Union Academy transforms to Bartram Academy
 

Union Academy transforms to Bartram Academy

Union Academy, an alternative high school in Macon County, will henceforth be known as Bartram Academy, home of the Explorers.
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Cherokee man sentenced in meth case
 

Cherokee man sentenced in meth case

A Cherokee man will serve more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a charge of possession with…
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Legal Aid of NC uplifts domestic violence survivors
 

Legal Aid of NC uplifts domestic violence survivors

Legal Aid of North Carolina announced it has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission, the chief…
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Tray Wellington is a rising star of contemporary bluegrass, winning the International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year” award in 2019. Rob Laughter photo
 

Word from the Smokies: Blue Ridge artist Tray Wellington builds bridges with bluegrass

Late last month, I was lucky enough to catch a special musical performance in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, followed by the Blue Ridge Parkway,  spurred more visitor spending than any other national park in 2022. NPS graphic
 

Smokies, Parkway visitors spend the most in the NPS, study finds

According to the recently released results of the National Park Service’s newest peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis, in 2022 North Carolina…
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Dahlias to dazzle in Highlands
 

Dahlias to dazzle in Highlands

The 13th annual Dazzling Dahlia Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 9, in Highlands.
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Accessible fishing pier at Indian Boundary Lake. U.S. Forest Service photo
 

Campground closed near Tellico Plains

Indian Boundary Campground in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico Plains, Tennessee, is now closed due to damage from a…
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A great-horned owl surveys its domain. NOC photo
 

Wild guests to visit NOC

Delve into the captivating world of wildlife during a 60-minute interactive experience starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at…
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Mourning dove. File photo
 

Dove season opens Saturday

The hunting season for mourning and white-winged doves opens Saturday, Sept. 2, and will be separated into three segments.
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Buy Mountain State Fair tickets now
 

Buy Mountain State Fair tickets now

Advance tickets are now on sale for the N.C. Mountain State Fair, slated for Sept. 8-17 at the Western North…
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Eat burgers, learn to fish
 

Eat burgers, learn to fish

Learn how to fly fish with the Tuckasegee Chapter of Trout Unlimited 4-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at East LaPorte…
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Waynesville Rec Center to close for maintenance, expand pool hours
 

Waynesville Rec Center to close for maintenance, expand pool hours

The Waynesville Recreation Center will close for its annual maintenance week Monday, Sept. 4, through Tuesday, Sept. 12.
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Talk land conservation with the Sierra Club
 

Talk land conservation with the Sierra Club

Look behind the scenes of a land conservation project with a presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Manheimer…
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Wooden trout to race in support of local organizations
 

Wooden trout to race in support of local organizations

Support Haywood Waterways Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County during the annual Trout Race slated for 2…
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Phony writs from a sham court prompted a federal investigation, and resulted in two convictions.
 

Moody, Dever sentenced in sovereign citizen ‘phony writs’ case

Two defendants who pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in communicating threats to dozens if not hundreds of…
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Free speech, as it turns out, needs protecting
 

Free speech, as it turns out, needs protecting

It was an eye-opener for me, that’s for sure.
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Thank you, lord, for the fixers
 

Thank you, lord, for the fixers

Once in a while, something will happen that freezes time for just a moment.
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GOP at its best when it divides
 
A look at the massive crowd at the beginning of play for Flight A in the Monster Stack event. Kyle Perrotti photo
 

Ante up: High-stakes poker tournament brings thousands to Cherokee

Gone are the days of backroom poker tournaments where players peer through a haze of smoke just to see their…
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Garret’s truck was recently broken into in Raleigh. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

This must be the place: Sweating out my worries, just another day

Covered in sweat, I was about three miles into a Friday afternoon run around Lake Johnson on the outskirts of…
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Bryson City community jam
 

Bryson City community jam

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
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Left to right: Beulah Land, Josie Glamoure and Alexis Black at the Mx. Sylva Pride Pageant. Sylva Pride photo
 

Sylva Pride Pageant event elicits threats, controversy

The 2023 Mx. Sylva Pride Pageant wasn’t all glitz, glamour, pomp and pageantry, as social media threats and agitated protesters…
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Before the start of the Pisgah High School football season opener last week, the entire Black Bears team gathered together at the 50-yard line.  Garret K. Woodward photo
 

More than a football game, much more: Pisgah High kicks off season amid continued community heartache

It didn’t matter that Pisgah High School defeated neighboring Brevard 24-10 last Friday night. What mattered most were the kids…
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Well over 95% of the clients served by Mountain Projects  are the working poor, disabled, elderly or handicapped. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Lacking landlords: Short-term rentals squeezing out Section 8 tenants

The effect of short-term rental properties on the availability and affordability of workforce housing has been well-documented in Haywood County. 
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A voter guide for Wolfetown Tribal Council
 

A voter guide for Wolfetown Tribal Council

This year’s race for Wolfetown/Big Y Tribal Council is an unusual one, with the two incumbents having held their seats…
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Pedestrian islands currently being installed in Maggie Valley, like this one in front of Guayabitos, could increase pedestrian safety but could also cause traffic problems. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Placement of pedestrian islands in Maggie Valley causes concern

