Wildlife Commission staff approach the distressed bear, whose head was trapped inside a clear container. Donated photo
 

Residents, Wildlife Commission save distressed bear cub

Wildlife biologists at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are praising Asheville residents for helping them locate a distressed female bear…
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Volunteers pick up a trashed campsite at Fontana Lake. Donated photo
 

Fontana cleanups remove 3,500 pounds of litter

Cleanup efforts at informal campsites along Fontana Lake removed 3,500 pounds of trash this year, thanks to more than 30…
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Water testing yields mixed results in Hiwassee Watershed
 

Water testing yields mixed results in Hiwassee Watershed

Lakes in the Hiwassee River Watershed tested extremely low for E. coli and other pathogens this summer, according to data…
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Regular people shine in novel set in Paris
 

Regular people shine in novel set in Paris

Sometimes the world seems pretty crazy, especially for those of us who follow the daily news and commentaries online.
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Songs From The Road Band. (photo: Tom Farr Photography)
 

You left your lonely: Charles Humphrey of Songs From The Road Band

Within this modern realm of bluegrass music, there’s a particular sonic revolution occurring — one where once-fringe elements of progressive…
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We can all learn by listening to each other
 

We can all learn by listening to each other

Letter to the Editor: I enjoyed reading Dr. Norman Hoffman’s opinion piece in the Friday, November 12, issue. I appreciate…
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Trump remains a danger to the republic
 

Trump remains a danger to the republic

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist | Some people may still wonder how the Germany of a century ago could…
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Let’s talk honestly about social programs
 

Let’s talk honestly about social programs

To the Editor: Communism, socialism and Democrats are all the same, always bad, all the time. Democratic-leaning relatives, friends, and…
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Thankful for infrastructure bill 
 

Thankful for infrastructure bill 

To the Editor: At long last after years of inaction, there will be greatly needed improvements to the infrastructure of…
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Comment

Cawthorn in line for Pinocchio award
 

Cawthorn in line for Pinocchio award

To the Editor: I recently received an email from Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-Hendersonville. If only there was a Pinocchio award, so…
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Comment

Be ready for travel delay in WNC
 

Be ready for travel delay in WNC

Digital signs posted several counties away are warning of delays on Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge.
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Anchored at Kituwah: After 138 years, Cherokee will reclaim its Mother Town as sovereign territory
 

Anchored at Kituwah: After 138 years, Cherokee will reclaim its Mother Town as sovereign territory

A restless autumn wind ripples through the valley, passing over green fields, across turned-up garden plots and through tall rows…
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Cherokee invests $15 million with Kituwah LLC
 

Cherokee invests $15 million with Kituwah LLC

The Cherokee Tribal Council voted unanimously this month to allocate $15 million to Kituwah LLC as an equity investment from…
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Clockwise from top left: Tamika Walker Kelley, Dr. Dana Ayers, Dr. Catherine Truitt, Dr. Bill Nolte.
 

State budget includes teacher pay increase, COVID relief

After years of working to provide public education during a pandemic without pay raises, or a state budget, public schools…
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State budget includes $850K for Swain
 

State budget includes $850K for Swain

The North Carolina General Assembly passed an official budget last week that includes $850,000 for critical infrastructure projects in Swain…
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Shandra Sims is sworn in as register of deeds by Jackson County Commission Chairman Brian McMahan.
 

New Register of Deeds in Jackson County

Shandra Sims will serve as the new register of deeds for Jackson County after being sworn in Thursday, Nov. 18.…
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Officials Warn of Travel Delay in WNC
 

Officials Warn of Travel Delay in WNC

Digital signs posted several counties away are warning of delays on Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge. They will…
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Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen opens at Harrah's
 

Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen opens at Harrah's

Flavortown has arrived at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort. Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen + Bar is now open and is serving…
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Corbin, Pless secure critical improvements for Haywood County
 

Corbin, Pless secure critical improvements for Haywood County

Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Franklin) and Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) secured critical improvements for Haywood County in the compromise state budget…
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Michele Woodhouse announces her entry into the NC-14 race on Thursday, Nov. 18, in Hendersonville.
 

Woodhouse makes her NC-14 run official

Almost immediately after Rep. Madison Cawthorn announced on Nov. 11 that he’d seek an open seat in the new 13th…
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Kevin Corbin (left) announces his candidacy for Senate District 50 in September, 2019.
 

Corbin will run for re-election to Senate, not NC-14

Saying that he feels he can “offer more to the citizens of Western North Carolina as a senator than as…
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Meth trafficker busted in Haywood
 

Meth trafficker busted in Haywood

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies seized 4.1 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop resulting in one arrest and trafficking…
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Debris removal from flood to cease until Nov. 29
 

Debris removal from flood to cease until Nov. 29

This week marks the 90-day post-flood milestone after Tropical Storm Fred impacted Haywood County. As that date nears, the second…
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Comment

Congressman Madison Cawthorn accepts the American PATRIOT Award from AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber on Capitol Hill
 

Cawthorn Accepts AMAC American PATRIOT Award

Washington, D.C. — On Nov. 2 on Capitol Hill, Congressman Madison Cawthorn accepted The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC)…
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Haywood reports more COVID-19 related deaths
 

Haywood reports more COVID-19 related deaths

In the last week, Haywood County has mourned the loss of two more people to COVID-19. Both were in their…
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Comment

