This conservative says it’s OK to disagree
 

This conservative says it’s OK to disagree

I wish to respond in a general way to the two columns on the Opinion page of the Dec. 27-Jan 2024…
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GOP once knew what honor meant
 

GOP once knew what honor meant

To the Editor: I recently finished reading Liz Cheney's book “Oath and Honor.” Liz Cheney represented Wyoming in the U.S.…
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Last year was a tough one for Canton, but this year will pose serious budgetary concerns. File photo
 

Canton's post-mill budget will be about results

The Town of Canton has been through some difficult budget discussions in the past, but this year’s effort, the first…
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Singleton got to meet golfing legend John Daly at a tournament a few years ago. Donated photo
 

An unforeseen journey: How J.J. Singleton’s cancer battle instilled a new sense of purpose

Challenges and trauma impact people in different ways. For Haywood County native J.J. Singleton, who has battled cancer for about…
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The Canton mill works through the night during its last  weeks of papermaking in May 2023. Max Cooper photo
 

Landfill pond overflow, failed water quality test prompt new violations at Canton mill

While mountain residents were busy preparing for Christmas, the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton that until May 2023 employed…
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The social district in Franklin will run along Main Street from town hall to Lazy Hiker Brewing. File photo
 

Franklin approves social district

The Town of Franklin will be the latest municipality in North Carolina to implement a social district after the town…
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License plate recognition cameras coming to Jackson
 

License plate recognition cameras coming to Jackson

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is poised to deploy several cameras around the county with automatic license plate readers in…
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Finance award casts further doubt on corruption claims in Haywood
 

Finance award casts further doubt on corruption claims in Haywood

Haywood County’s Finance Department has a long history of stellar performance, but a national award for excellence in financial reporting…
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Western Carolina University will host a series of events celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Donated photo
 

MLK celebration at WCU

Western Carolina University’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will begin Monday, Jan. 15, with its annual Unity March. 
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The highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Clingmans Dome rises to 6,643 feet above sea level.  Kristina Plaas photo
 

Cherokee approves application for Clingmans Dome name change

Tribal Council members stood to show their unanimous support Thursday, Jan. 4, for a resolution they hope will result in…
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Tribal Council disciplines former cannabis board member
 

Tribal Council disciplines former cannabis board member

A former Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians official and cannabis board member accused of soliciting favors  from a contractor that was…
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Haywood nurses completes five-week intensive course
 

Haywood nurses completes five-week intensive course

Sarah Banks, Emily Jenkins, Kelly Martin-Hicks, Abigail Clark, Heather Koonce and Sarah Keener at Haywood County Health and Human Services…
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George Masa sets up for a shot at Shining Rock in 1931. Courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library, Asheville
 

An artist's legacy: New database contributes to study of George Masa's photography

Angelyn Whitmeyer might be the last person you would expect to contribute to ongoing research surrounding a Japanese photographer who…
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Fun with weird data, poetry, and history
 

Fun with weird data, poetry, and history

Suppose, like some of us, you find yourself needing a quick word fix. You’ve got the jones for something to…
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Co-owners of the Cultivate Garden Shop (from left) Spencer & Courtney Tetrault and Amanda & Blake Yoder. Donated photo
 

Cultivating dreams: Garden shop opens in Waynesville

Just about a year ago, Spencer Tetrault was cruising along Depot Street in Waynesville when he noticed a “For Lease”…
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George Ivey, N.C. Development Director  for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, addresses the audience at the Blue Ridge Rising Summit. Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation photo
 

Regional leaders discuss strategies for the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor

More than 130 leaders from North Carolina and Virginia gathered to discuss a strategic action plan for the entire Blue…
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Park Service to focus study on Indian Reorganization Period
 

Park Service to focus study on Indian Reorganization Period

The National Park Service has announced its intention to collaborate with Native American tribes across the country on a theme…
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MountainTrue recognizes all-star volunteers
 

MountainTrue recognizes all-star volunteers

MountainTrue has recognized the members and volunteers who gave the most to the waters, forests and communities of Western North…
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Kids meet one of the wild inhabitants of the N.C. Arboretum grounds. N.C. Arboretum photo
 

Signups start soon for Arboretum youth programs

Registration opens soon for several upcoming outdoor education opportunities at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. 
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Drought maps are published every Thursday. U.S. Drought Monitor of N.C. map
 

Drought shrinks following Christmas rain

While some may have preferred a white Christmas, the rain that covered the region instead has proven the better Christmas…
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Hike with CMC
 

Hike with CMC

Take a winter walk on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Sunday, Jan. 7, in Asheville with the Carolina Mountain Club. 
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Highlands Greenway celebrates productive 2023
 

Highlands Greenway celebrates productive 2023

During 2023, volunteers with the Highlands Plateau Greenway contributed 640 hours to create new trails and maintain the existing ones…
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Bent Creek staff receive their award. EcoForesters photo
 

EcoForesters recognizes stewards of the land

The nonprofit EcoForesters has crowned its winners for the people who made a difference in forest stewardship and education during…
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Workday planned at Jackson greenway
 

Workday planned at Jackson greenway

Help remove invasive plants on the Jackson County Greenway 1-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12 in Cullowhee. 
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Tie flies like a pro
 

Tie flies like a pro

A three-week fly-tying course will teach participants to tie flies from the Southern Appalachians, 6-8 p.m. Mondays Jan. 15-29 at…
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Learn how to prepare for backcountry emergencies
 

