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This must be the place: Call it living the dream, call it kicking the ladder
Why does it seem we’re all so unhappy these days? Is it that we’re just more aware of our emotions…
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Haywood schools again ask for calendar flexibility
North Carolina’s rigid school calendar law has been in place since 2004, but over the past few weeks, a pair…
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Cherokee artifacts at Plott Creek? Maybe so, maybe not
During the protracted approval process of a proposed development that would bring around 200 new apartments to a 41-acre parcel…
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HCC president announces her retirement
Haywood Community College President Dr. Barbara Parker announced her intent to retire, effective Dec. 31, 2019, at the college board…
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Budget talks get underway in Macon
It’s likely to be another tough budget year as Macon County commissioners are faced with a growing list of capital…
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Tribe votes for Plott Balsam conservation
An effort to conserve 912 acres along the Plott Balsam ridge in Jackson County cleared the final hurdle of a…
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Déjà vu: N.C. 107 planners struggle to find solutions to road dilemma
After taking input from the more than 100 people who attended a Jan. 14 public forum and carefully combing their…
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Records shed light on Jackson jail death
While unanswered questions remain in the recent death of 49-year-old Franklin resident Melissa Middleton Rice, which occurred on Jan. 18…
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‘She just slipped through our fingers’
Editor's note: some names in this story have been changed to honor a request from the family of the deceased. At…
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Woman from the west, for the west: Hipps remembered for her passion, commitment
On the campaign trail, Jane Hipps of Waynesville was often called the “woman from the west, for the west.” With…
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Sylva man arrested following stabbing
A Sylva man has been charged with assault after Jackson County deputies responded to a Feb. 7 call and found…
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Threat prompts Canton Middle evacuation
Haywood County Schools officials at Canton Middle School learned that a threatening message (bomb threat) was written on a restroom…
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HCC president announces her retirement
Haywood Community College President Dr. Barbara Parker announced her intent to retire, effective Dec. 31, 2019, at the college board…
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Columns and newspapers can change views
By John Hood • Guest Columnist I have written a syndicated column on politics and public policy for North Carolina…
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Finally, my wife is living the dream
When Tammy and I met almost exactly 15 years ago, there were a few adjustments we had to make, like…
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Will our democracy survive this test?
To the Editor: Safe roads. Safe airports. Safe air travel. Clean water. Clean air. Safe streets. Consumer protection. Safe waste…
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Meadows is leader of obstruction, shutdown
To the Editor: The “Meadows stands for national security” letter written by Ted Carr clearly linked the word “resist” with…
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Outside the bounds of time: Longtime WNC songwriter releases debut album
Tucked up along a hillside overlooking Richland Creek and the Frog Level district of Waynesville is a cozy bungalow. The…
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Don’t you know that God is Pooh Bear?
Standing in front of the ancient waterfall, I watched the lagoon sparkle like some long-lost stash of emeralds and sapphires.…
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Falling in love with a writer
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and I have fallen in love. Again. Three years ago, Nina George entranced me with…
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Junaluska’s story as told through historians
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a February 2002 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. Every reader of this column…
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N.C. efforts aid Texas turkey population
A trap-and-release effort based in North Carolina is helping to boost wild turkey populations in Texas.
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Water champions honored
Three water champions were recognized for their work to improve Haywood County’s rivers, streams and reservoirs during 2018 at Haywood…
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Disaster payments go out to farmers
The federal government shutdown created some delays in getting applications processed for the Agriculture Disaster Relief Program of 2018, but…
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Land trust celebrates 100 properties conserved
Conservation of six new places last year brought Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust to a landmark total of 100 conservation projects completed,…
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‘Effort like they’ve never had to give’: Farmers get older and fewer, but hope remains for ag’s future
Zac Guy grew up on the back of a tractor. His father worked in sales and his mother was a…
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Macon leaders attend legislative goals conference
Macon County Commissioners Jim Tate and Ronnie Beale and County Manager Derek Roland recently joined voting delegates from counties throughout…
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Cherokee approves early gaming disbursements for housing
Young Cherokee tribal members could soon be able to use their gaming allocations to pay for housing following a unanimous…
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Major new Haywood schools facility proposed
It’s $13 million now, or $40 million later, according to a presentation by Haywood Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bill Nolte…
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Fresh eyes, fresh ideas: Haywood budget process begins
It’s not Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead’s first budget, but it is his first budget in Haywood County.
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Dogwood Health Trust now in operation
With the completion of Mission Health System’s sale of assets to HCA Healthcare, Dogwood Health Trust is now officially operating…
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Domestic violence organization forming in Jackson
Seven years have passed since REACH of Jackson County suddenly shut down operations due to financial issues, leaving the county…
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Face to face: Local homeless remain elusive
Huddled together in the dark near an old wood stove beneath an elaborate rigging of tarps and tents on a…
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Meth, not bear attack, caused death in park, autopsy says
An autopsy recently completed on a man who died in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last September determined that…
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HCA completes purchase of Mission Health
HCA Healthcare, a leading healthcare provider with 185 hospitals and approximately 1,800 sites of care in 21 states and the…
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The tide is turning on marijuana
The libertarian in me believes in the “live and let live” mantra, which when it comes to legalizing pot means…
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First the boots, then the heavy lifting
“It is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own…
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Rational conclusion: shutdown was all Trump
To the Editor: In last week’s guest opinion column, Isaac Herrin invited us to think rationally about the government shutdown and…
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We need the wall for our security
To the Editor: Cannot the “Resisters of the Wall” and Democrats who suggest we don’t need a wall because it’s…
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Stricter laws will solve problem
To the Editor: For the last 19 years I’ve been reading (frequently) how semi-trucks are a hazard on Highlands Road…
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Back to work: Shutdown ends, but effects likely to linger through 2019 season
After 35 days of furlough, National Park Service staff are back to work at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Lake Junaluska eagles – do over?
It appears the eagles that nested unsuccessfully last year at Lake Junaluska are back for another go at it. There…
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A poet offers thoughts on life and death
When someone dies, we look for words to assuage our grief and the grief of others. We deliver eulogies, we…
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In pursuit of the moment: Greg Ormont of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
In a day and age where everything that glistens and captures society’s short attention span is seemingly a smoke screen…
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This must be the place
Meandering down the desolate Route 8 in the southern Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York last weekend, my truck came…
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Women’s March embarks on third year; Organizers strive for inclusivity for all women
This year marked the third annual Women’s March on Asheville — part of a national movement to rally for equal rights…
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Halfway home: pink hat marchers soldier on
A little over two years ago, I woke up in Alexandria, Virginia, less than 24 hours after the inauguration of…
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Habitual felons convicted in Haywood
According to the District Attorney's Office, it’s gotten quieter in the Dutch Cove community near Canton since Matthew Dillon Smathers,…
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