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I’ll be supporting Waynesville incumbents
To the Editor: Regarding the Oct. 25 article, “The heart and soul of Waynesville is on the ballot,” I was…
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Military leaders need to speak up
To the Editor: It isn’t often that I feel vindicated, but my hat is off to Max Boot at The…
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To the top: Trail network matures at Canton's Chestnut Mountain
In a sunny clearing 350 feet above U.S. 23, the choose-your-own-adventure portion of Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Nature Park begins.
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Laurel Falls closure planned for construction of trail, improvements
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is moving ahead with significant changes to the Laurel Falls Trail intended to improve…
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Franklin brownfield cleanup gets grant funding
Mainspring Conservation Trust has received $175,000 to clean up and restore a brownfield site near Nikwasi Mound in Franklin. The…
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Prescribed burns planned in Cherokee National Forest
Residents in the furthest west counties may see smoke over the coming months as the Cherokee National Forest carries out…
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Sewage plant claims heat up Waynesville election
Despite largely refusing to show up for forums or interviews, a slate of far-right candidates has tried multiple times to…
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Parkway section closed after visitors feed young bear
Eight miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Craggy Gardens is closed after multiple visitors were reported feeding and attempting…
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Team Waynesville supporter appears to violate federal law
With early voting underway and municipal election races heating up, a supporter of the far-right nativist faction running for various…
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Wildfire burns near Andrews
A fire ignited by lightning Oct. 23 near Andrews has grown to 90 acres with 0% containment due to rugged…
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Woman arrested after allegedly abducting her children in Haywood
A former Haywood Country resident who now lives in Virginia was arrested after she allegedly kidnapped three of her children…
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Severe drought arrives in the mountains
Much of the western region is now in drought, with severe drought entering the state for the first time since…
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This must be the place: ‘And I thought that I’d found a light to guide me through’
A soothing mid-fall breeze floats across my front porch, through the screen door and into the apartment, ultimately swirling around the…
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Vote wisely for Waynesville’s future leaders
Town elections are seldom exciting, but the race in Waynesville is generating a lot of buzz.
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How attitude diseases can ruin the good life
My last newspaper column talked of Thomas Aquinas’s four idols — money, power, pleasure and fame, and how they not…
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Conservation wins big in 2023 budget
To the Editor: The new 2023 state budget will pump more than $100 million annually into land and water conservation.
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It’s time to grab your hardhat
To the Editor: As yellow falling leaves and cool, dry air are floating into the mountains, it signals to knowledgeable…
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Trusting the numbers: Stats show drop in WNC crime, but can the figures be trusted?
There’s an old mantra in law enforcement: don’t take credit for the good times unless you’re willing to take equal…
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For Canton, challenges are opportunities
Despite all the important elections taking place in Western North Carolina this fall, there’s probably no other town with more…
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Honor flight brings hope, healing to veterans
For nearly two decades, a unique nonprofit with roots in Western North Carolina has helped to recognize veterans for their…
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Private school to open in Sylva
A new independent private school is set to open in Sylva by fall of 2025, with a focus on serving gifted…
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Huge grant for affordable housing coming to Haywood
Haywood County Commissioners got some great news Oct. 16 that will help the community ameliorate the effects of a red-hot…
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Whittier man charged with attempted kidnapping
A Whittier man could spend the rest of his life in prison after he allegedly threatened a woman at gunpoint in…
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Tribal Council approves first Constitution Convention delegates
Tribal Council has unanimously approved a resolution naming the first designated delegates to a planned Constitution Convention and expanding the…
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Rotary clubs collect food for children in need
Haywood County’s three Rotary Clubs collected non-perishable food on Sept. 30 at the Canton and Waynesville Ingles locations.
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Seven childcare centers to close in WNC
A slew of childcare centers in the region will be closing by the end of the month, leaving the families of…
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Jackson County teams up to curb drunk driving
The Governor’s Highway Safety Program identified the seven western counties as a pilot region to test new strategies to curb…
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Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation awards grants
The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has awarded 14 grants totaling over $1.4 million in the 2023 grant cycle.
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Vaya partners with DSS to provide overview of child welfare system
Vaya Health unveiled the latest addition to its “Pathways to Permanency” program.
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Research to test for contamination near Canton mill property
A research project aiming to understand contamination levels outside the fence line of the now-shuttered Canton paper mill is likely to…
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Smokies proposes new Foothills Parkway section
Through Nov. 18, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is accepting comments on a proposal to add 9 new miles…
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Mount Pisgah platform under construction
Crews are now working to reconstruct the viewing platform atop Mount Pisgah in the Pisgah National Forest, a project that…
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Visit the Waynesville Watershed
A 4-mile hike exploring the Waynesville Watershed will embark at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.
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Blackburn on Israel: ‘whatever they need’
Although she hails from Mississippi, Marsha Blackburn has become a powerful force in Tennessee politics over the past 25 years,…
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Panther Top Tower open for fall leaf views
The Panther Top Tower in the Nantahala National Forest near Murphy will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct.…
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Explore Haywood
Spend November exploring some of the region’s most beautiful hikes with a slate of excursions offered through Haywood County Recreation…
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Hike among hemlocks
Experience the hemlock trees growing at the historic Cradle of Forestry in America during a hike starting at 10 a.m.…
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Join Blue Ridge Rising
Help shape a strategic action plan for the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor during the Blue Ridge Rising Two-State Summit Dec.…
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French Broad River gets the spotlight
Learn about the historic threats facing the French Broad River and an ongoing effort to secure the designation of Wild…
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New NC electoral maps just more of the same for the west
Newly empowered General Assembly Republicans aren’t even trying to hide the fact that the congressional and legislative maps they drew…
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Clyde Street waterline work set to begin
The Town of Franklin has contracted with Buckeye Bridge, LLC to replace approximately 3,630 linear feet of waterline on Clyde…
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This must be the place: ‘The universe begins immediately to your left’
It was an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening when my girlfriend started in on me once again that it was high…
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Law officers ignore meeting, and that’s good
Sometimes a quiet no-show can be a really loud statement.
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Sometimes ‘the system’ all seems so unfair
Many years ago, one of the students in my English composition course approached me after class one day as other…
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Reality still eludes Trump’s base
To the Editor: This is a reply to the September 20 letter to the editor titled, “Rule of law proven…
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Former agents endorse Reece for mayor
To the Editor: We are writing to express our enthusiastic support for the candidacy of Joel “Joey” Reece for the…
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Pivotal election in Waynesville this year
Voters in Waynesville are preparing for a contentious election that offers very different visions for the future of the town…
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Maggie Valley candidates talk growth, leadership
With more contentious development on the horizon, residents of the small town of Maggie Valley have plenty to consider at…
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Five compete for Highlands Commission
Highlands will have at least one new member on its Board of Commissioners after Election Day this November.
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Jackson joins Foster Care Reinvestment program
Jackson County will soon join four other North Carolina counties taking part in a pilot program that aims to support…
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