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One long, three short: reviews and reflections
We are, at our core, remembering and story-making creatures, and stories are one of the chief ways we find meaning…
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Heath Shuler previews tonight’s Dem convention
While the big news out of the Democratic National Convention thus far may be the formal nomination of Joe Biden…
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Motherhood isn’t martyrdom
When I became a mom at age 29, I did all the things I was supposed to do, all the…
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David Joy releases latest novel 'When These Mountains Burn'
Situated at the corner of N.C. 107 and 281, in the Tuckasegee community of rural Jackson County, is a newly-built…
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The roots of Joy: Ron Rash and Western Carolina University
Acclaimed Appalachian writer and poet Ron Rash has made a substantial impact on American literature during his three-decade career, but…
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This must be the place: High above the chimney top, that’s where you’ll find me
On Aug. 11, my late grandfather, Frank Kavanaugh, would have turned 100 years old. But, alas, it’s been some 13…
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Suffrage was slow for Black voters
When the 19th Amendment passed in 1920, women throughout the nation began to vote for the first time. But for…
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For the Cherokee, disenfranchisement was locally controlled
In 1930, a young man named Henry Owl traveled to the Ravensford election precinct in Swain County to register to…
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Haywood mourns COVID-19 losses
A COVID-19 outbreak at Silver Bluff Village in Canton has resulted in 24 deaths in the last couple of weeks,…
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Canton Labor Day events
The Coronavirus Pandemic may have left plans for Canton’s historic Labor Day festival up in the air, but a new…
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Jackson purchases School Pass app
At a special called Jackson County School Board meeting on Aug. 11, the board approved the purchase — upon final…
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DA will not press charges in Sylva Zoom bomb
After a July 23 Town of Sylva meeting was cut short following a barrage of racial slurs and other offensive…
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Input sought on Waynesville comprehensive plan
The window for the public to provide input on an important planning document is drawing to a close, but given…
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Land deal could bolster Canton’s Chestnut Mountain project
A critical piece of the Chestnut Mountain puzzle could soon come under control of the Town of Canton after town…
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Republicans campaign on support for law enforcement
Rallies expressing support for law enforcement officers and agencies are starting to become commonplace in Western North Carolina, but as…
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Best in the West: Blue Ridge Public Radio, Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News to host two-day NC11 candidate forum
Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis, candidates for the North Carolina congressional seat left vacant by White House Chief…
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Haywood reports 70 new COVID cases, 7 deaths
Haywood County Public Health received notice of 70 new cases of COVID-19 since the last press release on Aug. 7.…
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Cawthorn responds to sexual assault allegations
An Aug. 13 Instagram post alleges improper behavior by North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn during a date six…
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New billboards oppose Confederate statue
A pair of newly erected billboards along U.S. 441 in the Savannah area are calling attention to continued opposition to…
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Fall sports postponed at WCU, Southern Conference
Western Carolina University will postpone all fall sports this year following an Aug. 13 decision from the Southern Conference Council…
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TVA reverses course on outsourcing tech jobs
KNOXVILLE – The union representing information technology workers at the Tennessee Valley Authority applauded the federally owned utility’s decision to reverse…
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South Main buildings to be demolished
Three run-down properties in front of the Hazelwood Ingles were recently purchased by a firm called Hazelwood Corners LLC for…
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Jackson schools purchase School Pass app
At a special called Jackson County School Board meeting on Aug. 11, the board approved the purchase — upon final…
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Candidate’s claim creates false impression
Cawthorn rejected from Naval Academy By Tom Fiedler AVL Watchdog The narrative created by Republican congressional-candidate Madison Cawthorn paints a…
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WCU chancellor sworn in
Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown was sworn into office today, five months later than originally planned due to…
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Overlooks are special places in the southern mountains
High-elevation overlooks are one of our finest natural resources. These vantage points allow us to rise above our everyday humdrum…
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Duke pauses aerial spray program following complaints
Angela Faye Martin’s husband Brent had already left the house to scout a future hike for the guide service they…
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Congress passes legislation to fund parks, conservation
President Donald Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law on Tuesday, Aug. 4, guaranteeing funding for much-needed maintenance…
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Lake Junaluska cancels 5K
Lake Junaluska’s Friends of the Lake 5K will not take place in 2020.
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Two for the price of one
When I find an author I like, I usually get on a roll reading several of their books. Such was…
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Between midnight and the dawn: Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers
Celebrating two decades together this year, the Steep Canyon Rangers have evolved from a group of budding musicians in a…
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This must be the place: Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
On Aug. 9, 1995, I was 10 years old and living in an old farmhouse on the Canadian Border of…
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Western Carolina University is ready to meet the challenges of a fall semester during unprecedented times
By Kelli R. Brown • Guest Columnist | These are uncertain and challenging times. Our communities, our state and our nation…
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A strange back-to-school season for everyone
From my earliest memories, the back-to-school season has been a flurry of excitement. Both my parents were teachers. I worked…
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Trump trying to end your benefits
To the Editor: Got Social Security? Got a back-up plan for living without it? Payroll taxes fund Social Security. Trump,…
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Cawthorn doesn’t deserve youth vote
To the Editor: Madison Cawthorn, newly 25 and a GOP candidate for the 11th Congressional District, may be a young…
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U.S. Postmaster needs to be fired
To the Editor: I can’t begin to understand the actions of the new Postmaster of the United States Postal Service…
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After Anthony: NC women still struggle for representation
It’s been almost exactly 100 years since the 19th Amendment — often called the Anthony Amendment — was ratified on…
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Lassie Kelly: Franklin’s most influential suffragette
It’s fun to imagine what the people of Macon County must have thought of Lassie Kelly. Born in 1881, she…
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‘We believe in democracy’: For commissioner’s wife, winding road leads to citizenship, voting rights
With the 19th Amendment’s passage now 100 years in the rearview, most American women alive today have been eligible to…
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The Anthony Amendment: Women’s suffrage in NC and beyond
When the United States Constitution was adopted in 1787, left to the states was the power to determine who should…
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Women celebrate a century of suffrage
In recognition of the 19th Amendment’s centennial anniversary this month, The Smoky Mountain News highlights the historic events leading up to…
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Bowling receives Chief Junaluska Award
Long-time Lake Junaluska supporter the Rev. Dr. Robert “Bob” C. Bowling is the 2020 recipient of the Chief Junaluska Award,…
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Final admin shuffle at Haywood schools
At the Aug. 10 Haywood County Schools Board of Education meeting the school board heard the last round of introductions…
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COVID-19 deaths in western counties continue to rise
Although the seven-day rolling average of positive COVID-19 tests continues to trend downwards across the state of North Carolina, western…
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Harm reduction — enabling people to change their lives
Michelle Mathis, chairwoman and interim director of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, admits the organization does enable drug users.
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Resistance to harm reduction grows in Haywood
Tensions ran high at the Aug. 3 Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting as harm reduction critics become more vocal…
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University employees sue UNC System, Gov. Cooper
Seventeen employees at University of North Carolina System schools — including two from Western Carolina University — are suing the…
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