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Haywood library increases access
The Haywood County Public Library will take care of the work of renewing checked out items for patrons.
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Case counts drop as families mourn COVID deaths
COVID-19 cases are dropping precipitously both locally and statewide, with hospitalizations now hovering just above the 3,000 mark after hitting…
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Macon firefighter injured on fire line
A Macon County firefighter was flown to the Augusta Burn Center in Georgia with severe injuries last week after flames…
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Rep. Pless looks back on 2021
It’s been a challenging year in Haywood County government circles, especially on the state level.
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First board members selected for Waynesville’s new downtown group
Goodbye, Downtown Waynesville Association. Hello, Downtown Waynesville Advisory Committee.
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Cherokee debates term limit referendum language
In an unusual sequence of events Feb. 3, the Cherokee Tribal Council passed a resolution outlining a set of referendum…
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Masks now optional in Haywood schools
Masks are optional for students and staff of Haywood County Schools after the school board voted last night to remove…
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JCTDA rolls out tourism capital project fund
Jackson County Tourism Development Authority will open applications for its first round of tourism capital projects funds this year. This…
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Sylva tables chicken discussion
After community members showed up in force to object to certain provisions of Sylva’s proposed updated zoning ordinance, commissioners tabled…
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Capital needs in Macon pit capacity vs. affordability
Macon County has a long, expensive list of capital needs over the next decade, and commissioners took nearly three hours…
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Sylva approves plan for open carry alcohol
Despite a strong public showing against the proposed social district at Sylva’s town meeting on Thursday, commissioners voted 3-2 to…
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The alchemy of the melody: A conversation with Andrew Thelston
In terms of musical ambassadors within the melodic melting pot of a scene that is Western North Carolina, you’d be…
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This must be the place: I want to hold you in the Bible black pre-dawn, what was I thinking when we said hello?
It’s Sunday, Feb. 13. The Super Bowl will be underway in about six hours. I’m sitting at a table in…
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Decade in the making: Forest Service releases long-awaited Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan
A decade after convening the first meetings to discuss the impending process, the U.S. Forest Service has released a semi-final version…
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Wildlife Service to release red wolves in eastern N.C.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing nine red wolves for release into the world’s only wild population of…
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Haywood student wins climate art contest
A Haywood Early College student was one of three winners in a statewide art contest focusing on climate change.
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Oust plastic bags from Haywood
Volunteers are wanted for a community-wide effort to reduce consumption of single-use plastic bags, with a sew-a-thon planned for Friday,…
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HWA director moves on
After 18 years at the helm of Haywood Waterways Association, Eric Romaniszyn is leaving his position as the organization’s executive…
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Chimney Rock Groundhog says early spring coming to WNC
According to untrained non-meteorologist Pumpkin the Groundhog, spring is on the way for Western North Carolina.
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Making boys into men the Jocko Willink way
Many readers of The Smoky Mountain News, particularly younger adults, are probably familiar with Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL…
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Careless book banning is seldom a good idea
Removing the book “Dear Martin” from a 10th-grade English class at Tuscola High School likely didn’t prevent students in that…
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The nostalgia of football and Snoop Dogg
My mom was a tiny Southern lady who graduated salutatorian of her senior class and never said a cuss word…
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A party adrift after Trump’s tenure
To the Editor: Almost from the moment World War II ended, we have watched in horror as one dictator after…
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Republicans off to the races in NC-14
The first Republican forum in the NC-14 congressional race may have been light on specific policy proposals, but the eight…
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Smoky Mountain Young Republicans seek members
Last week’s GOP congressional forum wasn’t hosted by the state party, some national media outlet or even a local county…
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Saving our lifesavers: Donaldson pleads for help
A comprehensive assessment of Haywood Emergency Management Services completed in 2019 suggested that aggressive shift schedules put employees at greater…
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Donations sought for Carden scholarship
Beloved Western North Carolina author, educator and storyteller Gary Carden has immortalized himself though his life’s work of preserving and…
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Sylva begins budget discussions
With budget season in full swing, Sylva commissioners have begun discussing their priorities for how to spend taxpayer dollars in…
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Clear trends emerge in partisan voter registration
Two years ago, The Smoky Mountain News took a look at statistical data on the party affiliation of registered voters…
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HCS adopts shortened quarantine policy
Haywood County Schools will follow new COVID protocol, referred to as “5+5 COVID Guidance,” after a presentation from the Haywood…
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N.C. Supreme Court throws out maps
As expected, the North Carolina Supreme Court overruled on party lines a unanimous Wake County Superior Court decision that upheld…
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Jackson, Macon schools address pre-K need
Families in Jackson and Macon counties are set to see a bump in pre-K capacity as both counties work to…
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Pouring a cup of community: Coffee shop becomes Canton staple
Like many recent businesses opening in downtown Canton, it’s usually a story of someone deciding to take a chance on…
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This must be the place: I got love that ain’t gonna change, I got love that won’t fade away
It was right around the third drink of the evening when I had the sneaking suspicion an existential crisis was…
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Echoes From Civil War Reverberate In Challenge to Cawthorn Re-election
Does Constitution disqualify him for office? BY TOM FIEDLER, Asheville Watchdog To former Army Gen. Joseph C. Abbott, a candidate…
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All hands on deck: New program trains hiking club members to assist SAR missions
When Chad Seger was reported missing on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, the Haywood County Rescue Squad’s Wilderness Search and Rescue…
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Haywood boarder takes fourth at X Games
Waynesville native Zeb Powell, 22, narrowly missed a medal at the X Games in Aspen Jan. 21, coming in fourth…
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Become a Devils Courthouse Rover
A new volunteer program aiming to educate visitors to Devils Courthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway and share information about…
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Time to apply for summer camp jobs
It’s hiring season for summer camp counselors, with applications now open to work at day camps in Cashiers and Waynesville.
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A book from after the apocalypse
Manon Steffan Ros is a Welsh author of more than 40 books, writes in the Welsh language and has only…
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What lesson does censorship teach our children?
When I learned of the removal of the book “Dear Martin” from an English II class at Tuscola High School,…
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Birthdays, cardinals and roller skating
My older son turned 13 on Jan. 19, and my younger son turned 10 on Jan. 20. They are both…
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Pulling book was a mistake
To the Editor: I, too, deplore young people’s use of “foul language,” but hearing or reading it would not have…
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Omicron brings fewer deaths, more hospitalizations than previous variants
After case counts soared to unprecedentedly high levels throughout the month of January, the Omicron wave of COVID-19 appears to…
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Sylva considers creating social districts
After a bill allowing cities and counties to create their own social districts passed through the general assembly last September,…
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WCU enrollment dips
Enrollment at Western Carolina University is the lowest it’s been for any spring semester since 2018, according to student census…
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