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Control from the top: WNC hunters attempt to curb coyote populations with hunt
Mark Rogers sticks his hand through the cold air outside Bethel Grocery into the even more frigid interior of the…
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Here to stay: Coyotes make themselves at home in WNC
It’s been 30 years since Raymond Bunn saw his first coyote, and that moment — Clay County, 1986 — is…
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Budget cuts to shutter Central Elementary School: Haywood School board says it was the only option
Parents, students and teachers of Central Elementary School in Waynesville made a desperate and impassioned final stand to save their beloved school last week, but to no avail.
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Haywood County Schools: Response from Rep. Michelle Presnell
Enrollment has fallen in Haywood County Schools every year since at least 2008, and Jimmy Rogers was on the school…
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Waynesville lumber company recognized for exports
Waynesville lumber company Oaks Unlimited Inc. got recognition in Raleigh last week, named 2016 Exporter of the Year by the…
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Polar Plunge attracts record number
The water of Lake Junaluska was a balmy 41 degrees as a parade of 158 people — sanity questionable —…
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Drawdown starts at Lake J for silt removal
Water levels at Lake Junaluska are falling following the start of a drawdown to dredge silt and litter — and…
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Beekeeping school offered
Newbie beekeepers will get a leg up with an all-day class in beginning beekeeping Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Haywood…
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Cross-country skiing in WNC offers breathtaking but limited-time experience
When the snow starts falling and Western North Carolina’s main streets, schools and businesses go to sleep in wait for…
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This year’s flowers, last year’s berries
Last summer while I was walking along the creek below our home, small splotches of red and white at the…
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A polite listener for those bizarre stories
I have always been an Art Bell fan, and judging from the extensive archives on YouTube, I am not the…
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Where everybody knows your name: Tipping Point Brewing celebrates five years
It all started in a boat. “Dan [Elliot], Jon [Bowman] and I were fishing on Wolf Lake,” Doug Weaver said. “And…
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Open call for artists, designers
The Jackson County Arts Council is looking for local artists/designers to participate in their spring fundraiser event “Trashion Show” to…
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This must be the place
It ain’t so bad. Getting older. Tomorrow is my 31st birthday, and as I reflect on my first year of…
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Bottom line: State needs to do more for public schools
It’s a fundamental question and voters will be the ultimate arbiters: is North Carolina spending adequately on education? The short…
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Self-esteemers having trouble with Panther loss
For some time, I have been worried that my children are not learning the coping skills they will need in…
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WCU should stay away from Koch money, influence
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist In Sons of Wichita, Daniel Schulman relates a story about Charles Koch’s attempt to…
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The diet of Lent is healthy
To the Editor: This Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter, when many Christians abstain from…
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Are women treated differently?
To the Editor: Have you ever heard of a man being fired for his “strong leadership style”? Ella Kliger Franklin
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Atlas’ big smug shrug
By Ron Robinson • Guest Columnist The other day I attended a basketball game at Western Mountain University. I could not…
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Sky’s the limit: Drone operators on front lines of an exciting new industry
Everyone enjoys the ground-level Western North Carolina views, but drones provide a whole new perspective on things. SEE ALSO:• Drone technology…
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Drone operators navigate strict laws
Drone operators have found that navigating the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations is more complicated than navigating their unmanned aircrafts.
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Drone technology presents opportunities and challenges
Though it can make certain aspects of life easier, technology often has unintended consequences.
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Arrest made in Lake Junaluska home invasion
A man accused of breaking into an occupied home at Lake Junaluska a week ago was arrested Monday night after…
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The Panthers’ role in a cathode ray tube crisis
In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, avid Panthers’ fan David Francis came up with a novel approach…
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Cherokee shoots down U.S. motto display
Since launching the U.S. Motto Action Committee, Rick Lanier has gotten his pitch to government leaders pretty well dialed in.…
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Fired WCU worker will return to work
While most people are mourning the coming of another Monday, Rob Russell will be rejoicing as he returns to his…
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Contractor walks away from $15.9 million road contract
Construction on the 0.7-mile connector road through Southwestern Community College has come to a halt after the contractor working on…
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SCC, DOT and road contractor debate who should fix damage to campus building
A three-way finger-pointing contest over cracks in Southwestern Community College’s biggest building — and their relation to construction work on…
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Homeless shelter gets $15,000 from Jackson commissioners
A $15,000 contribution from Jackson County Commissioners will ensure that housing for the county’s homeless continues through the winter.
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If Central Elementary closes, a private school might want it
Haywood School leaders have avoided talking about what would become of the 1950s-era school building that houses Central Elementary if it closes, saying it would be premature until a final decision is made.
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Blue-ribbon committee seeks balance in push-and-pull over Koch-funded center at WCU
Fears that a controversial economics policy center coming to Western Carolina University will be a vehicle to advance conservative, laissez-faire…
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We believe war is never the answer
To the Editor: Any who frequent Main Street Waynesville on Wednesday afternoons will know that a group calling ourselves Neighbors…
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Lopez’s role in Koch gift, center is fair game
To the Editor: I would like the economics professors who wrote a letter in last week’s Smoky Mountain News (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/17086)…
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Happiness now, not in the ever after
There was a time in my life where I thought being wild would lead to a sense of freedom and…
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GOP policies to blame for Central closing
By Jimmy Rogers • Guest Columnist If Central Elementary in Waynesville is forced to close because of budget cuts and losing…
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Let’s ease off the throttle on Central closing
By John Sanderson • Guest Columnist I have hesitated to make a comment about this issue, because I know personally…
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Don’t fall for that 5-planet crap
It’s been awhile since The Naturalist’s Corner’s chief investigative journalist, Kuteeng Satire, has been called upon to help us clarify…
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Algal invader found in Jackson County
A nuisance algae capable of harming stream habitats has come to Jackson County, and water users will have to help…
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Happy ending for man stranded at Mount Pisgah
Deep snow in the mountains last week stranded a transmission tower repairman near the summit of Mount Pisgah Jan. 25,…
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Cullowhee students get creekside dose of science and math
A section of Cullowhee Creek in Jackson County will turn into a laboratory — with elementary school students as its…
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Never say never: Sylva cyclo-crosser takes top honors in national competition
As national champion Karen Tripp likes to say, cyclo-cross is a sport that you win by seconds. And that’s just…
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Florence King took no prisoners
During a recent discussion in the AP Literature class I teach, I mentioned that the actor Alan Rickman had died…
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An award-winning nap
‘Cat on a Ledge’ by acclaimed Waynesville painter Jenny Buckner was recently named an “Honorable Mention for Artistic Excellence 2015”…
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This must be the place
It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Suicide. The one societal topic that makes everyone squirm, conjuring traumatic memories as…
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The ingredients of the good life
Ricardo Fernandez is a renowned chef, master gardener and also a former national diving champion, but there’s one thing he…
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Central supporters appeal for solution instead of closing
Many of the speakers at a public hearing on whether to close Central Elementary School in Waynesville urged Haywood County…
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Central on the chopping block: who’s to blame?
Central Elementary School has become a rallying cry for advocates of public education across the state.
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Deputies intervene during tense moment at shooting range hearing
A public hearing on an outdoor shooting range moratorium in Haywood County got off to a dicey start this week.
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Haywood mulls rules on outdoor shooting ranges
Outdoor shooting ranges could soon be under the microscope in Haywood County.
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