A construction project on the five-lane road in Maggie Valley is aimed at improving pedestrian safety, but some are also pointing…
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Haywood County Republican Rep. Mark Pless (left) speaks on Aug. 17 in Canton with Elizabeth Biser, secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality.  Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Accountability, remediation focus of DEQ secretary’s Canton mill visit

Elisabeth Biser, secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, made her second visit to Canton last week, touring Pactiv…
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Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) speaks in Maggie Valley in July 2022. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Madison elections go partisan, Haywood spared

Over the past two years, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) has made multiple attempts to bring partisan municipal elections to the…
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Eight graduates of Haywood Community College’s truck driving program  were awarded diplomas on Aug. 16. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

HCC’s first class of truck drivers looks down the road

Six months ago, the eight men gathered on the auditorium stage at Haywood Community College’s Regional High Technology Center were…
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Workers inspect one of the smokestacks at Pactiv Evergreen’s Canton paper mill on Aug. 21.  Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Crane works to lower smokestacks at mill

The appearance of a bright yellow construction crane towering over Pactiv Evergreen’s shuttered Canton paper mill prompted questions from citizens…
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The Jackson County Public Library is located in the old courthouse. File photo
 

Jackson tables FRL governance change

With the Fontana Regional Library agreement up for its 10-year review, Jackson, Macon and Swain county commissions are taking a…
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Webster Village is planned for a parcel located  on Cloverdale Road, off Little Savannah Road,  near its intersection with NC 116. Donated photo
 

Local partnership to impact regional housing needs

A new collaboration is poised to make a large impact by providing new housing options for Jackson County seniors, low-income…
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BBB warns about paving scams
 

BBB warns about paving scams

BBB Scam Tracker has numerous reports of unscrupulous contractors who trick homeowners with supposedly good deals.
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Residents offer feedback on parkway plan
 

Residents offer feedback on parkway plan

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is one step closer to drafting its new action plan following a series of seven…
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Film screening to show safe highway wildlife crossing efforts
 

Film screening to show safe highway wildlife crossing efforts

The Safe Passage Fund Coalition is hosting The Crossing, a free event and screening of films highlighting road ecology in Southern…
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Book signing, benefit for Botanical Gardens
 

Book signing, benefit for Botanical Gardens

Western Carolina University’s Highlands Biological Station will be hosting a book signing event to benefit the Highlands Botanical Gardens from…
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Get outside with Haywood County Recreation
 

Get outside with Haywood County Recreation

Haywood County Recreation is hosting a series of events throughout September. Here’s a look at what lies ahead
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The event is expected to remove tons of debris  from roadways and waterways. Donated photo
 

Volunteers needed for annual stream cleanup

Join Haywood Waterways for its annual “Big Sweep” cleanup event, which will remove tons of trash from local waterways and…
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Franklin opens pickleball courts
 

Franklin opens pickleball courts

The Town of Franklin has modified the basketball court at Memorial Park to include two new pickleball courts.  
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People will have multiple opportunities in September to get involved  with Friends of Panthertown. Donated photo
 

Get Involved with Friends of Panthertown

Friends of Panthertown has two events coming up in September that will give people a chance to get involved.
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Join Jackson County Recreation
 

Join Jackson County Recreation

Jackson County Recreation will host a series of events throughout September.
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Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation adds to council of advisors
 

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation adds to council of advisors

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation recently welcomed Bronwyn Lance to the nonprofit organization’s Council of Advisors. 
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Plant more trees
 

Plant more trees

The N.C. Forest Service is now accepting tree seedling orders for its annual sale.
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Audubon interim director to speak at Grandfather Mountain
 

Audubon interim director to speak at Grandfather Mountain

Long-time Audubon staffer Curtis Smalling has been named interim executive director of Audubon North Carolina.
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High bids put Highlands Middle School project on hold
 

High bids put Highlands Middle School project on hold

The Highlands Middle School renovation project went out to bid in May, but after two rounds in which only one…
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Changes are coming to municipal elections in North Carolina's 118th House district.
 

Partisan elections bill passes, with one major change

Just two hours after Senators failed to concur on a bill that would have forced Haywood and Madison counties to…
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Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) speaks in Maggie Valley in July, 2022.
 

Partisan elections bill pushed by Pless is down, but not out

After months of pushing for partisan municipal elections in the counties he represents, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) has again come…
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The Marshall Tucker Band will play Harrah’s Cherokee on Aug. 25. Donated photo
 

Gratitude is the attitude: Doug Gray of Marshall Tucker Band

Last Tuesday morning, Doug Gray was standing outside his hotel room in Jackson, Wyoming.
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Mailbox 278.  Garret K. Woodward photo
 

This must be the place: ‘Scarecrow and a yellow moon and pretty soon a carnival on the edge of town’

Mailbox 278 (pictured) along Route 581 in the unincorporated community of Nahunta, North Carolina. In the rural depths of Wayne…
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