Trailblazers & Traditionalists pulses with life
 

Trailblazers & Traditionalists pulses with life

Years ago, in the parking lot of the Haywood County Public Library, I met a man in his late 20s…
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The new BearWaters Brewing – Creekside location in Maggie Valley.  Donated photo
 

BearWaters Brewing expands to Maggie Valley

If you had told BearWaters Brewing founder/co-owner Kevin Sandefur eight years ago that some day he’d be at the helm…
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Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Donated photo
 

Frog Level Brewing reopens

In a highly-anticipated relaunch of a beloved Waynesville business, Frog Level Brewing has finally opened its doors following renovations and…
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Take a chance and build a boat, some will sink and some will float
 

Take a chance and build a boat, some will sink and some will float

On Monday morning, I woke up in a big, cozy antique brass bed at my parents’ 1840 farmhouse up near…
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Summer & Bray
 

Concerts on the Creek

Presented by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the 11th season of Concerts on the Creek will return with Summer…
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Justice for all? Hopefully, one day in the future
 

Justice for all? Hopefully, one day in the future

When I saw the video of the mostly young crowd marching Monday night in Waynesville to protest the killing of…
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Celebrating a pivotal year
 

Celebrating a pivotal year

Many are focused on graduations right now. Amidst the pandemic and nationwide protesting, we’re trying to help our young people…
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Local customers are much appreciated
 

Local customers are much appreciated

To the Editor: We would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve you and say thank you…
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The making of a cluster outbreak
 

The making of a cluster outbreak

To the Editor: Donald Trump doesn’t want to wear a face mask. He feels he looks ridiculous in one. Donald…
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Trump makes us the laughingstock
 

Trump makes us the laughingstock

To the Editor: Did you know there is a group of essential workers who will not be getting a stimulus…
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Let’s enable police to do it right
 

Let’s enable police to do it right

To the Editor: On Monday, May 25, George Floyd of Minneapolis was the latest victim of wrongful police killings. May…
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Waynesville protest march concludes peacefully
 

Waynesville protest march concludes peacefully

A group of almost 100 demonstrators hoping to draw attention to racial injustice marched through Waynesville on the night of…
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Low-turnout congressional runoff election will be predictably unpredictable
 

Low-turnout congressional runoff election will be predictably unpredictable

A year ago, few would have predicted that a crowded field of Republicans would eventually whittle themselves down to two,…
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Revenue short for Sylva’s 2021 budget
 

Revenue short for Sylva’s 2021 budget

When the Sylva town board met for its annual budget brainstorming session in January, members had no problem dreaming big…
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Budget decrease projected for Jackson
 

Budget decrease projected for Jackson

At $66.5 million, Jackson County’s proposed budget for 2020-21 includes a 1.34 percent decrease from the 2019-20 amended budget and…
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Casinos reopen at limited capacity
 

Casinos reopen at limited capacity

For the first time since closing March 18, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos in Murphy and Cherokee are now open to the…
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Cases continue to rise in western counties
 

Cases continue to rise in western counties

Rural counties have so far been sheltered from the high numbers of positive COVID-19 cases, but as testing ramps up,…
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Macon County Health Director Kathy McGaha speaks during a press conference                on Friday, May 29. Screenshot from Macon Media
 

Two COVID clusters cause spike in Macon cases

Updated 6/4/20: Macon County now has 109 positive COVID-19 cases, 94 of those are active. Macon County has seen a…
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Justin Mitchell pictured with his grandmother, Loretta Farrow. Donated photo
 

Haywood paramedic loses life amid pandemic

Justin Mitchell grew up like many young men in the South. He had a big family and attended church. His…
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COVID-19 delays 2020 U.S. Census progress
 

COVID-19 delays 2020 U.S. Census progress

Filling out the 2020 U.S. Census form is easier than ever, yet response levels are still significantly lagging in many…
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Franklin man sentenced as habitual felon
 

Franklin man sentenced as habitual felon

District Attorney Ashley Welch announced that Jeremy Edward Stepp has been sentenced as a habitual felon and can expect to spend…
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SCC now open to the public
 

SCC now open to the public

Southwestern Community College is now open to foot traffic, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The college…
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Kathie and Burt Carnahan at their daughter's wedding in 2018.
 

Families in Fear at Stricken Nursing Home

By Sally Kestin • AVL Watchdog | Kathie Carnahan nursed her husband through two major surgeries, watched helplessly as dementia robbed the…
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Currahee Brewing Company has locations in Alpharetta, Georgia and in Franklin, North Carolina.
 

