Jackson commissioners OK 185-foot radio tower
 

Jackson commissioners OK 185-foot radio tower

A unanimous vote from the Jackson County commissioners will allow construction of a 185-foot radio tower in Cullowhee to move…
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Sarge’s photo contest
 

Sarge’s photo contest

Sarge’s Pet Photo Contest is back and it’s a holiday theme. Enter printed photos of your pets in costume or…
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This must be the place: Pass the gravy, and the memories
 

This must be the place: Pass the gravy, and the memories

It was right around the second beer when I began to settle in. The warm sunshine and lingering foliage of…
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Cancer battle causes WCU chancellor to step down
 

Cancer battle causes WCU chancellor to step down

After battling brain cancer since April 2016, Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher announced Nov. 27 that his treatment…
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Exodus of Venus: Elizabeth Cook swings through WNC
 

Exodus of Venus: Elizabeth Cook swings through WNC

Don’t fuck with Elizabeth Cook. In a city like Nashville, where your artistic integrity and credibility can be bought and…
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Bryson gets fishy: Fly-fishing museum prepares for expansion
 

Bryson gets fishy: Fly-fishing museum prepares for expansion

In its two years of existence, the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians has shown a willingness to travel.…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Missing the point
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Missing the point

I received a few emails after the story of Brent Martin’s departure as Southern Appalachian Regional Director of the Wilderness…
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Cataloochee Ski Area opens
 

Cataloochee Ski Area opens

After 18 hours of snowmaking, Cataloochee Ski Area opened for the winter on Monday, Nov. 20.
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Mainspring will clean up polluted oil company site
 

Mainspring will clean up polluted oil company site

Ongoing efforts to revitalize the Franklin River District gained momentum this week when Mainspring Conservation Trust purchased a polluted site…
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Work begins to rebuild the roof at Wayah Tower
 

Work begins to rebuild the roof at Wayah Tower

Reconstruction has begun to replace the wooden roof of the historic Wayah Bald Fire Tower, which burned up in the…
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Parkside conservation purchase will protect the Smokies
 

Parkside conservation purchase will protect the Smokies

Conservation of 147 acres at Stevens Creek, a quiet cove on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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Nature center lands grant for science outreach
 

Nature center lands grant for science outreach

A $3,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation will help the Highlands Nature Center support its robust school outreach program.
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Dogs must be leashed at Bent Creek
 

Dogs must be leashed at Bent Creek

Unleashed dogs have become a safety issue in the Bent Creek Area of the Pisgah National Forest, prompting the U.S.…
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Thanks to the librarian who ordered this book
 

Thanks to the librarian who ordered this book

How did this happen? I treasure my local public library for its friendly staff, its vibrant programs for my grandchildren,…
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Tax bill details just who’s pulling the strings
 

Tax bill details just who’s pulling the strings

In a book on the nature of state legislatures, the journalist Frank Trippett coined the term “true constituency” to explain…
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Winners and losers in the tax bill
 

Winners and losers in the tax bill

To the Editor: Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis stand poised to vote for the current Republican tax bill in…
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A new kind of Thanksgiving
 

A new kind of Thanksgiving

Holidays are all fun and games until death and divorce happen. Then they become an aching headache, if a person…
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Come Saturday, remember: local, local, local
 

Come Saturday, remember: local, local, local

I don’t like following crowds and have a naturally occurring cynicism of trends. That said, there’s one holiday promotional movement…
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Trio of Haywood efforts to bolster economic development
 

Trio of Haywood efforts to bolster economic development

Three complementary actions taken by the Haywood County Board of County Commissioners Nov. 20 show that despite changing conditions in…
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WCU seeks waiver on tower regulations
 

WCU seeks waiver on tower regulations

What began as an effort to give Western Carolina University’s campus radio station broader coverage could end with construction of…
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Waynesville wastewater woes warrant study redux
 

Waynesville wastewater woes warrant study redux

If you don’t like what you hear, get a second opinion — at least, that’s what the Waynesville Board of…
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Brunch Bill languishes in Maggie Valley
 

Brunch Bill languishes in Maggie Valley

Sunday morning mimosas aren’t yet on the table in Maggie Valley because a proposed ordinance that would allow the sales…
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New plan for Walnut Street met with satisfaction
 

New plan for Walnut Street met with satisfaction

After a series of contentious public hearings almost a year ago resulted in outcry from nearly all quarters of Waynesville,…
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Jackson to merge health and social services departments
 

Jackson to merge health and social services departments

Jackson County will pursue a plan to consolidate its health and social services departments following a special-called commissioners meeting held…
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A decade in, Balsam Range stands atop WNC music
 

