Cherokee started pursuing an adventure park concept in 2012 but wound up setting it aside. Iconica rendering
 

Cherokee to seek $280 million in credit for construction

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will seek $280 million in credit to fund a list of five priority projects…
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Andrew Johnson, N.C. Works career coach with Haywood Community College, shares his thoughts with the focus group July 12. Holly Kays photo
 

Statewide tour seeks answers for improving post-high school education rate

Educational leaders from across the mountain region convened at Cherokee Central Schools this month for an afternoon of conversation and…
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LifePoint Health to merge with RCCH Healthcare Partners
 

LifePoint Health to merge with RCCH Healthcare Partners

LifePoint Health, the parent company of three regional hospitals in Western North Carolina, recently announced its plans to merge with…
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Mission Health is in the process of being acquired by for-profit health care company HCA. Once the transaction is complete, the sale proceeds have to be put into a nonprofit foundation. File photo
 

New health foundation to form following Mission sale

Though the sale of nonprofit Mission Health to for-profit HCA isn’t official yet, the Mission Health Board of Directors hasn’t…
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N.C. 107 is Sylva’s main commercial corridor, but it’s also an increasingly crowded road that’s long been in need of updating. Holly Kays photo
 

N.C. 107 meeting scheduled

The upcoming remodel of N.C. 107 through Sylva will be the focus of a special meeting and public hearing planned…
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Thick plastic sharps containers sit on a desk during a presentation on needle collection procedures. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

The damage done: finding needles in a haystack

Lindsay Regner and Megan Hauser tromp down an old railroad line, their steady pace creating a predictable beat of feet…
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November ballot referenda
 

November ballot referenda

Although legislators have been called back to Raleigh for a special session that may include modification of the descriptions of…
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Not so fast: ballot referenda bring lawmakers back to Raleigh
 

Not so fast: ballot referenda bring lawmakers back to Raleigh

The polls are usually thought of as a place to vote for or against people, but this year in North…
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A founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer Doug ‘Cosmo’ Clifford.
 

Long as I can see the light: A conversation with Doug ‘Cosmo’ Clifford

They just don’t make’em like they used to. That adage is the pure, honest truth when applied to the music…
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This must be the place: Happy 50th birthday, Dirty Santa
 

This must be the place: Happy 50th birthday, Dirty Santa

And there I was, at a dive bar in the 800-person high desert town of Victor, Idaho, with the backdrop…
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A camper waves from the dock at Lake Junaluska after an afternoon of fishing and canoeing. Holly Kays photo
 

Adventure for all: Outdoor camp for youth with special needs builds friendships and confidence

Intermittent breeze ripples the water atop Lake Junaluska as the sky vacillates between sun and cloud, but the wind can’t…
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Bill seeks to fund Park Service maintenance backlog
 

Bill seeks to fund Park Service maintenance backlog

A bi-partisan bill seeking to create a fund to address deferred maintenance in the National Parks System has been introduced…
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New tick species found in N.C.
 

New tick species found in N.C.

A new species of tick has been spotted in North Carolina following the discovery of a longhorned tick on an…
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PARI campus. Donated photo
 

Learning Center opens at PARI

The Learning Center at PARI has officially launched following a ribbon-cutting ceremony this month.
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Red wolf. USFWS photo
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Continuing red wolf saga

U.S. Fish and Wildlife (F&W) held a public meeting regarding proposed rule changes to its Red Wolf Recovery Plan. According…
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Choose your summer reading carefully
 

Choose your summer reading carefully

The last 10 days have brought some broad swatches of time for reading. Two novels have traveled from the library,…
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My eyes and heart open after Mexico trip
 

My eyes and heart open after Mexico trip

Though my parents were both teachers and worked second jobs to give my sister and me all we needed, they…
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Don’t traffic in fake news
 

Don’t traffic in fake news

To the Editor: In reference to the letter from Lowell Crisp titled, “The whole truth about Red Hen incident,” I…
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DACA immigrants should leave U.S.
 

DACA immigrants should leave U.S.

To the Editor: Here is the news … but it is not new — there is a legal way to…
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Folkmoot wins friends around the world
 

Folkmoot wins friends around the world

To the Editor: I would like to express my enthusiastic support for the thoughts expressed in Scott McLeod great article…
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The final call to save red wolves
 

The final call to save red wolves

To the Editor: Some of you may have read my red wolf letter to the editor published in early May.…
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Watershed may not meet standards
 

Watershed may not meet standards

To the Editor: The Waynesville Watershed has a Water Supply 1 (WS-1) classification, which is the most strict in North…
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Jerica Rossi photo.
 

Bringing the world to WNC for 35 years

Folkmoot International Festival is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year by introducing some new events during the 10-day cultural exchange…
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Bringing the world to Western NC
 

Bringing the world to Western NC

Rolf Kaufman was there, at the beginning, 35 years ago. Now approaching 88, he’s spent nearly 40 percent of his…
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Group Relations Coordinator Elizabeth Burson (standing) takes Folkmoot guides through a training session. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Folkmoot guides play critical role

As approximately 200 international performers descend on Hazelwood in the coming days, much of the public — from Franklin to…
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Patrick Parton photo.
 