A bear crosses I-40 using a large culvert originally installed with just water in mind, not wildlife. Wildlands Network/National Parks Conservation Association photos
 

Harmon Den bridge will feature animal underpass

A bridge replacement project underway in the Pigeon River Gorge will temporarily close a section of Interstate 40, but once…
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Comment

Red wolf. Donated photo
 

Fish and Wildlife Service ditches controversial red wolf rule

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that it would withdraw its 2018 proposed red wolf management rule…
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Librarian Serenity Richards installs a new page of ‘The Big Dance.’ Donated photo
 

New StoryWalk book up in Cashiers

A new book is available on the StoryWalk in the Village Green in Cashiers. 
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Luftee Rover Tom Dickerson is one of 70 volunteers who helped manage elk viewing in 2020. NPS photo
 

Smokies volunteers honored for service

A pair of volunteer organizations within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park earned regional recognition for their service in 2020. 
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Cassius Cash. NPS photo
 

Smokies superintendent receives leadership award

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash was one of five leaders nationwide recognized with the Walter T. Cox…
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Development does not fit Waynesville
 

Development does not fit Waynesville

To the Editor: I find myself perplexed over the “housing crisis” in Waynesville. It seems all our town does is…
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Comment

De-mock-racy and gerrymandering
 

De-mock-racy and gerrymandering

To the Editor: Folks, it is gerrymandered maps time again.
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Inspiration from Mary Oliver, Sadhguru and Ted Lasso
 

Inspiration from Mary Oliver, Sadhguru and Ted Lasso

“Sometimes I need / Only to stand / Wherever I am / To be blessed.”  — Mary Oliver 
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Now we know what the COVID police will do
 

Now we know what the COVID police will do

I’ve had mixed feelings about the “COVID police” since the beginning of the pandemic’s lockdowns.
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Perkins brothers turn custom home building business into YouTube fame
 

Perkins brothers turn custom home building business into YouTube fame

“Living the dream” is what comes to mind after spending a couple of hours with the Perkins brothers and their…
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Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s surprising announcement came on Nov. 11. Jeffrey Delannoy photo
 

Going rogue: Cawthorn’s move has widespread implications

Western North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn has become known for saying some surprising things to further his political agenda, but…
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Comment

Jackson to pay $725,000 in jail death settlement
 

Jackson to pay $725,000 in jail death settlement

Nearly three years after a Sylva woman was found dead  in the Jackson County Detention Center, the county has agreed…
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Over the next decade, WCU hopes to improve its facilities while continuing to showcase the natural beauty in which they sit. Hanbury/WCU photo
 

WCU master plan: The focus areas

If the proposed master plan is adopted, over the coming years the university will focus its development efforts on five…
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The draft master plan proposes a split library model with the research library remaining at Hunter Library, while the digital library and student collaboration space would move to a  new collaborative learning commons building. Hanbury/WCU graphic
 

Ten years ahead: WCU trustees mull master plan proposal

At a board retreat this month, Western Carolina University trustees got their first look at a draft proposed 10-year master…
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Planning Board Chairman removed from post in Maggie
 

Planning Board Chairman removed from post in Maggie

David Williamson was removed from his position as Planning Board Chairman for the Town of Maggie Valley following a 3-2…
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Comment

Family, friends and gratitude: a great American holiday
 

Family, friends and gratitude: a great American holiday

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I raided my public library, brought home an armload of books having to do…
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Comment

Darren Nicholson. (photo: Jeff Smith Photography)
 

Man on a mission: Darren Nicholson on new album, new chapter

On his way from performing at a Sunday church service in Highlands to an afternoon gig at Ole Smoky Distillery…
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Comment

GWAR at The Orange Peel. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)
 

Ode to GWAR, ode to heavy metal integrity

Standing in the photo pit last week between heavy metal icons GWAR and a sold-out roaring audience at The Orange…
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Comment

Sen. Kevin Corbin speaks at the Cruso Fire Department in the aftermath of deadly flooding this past summer.
 

Sen. Kevin Corbin is ‘considering’ a run in NC-14

Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s decision to leave his 14th Congressional District seat open has already produced a “ripple effect” of electoral…
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Comment

Traffic delays expected for I-40 in Pigeon River Gorge
 

Traffic delays expected for I-40 in Pigeon River Gorge

HARMON DEN – A winding drive on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge will soon take a little longer than…
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Photo by Suzanna Moses. Haywood Community College was selected by the Department of Labor, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, to receive a grant in the amount of $1.196M for Project UP, a program to support the development of short-term training programs in construction. Pictured left to right are members of the Haywood Community College Project Up grant team Alicia Jack, Wendy Hines, Doug Burchfield, Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes of the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, HCC President Dr. Shelley White, Jennifer Yowell and Jessica Honeycutt.
 

HCC awarded $1 million construction grant

Haywood Community College was selected by the Department of Labor, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, to receive a…
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Comment

Tips to Prepare for Thanksgiving
 

Tips to Prepare for Thanksgiving

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | Over The River and Through the Woods! Thanksgiving is 2 weeks out and I’m sure…
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Haywood Alerts implements new, streamlined alert messages
 

Haywood Alerts implements new, streamlined alert messages

In the next few weeks, Haywood County Alerts will switch over to a new, streamlined message format for emergency text…
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