Beer branded with white nationalist lingo, imagery draws outrage

As cities across the nation smolder amidst the destruction of racially charged rioting over the murder of George Floyd by…
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Motorcycle fatality near park headquarters
 

Motorcycle fatality near park headquarters

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers responded to a report of a motorcycle collision along Newfound Gap Road near Park…
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Changes made to WCU fall calendar
 

Changes made to WCU fall calendar

Western Carolina University has announced plans for fall 2020 that include holding the first day of classes as scheduled on…
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Health insurance deadline looms for displaced workers
 

Health insurance deadline looms for displaced workers

 Workers laid-off due to COVID-19 face impending deadlines to qualify for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance.
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42 new COVID cases in Macon County
 

42 new COVID cases in Macon County

Macon County Public Health has identified 42 positive cases of COVID-19 in the last 48 hours.
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Jackson County logs new COVID-19 cases
 

Jackson County logs new COVID-19 cases

Two new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Jackson County residents today, upping the number to 33, with 1,319 tests completed…
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Haywood COVID cases now up to 48
 

Haywood COVID cases now up to 48

Haywood County Public Health received notice on May 28, that another three Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19…
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Waynesville opening pool, public restrooms
 

Waynesville opening pool, public restrooms

Most public restrooms in Waynesville reopened on Friday, May 22, and the pool, water park and locker rooms at the…
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The normally bustling Grove Arcade Outdoor Maker’s Market is quiet without artist vendors and foot traffic.
 

Asheville’s soul threatened: Artists and musicians hit hard

By Ilana Fiorenza • AVL Watchdog | The pandemic that left thousands of Asheville workers unemployed has been particularly hard on the…
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Three Macon residents positive for COVID-19
 

Three Macon residents positive for COVID-19

Macon County has identified three more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total cases up to 21.
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Four new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Jackson County
 

Four new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Jackson County

Jackson County saw a 14.8 percent increase in COVID-19 cases among county residents today, with the count rising from 27…
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Casino will open tomorrow
 

Casino will open tomorrow

Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos will open to the public for the first time since March 18 at 6 p.m. Thursday, May…
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The peculiar weather of the Smokies
 

The peculiar weather of the Smokies

Weather continues to be the enduring topic for conversation here in the Smokies region. Long after the Eric Rudolph furor…
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Park enters second phase of reopening
 

Park enters second phase of reopening

The opening of Clingmans Dome Road on Tuesday, May 19, was followed by an additional wave of reopenings on Saturday,…
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Second Lady Karen Pence (left) hikes to the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower with Smokies Superintendent Cassius Cash (far right). Holly Kays photo
 

Second Lady Pence visits the Smokies: Applauds reopening, mental health benefits of outdoor recreation

Visiting Clingmans Dome is like being in the clouds, Second Lady Karen Pence said when she visited the site Tuesday,…
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Trout waters to open
 

Trout waters to open

Delayed Harvest trout waters will open on June 6 in North Carolina, affecting 34 streams and two lakes. 
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A meeting of two great minds
 

A meeting of two great minds

Looking for a reading challenge and something with a little depth to it? If so, then I’ve got the book…
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The Get Right Band.
 

Appeasing the melodic sweet tooth: The Get Right Band unleashes ‘Itchy Soul’

For a group whose core mission is to promote positivity and compassion, The Get Right Band has found its ideals…
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The Appalachian Trail in Dalton, Massachusetts. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)
 

This must be the place: Time and time and time again, circles break and lines they bend  

I awoke to the sounds of tractor-trailers zooming by on the other side of the motel parking lot. It was…
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What a ride: Born after 9/11, graduating during the pandemic
 

What a ride: Born after 9/11, graduating during the pandemic

By Molly Boothroyd • Guest Columnist | Who would have thought the year 2020 could be so negative, life-changing but…
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The oh-so-sweet sound of bat and baseball
 

The oh-so-sweet sound of bat and baseball

When our son, Jack, joined the high school marching band, he promptly announced his official retirement from baseball, unceremoniously closing…
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We need Moe Davis in Congress
 

We need Moe Davis in Congress

To the Editor: The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed many societal issues in our country — inadequate healthcare, the ever-widening…
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Vigilante justice can’t be tolerated
 

Vigilante justice can’t be tolerated

To the Editor: On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was jogging in a residential Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood,…
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Cherokee show greed toward other tribes
 

Cherokee show greed toward other tribes

To the Editor: The entire article on the Cherokee suing over the Catawba casino proves that the only reason for…
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Graduate photos dot the hillside below Tuscola High School. Donated photo
 

Less pomp, more circumstance: Western North Carolina’s future leaders graduate amidst pandemic

The Class of 2020 will forever be remembered as the “asterisk” class. Whether it be high school, community college or…
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