Accounting fumble, superfluous zero blemishes HCC audit
 

Accounting fumble, superfluous zero blemishes HCC audit

Haywood Community College had to pay back $126,000 in state funding after accidentally inflating its enrollment numbers. The state doles…
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Haywood Fairgrounds scuttled as potential animal shelter site, but new site already in the wings
 

Haywood Fairgrounds scuttled as potential animal shelter site, but new site already in the wings

Haywood County is back on the prowl for potential sites to build a new $3 million animal shelter to replace…
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Macon commissioners give board new direction
 

Macon commissioners give board new direction

With the six-month process of getting a nuisance noise ordinance passed behind them, members of the Macon County Planning Board…
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Tourism director in Jackson County’s future
 

Tourism director in Jackson County’s future

Jackson County’s Tourism Development Authority will soon launch a search for a tourism director, a milestone for the newly minted…
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Learn from the experts: Tourism conference to focus on festival success
 

Learn from the experts: Tourism conference to focus on festival success

Tourism is a huge topic with a major impact on Western North Carolina’s economy. Western Carolina University will host the…
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Festival frenzy fueling local economies
 

Festival frenzy fueling local economies

As a tourism expert in the Southeast, Dr. Steve Morse has been asked to judge competitions at festivals all over…
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Conference highlights native culture as integral to addressing health issues
 

Conference highlights native culture as integral to addressing health issues

It was a century ago that Beverly Kiohawiton Cook’s relative was taken from his family and shipped off to Carlisle…
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A birthday slap from Gov. Pat McCrory
 

A birthday slap from Gov. Pat McCrory

To the Editor: In March the North Carolina State Parks system celebrated its 100th anniversary with events, gathering and celebrations…
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Teaching is not for everyone
 

Teaching is not for everyone

To the Editor: The letter from Deanna Lyles, “I quit teaching because I love children,” (April 1, The Smoky Mountain…
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An opportunity for Dillsboro, Sylva
 

An opportunity for Dillsboro, Sylva

To the Editor: A representative from the N.C. Department of Transportation recently briefed Dillsboro board on plans to replace the…
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Living in fear is no way to live at all
 

Living in fear is no way to live at all

“Many of us are not living our dreams because we are living in fear.” Not sure where I came across…
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Batting away undeserved prejudice
 

Batting away undeserved prejudice

Unfortunately, more undeserved prejudice exists about bats than any other animal, except, of course, serpents.  In European lore, vampires (a…
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Remembering the horrors of Europe’s wars
 

Remembering the horrors of Europe’s wars

Many Americans — and I count myself among them — are often hard on Europeans when it comes to issues…
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Haywood exempt from emissions tests
 

Haywood exempt from emissions tests

Emissions tests for cars and trucks are no longer necessary to protect air quality in more than half the counties…
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The Terrace at Lake Junaluska Grand Opening Celebration
 

The Terrace at Lake Junaluska Grand Opening Celebration

The grand opening celebration for The Terrace at Lake Junaluska is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in The…
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Possum Drop returns to Raleigh
 

Possum Drop returns to Raleigh

For the third year in a row, opossums are making their way to the political scene in the N.C. General…
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Sylva considers two-way traffic on Main Street
 

Sylva considers two-way traffic on Main Street

Town commissioners are once again mulling over the question of two-way traffic in downtown Sylva with the conclusion of a…
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Wildflower pilgrimage celebrates spring
 

Wildflower pilgrimage celebrates spring

The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage will kick off its 65th year of outdoors programming Tuesday, April 21, with the five-day event…
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Spiffed-up shelter hits the Macon County AT
 

Spiffed-up shelter hits the Macon County AT

With a higher-than-normal volume of thru-hikers expected next season, the Nantahala Hiking Club is getting prepared with upgrades to the…
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Commission calls on turkey hunters
 

Commission calls on turkey hunters

A study of lymphoproliferative disease virus, a malady affecting wild turkeys, is calling in help from hunters.
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Tribe granted authority over water standards
 

Tribe granted authority over water standards

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is now able to administer its own water quality certifications, becoming the 49th tribe…
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Tuck River cleanup puts out call for volunteers
 

Tuck River cleanup puts out call for volunteers

The nation’s largest single-day river litter removal will mark its 31st year Saturday, April 18.
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Weather watchers wanted for citizen science program
 

Weather watchers wanted for citizen science program

A network of amateur rain and weather spotters are contributing to the scientific understanding of niche weather patterns on a…
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Teacher scholarships available for nature summit
 

Teacher scholarships available for nature summit

Applications are open for teachers looking to attend the 2015 Family Nature Summit, based in Lake Junaluska.
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Cherokee to weigh in on fish conservation
 

