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Franklin names Harrell as new police chief
The Town of Franklin recently announced that it has hired Franklin resident Bill Harrell to be its next police…
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‘Hair-iffic’ discovery at Waynesville sewer plant
Contractors performing work at Waynesville’s wastewater treatment plant last week were surprised to make a revolting discovery that highlights the…
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Haywood reaches 24 COVID-19 cases
Haywood County Public Health received notice May 15, that a 24th Haywood County resident has tested positive for the novel coronavirus,…
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Repairs begin on U.S. 74 in Swain County
A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation recently started construction to address slide and drainage issues in a problematic…
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Pandemic put pause on Mission’s troubles
By Peter H. Lewis AVL Watchdog The biggest health crisis in a lifetime hit Asheville shortly after the one-year anniversary…
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Drive-thru testing to open in Sylva
Drive-thru testing for COVID-19 will be available at the Walmart parking lot in Sylva beginning Friday, May 15.
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What we do to survive, and why
It seems every time I sit down to write these days, it has something to do with journalism and the…
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Time to re-ignite national service programs
By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist | COVID-19 has given me the opportunity to sit and think. Not just daydream. I…
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Take action now to protect voting
To the Editor: Long lines, limited polling place hours, inconvenient polling locations, not getting time off work and the COVID-19…
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America should open up
To the Editor: Some people call it common sense, others call it critical thinking or logic, and it is so…
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Let’s help stop the spread
To the Editor: I am not writing about a political issue but a health issue. I am a senior citizen…
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Birch stills were once common in the hills
All this spring, golden birch catkins were dangling throughout the woodlands of the Smokies region. These are the male, pollen-carrying…
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Watch for giant hornets
The Asian giant hornet has yet to be detected in North Carolina, but the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer…
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Smokies reopens: DOI Secretary makes visit; Tribe, Parkway also increase public access
Visitors from 26 different states and Washington, D.C., traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last weekend after it…
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Haywood County government, schools scale back budget proposals
Every year around this time, local governments, community colleges and public schools are busy crafting budgets for the upcoming fiscal…
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Second primary, voting in the pandemic
In an executive order on March 20, Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina Board of Elections moved…
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Jackson loosens COVID-19 restrictions
Jackson County has lifted some local regulations aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 with a Superseding Declaration of a…
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Dealing with addiction during pandemic
Addiction is a disease of isolation. This is a common truth in the culture of recovery. So it is understandable…
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Mental health agencies still providing resources
While some medical professionals warn of a second wave of COVID-19 cases across the nation, behavioral health experts say communities…
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Haywood businesses, leaders react to reopening
The debate across the state still simmers — too soon, too late, or, like Goldilocks’ porridge, just right?
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National forests lift fire restrictions
Forestwide fire restrictions have been lifted in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, with campfires now allowed as of Wednesday,…
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This must be the place: It was the work of the quiet mountains, this torrent of purity at my feet
Walking out of my apartment this past Tuesday, the morning sun illuminated the mud plastered all over the side of…
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Mountains to sea: Wicked Fresh Seafood & Meat Market
When Richard Gray was 9 years old, he would get up at 3:30 a.m. and ride his bicycle down to…
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Rod Harkleroad to step down as leader of HRMC
Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) today announced that Rod Harkleroad, CEO of HRMC, will step down from his role, effective…
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Blood Connection offers free COVID-19 testing for donors
The Blood Connection, a local nonprofit, community blood center is offering COVID-19 antibody testing to all donors at no cost.…
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Macon County Sheriff releases Smartphone app
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office has released a free mobile smartphone app allowing the public access to a multitude of…
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Three more COVID-19 cases in Haywood
Haywood County Public Health received notice May 11 that three more Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19. The…
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License, registration expiration dates extended 5 months
To assist N.C. Division of Motor Vehicle customers and partners in dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a provision…
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Food donation chain in near gridlock, Manna chief says
By Nick Peters AVL Watchdog The main floor of Manna FoodBank’s warehouse in Asheville is a beehive of activity as…
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Jackson County unveils new local funding resource
Jackson County has allocated $324,000 for a new program that will provide short-term, low-interest loans to small businesses that have…
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Haywood County Cares — Adam Perry
Adam Perry has worked for Haywood County Schools since 1996. Currently, he is the Job Coach at Tuscola High School…
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Franklin business manufacturing health care equipment
“We will be closing until further notice. God bless us all.” This is but one of many messages posted to…
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WCU to hold postponed graduation in December
It will be May in December for members of Western Carolina University’s spring graduating class of 2020 who were originally…
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Parkway begins reopening
The Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened its southernmost 14 miles and plans to reopen additional gates this weekend once seasonal…
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19 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Haywood
Haywood County Public Health received notice May 6 that a 19th Haywood County resident has tested positive for the novel…
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Cherokee lifts border closure; casino announces gradual reopening
Almost 60 days after closing their doors to help slow the spread of COVID-19, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos will begin a gradual…
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Arboretum to begin reopening
Trails at the 434-acre N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will reopen on Saturday, May 9, as the campus begins Phase 1…
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Phase reopening starts in the Smokies
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened most trails and roads when it entered its first phase of reopening last…
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Body recovered from Whitewater Falls
Two people are dead following an emergency situation at Whitewater Falls in Jackson County this week — a 24-year-old man…
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Haywood County Cares — Gene Williamson
After a 30-year career with the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Sgt. Gene Williamson retired in 2014, but he didn’t stay…
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Jackson's coronavirus count holds steady
For the second day in a row, there has been no increase in the tally of COVID-19 cases in Jackson…
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Remembering one of WNC’s biggest melees
In 1913, Western North Carolina historian John Preston Arthur described John Denton of Graham County as “the most picturesque mountaineer…
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Fishing license scam reported
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is issuing a warning about a scam in which private online websites falsely claim to…
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Parkway announces paving projects
The Blue Ridge Parkway will resurface more than 100 miles of its 469-mile length this year.
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Explore nature from home
A new online activity program from the Kids in Parks program aims to keep kids connected to nature while earning…
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Funding available for WNC farms
Grants and loans to help small and mid-scale farmers in Western North Carolina navigate the COVID-19 crisis are now available…
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Haywood Waterways names new officers
Suzanne Klimek has been named the new president of Haywood Waterways Association.
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Churchill’s spirit comes through in new biography
Sometimes in a crisis it helps to take a look in the rearview mirror. In The Splendid And The Vile:…
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Look for the best in this new normal
By Nick Breedlove • Guest Columnist | Every May we commemorate National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) to celebrate the…
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