Learn how to prepare for backcountry emergencies

Cullowhee-based Landmark Learning is now enrolling for a variety of wilderness medicine certification courses planned for the winter months. 
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We’re the lucky ones; we live here
 

We’re the lucky ones; we live here

As I think ahead to 2024, I can’t help but feel so lucky to live here, in these mountains. 
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Leaning into the momentum of a new year
 

Leaning into the momentum of a new year

I love the energy surrounding a new year. Why are beginnings so enchanting? Perhaps it’s the hope and anticipation of the…
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Editors help us with perspective
 

Editors help us with perspective

To the Editor: Newspaper editors and owners have an important role in our local communities and for us readers.
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What libraries do is so important
 

What libraries do is so important

To the Editor: Libraries are an important part of any community. In addition to books, they provide numerous other resources…
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Registration trends show deepening dissatisfaction with major parties
 

Registration trends show deepening dissatisfaction with major parties

As North Carolina prepares for federal, state and local elections in 2024, emerging trends in partisan registration that began in…
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Some minority voters gain ground, others don’t
 

Some minority voters gain ground, others don’t

It’s no secret that North Carolina is growing, but as its population grows, the composition of its electorate is changing…
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Western North Carolina is still reeling from the closure of Pactiv Evergreen’s century-old paper mill in Canton. A Shot Above photo
 

Leading N.C. attorney general candidates speak out on Canton mill issues

Two congressmen, both hoping to become North Carolina’s next attorney general, with be faced with a host of official duties…
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Engineering professor Martin Tanaka (left) and graduate student Clayton Bardall  discuss their mouthguard research at WCU’s Scholarship Showcase. Donated photo
 

Engineering and athletics team up with Penn State on head impact research at WCU

Clayton Bardall, a graduate student in Western Carolina University’s Engineering Technology program and tight end for WCU’s football team, recently…
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Comment

A cyberattack hit the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ computer network in December 2019.
 

Conviction overturned in cyberattack case

The Cherokee Supreme Court has vacated the conviction of a man who was prosecuted for his alleged role in a…
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Western Carolina University plans to replace or renovate the Jordan-Phillips Field House and components of Whitemire Stadium and the Ramsey Center, among other projects. File photo
 

Athletics upgrades on the way at WCU: University to ask legislature for help with $130 million to-do list

Western Carolina University is gearing up to take its first bite out of an estimated $130 million in needed upgrades…
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Newly matched, Little Brother Kayden and Big Brother Taylor are looking forward to visiting game shops, playing board games and discovering active activities. Donated photo
 

Consider becoming a Big Brother

January is National Mentoring Month, a great start to 2024 and an opportunity to give a young person a great…
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Swain Genealogical and Historical Society to explore Chambers family history
 

Swain Genealogical and Historical Society to explore Chambers family history

At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, in Bryson City, Frank March and Henry Chambers will present “The Lamon Chambers Map”…
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Boyce Deitz coached the Swain County Maroon Devils football team 1977-1997. Swain High School Athletics photo
 

Deitz leaves behind a legacy in WNC

Boyce Deitz’s influence on Swain County athletics was rich and storied, but the program to which he dedicated two decades…
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The Milsaps children, shown here, have moved in with their grandparents amid a tough family situation. Donated photo
 

Mountain Projects helps local family during increasingly common struggle

Donna Milsaps, of Jackson County, has encountered struggles that are hard to comprehend for some, but all too familiar for…
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Jackson to move school board race to November
 

Jackson to move school board race to November

The race for Board of Education in Jackson County is one step closer to being moved to November elections after…
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New Parks and Rec Director for Jackson
 

New Parks and Rec Director for Jackson

There is a new director at the head of the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department, after commissioners made their…
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Amanda Pruitt Motley. File photo
 

Motley named CFO of Haywood Regional Medical Center

Haywood Regional Medical Center has named Amanda Pruitt Motley as its new chief financial officer, effective Jan. 8, 2024. With…
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Kelsea, Kyle, Kyle’s son, Carson, and Baby Charlotte in a photo snapped not long before she passed. Donated photo
 

A courageous tale comes to an end: Baby with rare genetic disorder passes away close to Christmas

Most people don’t contribute to the world over a lifetime what Charlotte Joy Norris did in just two short years.…
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A year in review: the best albums of 2023
 

A year in review: the best albums of 2023

Editor’s Note: Since August 2012, Garret K. Woodward has held the position of arts and entertainment editor for The Smoky…
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Come what may: poetry for the new year
 

Come what may: poetry for the new year

In a recent online search, I came across “Good Riddance, But Now What?” by that master of light verse, Ogden…
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A lot to look forward to in 2024
 

A lot to look forward to in 2024

If 2024 were a table laid out before you, how would you imagine it: a beautiful, feast-laden smorgasbord of rich…
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Comment

All different, all the same, all over again
 

All different, all the same, all over again

Once upon a Christmas, our children came creeping down the stairs before dawn like little burglars.
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Nostalgia’s great, but ditch the rose-colored glasses
 

Nostalgia’s great, but ditch the rose-colored glasses

Like a lot of middle-aged-to-older Americans during the holiday season, I’m a person with a healthy nostalgic streak.
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Comment

2023 A Look Back: Grinch Award
 

2023 A Look Back: Grinch Award

The Grinch who Stole Christmas and Pactiv Evergreen have a lot more in common than just a shared color scheme…
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