper-partisan’ moves threaten UNC’s future

The sudden resignation of Margaret Spellings as president of the UNC system should be a wake-up call to every North…
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‘When did we see you, a stranger, and welcome you?’
 

‘When did we see you, a stranger, and welcome you?’

By Autumn Woodward • Guest Columnist The Irish morning was cool. I’d tumbled over a stone wall into the park to…
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Learning to connect with the other world
 

Learning to connect with the other world

The night after my mom died, my dad stepped out on the front porch with my brother-in-law, whose father had…
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A father and son examine their progress at Chimney Rock State Park. Donated photo
 

Making tracks: Kids trails program earns recognition after decade of growth

In 2008, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation launched a new program aiming to get kids and families out exploring the…
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Bote Mountain Trail partially reopen
 

Bote Mountain Trail partially reopen

A 2.9-mile section of the Bote Mountain Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now open to hikers…
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N.C. governor signs climate change order
 

N.C. governor signs climate change order

Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order directed at “North Carolina’s commitment to fight climate change and lead transition…
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Haywood agricultural leader awarded state’s highest honor
 

Haywood agricultural leader awarded state’s highest honor

Longtime Haywood County farmer and agricultural community leader Bill Yarborough has been recognized with the highest honor the state has…
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The Foothills Parkway provides views of the Great Smoky Mountains region. NPS photo
 

Walk the ‘Missing Link’ of the Foothills Parkway

A celebration of the completed Foothills Parkway section known as the “Missing Link” will be held Thursday, Nov. 8, with…
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King Cotton. Don Hendershot photo
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Flashback

It wasn’t long after we crossed the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, headed west into Louisiana, that we began to see…
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Cookbooks make nice holiday gifts
 

Cookbooks make nice holiday gifts

So there I was on a Wednesday afternoon in October in one of my favorite spots in town: the public…
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Local physician honored with scholarship
 

Local physician honored with scholarship

The Haywood Healthcare Foundation, Haywood Regional Medical Center, and Haywood Community College recently held a presentation ceremony for Dr. Bennie…
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The University of North Carolina Board of Governors has selected Dr. William L. Roper — who currently serves as CEO of UNC Health Care, dean of the UNC School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs at UNC Chapel Hill — as interim UNC system president. Donated photo
 

Interim UNC System president selected

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors has selected the man who could well be charged with nominating the…
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Mountain Mediation volunteers Peggy Smith, (from left) Arnold Howell, and John Scroggs speak about communication skills. Donated photo
 

Mediation valuable service in criminal justice system

Mountain Mediation Services has been providing an invaluable service to Western North Carolina’s criminal justice system for more than 20…
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Principal Chief Richard Sneed discusses the Indian Child Welfare Act ruling with Tribal Council Nov. 1. EBCI image
 

Cherokee leaders speak out against Texas adoption ruling

A recent court ruling in Texas has Native American tribes across the country — including the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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WCU music instructor Brad Ulrich poses with some items from his collection of WWI memorabilia. WCU photo
 

WCU to commemorate WWI

Back before incessant war became a hallmark of American foreign policy, U.S. involvement in global affairs was but a shadow…
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Never give up: Franklin native survived years of torture in Vietnam POW camp
 

Never give up: Franklin native survived years of torture in Vietnam POW camp

Just west of the town of Franklin, along a winding back road heading into the mountains surrounding Wayah Bald, sits…
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Valerie Oberle speaks to a group in Maggie Valley earlier this fall. Donated photo
 

Legal troubles mount for Ghost Town, developers

A pair of legal actions filed in Haywood courts during the month of October suggest efforts to redevelop Maggie Valley’s…
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Jackson TDA begins visitor study
 

Jackson TDA begins visitor study

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority, whose mission it is to promote and market the county, is conducting its first…
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Lorna Sterling’s husband benefitted from the in-home hospice services of the Homestead. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Haywood hospice patients to move to hospital

A press release issued by Haywood Regional Medical Center on Oct. 26 touted renovations to an existing facility that will…
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Republicans take majority on Haywood commission
 

Republicans take majority on Haywood commission

With the retirement of Democratic Commissioner Bill Upton, one commission seat was up for grabs, with two more being defended by their Democratic occupants, Commissioner Mike Sorrells and Commission Chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick.
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Greg West (left) beat Mike Matthews for tax collector while Democrat Joe Sam Queen beat Rep. Mike Clampitt for the N.C. House seat.
 