A decade in, Balsam Range stands atop WNC music

I’ve lived in Haywood County 1,931 days. It’s also the exact number of days I’ve known Balsam Range. Within the…
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This must be the place: ‘Two all-beef patties, special sauce…’
 

This must be the place: ‘Two all-beef patties, special sauce…’

That slow walk from the car. When I was 16 years old, I entered the American workforce. I was the…
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Jackson Brunch Bill decision will wait until spring
 

Jackson Brunch Bill decision will wait until spring

A final decision on whether to allow Sunday morning alcohol sales in Jackson County won’t come for several months following…
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Sheriff looking for suspect in Bethel Elementary break in
 

Sheriff looking for suspect in Bethel Elementary break in

Investigators with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office are seeking the public’s assistance with identifying a person who broke into Bethel…
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A place to heal: Retreat center for combat veterans works to establish in Cullowhee
 

A place to heal: Retreat center for combat veterans works to establish in Cullowhee

When Margo Capparelli, Ph.D., first began her career, she had little idea that it would develop such a strong focus…
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Legends of the Fly nominees named
 

Legends of the Fly nominees named

Nominations for this year’s Southern Trout Legends of the Fly Hall of Fame include several anglers from the Smokies region,…
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Pisgah comes in first for volunteer hours
 

Pisgah comes in first for volunteer hours

The Pisgah National Forest logged the most volunteer hours of any other national forest in 2016, earning Pisgah the Volunteer…
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Trail volunteer honored
 

Trail volunteer honored

Robbinsville resident Dick Evans received the Benton MacKaye Trail Association’s highest honor at the organization’s recent 2017 Annual Meeting.
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Foothills Parkway complete
 

Foothills Parkway complete

For the first time, vehicles can drive the entire 16-mile section of the Foothills Parkway from Walland to Wears Valley,…
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Land protected at Sandy Mush
 

Land protected at Sandy Mush

A recent purchase of 149 acres by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has added to a contiguous block of protected…
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Cherokee used toxins to stun fish
 

Cherokee used toxins to stun fish

People sometimes wonder if the prehistoric Cherokees used any sort of poisons on their blowgun darts. These darts (slivers of…
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Character has one foot in earth, the other in paradise
 

Character has one foot in earth, the other in paradise

Michael D. O’Brien, Canadian novelist and painter, essayist and lecturer, is the author of what I call “door-stop” books. His…
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Thirty-four years later, Lightning still strikes
 

Thirty-four years later, Lightning still strikes

Lightning. It’s a yellow, 20-ounce Vaughn framing hammer with one of the claws broken that I’ve owned for about 34…
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Men can no longer just look the other way
 

Men can no longer just look the other way

The list of allegations is dizzying and depressing. Every day, it seems, there are new reports of predatory behavior by…
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It is very tough out there
 

It is very tough out there

To the Editor: It really upsets me when I hear that the economy is doing good and the unemployment rate…
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Remember all the good taxes do
 

Remember all the good taxes do

To the Editor: Government and taxes are common complaints among conservatives, even though they benefit from both. Opinions in our…
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Waynesville warns against scam
 

Waynesville warns against scam

Several residents have notified the Town of Waynesville that they have received calls from someone posing as a town representative…
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Roundabout for Walnut Street?
 

Roundabout for Walnut Street?

The obtuse angles of the intersection at Waynesville’s North Main and Walnut streets may soon become graceful curves — or…
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Confederate flag flies on lightning rod in Canton
 

Confederate flag flies on lightning rod in Canton

When a policy that would prohibit the display of the Confederate flag in a tiny mountain mill town’s municipal parades…
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Release date nears for movie shot in Sylva
 

Release date nears for movie shot in Sylva

Film fever is hitting Sylva as the release of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” draws closer.
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Franklin looks to draft a noise ordinance
 

Franklin looks to draft a noise ordinance

The town of Franklin will be going back to the drawing board to find the best way to address complaints…
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Franklin to implement Main Street parking changes
 

Franklin to implement Main Street parking changes

After paying for several engineering studies over the years, the town of Franklin is moving forward with a plan to…
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Impeachment attorney faces allegations of misconduct
 

Impeachment attorney faces allegations of misconduct

The attorney who argued for the impeachment of former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert has been issued an order from the…
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Catamount School embarks on its first year
 

Catamount School embarks on its first year

It’s hard to find a place inside Western Carolina University’s Catamount School that isn’t buzzing with activity.
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North Carolina Republican Party bans four of ‘Haywood Five
 

North Carolina Republican Party bans four of ‘Haywood Five

In what appears to be the culmination of a strange saga that has played out from Haywood County to Raleigh…
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Tourism authority changes subcommittees
 

Tourism authority changes subcommittees

Based on recommendations from a consultant, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority voted to change the makeup of the 1…
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