The $30 million R-5000 road project resulted in a 0.7-mile road connecting N.C. 107 and N.C. 116 alongside Southwestern Community College’s campus. A Shot Above WNC photo
 

SCC sues DOT, construction company over damaged building

Southwestern Community College is seeking compensation for damage to the Balsam Center building that it believes resulted from the R-5000…
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Tony Kushner. Joan Marcus photo
 

In his own words: Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Academy Award nominee Tony Kushner

Smoky Mountain News: When you look at American society today, what do you see? Tony Kushner: Oh, my god. [Laughs].…
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Tailgate talks with Verlon Thompson. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

This must be the place: ‘And live the way I said I would, but somehow never did…’

As I awoke in my hammock, I could see the branches and leaves swaying above, sprinkling small bits of the…
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Winthrop University Associate head basketball coach Mark Prosser speaks at a March 27 press conference in Cullowhee
 

WCU names Mark Prosser new men's basketball coach

When storied Western Carolina University men’s basketball coach Larry Hunter recently announced his retirement after notching his 700th career win,…
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Mission Health negotiating to join for-profit company
 

Mission Health negotiating to join for-profit company

Mission Health's Board of Directors today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to enter into exclusive…
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Old-time dentistry just plain hurt
 

Old-time dentistry just plain hurt

Old-time dentistry as practiced here in the Smokies region wasn’t pretty. All of the descriptions I have found make it…
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Western Carolina University senior Brittany Timpson shows an inquisitive group of elementary students in the Watershed Moments program a macro invertebrate. Inset, below: Liam Tormey has been an avid participant in the program.
 

The sediment spotter: Fifth-grade science project spurs real-world change

While elementary, junior high and high school students from across the region offered a plethora of good ideas during last…
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Smokies starts spring openings
 

Smokies starts spring openings

Spring is coming to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with many seasonally closed facilities reopening for warmer weather.
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Volunteers remove 8 tons of trash from Lake Junaluska
 

Volunteers remove 8 tons of trash from Lake Junaluska

More than 100 volunteers congregated at Lake Junaluska for Lake Cleanup Day Saturday, March 10, removing more than 8 tons…
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Short book provides intelligent insight
 

Short book provides intelligent insight

“History is a field of human intentions, deeds, acts. We need to look a little more closely at this field…
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Can’t we just talk about gun legislation?
 

Can’t we just talk about gun legislation?

Last week, a United Airlines flight attendant forced a passenger with a small dog to put the dog in an…
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Cartoon, March 21, 2018
 

Cartoon, March 21, 2018

By Will Studenc
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Don’t rely on fake Fox News
 

Don’t rely on fake Fox News

By Norman Hoffman • Guest Columnist It is truly amusing to see an apparent “conservative” say that liberals are out…
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Commander in chief is too fond of Russia
 

Commander in chief is too fond of Russia

To the Editor: Article 11, section 2 of the Constitution says “The President shall be the Commander in Chief of…
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Cat museum preps for 2018 opening
 

Cat museum preps for 2018 opening

To the Editor: The mice in the Old School Antique Mall on 441 South are heading for the hills because…
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On the way to a Trump dictatorship
 

On the way to a Trump dictatorship

To the Editor: This is in response to Nan Smith’s “Liberals have lost touch with reality” in the March 7…
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Dove hired back as Haywood's health and human services director
 

Dove hired back as Haywood's health and human services director

Joel Mashburn, Interim County Manager, announced today the appointment of Mr. Ira Dove as the Director of the Haywood County…
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A beer by any other name: Brewery’s naming choices cause protest in Cherokee
 

A beer by any other name: Brewery’s naming choices cause protest in Cherokee

Over the past decade or so, the craft beer explosion has ricocheted throughout Western North Carolina, bouncing through the valleys…
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Cherokee’s Tribal Alcohol Beverage Control Commission was established in 2009. Holly Kays photo
 

Alcohol referendum scheduled

A referendum vote asking enrolled members to approve a tribally owned package store and ABC store selling beer, wine and…
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Budget gap $3 million for Haywood County
 

Budget gap $3 million for Haywood County

Although it’s still early in the budget process, Interim Haywood County Manager Joel Mashburn told commissioners that requests for the…
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New guidelines are now in place for the production of public records in Haywood County. File photo
 

Haywood County revises public records policy

A flurry of contentious public records requests by a longtime local government watchdog has prompted Haywood County officials to revise…
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A 5.9-acre parcel on Soco Road in Maggie Valley (in blue) may soon be home to a national chain hotel. Haywood GIS photo
 

Major development looking toward Maggie Valley

A major hotel could be coming to Maggie Valley sooner rather than later after the town recently passed a pair…
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The planned workforce housing complex would have 60 apartments housed in three buildings, in addition to a community clubhouse. Donated graphic
 

Request to increase future Sylva apartment complex’s size approved

Two years after Sylva leaders first cheered a proposal for a workforce housing complex across the road from Harris Regional…
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Gracie Ruebel addresses the Jackson County Board of Education in front of an audience at Smoky Mountain High School that included all five county commissioners. Holly Kays photo
 

Students talk safety: Jackson’s high school students share insights

Hours after students in schools across the nation walked out of their classrooms to protest gun violence in American schools,…
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Tuscola High School students (left to right) McKenzie Yazan, Molly Dorgan, Grace Feichter and Harper Schwab say they’re ready for changes in school safety. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

