Meadows lives in echo chamber
 

Meadows lives in echo chamber

To the Editor:  Republican Mark Meadows held an impromptu rally in front of the Macon County Courthouse on October 24,…
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Don’t sink to Trump’s level
 

Don’t sink to Trump’s level

To the Editor: The first duty of government to its citizens is to safeguard them from acts of violence. Instead,…
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Vote no on all six amendments
 

Vote no on all six amendments

To the Editor: Recent newspaper stories have provided information about the six proposed amendments to the state constitution. We would…
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At least two elected officials need to go
 

At least two elected officials need to go

As election fatigue sets in, keep this in mind: it’s the local races that will most affect each of us.…
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Band culture is a thing, a good thing
 

Band culture is a thing, a good thing

When our daughter told us a little over four years ago that she was interested in trying out for the…
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The greenway’s mile of paved trail is mostly wooded, but a grassy section midway could soon turn into a series of kids’ mountain biking loops. Nick Breedlove photo
 

Bringing kids to the single-track: Plan in the works for children’s mountain bike trail in Jackson

If a partnership between Jackson County and the Nantahala Area Southern Off Road Bicycle Association comes to fruition, kids in…
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New forest management plan advocacy group forms
 

New forest management plan advocacy group forms

A coalition of businesses, groups and organizations calling itself I Heart Pisgah has formed to advocate for greater protections in…
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Help hellbenders
 

Help hellbenders

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wants to hear about hellbender sightings, part of agency biologists’ ongoing effort to learn more…
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New website for state trails
 

New website for state trails

A new N.C. Trails website has launched, providing a hub for the N.C. Trails Program and offering quick and easy…
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Before rehabilitation (left) Sugarland Mountain Trail was an impassible mass of fallen trees and rocks. After weeks of work (right) Sugarland Mountain and Bull Head are now reopen. NPS photos
 

Smokies trails reopen after 2016 wildfires

For the first time since wildfires ravaged the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in fall 2016, the Bull Head and…
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The new Foothills Parkway section completes a project that began in 1966. NPS photo
 

New Foothills Parkway section to open

A long-awaited section of the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley in Tennessee will officially open on Saturday, Nov.…
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Honey locust tree.
 

Honey locust pods are well-protected

Strap-shaped honey locust pods can be up to 2-inches wide and a foot or more in length. Hanging in abundance along…
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Book explores Trump’s election victory
 

Book explores Trump’s election victory

Want to know why Donald Trump won the 2016 election in one of the most stunning upsets in American history?…
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Drew Morgan, Trae Crowder and Corey Ryan Forrester. Nicol Biesek Photography
 

Don’t judge the book, read the book: ‘Liberal Redneck’ brings wellRED tour to WCU

What Trae Crowder, Drew Morgan and Corey Ryan Forrester are doing is artistically and politically groundbreaking in the world of…
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Garret, circa 1985.
 

This must be the place: Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good

Let’s go Sox.  Standing and shouting at the large television at a pub around the corner from my apartment in…
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FBI agents take documents from the Qualla Housing Authority headquarters during a February 2017 raid. Holly Kays photo
 

Cherokee considers abolishing Qualla Housing

The Cherokee Tribal Council is considering disbanding the Qualla Housing Authority, an organization that was formed in 1993 to create…
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Open enrollment for federal health insurance begins
 

Open enrollment for federal health insurance begins

Open Enrollment for the 2019 Federal Health Insurance Exchange begins Thursday, Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15 for coverage…
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Haywood Regional Medical Center is one of three Western North Carolina hospitals that could be out-of-network with UnitedHealthCare by January, depending on how negotiations go. File photo
 

UnitedHealthCare contract renegotiation underway at area hospitals

When retired teacher Villa Brewer went to get her mail Oct. 23, she returned with two interesting letters. One was…
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Eric Giles, a candidate for Macon County sheriff and a deputy for Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, speaks at a candidate forum held in April. File photo
 

Giles returns to patrol duty despite Giglio Order

Eric Giles, a candidate for Macon County sheriff, is back on patrol duty for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office after…
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Voters will be asked to decide on six proposed amendments to the N.C. Constitution this year. NCSBE photo
 

Proposed N.C. Constitutional amendments leave unanswered questions

Most years, voters head to the polls with a few candidates or a political party in mind, push some buttons, and go home. But this year’s ballot also contains six proposed amendments to the North Carolina Constitution.
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Early voting turnout up in N.C., slightly up in Haywood
 

Early voting turnout up in N.C., slightly up in Haywood

The bad news is almost six million North Carolinians still hadn’t voted as of Monday, Oct. 29. The good news is more than a million had — 1.23 million, to be exact.
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New opioid treatment facility to open
 

New opioid treatment facility to open

Groups: recover together, a leading provider of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, will be hosting an open house from 4…
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N.C. 11th District Congressman Mark Meadows (center) talks with veterans at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center this past August. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Meadows rides a rising red tide

Asheville Republican Mark Meadows has now served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives — the last two as a powerful figure in the majority party, the most recent under unified Republican control of the presidency, the Senate and the House. 
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Phillip Price (left) and Clifton Ingram (right).
 

