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Cherokee prepares for special election
On Thursday, Dec. 15, Cherokee voters will head to the polls for a special election that will seat two new…
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Schools struggle with state-mandated pay increases
As Swain County Schools digs into the 2022-23 budget, staff are planning for the largest fund balance allocation needed in…
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Free lunch for Swain Elementary students
All students in Swain County elementary schools will receive free lunch this year with the help of a grant from…
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WCU human remains detection K9 training program wins award
Western Carolina University’s human remains detection cadaver dog training program was recently awarded the 2022 University Professional and Continuing Education…
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Searching for Boomer Inn
Readers are now likely to be searching their own minds for the meaning of the term “boomer inn.” Could it…
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WCU students network at research forum
Students from Western Carolina University were given the opportunity to network with students from other Southern Conference schools and expand…
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Wildfire grows at Harmons Den
A wildfire reported Wednesday, Nov. 23, in the Harmon Den area of Haywood County was still burning with no containment…
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Forest Service gives Trout Unlimited $40 million for projects
In a five-year agreement to improve watersheds on national forests and grasslands, the U.S. Forest Service will give Trout Unlimited…
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Water quality groups land grants
Environmental groups in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison Counties were recently awarded grants totaling $197,500 from the Pigeon River Fund of…
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Trail turkey: Thanksgiving feast brings Appalachian Trail family together
Twenty-two years ago, Janet Hensley, now 59, was working in guest services at a new hotel in her hometown of…
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Drought improves, but holds on in far west
Drought conditions have improved across much of the state following rains from Tropical Depression Nicole, but the westernmost counties remain…
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Smokies to repair 19 bridge locations
Work has started on a $1.3 million effort to repair bridges at 19 locations in the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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East Street Park stream project complete
A project to improve a tributary to Shelton Branch that runs through East Street Park in Waynesville is now complete.…
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Word from the Smokies: Smokies Life celebrates trees and their stories
Have you ever tried to count the number of branches on a tree? One limb leads to many appendages from…
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Language is illuminated in new memoir
Once in a great while, something unexpected and exceptional crosses my desk. In this case it was a gift from…
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Resurrecting the joy of the holidays
I have felt disconnected from the holidays ever since my mom passed away six years ago. Throw a divorce, two…
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Keeping it simple — and local
I was standing at my desk this morning looking forward to the coming Thanksgiving weekend with our grown children and…
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Fears of a politicized court system grow
Maybe the change was an inevitable byproduct of our charged and contentious era.
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After elections, less hate, more love
To the Editor: By the time you read this letter, we will have outcomes of the 2022 mid-term elections.
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SMN has lost a loyal friend
To the Editor: Long-time Haywood County resident Kitty Phillips passed on Election Day this month.
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Sylva Sam messed up the view
To the Editor: Driving through Sylva today I noticed the steps of the old courthouse beautifully decorated with rows of…
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Man found guilty of attempted murder in pig dispute
A dispute about a pig that escalated into attempted murder ended last week with a Tuckasegee man ordered to serve…
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Jackson County man indicted on first-degree murder charge
Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a former Cashiers resident this week for first-degree murder, Sheriff Chip Hall said.
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Macon County votes ‘no’ on quarter-cent sales tax
Decisions about following through with the new Franklin High School project were always going to fall to a new board…
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Couple calls out FedEx after driver admits to 17 break-ins
A couple that owns a home near Highlands is speaking out after they say FedEx failed to act even after warned…
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Untangling the web: Leading Native journalist says ignorance on Native issues poses danger for tribes
As voting hours ended on Election Day 2020, talking heads waiting for results to roll in filled the TV airwaves…
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Mainspring signs agreement in dam removal effort
After months of discussion and deliberation, Mainspring Conservation Trust and Northbrook Carolina Hydro II have signed an agreement allowing Mainspring…
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Cherokee strengthens banishment law
In a unanimous vote during Annual Council Monday, Oct. 24, the Cherokee Tribal Council passed an ordinance to strengthen the tribe’s…
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Seeing green: Inexperienced tax collector-elect gears up for new role
Of the many Republican victories in the 2022 General Election amid a red wave washing over Western North Carolina that…
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Kick off the season with a Christmas home tour
After the Canton tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 30 and the Christmas parade on Dec. 1, the festivities continue with…
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‘Friendraiser:' REACH partners with Adamas Entertainment for Christmas benefit show
In a world mired with conflict and divisiveness, it can seem like there is little common ground to be found…
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This must be the place: And a man must forfeit all he owns for a glimpse at the reason why
I was about an hour behind schedule leaving my native Plattsburgh, New York, the truck aimed for Waynesville and greater…
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Information sought on runaway teen in Cherokee
The Cherokee Indian Police Department is seeking information about the whereabouts of Kyria Neal Swayney, a 16-year-old girl who was…
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Celebrating ‘Long Man’: Eastern Band Cherokees work together to care for their rivers
On a crisp autumn morning, the Yellowhill Community Center in Western North Carolina buzzed with excitement as more than 120…
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Cataloochee opens
Cataloochee Ski Area opened for the season Monday, Nov. 14, after starting snowmaking with the onset of cold weather the…
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Tribe, Forest Service sign co-stewardship agreement
A new agreement between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the U.S. Forest Service will allow the two entities…
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Drought strengthens, but recent rains could reverse trend
The latest drought map released Nov. 10 shows strengthening drought in the mountain region, but significant rain from Tropical Depression…
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Water system upgrades to move forward at Balsam Mountain and Heintooga
An environmental assessment investigating potential impacts of water and wastewater system repairs at Balsam Mountain Campground and Heintooga Picnic Area…
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Tremont plans second campus
A $250,000 grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Connected Communities Pilot Program will support development of a second campus for…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Pushing Leaves
Every year, the fallen leaves blanket the forest floor in the fall. And every spring the wildflowers have no trouble…
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The good and the bad: two book reviews
À chacun son gout, as the French say: “To each his own,” or if you prefer, “There’s no accounting for…
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Compromise takes sacrifice, not unyielding principles
Leaders in a free republic should serve the common good. That’s why the U.S. system of government and our freedoms…
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Divisive politics isn’t the only way
Does the American political divide have to divide friends? Families? Communities? Or is there an alternative approach?
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Word from the Smokies: Parks as Classrooms offers unforgettable experiences
Courtney Lix grew up entwined in the natural and cultural history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park like a vine…
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Don’t let tunnel vision run your life
To the Editor: Let me start by saying that on November 8 I worked the polls, and the views I…
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Why vote for the unqualified?
To the Editor: Could someone please explain to me why an experienced, qualified tax collector who has successfully run the…
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What I learned running for office
To the Editor: I would like to express my gratitude to the Macon County community for their support and encouragement…
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Republicans secure big victories, but their future in North Carolina is less certain
The predicted red wave washed over most of North Carolina’s elections last week, but now as it recedes and parties…
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Republicans dominate Western North Carolina races
The highly anticipated red wave hit Western North Carolina hard on Nov. 8, with Republicans retaining several crucial legislative seats and…
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