WNC students speak out on school safety

Last week, students across the country walked out of classrooms to acknowledge the 17 people shot to death at Marjorie…
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Johnny Ray Davis criticizes Commissioner Mickey Luker for selling beer in his store. Holly Kays photo
 

Religious community opposes Jackson Brunch Bill

If the two Jackson County commissioners considering a “yes” vote on Sunday morning alcohol sales were looking to the community…
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Former educator now leading Bryson City
 

Former educator now leading Bryson City

After a 30-year career in public education, Regina Mathis is trying her hand in public administration as the new Bryson…
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Alice Lowery (foreground) speaks to the crowd at the Poor People’s Town Hall while event organizer Chelsea White looks on from backstage. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

MLK’s ‘Poor People’s Campaign’ revived in North Carolina

Two weeks ago marked the 53rd anniversary of a watershed moment in the civil rights movement — the Selma to…
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Franklin trying out new traffic pattern
 

Franklin trying out new traffic pattern

The town of Franklin will begin a 90-day trial of a new one block long parking plan for Main Street…
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Macon sheriff now able to seize digital forfeitures
 

Macon sheriff now able to seize digital forfeitures

Drug dealers are constantly finding new ways to protect their assets and the Macon County Sheriff’s office is trying to…
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Regional commission completes broadband study
 

Regional commission completes broadband study

With the results of a regional broadband survey now available, leaders have expansive data on the underserved areas in their…
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Scott Ainslie performing on March 17 at the Boone-Withers House in Waynesville. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

Hard times, come again no more: An evening with Scott Ainslie

Literally and figuratively, the idea of “listening” is somewhat of a lost art in our digital world. When a voice…
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Ellen Cherry and Andrew Grimm at the Twin Maples Farmhouse. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

This must be the place: There’s a reason you should care, seriously

Sitting in a chair on a front lawn late Sunday afternoon, the sun had already disappeared behind the mountains, a…
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Annie and David Colquitt.
 

The Swag changes hands

David and Annie Colquitt of Knoxville, Tennessee, are purchasing The Swag, a popular mountain retreat near Waynesville.
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Brunch Bill hearing planned for Jackson
 

Brunch Bill hearing planned for Jackson

A public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, will give Jackson County residents a chance to weigh in on…
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Too often, we ignore the calls for help
 

Too often, we ignore the calls for help

Doing nothing to enhance school safety is not an option. Thoughtful gun control measures would be helpful and are one…
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Maintaining a nostalgia for unique main streets
 

Maintaining a nostalgia for unique main streets

Recently, I spent time in the tri-cities of Rutherford County, N.C. Spindale, Forest City and Rutherfordton make up this trifecta…
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The U.S. has become an oligarchy
 

The U.S. has become an oligarchy

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Do politicians read their mail? It depends. A recent New Yorker article on Christopher…
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Books that help bridge the political divide
 

Books that help bridge the political divide

Time for spring-cleaning.  The basement apartment in which I live could use a deep cleaning: dusting, washing, vacuuming. It’s tidy…
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Scholarships available for outdoor camp
 

Scholarships available for outdoor camp

More than $25,000 in scholarships is available for kids interested in attending Youth for Christ Outdoor Mission Camp in Maggie…
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Solar project finished in the Smokies
 

Solar project finished in the Smokies

Completion of a solar energy project in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will result…
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A table full of thru-hikers smiles during the inaugural Chow Down in 2015. Donated photo
 

Trail town chow down: Franklin A.T. season launches with hiker meal

When Sharon Van Horn organized the first-ever Thru-Hiker Chow Down in Franklin, she and her husband Bill were pretty fresh…
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The Sneed cabin in Daisy Town is one of those slated for preservation. NPS photo
 

Work crews return to Elkmont

Rehabilitation work in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has started up again, with work crews…
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One of the Lake Junaluska eagles dining on yellow perch. Don Hendershot photo
 

Fingers still crossed

Status of the Lake Junaluska eagles remains a mystery, but I still have my fingers crossed for a successful nesting…
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‘Mothers and Daughters,’ photograph in the collection of Andy Lett.
 

New pictorial book on Cherokee released

Images of America: Cherokee, Anna Fariello’s new pictorial history book, will be presented during a special event at 6:30 p.m.…
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‘Let the freaks take back the night…’
 

‘Let the freaks take back the night…’

The further you meander down the road of life, the more you come to realize just how haphazardly bumpy and…
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Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews (left) will face a fellow Republican in the May 8 Primary Election. Andrew ‘Tubby’ Ferguson (right) says there’s room for improvement in the county tax collector’s office. Donated photos
 

Passion, politics intertwine for Haywood tax collector candidates

Outside the Haywood County Justice Center in downtown Waynesville, Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews stands with a slim manila…
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Blitz Estridge holds up a sign expressing his plight during a Feb. 19 Jackson County Commissioners meeting. Holly Kays photo
 

Relocation project leaves contractors unpaid

Months after work wrapped up to relocate Caney Fork General Store in Jackson County, multiple subcontractors who worked on the…
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Officials considering armed volunteers for schools
 

Officials considering armed volunteers for schools

Columbine, Sandy Hook, Stoneman Douglas — those names ring out like the bullets that once flew through their hallways, stark…
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High school students in Haywood will walk out Wednesday
 

High school students in Haywood will walk out Wednesday

Right about the time this newspaper hits the stands on Wednesday, March 14, students at Haywood County’s two public high…
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