Are Haywood commissioners big spenders, or doing the best they can?
 

Are Haywood commissioners big spenders, or doing the best they can?

Property taxes have emerged as a top issue in the Democratic primary for Haywood County commissioner candidates. The three sitting…
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County commissioner races heat up
 

County commissioner races heat up

As the primary approaches, local candidates are making their case. Around the region, county commissioner seats are opening up and incumbents and…
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Regional historians and ‘piglets from heaven’
 

Regional historians and ‘piglets from heaven’

“Eagles, as they still do, lived on the creek. One day in the 1890s, an eagle dropped a piglet into…
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Hundreds of free garden kits passed out in Cherokee
 

Hundreds of free garden kits passed out in Cherokee

Tribal families got some help jumpstarting their summer gardens when Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Principal Chief Michell Hicks handed…
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Carolinas to experience total lunar eclipse
 

Carolinas to experience total lunar eclipse

Astronomy lovers and night owls in the Carolinas will get the chance to witness a total eclipse of the moon…
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Roadside bottles: a death trap for shrews
 

Roadside bottles: a death trap for shrews

Learn how bottles tossed out along the roadside are killing small mammals in the mountains during a talk held on…
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Turkey season open
 

Turkey season open

Turkey hunting season will open April 12 and run through May 10. A youth-only turkey season is already underway.
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Monarchs declining as habitat and food source shrinks
 

Monarchs declining as habitat and food source shrinks

A multi-media program, Make Way for Monarchs, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. April 19 at the Cradle…
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Help clean up a stream to honor Earth Day
 

Help clean up a stream to honor Earth Day

Haywood Waterways Association is heading up several Earth Day themed activities this month, including a series of stream clean-ups. 
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Forest users negotiate need for wilderness in new management plan
 

Forest users negotiate need for wilderness in new management plan

Western North Carolina is covered with more than 1,500 square miles of national forest, and residents often measure their assets…
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A well-written, lively look through history
 

A well-written, lively look through history

In the first half of the fifteenth century, decades before Columbus set sail, the great Chinese admiral Zheng He commanded…
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Cherokee weaving talk and workshop
 

Cherokee weaving talk and workshop

A workshop and presentation on Cherokee weaving will be held April 11-12 at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.
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Open call for Taste of Chocolate
 

Open call for Taste of Chocolate

An open call for bakers is currently underway for the 15th annual Taste of Chocolate Plus, which will be held…
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Sylva concert to benefit victims of landslide
 

Sylva concert to benefit victims of landslide

A concert to benefit landslide victims in Snohomish County in Washington state titled “The Circle is Unbroken: A Benefit for…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

So, what are you going to ask him? That was the question constantly asked to me when friends and curious…
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Dancing with one’s dream
 

Dancing with one’s dream

Staring into a 2,250-degree furnace, Tadashi Torii sees his passion come to life. “I’m really calm,” he said. “I try…
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Sen. Hagan is for the people, not big money
 

Sen. Hagan is for the people, not big money

To the Editor: Sen. Kay Hagan’s path to Washington began in high school when she helped elect her uncle Lawton Chiles…
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County oversteps its authority
 

County oversteps its authority

To the Editor: The Haywood County Emergency Management Ordinance was signed into effect Nov. 16, 2009, by J.W. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick,…
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Kids can endure a little stress
 

Kids can endure a little stress

To the Editor: Wondering what all the fuss is over the use of Common Core standards in school, I looked…
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Enough of the labels, I’ve got band practice
 

Enough of the labels, I’ve got band practice

Words sometimes change meaning. It may take a few years, but it happens, and it especially happens in politics. A…
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Cohabitation ordinance makes trouble for drug recovery program
 

Cohabitation ordinance makes trouble for drug recovery program

An ordinance designed to keep student housing from taking over the village of Forest Hills is creating an obstacle for…
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Domestic violence and sexual abuse shelter looks to expand in Macon
 

Domestic violence and sexual abuse shelter looks to expand in Macon

Fundraising for a $1.3-million shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse is underway in Macon County, with REACH…
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House party: Three GOP candidates take aim at Rep. Queen
 

House party: Three GOP candidates take aim at Rep. Queen

A trio of Republican candidates have lined up to challenge N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, for his District 119…
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WNC attorneys to vet district court judge nominees
 

WNC attorneys to vet district court judge nominees

Six attorneys vying for a vacant district court judge seat in the region will try to win the endorsement of…
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Dreaming of Davis’ seat: Hipps, Robinson vie for Senate 50
 

Dreaming of Davis’ seat: Hipps, Robinson vie for Senate 50

North Carolina’s District 50 senator represents the state’s seven western counties. In 2010, Sen. Jim Davis (R-Franklin) narrowly wrested the…
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Cullowhee considers development standards
 

