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Blight-resistant chestnuts planted in Cashiers
 

Blight-resistant chestnuts planted in Cashiers

Tree seedlings planted at McKinney Meadow in Cashiers this week may signal a new chapter for the American Chestnut in…
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Advanced tech courses offered to students
 

Advanced tech courses offered to students

Haywood County high school students will have more educational opportunities in the areas of electronics and machining, thanks to a…
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Farm tour introduces tourists to their food source
 

Farm tour introduces tourists to their food source

A Western North Carolina farm tour provides the perfect chance to see where food comes from and to get to…
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Parkway throws mountain party
 

Parkway throws mountain party

A day full of activities at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center near Asheville promises mountain music, outdoor literature, local…
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Geothermal project extends crop’s life
 

Geothermal project extends crop’s life

Haywood Community College will soon build an experimental geothermal pre-cooling facility to extend the shelf life of produce and crops…
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Chestnut trees highlight of hike
 

Chestnut trees highlight of hike

A walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway will take hikers on a journey to explore the mighty chestnut tree and…
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Buy gear and help the park’s friends
 

Buy gear and help the park’s friends

Mast General Store is offering outdoor enthusiasts a way to get new gear while helping out the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Get thee to an eatery
 

Get thee to an eatery

Sorry, I couldn’t help it – I saw Hamlet at Montford Park this past weekend.  But to be more specific,…
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Growing pains: Farmers pay the price as elk herd damage crops, fences
 

Growing pains: Farmers pay the price as elk herd damage crops, fences

It is a common story — a species once eliminated returns to find not everyone welcomes it back with open…
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Business calendar
 

Business calendar

• Western Carolina University will host information sessions on a new part-time MBA program starting in January and held in…
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Business notes
 

Business notes

• The 2014 Apple Harvest Festival, held Oct. 18 in Waynesville, was a tremendous success. The estimated attendance was 50,000-plus…
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Highlands-Cashiers Hospital soon to forge partnership with Mission
 

Highlands-Cashiers Hospital soon to forge partnership with Mission

Highlands-Cashiers Hospital is expected to come under the umbrella of Mission Health in coming months. The Highlands-Cashiers Hospital is current…
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Getting a handle on cutlery
 

Getting a handle on cutlery

Kristi Culpepper knows knives.  Browsing the wide selection of specialized hunting, hobby and kitchen cutlery at Old School Knife Works…
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Rural Center will survive, but as a shadow of its former self
 

Rural Center will survive, but as a shadow of its former self

Despite fears that the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center would meet its maker after losing its state funding, the…
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Changes on table for TDA grant funding
 

Changes on table for TDA grant funding

People seeking funds from the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority spend hours filling out grant applications, and all the tourism…
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Tribal council gets a few new faces following election
 

Tribal council gets a few new faces following election

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians held tribal council elections last Thursday (Sept. 5). All 12 seats on tribal council…
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Sewer credits: a commodity market in Cashiers
 

Sewer credits: a commodity market in Cashiers

To relieve sewer gridlock in the Cashiers area, the Tuckasegee Water and Sewer Authority may change its rules to let…
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New restrooms in store for Waynesville playground
 

New restrooms in store for Waynesville playground

The town of Waynesville will soon put in temporary restrooms next to the popular children’s playground on Marshall Street. They…
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Waynesville to invest in tennis courts
 

Waynesville to invest in tennis courts

Waynesville plans to repair the six cracked and aging tennis courts in its recreation park, as long as the local…
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Skaters find their groove at Waynesville’s new concrete playground
 

Skaters find their groove at Waynesville’s new concrete playground

Skateboarders from across Western North Carolina have streamed into Waynesville during the past week to try out the town’s newly…
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Forest Hills doesn’t have the green to buy abandoned golf course
 

Forest Hills doesn’t have the green to buy abandoned golf course

Forest Hills residents and town leaders overwhelmingly opposed purchasing a 60-acre abandoned golf course in the middle of their community…
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Clyde police chief suspended, but keeps job
 

Clyde police chief suspended, but keeps job

Clyde Police Chief Gerard Ball won’t return to work until Oct. 5 after the Clyde Board of Aldermen decided to…
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Exhibit aimed a piquing interest in Cherokee history
 

Exhibit aimed a piquing interest in Cherokee history

A new traveling exhibit is using technology to teach people about traditional Cherokee culture.
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Tourism tax increase at root of  complaints lobbed against Maggie mayor
 

Tourism tax increase at root of complaints lobbed against Maggie mayor

Two Maggie Valley aldermen recently indicated that they have a laundry list of grievances against the town’s mayor, but there…
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Opponents of Maggie mayor try but fail to remove him from office
 

