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Books about Christmas, and as a gift
The Christmas season, dreaded by some, beloved by others, especially children. Already you’ll find houses festooned with lights and yards…
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Spooky reading for the spooky season
One of the best things about the East Coast is the fall. Last November, I made a trip to California…
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REACH of Haywood County
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month — a time to honor survivors, remember those lost to violence and recommit to…
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In our mountains, behind closed doors
Every October, we see purple ribbons, social media posts and brief mentions on the news about Domestic Violence Awareness Month.…
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Women of vision: Celebrating resilience and community
More than 180 guests gathered at Chestnut Ridge Wedding Venue in Canton for REACH of Haywood County’s third annual Women…
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Mistaken perceptions
Domestic violence is widely misunderstood. Most individuals who have not had the unfortunate experience of living through it often hold…
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The cycle of healing: Finding wholeness after violence
The natural world moves in cycles, each step following another, just as the seasons change or a wound slowly mends.…
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Getting free: Terror, violence and … finally freedom
For close to four decades, I’ve been an advocate for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. It…
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When love becomes a weapon
For many of us, pets are family. They greet us at the door, comfort us when we are sad and…
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Martha: A life silenced by domestic violence
Not all domestic violence victims escape. Some are too ashamed or fearful to leave. Some are bound by cultures or…
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Legal aid is a crucial lifeline
“Why doesn’t she just leave?” It’s a question asked countless times when trying to rationalize why someone in an abusive…
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From enforcement to empathy: How law enforcement has evolved through the years
When Jeff Haynes entered the law enforcement academy in 1990, empathy wasn’t a word heard often in the ranks. Officers…
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Just a piece of paper?: The effectiveness of a domestic violence protective order
A Domestic Violence Protective Order, sometimes called a restraining order, is one of the most important legal tools available to protect…
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Breaking the cycle: Protecting survivors, strengthening families
Behind closed doors, domestic violence and child abuse often unfold side by side, feeding off the same roots of fear…
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Shining a Light: Honoring the missing, protecting the living
Across the United States, Indigenous women face an epidemic of violence that is as urgent as it is often overlooked.…
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Tea that warms the heart
In today’s world, success in business is no longer measured by profit alone. More and more companies — large and…
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Remember When?
Remember your young teen years, seventh and eighth grade — hopeful, scared, blooming, awkward, wondering. Sound familiar? How about shyly looking…
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Beyond bureaucracy: When Helene exposed government failures, nonprofits stepped in
As on any other rainy late summer morning in Southern Appalachia, the sun rose over densely wooded, knobby green peaks…
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Listen up: Dogwood Health Trust uses local ties to assess Helene's aftermath
Five days isn’t enough time to process a disaster like Hurricane Helene, yet as uncertainty swirled and rescue operations still…
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Pushing through troubled waters: Mountain Projects saves lives after Helene, but sustainability questions remain
Michelle Parker hadn’t finished unpacking the last of her belongings that had survived Tropical Storm Fred in August 2021 when…
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Sylva candidates stake out contrasts in forum
An Aug. 21 forum featuring most of the candidates in Sylva’s upcoming municipal election painted a broad portrait of a…
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Food assistance program likely to be gutted, despite helping WNC residents
Like any parent or guardian, Katie Clubb wants to provide nutritious food for her grandchildren. Clubb, a Canton resident, said…
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Trouble brewing: Trump’s tariffs drive up coffee costs
The roaster looks almost like an old steam locomotive, its polished steel drum gleaming under fluorescent light, a hulking American-made…
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Shining Rock charter school singles out media with restrictive new policy
Shining Rock Classical Academy’s taxpayer-funded, unelected governing board pledged “a new direction” on transparency and accountability after a June court…
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Macon County to hear public comments on health department takeover
Macon County Commissioners will gather public comments on Tuesday, Sept. 9, ahead of a potential decision to take over the…
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Sylva slightly expands social district hours
