The newly unveiled Smokies Life name and logo  replaces the former Great Smoky Mountains Association brand identity. Smokies Life image
 

GSMA announces name change

After completing its 70th year supporting preservation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains Association has…
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Improved SNAP benefits will soon be available at farmers markets across the region. File photo
 

SNAP customers to have more choices at WNC farmers markets

Over the next three years, 40 sites across Western North Carolina are expected to be part of the WNC Double…
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A northern cardinal perches in the snow. Steve Gifford/USFWS photo
 

Join the Great Backyard Bird Count

Birders and bird lovers worldwide are encouraged to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 16-19, with several local…
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Drought maps are released every Thursday, based on conditions as of 8 a.m. the previous Tuesday. N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council map
 

N.C. declared drought-free

For the first time since August, North Carolina is now drought-free. Some areas of Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon and Dare…
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Whitney Brown. File photo
 

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation appoints new board members

New board officers, trustees and advisors have been appointed to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which partners with the National…
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Buy plants, support horticulture education
 

Buy plants, support horticulture education

The annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener Plant Sale is now underway, with orders due pre-paid by Friday, March 8. 
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A paddler navigates choppy water  during a previous Glacier Breaker event. NOC photo
 

Paddle the Glacier Breaker

Start off the year with an early-season slalom race Saturday, Feb. 17, on the Nantahala River at the Nantahala Outdoor…
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Sign up for volleyball clinics
 

Sign up for volleyball clinics

Registration is open for youth volleyball clinics slated to begin the week of March 11 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center…
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Join the Sylva Naturalist Club
 

Join the Sylva Naturalist Club

The Sylva Naturalist Club will meet 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 
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Wander through winter
 

Wander through winter

Experience the backcountry during wintertime with a pair of hikes offered over the next week with Haywood Recreation and Parks. 
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State parks to standardize camping check-in times
 

State parks to standardize camping check-in times

Camping check-in times will be standardized throughout N.C. State Parks starting June 15. 
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Wildlife advocates eligible for award
 

Wildlife advocates eligible for award

Nominations are wanted for people who have led the way in conserving nongame animals in North Carolina. 
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Allens Creek Park reopens
 

Allens Creek Park reopens

After being closed for cleanup since Jan. 11, Allens Creek Park in Waynesville is open again. 
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Got comma issues? I can help with that
 

Got comma issues? I can help with that

I really don’t like telling people that I teach English for a living.  Maybe it’s different for you, but my…
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Cherokee courts ‘underserve’ the EBCI’s members
 

Cherokee courts ‘underserve’ the EBCI’s members

My name is Raymond D. Large III, Esq., known to most as Rady [Ray-Dee]. I am an Appalachian-American, an attorney…
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Let’s keep politics and religion separate
 

Let’s keep politics and religion separate

To the Editor: This week a friend posted a Will Rogers quote from 1931 that is certainly relevant today. “Ten…
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Registering ‘Unaffiliated’ is a wise choice
 

Registering ‘Unaffiliated’ is a wise choice

To the Editor: I am confused as to why anyone in a state like North Carolina, with semi-closed primaries, would…
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Deanna Ballard and Chrelle Booker. File photos
 

Women and westerners rare on North Carolina’s statewide ballots

North Carolina’s Primary Election season is underway, and nearly five dozen candidates have filed to run for statewide offices from…
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Fairview School is a top priority for Jackson County. JCPS photo
 

State of the schools: JCPS studies health of schools as it plans for the future

A facilities study for Jackson County Schools that will help inform capital improvements for years to come found several schools in…
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Macon schools approve naloxone policy
 

Macon schools approve naloxone policy

The Macon County School Board has approved a policy for emergency use of naloxone, an opioid inhibitor, within the school…
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The Downtown Waynesville Association administers property tax revenue collected from property owners. File photo
 

Downtown Waynesville Commission tunes up for ‘24

The Downtown Waynesville Commission has had two years to get on its feet since its predecessor organization imploded.
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Opposition to Haywood jail project, although minor, still lingers
 

Opposition to Haywood jail project, although minor, still lingers

Haywood County commissioners took another step toward their multi-million dollar jail expansion last week, and although much has changed since…
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Located at the southeastern end of Lake Santeetlah, a 32.45-acre tract in Graham County, shown here as the large parcel south of the river, will likely be the site of a new Cherokee cultural and language facility. Graham County GIS image
 

EBCI approves applications to expand trust lands

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will ask the federal government to take 38.2 acres in Graham and Swain counties…
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SCC Therapeutic Massage instructor Jennifer Burgess (left) offers guidance to student Stephanie Ortiz Ruiz of Franklin on proper shoulder massage techniques. Donated photo
 

Massage program clinic opens for spring semester

The Therapeutic Massage program at Southwestern Community College has opened its learning clinic for the spring semester to allow its…
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Canton mill earns two new water quality violations
 

