Archived (24761)
Children categories
More than 5 million pounds of litter collected this year
Collections from this year’s N.C. Department of Transportation Spring Litter Sweep totaled more than 1.4 million pounds, far surpassing the…
Read More
Explore Cades Cove vehicle free
Vehicle-free Wednesdays at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park begin this week, giving cyclists and pedestrians the…
Read More
The heart and soul of public education
I got home from work yesterday after running a couple of errands. It was approaching 6 p.m. My wife, a…
Read More
Sitting in the mess can be worth it
I’m not the traditional church-going type. “Christianity” is an antiquated, laden term of which I’m not a fan. My faith…
Read More
Identity groups are unexplainable
To the Editor: Attempts to explain or absolve any identity group of voters are subject to inaccuracy.
Read More
Canton mayor selected as ‘Outstanding Rising Leaders’
Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers was selected as one of 19 leaders from across the country to join the NewDEAL (Developing…
Read More
Urgent pipe replacement coming to U.S. 19/23
A deep pipe failure under the eastbound lanes of U.S. 19/23 between Clyde and Canton near Crawford Memorial Gardens will…
Read More
WNC towns debate future of room occupancy tax
If passed, legislation introduced by Western North Carolina Republican representatives would allow municipalities within Haywood County to levy their own…
Read More
Canton, Waynesville to consider room tax increases
A tax bill sponsored by two western Republicans that’s currently making its way through the North Carolina General Assembly has…
Read More
Bryson City removed from room tax legislation
The Town of Bryson City has been removed from a piece of state legislation that would have allowed the town…
Read More
No plans for town room tax in Sylva
While Sylva’s leaders have considered the idea of a town occupancy tax a couple times over the years, so far…
Read More
Maggie Valley occupancy tax on the horizon
Maggie Valley may have the opportunity to create its own Tourism Development Authority for the purpose of promoting tourism in…
Read More
New vaccinations continue to slow
Vaccinations continue to slow down in the four-county area and in the state as a whole, but case counts are…
Read More
Decision time coming for Haywood budget
Although the recommended budget won’t be presented for another two weeks, Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead took the opportunity on…
Read More
HCA breaks ground on new Franklin hospital
HCA Healthcare officially broke ground last Friday morning on a $68 million facility to replace Angel Medical Center in Franklin.
Read More
Merchant group forms in Canton
The Haywood County town of Canton hasn’t always been a major tourist destination, but with downtown revitalization well underway and…
Read More
Transparency concerns hobble DWA contract renewal bid
Despite more than three decades of service to Waynesville’s downtown municipal service district, the organization charged with managing it now…
Read More
Haywood school board approves budget
Haywood County Schools Local Expense Budget is set to look very similar to years past, with the COVID-19 Pandemic causing…
Read More
Summer school aims to address learning loss
As much of Western North Carolina bounces back from the devastation of COVID-19 — lower case counts, rising tourism numbers…
Read More
Sylva moves toward tax rate increase
During an April 29 work session, four of Sylva’s five board members signaled their approval of a draft budget totaling…
Read More
Sylva board mulls Allen Street solution
Despite their proximity to multiple slope failures on and around Allen Street in Sylva, two trouble spots that appeared in…
Read More
This must be the place: The best things in life are truly free, singing birds and laughing bees
Woke up this morning with the thought of the impending summer, impending “state of being” for all of us slowly…
Read More
Profits up at HCA, ratings down at Mission
BY PETER H. LEWIS, Asheville Watchdog HCA Healthcare, which owns and operates Mission Hospital in Asheville, reported this month that…
Read More
Motorcyclist dies after Smokies crash
A Guatemalan man died following a motorcycle crash in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Sunday, April 18.
Read More
Summer camp canceled at Waynesville Rec
For the second year in a row, the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will cancel its popular summer camp series…
Read More
Transforming gardening: Book details Webster man’s design for a better, cheaper greenhouse
On cold January days, Bob and Janaye Houghton prefer to eat outside. “If it’s 20 degrees in the sunshine, it’s…
Read More
Land donation protects key Roan Highlands landscape
A record-setting land donation will conserve 7,500 acres in the Roan Highlands, a success that Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy Stewardship…
Read More
Hike with Haywood
A series of hikes exploring Haywood County’s many trails is in full swing, with the next one offered Monday, May…
Read More
Throwing punches and having some fun
Jack Reacher must own the toughest set of knuckles on planet Earth. About halfway through the latest Reacher saga, The…
Read More
Shelton House reopens
The Shelton House will launch its 2021 season on Saturday, May 1, promising to bring more “History, Heritage and Crafts”…
Read More
A hard life makes a good song: Travis Book of The Infamous Stringdusters
Before the shutdown of the entire music industry in March 2020 due to the pandemic, The Infamous Stringdusters were widely-regarded…
Read More
This must be the place: Don’t look too far, right where you are, that’s where I am
Coming to a stop at the end of the off-ramp of Exit 40 along Interstate 87 last Saturday evening, I…
Read More
I’ll take growth over stagnation any day
While not a surprise to anyone in Western North Carolina walking around with their eyes open, new Census data released…
Read More
Be intentional in protecting earth
To the Editor: Many of us in Jackson County volunteered to pick up litter recently as part of Jackson County’s…
Read More
Lemon’s book is well worth a read
To the Editor: Whether or not you are a fan of TV anchor and journalist Don Lemon, his latest book…
Read More
Gun rights are absolute
To the Editor: A quote that will live in infamy! On April 8, 2021, Comrade Joe Biden laid bare the…
Read More
WNC behind state average in educator diversity
North Carolina has about 1.5 million public school students, and according to a report from the Department of Public Instruction,…
Read More
Integration and the disappearance of Black teachers
For Lin Forney, the end of fourth grade was the end of an era. The year was 1963, and the…
Read More
Committed to movement: WCU professors push for diversity in education
Professors at Western Carolina University are tired of just talking about the importance of diversity within the teaching industry and…
Read More
North Carolina ‘driving’ toward more diverse corps of educators
North Carolina’s population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse every day, but according to a report issued by Gov.…
Read More
ALE conducts statewide enforcement operation
In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, ALE special agents concluded a statewide enforcement operation on Friday resulting in over 200…
Read More
Jackson commissioners weigh fire funding
Jackson County leaders are considering adding a penny to the county’s tax rate to fund the Cullowhee Volunteer Fire Department’s…
Read More
Waynesville Inn sold, will see extensive rehab
An iconic Waynesville landmark sold for nearly $9 million last week, but the new owner’s plans to renovate the 165-acre…
Read More
Growing pains at Haywood Community College
In preparing for Haywood Community College’s first post-pandemic budget, President Dr. Shelley White presented a stable operating budget but asked…
Read More
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Dr. Diana Messer, a forensic anthropology professor at Western Carolina University, is working on groundbreaking research that could drastically improve…
Read More
Firefly lottery opens Friday
The annual synchronous firefly viewing event will return to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, but with a…
Read More
Vaccine appointments readily available in WNC
Vaccination rates slowed substantially across the four-county area over the past week, and the pace will likely continue to slacken…
Read More
Canton budget goes all-in on recreation, infrastructure
The Town of Canton’s property tax rate hasn’t changed in almost two decades. This year, it looks to be headed…
Read More