Cullowhee considers development standards

Cullowhee is awash in new developments. Specifically, the community is buzzing with the construction of high-density developments aimed at housing…
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Franklin officials to further ‘mull’ gazebo redesign
 

Franklin officials to further ‘mull’ gazebo redesign

The folks in Franklin are not yet sure what direction they may go with the revamping of the town’s gazebo…
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Cherokee museum looks to the future
 

Cherokee museum looks to the future

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has been having some trouble with its exhibit light and sound system lately, but…
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Bryson City shelter gives hurting teens a fresh start
 

Bryson City shelter gives hurting teens a fresh start

Despite the automated security system that speaks up every time a door is opened and the whiteboard grid tracking points…
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GOP shake-up: Haywood Republicans wrestle with identity crisis, attempt to oust chair
 

GOP shake-up: Haywood Republicans wrestle with identity crisis, attempt to oust chair

A coup within the Haywood County Republican Party was set in motion this week by a group of precinct chairs…
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Believe it or not, spring is around the corner
 

Believe it or not, spring is around the corner

Despite last week’s chill and blustery snow, we are in the throes of spring migration. Actually, migration never stops. There…
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Cradle of Forestry to debut old-time skills and new ecology exhibits
 

Cradle of Forestry to debut old-time skills and new ecology exhibits

Cultural heritage demonstrations will kick-off the new season for The Cradle of Forestry in America on Saturday, April 12, along…
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Sea-level rise documentary features WCU prof
 

Sea-level rise documentary features WCU prof

Learn how communities are dealing with coastal erosion, storms and rising sea levels with a screening of the critically acclaimed…
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Athletes to converge in Cullowhee for Valley of the Lilies races
 

Athletes to converge in Cullowhee for Valley of the Lilies races

The fourth annual Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K race are expected to draw an estimated 300 runners…
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Women’s flyfishing weekend
 

Women’s flyfishing weekend

Women of all skill levels are invited to a women-only weekend of flyfishing from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, offered…
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Engage in a day-long celebration of science and nature
 

Engage in a day-long celebration of science and nature

The Mountain Science Expo will feature science programs and exhibits designed to interest kids and adults from 10 a.m. to…
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Appalachian Trail volunteers needed
 

Appalachian Trail volunteers needed

Learn the basics of trail construction and environmental stewardships by volunteering with an Appalachian Trail Conservancy trail crew.
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Reap the fruits of the backyard
 

Reap the fruits of the backyard

Learn how to grow fruit trees successfully at a fruit tree workshop coming up in Jackson and Swain counties through…
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Lookin’ good up there: Ozone outlook positive for North Carolina
 

Lookin’ good up there: Ozone outlook positive for North Carolina

Warmer weather is on its way, but along with the sunny afternoons comes the return of ozone season. A bad…
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Disappearances, nightmares and a sense of terror
 

Disappearances, nightmares and a sense of terror

Some 30 years ago, a science-fiction writer named Whitney Striber wrote a novel called Wolfen, and it frightened me badly. The…
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Shorelines program to screen ‘Shored Up’
 

Shorelines program to screen ‘Shored Up’

Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines will screen the film “Shored Up” at 4 p.m. Sunday,…
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WCU to host International Festival
 

WCU to host International Festival

The 35th annual International Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, on the lawn…
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Workshop on Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina
 

Workshop on Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina

A workshop focusing on regional points of musical interest, entitled “Why and How to Connect to the Blue Ridge Music…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Kacey Musgraves makes me feel like a teenage boy. Shouts of joy escape my lungs when I find out she’s…
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'Shining up classic dishes
 

'Shining up classic dishes

The ocean is a long way from Rick Miller’s kitchen. The kitchen is a long way from where his journey…
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Mélange of the Mountains returns to Haywood County
 

Mélange of the Mountains returns to Haywood County

The Mélange of the Mountains culinary celebration will run from April 10-13 around Haywood County. 
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Vouchers won’t help low-income families
 

Vouchers won’t help low-income families

To the Editor: Recently, I became curious about the N.C. Opportunity Scholarships (a new name for vouchers) that are being…
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Voting challenges may overwhelm system
 

Voting challenges may overwhelm system

To the Editor: It should be reassuring that so many groups are concerned about “voter integrity” on Election Day, making…
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Create Eden, drop animal products
 

Create Eden, drop animal products

To the Editor: TV host Glenn Beck and other stalwarts of the Christian right have attacked the recent blockbuster “Noah”as…
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Rep. Presnell will get my vote again
 

Rep. Presnell will get my vote again

To the Editor: We must speak out against this proposed room tax increase. The county leaders may want it, but…
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