Malcolm Skinner, a nursing student at Western Carolina University, is getting hands-on experience in his chosen profession by working at the school’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic. Holly Kays photo
 

‘My place in life’: Nursing student finds peace in COVID-19 response

For Malcom Skinner, the pandemic was not a pause, but rather a call to action.  “I’ve been trained up to…
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Rose of Jericho blooming throughout the day.
 

The Plant That Refuses To Die

Well, I finally found a plant I literally can’t kill. 
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Virginia Wall of Waynesville walks her two dogs around the greenway. Donated photo
 

Using humor, finding purpose during a pandemic

Many people in the high-risk category for COVID-19 began isolating themselves at home last March to wait out the pandemic,…
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Over the past year, watching sunsets from the window of their New Jersey house was often the best part of the day for Lynn Jones and her husband, especially during the winter. Donated photo
 

Embracing solitude: Retiree finds peace in yearlong quarantine

In the pre-pandemic world, life was a constant swirl of activity for Lynn Jones and her husband. 
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Katlin Roberts masks up for teaching. Donated photo
 

School through a screen: Cherokee immersion teacher navigates pandemic

Katlin Roberts was making coronavirus contingency plans before most people in the United States had even really heard of COVID-19.…
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Macon County EMT Wendy Barker (left) and her wife Courtney, who is a state trooper, both contracted COVID-19 in January. Two months later, Barker is still working toward a slow recovery after unexpected symptoms. Donated photo
 

Unusual COVID case wreaks havoc on Macon EMT

It’s not easy to slow Wendy Barker down. She’s been an EMT for 15 years. She’s used to working 24…
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Silver Bluff administrator looks back on 2020
 

Silver Bluff administrator looks back on 2020

Lisa Leatherwood, Administrator at Silver Bluff Village, has had a unique perspective of the mayhem that is the COVID-19 pandemic…
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Affordable housing coming to Howell Mill Road
 

Affordable housing coming to Howell Mill Road

After the results of a Town of Waynesville Planning Board meeting on March 16, Haywood County will now move into…
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Maggie Valley considers waterfall park proposal
 

Maggie Valley considers waterfall park proposal

Maggie Valley will soon decide whether or not to develop a waterfall park on a property it has had in…
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Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks on HR1446 on March 11. CSPAN screenshot
 

Gun control bills prove divisive

A pair of gun control bills passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and are now heading for the Senate.…
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Haywood vaccine clinic moves to Lambeth Inn
 

Haywood vaccine clinic moves to Lambeth Inn

Key Updates:  Haywood County’s Mass Vaccination clinic will move this week to a new temporary location at the Lambuth Inn at…
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President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) on March 11.
 

Biden’s American Rescue Plan means millions for NC local governments

While most Americans are looking forward to receiving the $1,400 payments included in President Joe Biden’s $1.88 trillion American Rescue…
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While the products may be packaged in different ways, this brand was found to contain the invasive mussels. Donated photo
 

Invasive mussels found in aquarium products

Invasive zebra mussels have been found in commercially available aquatic moss balls in North Carolina, and consumers who have purchased…
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WCU to resume nearly normal operations this fall
 

WCU to resume nearly normal operations this fall

Western Carolina University is planning for a fall semester that will be “close to normal,” given current COVID-19 trends and…
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Jackson names new school superintendent
 

Jackson names new school superintendent

Jackson County Schools Board of Education has selected Dr. Dana Ayers as its new superintendent. 
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Ground breaks on HCC Health Sciences Building
 

Ground breaks on HCC Health Sciences Building

Haywood Community College recently held a Groundbreaking Ceremony on campus for the Health Sciences Education Building. During the ceremony, those…
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HCA/Mission monitor to hold webinar
 

HCA/Mission monitor to hold webinar

Gibbins Advisors is scheduling an informational online meeting open to all communities in Western North Carolina served by Mission Health.…
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My Shero - Radical and Revolutionary Bernadette Devlin
 

My Shero - Radical and Revolutionary Bernadette Devlin

Anyone that knows me well knows I have a weird obsession about all things Irish. Like many others with Scot-Irish…
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The Table - Homemade Shamrock Shake
 

The Table - Homemade Shamrock Shake

 I love the flavor of mint, but I’m not a fan of food coloring. Today’s recipe offers the amazing taste…
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Rub Some Dirt In It
 

Rub Some Dirt In It

By Moe Long
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Enneagram Q&A
 

Enneagram Q&A

By Megan McLeod Trawick
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A mother bear and her cubs make a dangerous journey across Interstate 40. Susan Detwiler photo
 

Searching for safe passage: Group works for safer wildlife crossings on I-40

Growing up in eastern Kentucky, Frances Figart loved any chance to glimpse the diverse wildlife species roaming those Appalachian foothills…
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Ozone season begins
 

Ozone season begins

The 2021 ozone season began March 1, signaling the resumption of daily air quality forecasts across North Carolina. 
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New operator chosen for livestock market
 