Two seek to sink Rep. Meadows reelection bid

Since 2012, Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District has been represented by Asheville Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, a Florida native who moved to the region in 1986. Meanwhile, Meadows has enjoyed great electoral success and become the standard-bearer for what remains of the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party nationwide.
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New generation needed to preserve North Shore cemeteries
 

New generation needed to preserve North Shore cemeteries

It’s a crisp fall day in Swain County. As the sun finally peaks over the trees around lunch time, the…
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The Blue Rooster in Clyde is looking to expand upon its history of charitable activity. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Blue Rooster steps up for kids

The crew at The Blue Rooster Southern Grill is known for some of the best fried chicken in the region,…
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N.C. Promise success celebrated at WCU
 

N.C. Promise success celebrated at WCU

Western Carolina University students whose lives have been changed by the tuition reduction program N.C. Promise got to tell their…
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UNC President Margaret Spellings speaks to Western Carolina students and leaders Oct. 24 about the success of the N.C. Promise tuition reduction program. Holly Kays photo
 

UNC President to resign: Spellings will leave office in midst of WCU chancellor search

When UNC System President Margaret Spellings visited Cullowhee Wednesday, Oct. 24, the prevailing mood was celebratory and lighthearted as she…
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Sure Feels Good Anyway: A Conversation with Amy Ray
 

Sure Feels Good Anyway: A Conversation with Amy Ray

A true mark of a timeless artist is how well they age. Not simply by the passing years on the…
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You can't take it when you go: Rock icon Dave Mason rolls through Asheville
 

You can't take it when you go: Rock icon Dave Mason rolls through Asheville

Dave Mason has seen it all. As co-founder/guitarist for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group Traffic, Mason, alongside band…
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From rivers to trails, Western North Carolina has plenty of adventure opportunities to attract gear users and manufacturers alike. SMN photo
 

Uniquely positioned: Grant aims to grow outdoor gear industry in WNC

An effort is underway to make North Carolina’s 24 western counties into the next outdoor gear industry hub, and the…
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Comment

Sewage spill causes halt to water recreation
 

Sewage spill causes halt to water recreation

A sewage spill occurred in Haywood County Oct. 15 when a septic tank pump truck became involved in an accident…
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Canton student part of record-setting livestock sale
 

Canton student part of record-setting livestock sale

Canton resident Caleb Henson was part of a class of N.C. State Fair junior livestock show winners that drew a…
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Coyote interactions more frequent in the fall
 

Coyote interactions more frequent in the fall

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is forecasting that coyote sightings will be more frequent in the state over the next…
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Sweet potato pest causes N.C. quarantine
 

Sweet potato pest causes N.C. quarantine

A statewide quarantine is in effect for the Guava root nematode, a serious pest of sweet potatoes that also affects…
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Deer carcass import restrictions enacted
 

Deer carcass import restrictions enacted

A new wildlife rule has been implemented in North Carolina prohibiting the importation of whole deer carcasses and restricting importation…
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The Pertusaria superiana is one of five new lichen species recently discovered in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The species were named after park staff. Tripp and Lendemer 2018 photo
 

New species discoveries in the Smokies total 1,000

The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory has reached a major milestone with the announcement that it’s added 1,000 new species to…
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Isle de Jean Charles, LA being swallowed by the Gulf. insideclimatenews.org, Karen Apricot photo
 

Climate change – deadly serious

The last installment of “The Naturalist’s Corner” began kind of tongue-in-cheek, referring to climate change in Trumpian terms of a…
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Halloween suggestions for the young and old
 

Halloween suggestions for the young and old

In 2015, online blogger Amanda Russo posted a humorous piece “Why Halloween Is Actually A Pretty Weird Holiday.” As Russo…
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Finding inspiration in banned books
 

Finding inspiration in banned books

My mom was a librarian and my dad an English teacher so books were always stacked on the dining room…
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Hate is not a platform
 

Hate is not a platform

To the Editor: The large sign on the Asheville highway that was apparently put up by a rare “civil” local…
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Voter ID opponents insult citizenry
 

Voter ID opponents insult citizenry

To the Editor: Opponents of the Voter ID amendment use the reason that requiring a photo ID will suppress the…
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Comment

Melrose deserves vote for judge
 

Melrose deserves vote for judge

To the Editor: I am writing in support of Mark Melrose for Superior Court Judge. I am for common sense…
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Comment

I’d vote for Mau if I was able
 

I’d vote for Mau if I was able

To the Editor: I can’t vote in Jackson County, but I’m committed to the future of my hometown. That’s why…
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Comment

Won’t someone think of the children?
 

Won’t someone think of the children?

To the Editor: Listen, if you will. A small child somewhere in the United States crying out in the night.…
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Comment

Vote ‘no’ on all six amendments
 

Vote ‘no’ on all six amendments

To the Editor: Amending the N.C. Constitution should not be taken lightly nor done with political intent. This document is…
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Comment

Rep. Meadows sells out to Trump
 

Rep. Meadows sells out to Trump

To the Editor: As we prepare to vote in the November elections, let’s recall Bill Covin’s letter (SMN, Oct. 2-9,…
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Comment

Schandevel supports students, teachers
 

Schandevel supports students, teachers

To the Editor: I am writing this letter as a plea for parents to think about education as you cast…
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Comment

Elect leaders who will support children, families
 

Elect leaders who will support children, families

To the Editor: As the director of the Jackson County Department of Social Services, every day I observe young families…
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Comment

Mary Polaski (left) and Barbara McRae serve as co-chairs for the Women’s History Trail leadership team in Macon County. Jessi Stone photo
 

Walking in Her Steps: Macon County to unveil Women’s History Trail

The multifaceted roles women have played in society are often overlooking in the history books, but if you dig deep…
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