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Local writers, film wins awards
Two local authors and the Bethel Rural Community Organization’s Historic Preservation Committee were among award winners at the annual meeting…
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Haywood moves to solve affordable housing crisis
During his tenure on the Haywood County Commission, retiring Chairman Mark Swanger has certainly shaped what the future of the…
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Public restrooms, art coming to Hazelwood
The tiny but blossoming business community along Hazelwood Avenue is about to get a major boost from the town of…
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Expansion, safety improvements for Waynesville concrete plant
Nearly a decade ago, Southern Concrete Materials began toying with the prospect of leaving its 201 Boundary St., location for…
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Canton pool project hits another setback
Canton officials may be starting to wonder if plans to replace the town’s aging public pool aren’t cursed.
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Canton undergoes visual rebranding
To the naked eye, there appears to be a lot going right in Canton these days.
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Franklin Chamber of Commerce finds new home
The Franklin Chamber of Commerce is looking for financial support from the community to purchase new office space.
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Swain hospital makes changes to ER
Swain Community Hospital has announced plans to change how it operates its Emergency Department, but administrators say the hospital will…
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Jackson County seeks input on draft comprehensive plan
As the saying goes, change is life’s only constant — so Jackson County is looking for input to guide its…
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The last chapter: Reflections on Mark Swanger’s political era
Mark Swanger tucked into his leather armchair beside a roaring gas fire, an expansive view of his Fines Creek family…
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McCrory picks up 12 votes in Haywood
Haywood County’s election results are finally complete.
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Containment rising, fire growth slowing in WNC
Despite gusty winds, dust-dry forests and interminable drought, firefighters made significant headway over the last week toward containing Western North…
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Mad Anthony’s to close Saturday
Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop and Beer Garden on Branner Avenue in Waynesville will close this Saturday, Nov. 19.
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Come winter, trees reveal their blemishes
Like an old man’s face, mature hardwood tree trunks are covered with blemishes that signal age: cankers, seams, burls, butt…
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Island of green: Exhibit commemorates 50 years of community-driven landscape at HCC
It’s a sunny day at Haywood Community College, light sparkling from the campus’s landmark mill pond and shining through the…
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Annual soil and water poster contest open
Jackson County students in third through ninth grade will get a chance to share their messages on the importance of…
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WCU nabs green school listing
For the sixth year running, Western North Carolina has been recognized as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in…
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New region-wide map focuses on recreation
A new map is available detailing more than 2 million acres of public forests, parks and scenic byways throughout Western…
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Fly-fishing museum gets statewide recognition
The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians is just over a year old, but it’s already being recognized as…
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Conservation easement finalized near Marion
One of the largest conservation easements to ever be donated by an individual in North Carolina history has been finalized…
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This is historical fiction well worth a read
Nearly 20 years ago, while browsing the shelves of the Haywood Country Public Library, I came across a collection of…
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‘In the Soundless Awe’: Play co-written by Western Carolina University professor
The haunting final moments of the man at the helm of the worse naval disaster in U.S. history will be…
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The GOP has the ball, so let’s see what they do
I needed nearly a full day after the election before I could formulate a response to the election of Donald…
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Haywood needs a voice at the table
To the Editor: On a personal level, I am quite unhappy with last Tuesday’s election results. As a “community leader,”…
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Once again, Electoral College plays controversial role
We are a democratic republic, not a pure democracy. I was reminded of that in a most unusual way at…
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Firefighters battle 50-plus square miles of WNC wildfires
Western North Carolina is ablaze with 22 wildfires currently burning through more than 50 square miles in the seven most…
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Canton robbery suspect arrested
A man the Clyde Police Department and Haywood County Sheriff’s Office mentioned as “wanted” in connection to an armed robbery…
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NPR to migrate Waynesville broadcast
Haywood County listeners accustomed to tuning into 95.3 FM for their National Public Radio fix will have to look elsewhere…
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Haywood completes animal rescue operation
After serving as an ad-hoc temporary animal shelter, the old Lea Industries building on Lea Plant Road in Hazelwood is…
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The after-action report: 50 fast facts from the Haywood election results
Another layer of tint has been added to Haywood County’s changing political canvas. Election Day results paint a picture of…
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Voters go right, Democrats wonder what went wrong
Even though both parties appeared confident about their candidates moving into Election Day, there were a lot of white knuckles…
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Life Challenge receives $9,000 grant
Life Challenge of Western North Carolina has been awarded a $9,000 grant from the Evergreen Foundation to help make essential…
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Witch hunt in tribal government? Investigations elicit charges of backroom meetings and illegally obtained records
Tempers flared in Cherokee Tribal Council this month as some councilmembers alleged that a subset of their colleagues had gone…
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Dangerous smoke hazard persists throughout WNC
Two dozen or so forest fires in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Western North Carolina have forced mandatory evacuations in…
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Wildfires torment residents, tourism
Our backyard is on fire. From Knoxville to Asheville, a large cloud of smoke is currently hovering over this corner…
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Local water supplies drying up: Paper mill may have to suspend production
The severe drought plaguing Western North Carolina has taken its toll on the local water supply, and residents are being…
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Swain family faces evacuation as fire encroaches
Home to the Hancock family for generations, the hills and hollows along Silvermine Road are an ingrained identity for siblings…
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Burn bans still in effect
With dry conditions reigning and wildfires raging, it’s currently both dangerous and illegal to start a fire nearly anywhere in…
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Arson suspected in WNC fires; Smoke and fear hang over Franklin Veterans Day celebration
While marked by all the usual trappings of red-white-and-blue-infused color guards, antique cars and patriotic speeches, last week’s Veterans Day…
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Despite fire growth, wildfire containment improving; rain desperately needed
As of press time Nov. 15, Western North Carolina was ablaze with 22 wildfires burning through more than 50 square…
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This must be the place: An Ode to Election 2016
Hate didn't get us to this point. It also didn’t win the election. A stagnant Congress for the last 16…
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Choose physical therapy over painkillers
By Shannon Icenhour • Guest Columnist Fall is almost over, but October was not just for trick-or-treating; it also represented…
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Sorry, but Bob Dylan did deserve the Nobel
I’d like to take a few minutes to say a few words about the column by Jeff Minick two weeks…
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Wildfire Response in Western NC
To the Editor: I live by Standing Indian Campground on West Old Murphy Road. Last Wednesday I watched the helicopters…
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Together we can create something
To the Editor: As someone who is regarded as white, why am I a member of the Jackson County NAACP?…
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Coming to grips with her own image
Among Americans the two most egregious social stigma are smoking and obesity. We relegate smokers to sidewalks and rooftops when…
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Western NC struggles with historic drought
Western North Carolina continues to be in a severe drought as wildfires rage through the mountains. The lack of rain has…
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Welcome home
The lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, once ranged across North America from the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay drainages down the…
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Wildlife students recognized with scholarship
Two Haywood Community College students have been recognized for their leadership, scholarship and dedication to the wildlife management profession with…
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N.C. ozone levels measuring up against new federal standard
With a new, more stringent ozone standard now in effect, North Carolina’s numbers are looking good.
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