Man falls at Ramsey Cascades
 

Man falls at Ramsey Cascades

On Sunday, May 28, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers received a report that a 37-year-old male fell from the…
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B-Day Victory! Community celebrates WWII veteran’s birthday, service
 

B-Day Victory! Community celebrates WWII veteran’s birthday, service

They say “Ask and thou shalt receive,” but Nancy Bolding of Otto probably received way more than she bargained for…
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Haywood tourism authority reports robust growth
 

Haywood tourism authority reports robust growth

A lagging recovery from the Great Recession and the continuing loss of a major tourist attraction in Maggie Valley haven’t slowed growth of the tourism industry in Haywood County. 
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Management by measurement
 

Management by measurement

There’s an old adage in business that says, simply, “If it isn’t measured, it isn’t managed.”
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What’s in the cards? It all starts with a visit
 

What’s in the cards? It all starts with a visit

Since before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was chartered in 1934, Western North Carolina has been a sought-after destination for tourists from across the country and across the world. 
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Cherokee chief removed from office: Lambert’s impeachment causes anger as primary election draws near
 

Cherokee chief removed from office: Lambert’s impeachment causes anger as primary election draws near

After three full days of testimony and four hours of waiting for a verdict, silence reigned at the Cherokee council house May 25 as Tribal Council convened to deliver its final decision on whether to remove Principal Chief Patrick Lambert from office.
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Lambert defends against impeachment charges
 

Lambert defends against impeachment charges

In the three days of testimony that comprised Principal Chief Patrick Lambert’s impeachment hearing, Lambert himself was by far the most prominent witness, spending a total of seven hours on the stand spread over two days. 
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A timeline of impeachment week
 

A timeline of impeachment week

Impeachment hearings to consider charges against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert stretched on for three days last week, with Tribal Council holding four hours of closed-door deliberations before voting to remove Lambert from office. To view the impeachment hearings in their entirety, visit http://bit.ly/2rB4eED.
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Impeachment hearings: How they voted
 

Impeachment hearings: How they voted

Following three days of impeachment hearings, Tribal Council deliberated for four hours before returning to vote in open session. Each of the 12 charges against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert were announced individually, with councilmembers then standing up one by one to cast their vote as guilty, not guilty or abstained.
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Bryson City to maintain tax rate, increase service fees
 

Bryson City to maintain tax rate, increase service fees

With an annual budget of only about $2.9 million, the town of Bryson City doesn’t have much wiggle room when…
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Waynesville budget follows county trends
 

Waynesville budget follows county trends

Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown opened the town’s February budget retreat — his 17th or 18th, by his own reckoning —…
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Mission closes Sylva women and children’s practices
 

Mission closes Sylva women and children’s practices

In an effort to consolidate women’s and children’s services in Franklin, Mission Health has announced it will be closing those…
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Jackson County Schools superintendent to leave for Cherokee
 

Jackson County Schools superintendent to leave for Cherokee

After six years at the helm of Jackson County Public Schools, Superintendent Mike Murray will be leaving for a new…
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Emergency planners brace for crowds during total solar eclipse
 

Emergency planners brace for crowds during total solar eclipse

Todd Dillard isn’t the kind of guy who leaves anything to chance. What-ifs are his forte, as they should be…
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High hopes for Ghost Town sale
 

High hopes for Ghost Town sale

Opened atop Buck Mountain in 1961, Wild West-themed Ghost Town in the Sky used to draw as many as 600,000…
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Cherokee council removes Chief Lambert from office
 

Cherokee council removes Chief Lambert from office

After three full days of hearings, the Cherokee Tribal Council voted to remove Principal Chief Patrick Lambert from office yesterday.
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If it’s all about money, we’re in big trouble
 

If it’s all about money, we’re in big trouble

Who runs the U.S.? We’ve always known that money and politics go hand in hand, but these days that seems…
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Roots and wings — an oxymoron made for moms
 

Roots and wings — an oxymoron made for moms

It must have been a mom who coined the adage “time flies.” I swear it feels like last week when…
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Trump presidency an unmitigated disaster
 

Trump presidency an unmitigated disaster

To the Editor: In a failed attempt to defend Donald Trump, Mr. Van Eck’s recent letter is more of a…
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Hospitals play key role in local communities
 

Hospitals play key role in local communities

Rural Hospital Week is May 22-26 and Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital are joining community hospitals and caregivers…
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Timber harvest has started in Harmon Den
 

Timber harvest has started in Harmon Den

A 96-acre timber-harvesting project is underway in the Harmon Den area of the Pisgah National Forest, in Haywood County.
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Movie documents record-breaking A.T. hike
 

Movie documents record-breaking A.T. hike

A new movie telling the story of Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer — who broke the Appalachian Trail speed record by hiking…
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Road closed in the Pisgah
 

Road closed in the Pisgah

A construction project on Cathy Creek Road in the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest will cause a…
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Habitat enhancement continues on Lake Jocassee
 

Habitat enhancement continues on Lake Jocassee

Now in its third year, the Keowee-Toxaway Habitat Enhancement Program funded by Duke Energy has $1.3 million in available funds,…
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Local man takes state leadership in agriculture education
 

Local man takes state leadership in agriculture education

A Waynesville man has been tapped to lead the state’s Project Food, Land & People program, a national education curriculum…
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Wildfires as classrooms: WCU students study fire’s effects on Dicks Creek drainage
 

Wildfires as classrooms: WCU students study fire’s effects on Dicks Creek drainage