Cherokee to weigh in on fish conservation

The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River will hold its annual meeting celebrating Earth Month at 6 p.m. Monday, April…
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WCU students win bass angling title
 

WCU students win bass angling title

A pair of Western Carolina University students took first this spring, in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional, presented…
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Two-hundred-mile foot race to loop western counties
 

Two-hundred-mile foot race to loop western counties

The Southeast’s most grueling team race will take off from Pink Beds Picnic Area in the Pisgah National Forest near…
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Bat protection prompts Smokies caving restrictions
 

Bat protection prompts Smokies caving restrictions

After closing the area in September to protect wintering bats, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will reopen Whiteoak Sink…
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When the bats leave the belfry: Fungus cuts down bat population, sparks speculation on species, ecosystem future
 

When the bats leave the belfry: Fungus cuts down bat population, sparks speculation on species, ecosystem future

Sarah Davis loves bats. They’ve been the wintertime residents of Linville Caverns for as long as she can remember, a…
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Macon dodges insurance fund deficit
 

Macon dodges insurance fund deficit

More than 400 Macon County employees and their families will see a reduction in health care coverage and an increase…
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Macon passes noise ordinance
 

Macon passes noise ordinance

Macon County commissioners realize they can’t make everyone happy, but they hope some residents can now get some sleep with…
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Business is bustling in downtown Waynesville
 

Business is bustling in downtown Waynesville

Downtown Waynesville has had a flurry of changes lately. As previous tenants move out, new ones move in and improvements…
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Smoking now banned on Haywood property
 

Smoking now banned on Haywood property

All tobacco products will soon be banned from being used on county-owned property in Haywood County. Commissioners approved an amendment…
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Break-in reported at Swain election office
 

Break-in reported at Swain election office

No personal voter identification information was found missing following a break-in at the Swain County Board of Elections Office in…
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SCC celebrates 50 years; public invited to learn about programs
 

SCC celebrates 50 years; public invited to learn about programs

Southwestern Community College is celebrating its 50th year by inviting the public to see all the programs being offered to…
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SCC plans for Macon campus expansion
 

SCC plans for Macon campus expansion

Dr. Don Tomas likes to be ahead of the curve. As Southwestern Community College celebrates 50 years, Tomas, who has…
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Jail death sparks state investigations
 

Jail death sparks state investigations

It was about 5:15 p.m. on March 13 and Mark Leamon, a jailer at the Jackson County Jail, was in…
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Evergreen undergoes costly clean up of coal stacks under new air pollution rules
 

Evergreen undergoes costly clean up of coal stacks under new air pollution rules

The smokestacks at Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton will be significantly cleaner within four years thanks to $50 million…
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Lincoln assassination drama at HART
 

Lincoln assassination drama at HART

As part of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the production of “The Actor and The Assassin” will hit…
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Jackson County students win Youth Art Month awards
 

Jackson County students win Youth Art Month awards

More than 60 Jackson County school students received awards for work exhibited at Western Carolina University during Youth Art Month.
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‘Peter Pan’ flies into WCU
 

‘Peter Pan’ flies into WCU

The School of Stage and Screen will close its 2014-15 Mainstage season with a high-flying production of the J.M Barrie…
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New art studio opens in Franklin
 

New art studio opens in Franklin

Colorful Creations, a “Paint Your Own Pottery” studio owned by Jimbo and Stacy Ledford, recently opened in Franklin.
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Oyster, seafood festival returns to Maggie Valley
 

Oyster, seafood festival returns to Maggie Valley

The Smoky Mountain Oyster & Seafood Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at…
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Canton concert to benefit Community Kitchen
 

Canton concert to benefit Community Kitchen

Country/southern rocker Joe Lasher Jr. will perform at 7 p.m. April 18 at the Colonial Theatre in Canton. Tickets are…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It’s my favorite place to sit. In a diner, tucked away in a booth, with a notebook, pen and endless…
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In search of the perfect word: Literary festival returns to WCU
 

In search of the perfect word: Literary festival returns to WCU

A writer looking at a blank page is a like a painter staring at a fresh canvas, a sculptor facing…
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Put the forest first!
 

Put the forest first!

I was commiserating with a friend who works for the Forest Service just after it was announced that they were…
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Clingmans Dome Road opens for the year
 

Clingmans Dome Road opens for the year

Clingmans Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened last week, six days ahead of its scheduled April…
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Bike rodeo comes to Jackson County
 

Bike rodeo comes to Jackson County

The Jackson County Bike Rodeo is calling all kids to come out 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11,…
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Locals take gold and silver in Assault on BlackRock
 

Locals take gold and silver in Assault on BlackRock

The fifth annual Assault on BlackRock trail race is now in the rearview mirror, with 82 brave souls battling freezing…
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