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Unfinished business: Hal Weatherman steps out from behind the curtain
For the first time since 2008, North Carolina’s governor is termed out, meaning Democrats and Republicans will both have a…
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New grant funds PEARLS to help aging adults at risk of isolation and depression
Sixty-five-year-old Donna lived an active life until 2014, when her health struggles began. She soon felt isolated and depressed. Donna…
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Candidates certified for tribal elections
A total of 43 candidates have been certified to run for 17 offices up for election in the Eastern Band…
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Highlanders object to canceling school expansion
Several Highlands residents converged on a recent Macon County commissioners meeting to voice their opposition to the county commission cancelling…
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Putin’s indictments: Maggie man who’s prosecuted war crimes weighs in
Last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was indicted on a war crime related to his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Macon helps fund Franklin Skatepark
The start date for construction of the Franklin Skatepark is approaching quickly, and now the project has all the funding…
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Macon Superintendent announces retirement
After more than 30 years in education, Superintendent Chris Baldwin will retire from his position at Macon County Schools.
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Report shows literacy instruction deficiencies in UNC System teacher prep programs
North Carolina fourth graders are testing proficient in reading at the lowest level since 2009, and the University of North…
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Gov. Cooper: Pactiv Evergreen must pay back $12 million state grant if mill closes
In a letter sent by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to Mike King, CEO of Pactiv Evergreen, Cooper says that…
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Federal law formalizes heritage area system
The National Heritage Areas Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law on Jan. 5, has implications for Western North…
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River in rebound: After mill closes, a healthier Pigeon could help Canton recover
For decades, concern about water quality has been the central tension between Canton’s paper mill and the environmental advocates monitoring…
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Parkway visitation falls
Visitation for 2022 to the Blue Ridge Parkway dipped by 1.5% compared to 2021, with the biggest drops coming from…
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EBCI recognized for dam removal efforts
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has received the 2023 River Champion Award from American Rivers for its leadership in…
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Red wolf plan delayed
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is delaying the publication of the final revised red wolf recovery plan, which courts…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Worts and All
Among the duff of last year’s fallen leaves lie many interesting and beautiful shapes to catch your eye on a…
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Anne Tyler gives us another never-ending song
It’s always nice when the good things just keep coming.
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This must be the place: Ode to Uncle Bobby, ode to bitchin’ Ford T-Birds
The last time I saw my Uncle Bobby was about four years ago, high up on some floor in the…
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‘Papertown’ through the eyes of a lifelong resident, historian
The whistle at Canton’s paper mill talked to me daily, sending the reassuring message that the mill was producing paper…
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Faith in our beloved Papertown
“Americana”: noun. Things associated with the culture and history of America. “Grief”: noun. Deep and poignant distress caused by or…
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Mill closing an example of American capitalism
To the Editor: I liked Scott McLeod’s column last week, but disagree with the characterization of Pactiv Evergreen’s disastrous decision to…
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Charges dropped against police shooting victim
Jason Harley Kloepfer left his home near Murphy on Dec. 13, 2022, with bullets in his body and criminal charges…
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‘It means everything’: Former worker reflects on career amid Canton mill closure
At 94 years young, Ben Best is proud of several things in his long, bountiful life — a marriage of…
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After the final whistle: Papertown stands strong in the face of an identity crisis
To visitors, the noise seems strange and maybe even concerning. To folks in Canton, it sounds like home.
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Survey will study impact of mill closure
When Pactiv Evergreen shuts its doors in a few short months, about 1,000 employees will be out of work. And…
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Eating an elephant: Canton, county will solve huge mill problems by taking small bites
No one living can remember a time when there wasn’t a paper mill at the heart of Canton. Now, after…
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Park it Forward: Congress won’t pay for Smokies maintenance backlog — you will
After years of inaction by Congress led to a massive $262 million deferred maintenance backlog in America’s most-visited national park,…
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Smokies record second busiest year ever
Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year ever in 2022 with 12,937,633 visits. Last year’s visitation was…
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Tremont receives gift from Lawson Family Foundation
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has been awarded $25,000 from Lawson Family Foundation to support their efforts to connect…
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Volunteers needed to help track seasonal changes of trees
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently recruiting local volunteers to ‘Adopt-A-Plot’ and track the seasonal change of trees, also…
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Up Moses Creek: Look up!
The day dawned clear, and I was standing on the ridge behind our house looking west and waiting for the…
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Planes, drugs and bears, oh my! Hollywood film has WNC connections
Who would have thought a true story with a link to Clay and Macon counties would arguably be the most…
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This must be the place: Ode to Canton, ode to Small Town America
On Aug. 10, 2012, I took on my first assignment for The Smoky Mountain News. It was the “Papertown” album…
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Books vs. the winter blues — and books win
It’s another one of those unremarkable winter afternoons when the outside temp is identical to the inside of my refrigerator,…
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The mill’s legacy looms large over Haywood
“The mill.” In Canton, as in hundreds of other towns across America, that was the only description needed to describe…
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When your child blossoms, all is good in the world
The earliest expressions of our daughter’s deep and abiding affection for cute, fragile creatures were frightening and very nearly catastrophic.…
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Five years later, residents still mourn the loss of Angel Medical Center’s maternity unit
Before the sun rises on a Tuesday morning in December, Amelia Cline smooches her partner goodbye and heads out the…
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Parker wins special election in Cherokee
During a special election Thursday, March 2, Wolfetown and Big Y voters chose Mike Parker to fill the Eastern Band…
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Jackson applies for medication-assisted treatment grant
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has applied for a grant to fund a Medication Assisted Treatment program in the county’s…
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Transitioning from Medicaid to marketplace coverage in 2023
The process of termination (unwinding) of Medicaid coverage for those enrolled in the program because of the Covid Public Health…
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Schools support calendar flexibility
School boards across Western North Carolina are signing resolutions in support of flexibility and local control when it comes to…
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Area manufacturers, colleges could help laid-off mill workers write their next chapter
When the Pactiv-Evergreen packaging plant in Canton closes this spring, 1,000 people who thought they’d secured steady work to last…
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‘We’re still here’: Canton businesses, residents react to mill closure
It’s 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Southern Porch restaurant in the heart of downtown Canton. Less than 24 hours ago,…
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Canton mill’s closing means uncertainty for county, region
In less than three months, Pactiv-Evergreen’s Canton mill will cease operations after more than a century of serving as the…
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Canton mill will close by summer
After more than a century of serving as the cultural, economic and geographical center of the tiny Haywood County town…
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It’s party time – Pless again files bill to make Haywood, Madison municipal elections partisan
Despite strong opposition last year, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) has again filed a bill that if passed would bring partisanship…
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Prescribed burn planned for Graham County
A 1,295-acre prescribed burn in the Yellow Creek area of Graham County could take place any time before April 15.
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Spur Tunnel work to switch lanes
Much of the maintenance on one side of the Spur Tunnel is complete, allowing contractors to begin work on the…
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Wildlife Commission approves rule changes
During a business meeting Thursday, Feb. 23, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to adopt eight proposed rules related to…
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Notes from a Plant Nerd: Red Maple Winter
There’s a change in the air every year around this time. A subtle shift in energy. Days start getting longer,…
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