Canton mill earns two new water quality violations

Despite being closed for months, the Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton continues to rack up environmental violations, with two…
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Haywood Sheriff: No foul play in Clyde crawlspace death
 

Haywood Sheriff: No foul play in Clyde crawlspace death

A Clyde man who'd been missing since Oct. 29 of last year and was found dead in a crawl space…
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Haywood selected for Teaching Fellows pilot program
 

Haywood selected for Teaching Fellows pilot program

Students in Haywood County who want to be educators will have a new opportunity that could help pay for college…
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An encouraging book about democracy
 

An encouraging book about democracy

In the year 2020, we lived with a pandemic and a hotly contested presidential race. Strong feelings made their appearance,…
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Natti Love Joys will play  Waynesville Feb. 3. File photo
 

Reggae, soul at Frog Level

The Natti Love Joys will perform during the “Bob Marley Birthday Celebration” at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at Frog…
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Pleasantly Wild will play Waynesville Feb. 3. File photo
 

Boojum goes Pleasantly Wild

Asheville-based rock/funk trio Pleasantly Wild will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at The Gem downstairs taproom…
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Biologists insert a tracking tag into a sicklefin redhorse. Gary Peeples/USFWS photo
 

Ecological opportunity: Ela Dam owner asks to let go of its hydropower license

The owner of Ela Dam, a 99-year-old structure that sits about half a mile above the confluence of the Tuckasegee…
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Parkway visitation grows in 2023
 

Parkway visitation grows in 2023

In 2023, the Blue Ridge Parkway saw its highest visitation since 2007, according to preliminary figures from the National Park…
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An EcoForesters staff member plants a tree seedling. EcoForesters photo
 

Calling all forest landowners

A forest landowner workshop coming 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Haywood Agricultural Center in Waynesville…
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A mountain vista stretches out from the newly conserved property. FCNC photo
 

Land trust surpasses 70,000 acres of permanent conservation

The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina has now permanently protected more than 70,000 acres in the South Mountains after a…
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In 2018, an estimated 35,680 tons of plastic waste was generated in the United States. Pixabay photo
 

Learn now to recycle better

Up your recycling know-how during a program at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, at the University of North Carolina Asheville’s…
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Go coon hunting in Sylva
 

Go coon hunting in Sylva

Spend the weekend focused on coon hunting with the Jackson County Coon Hound Association Friday, Feb. 2, and Saturday, Feb.…
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Do doggy first aid in the backcountry
 

Do doggy first aid in the backcountry

Learn what to do when your dog gets hurt on the trail with a workshop offered 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb.…
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Plungers show off their costumes during the 2023 event in Canton. HWA photo
 

Take ‘The Plunge’

The 12th annual Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek and Environmental Education will take place 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.…
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Ready, set, grow
 

Ready, set, grow

Prepare for gardening season with “Learn to Grow: Vegetable Gardening,” a workshop offered 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb.…
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Adam Bigelow
 

Prune like a pro

Learn how to give your fruit trees some love with a workshop starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at…
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Wednesday is family day at Cataloochee
 

Wednesday is family day at Cataloochee

Families can visit Cataloochee Ski Area for a reduced cost on Wednesdays through the end of the season. 
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Sign up for summer camp
 

Sign up for summer camp

Registration for Spring Break Camp at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville opens at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, with Discovery…
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Plant trees in Bryson City
 

Plant trees in Bryson City

Help MountainTrue plant more than 2,500 new native plants at Bryson City Island Park during volunteer workdays 1-4 p.m. Saturday,…
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Bike Chestnut Mountain
 

Bike Chestnut Mountain

Ride the trails with an experienced mountain bike instructor at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at Chestnut Mountain Nature Park…
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Working together to raise good conversationalists
 

Working together to raise good conversationalists

Recently, I was asked to speak to a leadership class at Tuscola High School and although flattered, I wondered if…
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Let first principles guide us
 

Let first principles guide us

To the Editor: A Google search reveals this simple concept: First principles thinking (or reasoning from first principles) is a…
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Floodwaters from the Pigeon River tossed mobile homes and cars around like toys in 2021. Scott McLeod photo
 

From risk to resiliency: State waters summit highlights red tape, funding deficiencies

An annual waters summit hosted by a pair of North Carolina congressmen brought together local, state and federal administrators, experts…
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Drawings show a radical rethinking of how the parcel home to Bethel Christian Academy  in Canton will soon look, if the town is selected for a FEMA grant. Town of Canton photo
 

Canton eyes Bethel Christian Academy for flood project

The Town of Canton has taken a major step toward long-term flood recovery with an economic development project at a…
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New covid variant, flu spike in December
 

New covid variant, flu spike in December

Haywood County hadn’t logged a coronavirus-related death in the better part of a year. But since Dec. 19, 2023, it…
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State officials present Macon County with $62 million for a new high school. NCDPI photo
 

Macon receives $62 million grant for new high school

Macon County is one step closer to a new Franklin High School after state leaders awarded $62 million for the…
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