Sunday Soiree brings flavor to Folkmoot

Last year’s inaugural Sunday Soiree featured the usual festive Folkmoot fun — drinks, dancing and heavy hitters on the stage,…
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A dinner plate at the recent ‘Barbecue Night’ at The Swag. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

Honoring the past, welcoming the future

High atop a mountain overlooking Haywood County, Annie Haslam Colquitt sits across a dining room table at The Swag. A…
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An Appalachian Trail marker.
 

This must be the place: Finding Nirvana is like locating silence

Emerging from the Appalachian Trail on the North Carolina/ Tennessee state line this past Sunday afternoon, a hot southern sun…
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County lukewarm on IP complex takeover
 

County lukewarm on IP complex takeover

A quick discussion by the Haywood County Board of Commissioners on July 16 about the possibility of taking responsibility for…
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Scarlett, a 22-year-old mare who needed surgery to remove a large mass on her face, is recovering nicely after being rescued by STAR Ranch several weeks ago. Donated photos
 

STAR Ranch rescues ‘miracle mare’

STAR Ranch Horse Rescue in Haywood County has had many success stories through the years, but a recent horse rescue…
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Preliminary site plans show the proposed apartment development at Plott Creek. Town of Waynesville photo
 

Plott Creek developers submit site plan

When a controversial text amendment passed the Town of Waynesville Planning Board and Board of Aldermen in back-to-back public hearings…
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Macon seniors lobby for new senior center
 

Macon seniors lobby for new senior center

Seniors packed the Macon County commissioners’ meeting July 10 to lobby the county for a new senior center. 
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Haywood County Schools superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte.
 

Administration shuffled in Haywood County Schools

Haywood County Schools superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte wasted little time in announcing the administrative support team that will help him…
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The gym at Central Elementary.
 

Central gym one step closer to demolition

A startling engineering report that called Central Haywood High School’s deteriorating gymnasium “unsound and unsafe” prompted Haywood County Schools to…
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Haywood County’s only public charter school intends to purchase property off Crabtree Road. Haywood GIS photo
 

Shining Rock moves on land purchase

Just three days after holding a closed meeting during which members of the Shining Rock Classical Academy voted to contract…
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The Bryson City Board of Aldermen will revisit the controversial issue of permanently closing Fry Street near the train depot during an Aug. 9 public hearing. File photo
 

Bryson City to revisit relinquishing right of way

The Bryson City Board of Aldermen will soon revisit the controversial topic of whether to relinquish its right-of-way on Fry…
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WCU chancellor finalist withdraws from consideration
 

WCU chancellor finalist withdraws from consideration

Western Carolina University will have to wait a little longer to welcome a new chancellor to Cullowhee following a July…
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The planned crisis stabilization unit will house people going through acute behavioral and mental health-related issues. Donated rendering
 

Cherokee hospital to build $39 million crisis unit

Long-debated plans to renovate the old Cherokee Indian Hospital building as a crisis stabilization unit will now move forward following…
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Board members take their oath of office during the board’s inaugural meeting June 11. Jerry DeWeese (second from right) would resign this position within the hour. Holly Kays photo
 

Jackson human services board seeks explanation for consolidation

When the Jackson County Health and Human Services Board met for its inaugural meeting June 11, board members made it…
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Haywood Schools administrative staff takes shape
 

Haywood Schools administrative staff takes shape

Just days after taking the reins as Haywood County Schools superintendent, Dr. Bill Nolte announced the support team that will…
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In full velvet, the young male elk looks for snacks in the yard of Bradley and Ibby Jones in Hendersonville. Bradley Jones photo
 

Wandering elk dies following car crash: Overall prognosis positive for elk population

A youthful lark ended in tragedy July 1 for a Maggie Valley elk that trekked through the Pisgah National Forest…
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Tree seedlings for sale
 

Tree seedlings for sale

Seedlings are available for sale from the N.C. Forest Service Nursery Program, with specimens offering superior growth, form and disease…
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Kids gather around during a Highlands Nature Center program. Donated photo
 

Grant supports science education

A $3,500 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation will help support the school outreach program at Highlands Nature Center. 
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Garden Phlox. Donated photo
 

Just sit on the porch and breathe

I write this down in the country again ... seated on a log in the woods, warm, sunny midday. Have…
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Grab some books and keep the kids reading
 

Grab some books and keep the kids reading

Most of us, of whatever age, by a simple act of memory and willpower can revisit distant summers in our…
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The Orange Constant.
 

Constant evolution: Jam-rock act to play Highlands

In an era when rock-n-roll has seemingly taken a backseat to hip-hop and electronic acts — on the radio and…
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Fontana Lake.
 

This must be the place

I still don’t really know what day it is.
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Who’s coming to Folkmoot?
 

Who’s coming to Folkmoot?

This summer’s Folkmoot Festival is just around the corner and the 2018 lineup is sure to be one to remember. 
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