Sylva’s popular downtown social district will now stay open an hour later each evening after town commissioners approved a modest…
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DOT outlines I-40 rebuild: With environmental permitting process over, real work begins
The signs are still there lining the fragile bank separating Interstate 40 from the Pigeon River — chunks of jagged…
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Gimme one good reason: The Brothers Gillespie to play Canton Labor Day
Since their formation in 2018, The Brothers Gillespie have become one of the must-see rock acts emerging from Western North…
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Helene victims still waiting for Whatley
Scenic Chimney Rock has historically been an out-of-the-way place, nestled tightly against the Broad River in a narrow valley between…
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Hypocrisy, lies and censorship fuel drag protest in Sylva
Outside agitators continued their assault on the First Amendment in Sylva Aug. 24, as a small group of right-wing activists…
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As Chimney Rock shops reopen, shopkeepers recount what it took to get there
As you enter Chimney Rock, you will see bulldozers and construction workers and other visceral reminders of Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic…
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COVID mounts late summer surge amid onset of flu season
The last year has brought an unusual pattern in COVID surges. Typically, the virus is worst during the winter with…
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Whittier project reimagines county land as community attraction
On a quiet stretch of riverfront wedged between Sylva and Cherokee, the old Drexel furniture plant in Whittier is set…
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Swain Commission Chair abruptly resigns
Swain County Commissioner Chairman Kevin Seagle has announced his resignation, effective Aug. 31. Seagle. Ahead of the announcement, Seagle was…
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WCU professor to speak at civics meeting
Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
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Former student alleges abuse by longtime Jackson County band instructor
A former Smoky Mountain High School student has come forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior by her longtime band teacher,…
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Davis exit marks another shift in NC-11 Dem race
Weeks after a bitter dispute over a Democratic gala laid bare divisions in Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, the…
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Swain County withheld commission chair resignation letter before announcement
Swain County Commission Chairman Kevin Seagle’s resignation was made public after an Aug. 19 meeting with a letter released by…
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Jackson County Schools removes staff member pending investigation
After reports that a Jackson County Public Schools staff member was escorted from school property Aug. 21, JCPS Public Information…
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Swain commission chair gives county his resignation
Kevin Seagle, chair of the Swain County board of commissioners, has given the county his resignation effective Aug. 31, according…
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A badge of honor: Restoring trust touted by hopefuls in crowded Swain sheriff’s race
In the wake of the controversy surrounding former Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran, the new sheriff, Brian Kirkland, only a…
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Democratic hopefuls sidestep gala flap as Clayton outlines long-term plan
The political rift over an upcoming Democratic gala — an internal dust-up that sparked chatter across Western North Carolina political…
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Haywood County hires consultant to prepare hazard mitigation grant applications
When Hurricane Helene unleashed more than a foot of rain across Haywood County in less than 24 hours last September,…
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Haywood provides update on innovative middle school
It’s been two months since Haywood County Schools announced their “innovative middle school,” and while there aren’t concrete updates, leaders…
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WCU’s ECHT project receives $450K grant from NEH
Unearthing history is nothing new to Cherokee Language Program director and associate professor Sara Snyder Hopkins. Thanks to a federal…
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WNC homeowners can apply for single-family housing recovery program
Gov. Josh Stein announced the state is accepting applications for a new program to repair or rebuild homes in Western…
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Sylva candidate forum set for Aug. 21
Indivisible Commonground WNC will host a free candidate forum for the upcoming Sylva Board of Commissioners municipal election on Thursday,…
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WCU professor to speak at civics meeting
Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.…
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New grants boost Helene recovery efforts
The American Flood Coalition's Recovery and Resilience Partnership is barely six months old, but it’s already helping to deliver results…
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Man who shot viral video at local dump sues Haywood sheriff, dump owner
A Prince George’s County, Maryland, man whose viral video of a confrontation with a group at a dump in Haywood…
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