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This must be the place: Ode to the front porch, ode to the pink couch
I awoke to the hammering of nails and the sound of a cement mixer. Opening the front door, it was…
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A Clear Contrast — The NC Agriculture Commissioner Race
By Boyd Allsbrook Agriculture has always been an integral part of the North Carolina culture and economy. Every year, farming…
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Jury trials to resume in WNC
After months of delay, jury trials resume on a limited basis this week in the 43rd Prosecutorial District, made up of the…
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Smokey Mountain Elementary to continue remote learning
Buildings at Smokey Mountain Elementary School will remain closed through Friday, Oct. 30, following identification of a COVID-19 cluster there…
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Mission sale: Good for WNC, or just HCA?
Smaller, less-profitable hospital nets twice the price By Peter H. Lewis AVL Watchdog Years from now, the decision in 2018…
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A Done Deal: How Mission Health Wooed HCA
More than 2 years later, secrets and silence continue By Peter H. Lewis AVL Watchdog The news stunned Asheville and…
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WCU student pleads guilty to death by vehicle
A Western Carolina University student pleaded guilty Tuesday in Jackson County District Court to misdemeanor death by vehicle in connection…
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Cooking on The Mountain
The drive to The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center in Highlands sets the stage for its seclusion from the outside…
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Kamala Harris visits Asheville
Last Thursday, Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Sen. Kamala Harris was forced to cancel a planned trip to Asheville…
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month - Know the Signs
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Jackson County Department of Public Health wants to shine a light on…
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Speaking the truth is hard, but necessary
By Leigh-Ann Renz You know those moments when you had something to say but kept your mouth shut? You let…
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Project Closet Door brings LGBTQ+ community together
Project Closet Door was started out of necessity. It is an organization focused on bringing the LGBTQ+ community closer together,…
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5 Alternatives to Traditional Trick-or-Treating
Who would’ve thought a virus could threaten Halloween? Yet, here we are in 2020 with parents shaking their heads in…
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Grant will fund ag center for Swain
The N.C Tobacco Trust Fund has awarded $1.5 million in grants this year, and one of the 15 applications granted…
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Pandemic multiplies demand, complicates operations for outdoor businesses
As the Coronavirus Pandemic continues, people worldwide are rediscovering the outdoors in a big way — leading to record visitation…
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Use caution during wildfire season
Fall wildfire season is underway in North Carolina, and the N.C. Forest Service together with the U.S. Forest Service is…
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Volunteer to build community outdoors
Outdoor Mission Community, formerly known as Outdoor Mission Camp, is seeking volunteers to aid in trip planning, leadership, skills certifications…
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WCU professor releases outdoor instruction book
Western Carolina University Professor Emeritus Maurice Phipps has released a new book aimed at people who are working or training…
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Some books for the little ones, some fun for you
It’s time to put away the books About politicos and other crooks, No more fat novels for today, It’s time…
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Courage for the road: Anders Beck of Greensky Bluegrass
Coming into 2020, Greensky Bluegrass was looking forward to celebrating its 20th anniversary. A relentless national touring act, it would…
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This must be the place: Things change but you don’t realize you have all you need
About halfway through the first set of the sold-out Goose drive-in show last Saturday, a friend turned to me and…
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Tillis should refuse to confirm High Court nominee
By Terri Henry • Guest Columnist | When President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth…
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Holding a family together
They say when a mom dies a family can fall apart. I’d heard this before, in movies and in real…
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Vice President’s words don’t match his actions
By Larry Bryson • Guest Columnist | Vice President Mike Pence has stated, “I am a Christian, conservative, and Republican, in that…
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Herd immunity would be deadly
To the Editor: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage throughout the U.S. as people continue to contract the illness, require…
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Forney a great choice for school board
To the Editor: I support the candidacy of Tausha Forney for a position on the Haywood County Board of Education.…
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Vote for Jones in 118th District
To the Editor: As a Waynesville resident, I’m a bystander in the NC House District 118 race, and it’s a…
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Encouraged by Democratic vandalism
To the Editor: As a conservative, it is encouraging to see the unprecedented vandalism of campaign signs in the county.…
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Stealing political signs is illegal
To the Editor: Here’s a message to the “concerned Republicans of Haywood County” who have paid for the “Law and…
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A champion of our mountain way of life
To the Editor: How do we decide whom to vote for? As a recent letter to the Smoky Mountain News…
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WCU to host modified Open House
Western Carolina University will pop up the tents for prospective students and their families and friends as the university holds…
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Eager voters flock to Haywood polls
Early voting began across North Carolina on Oct. 15, and since then, large numbers of voters have descended on their…
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Businesses adapt to survive pandemic
Despite the setbacks and challenges the COVID-19 Pandemic brought about in March, a surprising number of businesses in different industries…
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Haywood businesses become COVID-resilient
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | When the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns hit Haywood County in March, business owners braced for…
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Jackson businesses find their place in the post-pandemic world
Lured by the promise of drivable, socially distanced adventure, visitors from across the region have flocked to Jackson County in…
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Macon merchants adapt during pandemic to stay open
During the initial pandemic panic back in March, many merchants in Macon County closed up shop while they tried to…
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Swain businesses survive, thrive during pandemic
Swain County’s economy relies heavily on the tourism industry from outdoor recreation businesses to downtown retailers, restaurants and the railroad.
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Cherokee businesses feel pandemic impact
With the economic powerhouse that is Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort surfacing as one of the pandemic era’s most-impacted local businesses,…
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Haywood property revaluation to be presented Nov. 2
After more than a year of work, Haywood County’s property revaluation process is nearly complete and will be presented during…
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Vandalism, campaign sign thefts show deep division in Haywood
As the tumultuous 2020 election season draws to a close, partisans on both sides of the aisle are expressing anger…
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School systems seeing more COVID-19 cases, clusters
Since public school systems have returned to in-person instruction, more COVID-19 cases are being reported in Western North Carolina.
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Fierce campaign divides Mark Meadows’ old district
Those who hadn’t learned through backchannels a day or two beforehand found out early on a cold mountain morning late…
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Swain commission incumbents face challengers
Two Republicans and two Democrats are vying for two open seats on the Swain County Board of Commissioners this year.
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Wallace, Young seek open seat on Macon commission
After being the top vote-getters during the primary election, Democrat Betty Cloer Wallace and Republican Josh Young are seeking the…
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Jackson approves $4 million for animal shelter project
Jackson County commissioners voted 4-1 Oct. 20 to approve a $4.33 million contract to build a new animal rescue center…
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Kamala Harris to visit Asheville after COVID cancellation
Less than a week after cancelling travel to Asheville and Charlotte, Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Sen. Kamala Harris…
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Order wreaths for deceased veterans by Nov. 15
Wreath laying on the graves of veterans buried at Greenhill Cemetery in Waynesville will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday,…
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Body of lost hiker recovered in Shining Rock Wilderness
At approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday search teams located the body of missing hiker Chad Seger. He was found in an…
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COVID-19 cluster identified at Franklin church
Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in an area church located in Franklin.
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Waynesville hires new assistant manager
Town Manager Robert Hites announced that he has appointed Jesse D. Fowler as Waynesville’s Assistant Town Manager. Fowler is currently…
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