What was once a wildfire became an outdoor classroom for students in Western Carolina University’s Natural Resource Conservation and Management…
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End in sight for Foothills Parkway
 

End in sight for Foothills Parkway

The final phase of construction is underway for the Foothills Parkway — which is administered by the Great Smoky Mountains…
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The bugs are back in to-own, the bugs are back in town
 

The bugs are back in to-own, the bugs are back in town

The weather hasn’t been too cooperative this spring with regards to my Forest Service bird point count. First weekend in…
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Wit, wisdom and a walk around New York City
 

Wit, wisdom and a walk around New York City

It is 1926, and Lillian Boxfish, mid-20s and ambitious, arrives in Manhattan, where she lands a job working for the…
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Play me that mountain music
 

Play me that mountain music

With Memorial Day right around the corner, the fun in the sun of summer in the mountains is here, ready…
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This must be the place: Going home and saying goodbye
 

This must be the place: Going home and saying goodbye

The roaring of the plane engine shook me awake. Coasting into the skies over Newark, New Jersey, the flight was…
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Samuel Smith receives Governor’s award
 

Samuel Smith receives Governor’s award

Gov. Roy Cooper recently presented a Medallion Award for Volunteer Service to Samuel Smith of Waynesville at the State Capitol…
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Impeachment hearings begin: Prosecution alleges corruption in Lambert administration
 

Impeachment hearings begin: Prosecution alleges corruption in Lambert administration

During a full day of testimony Monday, May 22, the prosecution against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert made its case that Lambert’s administration has operated on a double standard, with one set of rules for him and his supporters and another set for everybody else.  SEE ALSO:• Cherokee council removes Chief Lambert from office• The charges• Tribal members speak The nine witnesses to take the stand spoke to…
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Impeachment hearings: The charges
 

Impeachment hearings: The charges

The impeachment process set in motion during a February Tribal Council meeting reached its climax this week as Principal Chief Patrick Lambert faced a list of 12 charges during all-day impeachment hearings May 22-23.
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Impeachment hearings: Tribal members speak
 

Impeachment hearings: Tribal members speak

The council house was packed to the gills Monday, May 22, as tribal members gathered to watch the impeachment proceedings against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert. They filled the seats, with additional fold-up chairs brought in to line the aisles. They stood in the halls, craning necks to watch the action, and they packed the lobby, where a livestream of the hearing played on a TV.
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Aldermen to councilmembers: Franklin changes its town board name
 

Aldermen to councilmembers: Franklin changes its town board name

The town of Franklin Board of Aldermen will now officially be referred to as the Franklin Town Council after the…
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Franklin faces tough decisions with tight budget
 

Franklin faces tough decisions with tight budget

When Franklin starting working on its 2017-18 budget, Town Manager Summer Woodard warned councilmembers that there was little wiggle room…
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David Joy helps Central Haywood students find their voice
 

David Joy helps Central Haywood students find their voice

As a writer, it’s easy to feel that one’s ability is never quite good enough; as a writer in the…
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Forgotten Pigeon Street school has historic roots
 

Forgotten Pigeon Street school has historic roots

More than a century ago, the state of African-American education in the antebellum South was so utterly deplorable that it…
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Pigeon Street revival continues at community center
 

Pigeon Street revival continues at community center

Things are happening in Waynesville’s historic African American community along the Pigeon Street corridor; the town is pursuing a grant…
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Harris positions itself as WNC health care hub
 

Harris positions itself as WNC health care hub

From a geographical prospective, Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva is strategically located to serve as a health care hub for…
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Public art set for Hazelwood
 

Public art set for Hazelwood

The Town of Waynesville has selected an artist and an art piece for its latest public art installation.
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Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations: Inclusiveness program graduates first class
 

Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations: Inclusiveness program graduates first class

When most people think about Folkmoot, they doubtlessly think about the huge 10-day international folk dance festival that has taken…
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North Shore Road case dismissed in federal court
 

North Shore Road case dismissed in federal court

A federal judge has dismissed Swain County’s breach of contract lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior to collect $39.2…
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Tiers of joy and sadness: State’s designation for Haywood brings mixed feelings
 

Tiers of joy and sadness: State’s designation for Haywood brings mixed feelings

A recent designation by the North Carolina Department of Commerce could have a detrimental impact on Haywood County’s economic development efforts.
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What’s in the cards? National, state, regional partners play a role in local economic development
 

What’s in the cards? National, state, regional partners play a role in local economic development

In the first installment of this series on Haywood County’s economic development, the analogy of a bathtub was used to illustrate the county’s economy: water flows in, water drains out and the freeboard is always changing, but amidst all the splashing, insular yet interconnected bubbles of industry rise and fall and swell and pop.
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N.C. GOP bans members of Haywood’s patriot faction from party events
 

N.C. GOP bans members of Haywood’s patriot faction from party events

Two conservative activists in Haywood County have been banned from Republican Party functions under the threat of trespassing charges from…
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Woman killed in fall from Parkway overlook
 

Woman killed in fall from Parkway overlook

An 83-year-old women died after falling 150 feet from an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Graveyard Fields in…
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Tanker spill closes I-40 near Tennessee
 

Tanker spill closes I-40 near Tennessee

The N.C. Department of Transportation is working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to advise drivers from the Knoxville area…
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Neglected animals relinquished in Macon County
 

Neglected animals relinquished in Macon County

Macon County Public Health Animal Services, along with the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, responded to an animal cruelty complaint on…
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