New operator chosen for livestock market

After 10 years running the WNC Regional Livestock Market, John Queen is retiring from the job, and the WNC Communities…
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Firefighters conduct a prescribed burn on the area in 2009. NPS photo
 

Prescribed burns planned

A 175-acre prescribed burn is planned for this week along the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Wears Valley to…
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Black Folks Camp Too Founder Earl B. Hunter Jr. joins Crowders Mountain State Park Superintendent Glen George, along with a BFCT adventuring crew. Donated photo
 

Partnership will promote Black participation in outdoor rec

A partnership between the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and Brevard-based Black Folks Camp Too is expected to…
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Connect to the spirit of the Smokies
 

Connect to the spirit of the Smokies

The “Spirit of the Smokies” certificate program is starting up again, offered by the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field…
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Blindsided by Rachel Hollis
 

Blindsided by Rachel Hollis

My sister, her husband, and a friend recently visited me for several days. Though I don’t own a television, there’s…
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Josh Remillard
 

Another Democrat begins campaign for Madison Cawthorn’s seat

Army veteran and 2020 state House candidate Josh Remillard, of Mills River, has officially entered the race for North Carolina’s…
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A long overdue plan to cut childhood poverty
 

A long overdue plan to cut childhood poverty

The Covid relief bill now working its way through Congress will mark a transformation in the way this country treats…
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Getting my hands dirty and loving it
 

Getting my hands dirty and loving it

I moved from Maggie Valley to Waynesville last fall. My house in Maggie was on the side of Soco Road…
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Let’s honor a different history
 

Let’s honor a different history

To the Editor: I am so sick of hearing this argument that we’re “changing” or “erasing” history by changing statues…
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Trump is a threat
 

Trump is a threat

To the Editor: The other day a friend of mine made this remark: “I never want to hear Trump supporters…
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Cawthorn should have stayed to vote
 

Cawthorn should have stayed to vote

To the Editor: I’m writing to express my outrage regarding Madison Cawthorn’s bogus attempt to defend his proxy vote when…
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Voting rights bill deserves support
 

Voting rights bill deserves support

To the Editor: Voting records show that North Carolina and Haywood County had the largest voter turnout ever in the…
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Summer Camp Guide
 

Summer Camp Guide

While summer camps were on hiatus during the height of the pandemic in 2020, many camps in Western North Carolina…
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HERE in Jackson plans considers homeless shelter project
 

HERE in Jackson plans considers homeless shelter project

For more than a decade, groups serving Jackson County’s homeless population have done so on a shoestring and a thin…
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WCU women create local branch of University Women
 

WCU women create local branch of University Women

The American Association of University Women was founded by a group of female college graduates in 1881 to advocate for…
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Vaccine availability increases
 

Vaccine availability increases

Macon County became the first county in The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area to break the 20 percent mark…
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The Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen met last week for budget talks. Donated photo
 

Tough decisions in store for Waynesville budget

As the town of Waynesville digs into the budget process for the 2021-22 fiscal year, aldermen are again considering ways…
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A slide from Waynesville Alderman Jon Feichter’s affordable housing presentation details the rise in housing costs over the last few years. Donated photo
 

Feichter pushes for affordable housing in Waynesville

Waynesville Alderman Jon Feichter says that he’s proud of the concrete steps previous town boards took to address the affordable…
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Contrary to initial predictions, sales and property tax revenues for 2020 increased compared to previous years. Jackson County graph
 

Jackson forecasts revenue increase

Despite the dire predictions of spring 2020, Jackson County’s budget prognosis for the 2021-2022 fiscal year is looking downright positive,…
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Maggie Valley begins budget talks
 

Maggie Valley begins budget talks

Maggie Valley town officials are cautiously optimistic about the coming budget year after preliminary reports show the pandemic did not…
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Macon moves forward with middle school renovations
 

Macon moves forward with middle school renovations

At the 11th hour, Macon County Commissioners called a special meeting to discuss whether to move forward with an $8…
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Patience, passion and pork: Big Nick’s Barbecue carries on family tradition
 

Patience, passion and pork: Big Nick’s Barbecue carries on family tradition

Coming off Exit 85 on the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, a funny thing happens to drivers when they’re about halfway…
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Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, 2006.
 

This must be the place: You are the rock on the riverbed, growing smoother every year

Sunday morning. Sunshine and blue skies piercing through my dusty bedroom window. I’ve been up an hour or so. And…
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Reggae, soul rolls into WNC
 

Reggae, soul rolls into WNC

The Natti Love Joys will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.
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Franklin art classes
 

Franklin art classes

There will be a wide array of new and ongoing art classes offered in the coming weeks and months at…
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Under Attack, Cawthorn Moves (Farther) Right
 

Under Attack, Cawthorn Moves (Farther) Right

By Peter H. Lewis, Asheville Watchdog | Since Madison Cawthorn took office two months ago, vowing to represent everyone in his…
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Repaving Coming to Three Western Highways
 

Repaving Coming to Three Western Highways

SYLVA – N.C. Department of Transportation officials recently awarded three contracts to resurface highways in Cherokee, Jackson and Henderson counties.
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