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GOP legislature has stolen my vote
To the Editor: My vote has been stolen. It has been stolen by the Legislature of the State of North…
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Life is too short for cheap beer, bad coffee
I’m not a snob. In fact, I’m more of a bleeding heart. But when it comes to beer and coffee,…
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School systems need help with class size mandate
By John deVille • Guest Columnist This is a letter I sent to Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin. Macon County Schools, Haywood…
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Elk habitat projects underway on Silver Game Lands
When The Conservation Fund began acquiring the land that would eventually become the William H. Silver Game Lands near Maggie…
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Linked to the landscape: Community envisions Plott Balsams’ future
The doors opened, and the room filled — with hikers, bikers, ecologists, conservation workers, economic development professionals and Cherokee tribal…
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Worth protecting: Conservation organizations partner to preserve Parkway lands
Born in the upstairs of the Post Office building his mom ran in Crabtree, Robert Williams, now 87, has always…
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Parkway hires new superintendent
The Blue Ridge Parkway has a new superintendent following the hire of J.D. Lee, currently deputy superintendent of Florida’s Big…
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Smokies sets visitation record in 2017
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw a record number of visitors for the second year in a row, logging…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Christmas vacation, part deux
The day after our water dance with manatees in Crystal River we headed across Florida to Merritt Island National Wildlife…
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Grandfather Mountain’s story makes for fascinating book
Dreamers and schemers. Andre Michaux and Daniel Boone. Yankees and Confederates. Hugh Morton. The mile-high swinging bridge. Tweetsie Railroad. Singing…
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This must be the place: WNC art councils: where do we stand?
It’s like pulling teeth. As your arts and entertainment editor for Western North Carolina, I find it difficult sometimes to…
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Meant to be lonesome: Maggie Valley Band launches new album, pushes ahead
The territory, and what comes with it. Being a traveling musician has always been a haphazard and often difficult position…
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Haywood school board admits to open meeting violation
Haywood County Schools’ administration recently admitted it may have violated North Carolina’s Open Meeting laws by not properly noticing a…
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Public forums held for WCU chancellor search
Members of the public will have several opportunities to share their opinions on the characteristics they would like to see…
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Zoning fight, criminal indictments loom for Nudge City
Local business owner Tami Nicholson was indicted Jan. 8 for illegally operating video gaming machines after police raided her Waynesville…
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Pool vote delayed in Jackson, again
For the second time in two months, a proposal to kick off the process toward a November referendum vote on…
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Clampitt town hall goes to pot
To the traditional topics of a legislative town hall meeting — economic development, fake news and even the morality of…
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Macon County grading license being reviewed
Residents are accusing the Macon County government of impeding their private property rights by proposing new requirements for landowners and…
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Jackson will combine health and social services departments
In a party-line vote that came after a lengthy and impassioned public hearing, the Jackson County Commissioners voted Jan. 29…
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Canton sets bold agenda
Officials in the town of Canton have been throwing around the term “Canton Comeback” for a few years now, noting…
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Electoral College in need of reform
To the Editor: In his guest column in the Jan. 17 edition, Martin Dyckman proposes to “eliminate the power of…
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Too much is based on skin color
To the Editor: Imagine yourselves involved in a delicate negotiation in which feelings run high on both sides. It would…
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We need better than Donald Trump
To the Editor: I am 69, a seven-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and a Vietnam veteran. There are…
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Thanks for sending Simons
Dear friends in beautiful Bryson City, As the mayor of Murphy I want to sincerely thank the Bryson City mayor,…
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Do Republicans in the House and Senate know their voter base?
Republicans in the House and Senate supported a tax bill that was opposed by the majority of Americans. They insisted…
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I can’t stomach the hypocrisy of Trump’s enablers
Imagine, just for a moment, that it is 2010 again. The economy, which was on the verge of a catastrophic…
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The feeling reminds me that journalism matters
That feeling in the pit of my stomach is familiar. I imagine it’s something like what people with ulcers feel…
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Breaking the backlog: Deferred maintenance in the billions for national parks
Drawing more than 300 million visitors each year, the National Park Service is both a reservoir of natural beauty and…
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Women’s History Trail lands grant
A $740 grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts will fuel efforts to create a Women’s History…
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State parks see record visitation
North Carolina State Parks has logged its fourth consecutive year of record visitation, with 19.4 million visits to the state’s…
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Input sought on Waterrock Knob planning
Ideas for the future of the land surrounding Waterrock Knob and Plott Balsam are welcome during a public hearing slated…
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Park camping fees to rise
Fees for frontcountry campgrounds and picnic pavilions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be a little higher after…
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Did the southeastern Native Americans take scalps?
(Editor’s Note: Readers should be cautioned that several of the descriptions of scalping and related practices presented in this column…
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Don’t stop the music: A conversation with Del McCoury
If there’s one singular force truly keeping the flame of Bill Monroe alive and kicking well into the 21st century,…
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This must be the place: ‘Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul’
The time had come. Last Friday, right around noon, I received a message on Facebook. It was a fella looking…
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Local histories serve important purpose
For the past two centuries, local historians and writers in England have produced a large number of municipal and county…
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Duke customers: ‘Pay for your own mistakes’
Western North Carolina residents recently made it clear they do not support Duke Energy Progress’s request for a 15 percent…
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Smaller increases slated for Waynesville electric customers
Duke Energy isn’t the only utility company raising its electric rates this year amidst rising energy costs, but some local…
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Duke proposes $62 million solar rebate program
Duke Energy is proposing a $62 million solar rebate program designed to help its North Carolina customers with the upfront…
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Selling Haywood County: Economic development partnership revs up
On the west side of Jonathan Creek Road in Haywood County sits a parcel of land where crops and cows…
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Shining Rock again violates open meetings laws
A North Carolina Open Meetings Law expert says Shining Rock Classical Academy’s School Board once again violated state laws regarding…
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Charter school selects new school director
After months of searching for someone to replace founding School Director Ben Butler, Waynesville public charter school Shining Rock Classical…
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Tribe hires first-ever TABCC director
The Tribal Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission gained its first-ever director with the hire of Terri Henry, who began work on…
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Chancellor search begins: Community forums to be held; search will be confidential
The 21-member committee charged with finding the next chancellor of Western Carolina University kicked off the search process with an…
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Funding lines up for new Cashiers sewer plant
Development in Cashiers will soon reach the end of a longstanding stalemate following the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Board’s…
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'We will never go away': The 2017 Women’s March on Washington, revisited
The day after I stood before the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and watched Missouri Senator…
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Reclaiming the past: Cherokee land acquisition bill moves forward
A recent hearing on a congressional bill that would transfer 76 acres in Tennessee to the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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Health, DSS consolidation moves forward in Jackson
An ongoing push to see Jackson County consolidate its health and social services departments will come to a head during…
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Community conversation focuses on homelessness in Haywood County
There’s a road in Waynesville called the homeless highway. It runs from Frog Level to Hazelwood and during any given…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Will eagles dare?
A pair of mature bald eagles has been hanging out at Lake Junaluska for a few months now. I have…
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