Regional roundup of election returns shows mixed results

Any notion of a red tide or blue wave ebbed quickly Nov. 6, as both Republicans and Democrats celebrated victories, mourned defeats, said goodbye to some incumbents, and hello to new ones.
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Jackson Dems win county commission
 

Jackson Dems win county commission

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will flip to a Democratic majority following a hotly contested election in which three of the five seats appeared on the ballot.
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Jackson sheriff wins second term
 

Jackson sheriff wins second term

Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall will keep his job for another four years following a decisive victory on Election Day.
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Incumbents get another term on Macon commission
 

Incumbents get another term on Macon commission

Despite challengers’ loud cries for change in Macon County leadership, voters have given incumbents Ronnie Beale (Democrat) and Gary Shields (Republican) another four-year term on the board of commissioners.
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Incumbent wins another term as Macon’s sheriff
 

Incumbent wins another term as Macon’s sheriff

Republican Robert Holland will serve a fifth term as Macon County sheriff after a clear victory Tuesday night.
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Close race in Swain County commission race
 

Close race in Swain County commission race

With six candidates running for three seats on the Swain County Board of Commissioners, it was a close call Tuesday night as election results began to roll in.
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Cochran to continue as Swain sheriff
 

Cochran to continue as Swain sheriff

Incumbent Republican Curtis Cochran has secured his fourth term as sheriff of Swain County after facing off against Democratic challenger Rocky Sampson. 
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Anne Fitten Glenn.
 

Tapping into the past, present of Appalachia

In the six or so years I’ve lived and worked in Western North Carolina, the amount of craft breweries in…
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The 1967 ‘March on The Pentagon.’ Bernie Boston photo
 

We are but a moment’s sunlight, fading in the grass

I was born in the wrong decade.  Or so I often hear from others. Some are musicians or artists, dreamers…
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Late surge in Dem fundraising for WNC General Assembly races
 

Late surge in Dem fundraising for WNC General Assembly races

Third quarter fundraising reports submitted by candidates to the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement last week show most Democratic challengers in Western North Carolina with substantial fundraising advantages over their Republican incumbent opponents.
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Put Schandevel In state House
 

Put Schandevel In state House

To the Editor:  “Meet the real Rhonda Schandevel” was what I read on the latest inaccurate ad I received in…
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Please vote and save democracy
 

Please vote and save democracy

To the Editor: We have been battered with a drumbeat of name calling and blaming over the last two years. It…
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Oppose voter photo ID amendment
 

Oppose voter photo ID amendment

To the Editor: The amendment on the ballot reads “Constitutional amendment to require voters to provide photo identification before voting…
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This is the Rhonda that I know
 

This is the Rhonda that I know

To the Editor: John Wooden once said, “ … the true test of a man’s character is what he does…
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Meadows lives in echo chamber
 

Meadows lives in echo chamber

To the Editor:  Republican Mark Meadows held an impromptu rally in front of the Macon County Courthouse on October 24,…
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Don’t sink to Trump’s level
 

Don’t sink to Trump’s level

To the Editor: The first duty of government to its citizens is to safeguard them from acts of violence. Instead,…
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Vote no on all six amendments
 

Vote no on all six amendments

To the Editor: Recent newspaper stories have provided information about the six proposed amendments to the state constitution. We would…
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At least two elected officials need to go
 

At least two elected officials need to go

As election fatigue sets in, keep this in mind: it’s the local races that will most affect each of us.…
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Band culture is a thing, a good thing
 

Band culture is a thing, a good thing

When our daughter told us a little over four years ago that she was interested in trying out for the…
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The greenway’s mile of paved trail is mostly wooded, but a grassy section midway could soon turn into a series of kids’ mountain biking loops. Nick Breedlove photo
 

Bringing kids to the single-track: Plan in the works for children’s mountain bike trail in Jackson

If a partnership between Jackson County and the Nantahala Area Southern Off Road Bicycle Association comes to fruition, kids in…
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New forest management plan advocacy group forms
 

New forest management plan advocacy group forms

A coalition of businesses, groups and organizations calling itself I Heart Pisgah has formed to advocate for greater protections in…
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Help hellbenders
 

Help hellbenders

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wants to hear about hellbender sightings, part of agency biologists’ ongoing effort to learn more…
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New website for state trails
 

New website for state trails

A new N.C. Trails website has launched, providing a hub for the N.C. Trails Program and offering quick and easy…
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Before rehabilitation (left) Sugarland Mountain Trail was an impassible mass of fallen trees and rocks. After weeks of work (right) Sugarland Mountain and Bull Head are now reopen. NPS photos
 

Smokies trails reopen after 2016 wildfires

For the first time since wildfires ravaged the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in fall 2016, the Bull Head and…
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The new Foothills Parkway section completes a project that began in 1966. NPS photo
 

New Foothills Parkway section to open

A long-awaited section of the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley in Tennessee will officially open on Saturday, Nov.…
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