Opponents of Maggie mayor try but fail to remove him from office

As the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen called its monthly meeting to order, it was the last item on the…
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Haywood Schools assess benevolent policy toward club sports
 

Haywood Schools assess benevolent policy toward club sports

A proposal to charge youth sports clubs and outside groups rental fees to use school property is being studied by…
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Liverworts — a unique bridge in the plant world
 

Liverworts — a unique bridge in the plant world

Some years ago, when I first became interested in plant identification, I became curious about liverworts. They are one of…
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A great dam run
 

A great dam run

The annual Dam Race at Fontana Dam — featuring a run over the top of the towering dam itself —…
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Blue Ridge Breakaway a success
 

Blue Ridge Breakaway a success

Olympic silver-medalist Lauren Tamayo from Asheville was among the 460 riders from 18 states who pedaled the scenic roadways, byways…
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Record rainfall, is it climate change?
 

Record rainfall, is it climate change?

A program about climate change in Western North Carolina will explore how oldtimers and scientists alike view changing weather patterns…
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New wildlife police boss in WNC
 

New wildlife police boss in WNC

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has promoted Tim Sisk to the position of captain for the state’s western counties, covering…
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Cherokee chief placed on wildlife resources board
 

Cherokee chief placed on wildlife resources board

Michel Hicks, Principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been appointed a commissioner on the N.C. Wildlife…
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Parkway reopens along damaged stretch
 

Parkway reopens along damaged stretch

The Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened a closed section of the motor road — from Ox Creek Road in Asheville…
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Trail promises cemeteries and rapids
 

Trail promises cemeteries and rapids

Friends of the Smokies will host a guided, 9-mile roundtrip hike, Tuesday, Sept. 17, along Noland Creek Trail. The hike…
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Paddlers ready to hit the Tuckasegee
 

Paddlers ready to hit the Tuckasegee

The Old Cullowhee Canoe Slalom, a family-friendly paddling competition on a calm section of the Tuckasegee River, is set for…
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Owning the autumn sky
 

Owning the autumn sky

The loud, piercing keee-eeeeerrrr jerks your head up involuntarily to see the essence of wild freedom — a red-tailed hawk,…
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Citizen scientists help PARI catalog celestial photographs
 

Citizen scientists help PARI catalog celestial photographs

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute is making use of citizen scientists from around the world to help sort and catalog…
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A realistic, refreshing look at teaching
 

A realistic, refreshing look at teaching

For most students, parents, and teachers, autumn rather than spring is the season of budding growth, new life, and hope.
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Macon County Fair opens in Franklin
 

Macon County Fair opens in Franklin

The 60th annual Macon County Fair will be Sept. 11-14 at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center in Franklin. Highlights of…
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‘Boots and Bling’ to benefit REACH
 

‘Boots and Bling’ to benefit REACH

The Boots and Bling benefit will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Bloemsma Farm Barn in Franklin.…
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Sylva church offers a taste of cookbook recipes
 

Sylva church offers a taste of cookbook recipes

A cookbook tasting experience will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at The First United Methodist Church in Sylva.
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Music festival comes to Burningtown
 

Music festival comes to Burningtown

The Burningtown Music Festival will be Sept. 14 in the Nantahala National Forest in the Burningtown Township of Macon County.
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DePaolo to be exhibited in The Strand at 38 Main
 

DePaolo to be exhibited in The Strand at 38 Main

Works by artist Dominick “Nick” DePaolo will be on display throughout the month of September in the lobby at The…
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Annual charity bingo event in Haywood
 

Annual charity bingo event in Haywood

The St. John the Evangelist Catholic Women’s Circle will hold its annual “Baskets and Bags Bingo” charity event at 6…
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Monks to build sand mandala, perform sacred music and dance at WCU
 

Monks to build sand mandala, perform sacred music and dance at WCU

Monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery will demonstrate the art of mandala sand painting and perform sacred music and dance…
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Mountain Faith, Primitive Quartet in Franklin
 

Mountain Faith, Primitive Quartet in Franklin

Acclaimed gospel groups Mountain Faith and the Primitive Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at The Smoky…
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Merle Haggard to bring honky-tonk to Franklin
 

Merle Haggard to bring honky-tonk to Franklin

Legendary country singer Merle Haggard will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It’s like losing your virginity and seeing the Apocalypse at the same time.
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Nature-inspired metal artist garners acclaim from unusual fanbase
 

Nature-inspired metal artist garners acclaim from unusual fanbase

A fiery inferno blasts through the sheet metal like a hot knife through butter. The screeching sound of a grinder…
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Grace Cathey’s metal flowers to join the ranks of Waynesville public art pieces
 

Grace Cathey’s metal flowers to join the ranks of Waynesville public art pieces

A new public art sculpture will be unveiled in downtown Waynesville this week by renowned Western North Carolina metal sculptor…
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