Your primary vote 
is important
 

Your primary vote 
is important

To the Editor:  Decisions made at all levels of government (President and Congress in Washington, D.C., General Assembly in Raleigh…
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Comment

Inflation hurts 
consumers 
and small businesses
 

Inflation hurts 
consumers 
and small businesses

To the Editor:  Is inflation eating into your budget? Is your small business struggling to stay open? High prices at…
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Comment

Credits roll on Quin Theater
 

Credits roll on Quin Theater

Since Johnny and Paulene Maney opened the doors to the Quin Theater in 1978, it has been a community staple…
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Comment

This must be the place: Every day it comes to this, catch the things you might have missed
 

This must be the place: Every day it comes to this, catch the things you might have missed

Feeling a bit deflated lately. It’s funny how one thing just triggers everything else, this domino effect that tumbles and…
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Comment

An initial vision for The 407 was unveiled following a groundbreaking in November 2020. Donated rendering
 

Tribe to invest $75 million in Sevier County ‘themed spectacle’

One of the world’s top amusement park companies will partner with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to create a…
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Comment

Sylva temporarily closes Spring Street
 

Sylva temporarily closes Spring Street

The Town of Sylva closed Spring Street, between Mill Street and Main Street beginning May 6. The closure will last…
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Comment

Madison Cawthorn speaks at a rally in Macon County in July, 2020.
 

Graphic video shows Rep. Cawthorn in compromising scene

Yet another video that depicts embattled Western North Carolina Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn in a compromising situation has surfaced, according…
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Comment

The fourth annual Outdoor Economy Conference brought together 600 people from 24 states to discuss issues facing the outdoors industry. Steven Reinhold photo
 

Stewarding opportunity: Outdoor Economy Conference tackles tough questions

With more than 600 people and 70 speakers from 24 states gathering for a four-day event, the 2022 Outdoor Economy…
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Comment

Species conservation plans open for comment
 

Species conservation plans open for comment

Public comment is open through May 5 for draft species conservation plans concerning the Atlantic pigtoe mussel and Henslow’s sparrow. 
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Comment

Volunteers give out reusable bags at Food Lion in Clyde on Friday, April 22. Pictured (from left) are Joan Doyle, Bill Hollowell, Penny Tracy and Pat Robbins. Donated photo
 

BYOBag Haywood highlights single-use plastic problem

Fifty volunteers distributed more than 1,400 reusable bags in Haywood County on Earth Day and the following Saturday, April 22-23,…
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Comment

After anesthetizing the bear, staff were able to remove the lid. NWRC photo
 

Mother bear rescued from lid

A mother bear stuck in a lid is now fully recovered following two days and nights of work from N.C.…
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Comment

The Ocoee Whitewater Center was deemed a complete loss following a fire April 26. USFS photo
 

Fire destroys Ocoee Whitewater Center

The Ocoee Whitewater Center in Polk County, Tennessee, built for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, is permanently closed following an…
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Comment

Pisgah wildfire nearing full containment
 

Pisgah wildfire nearing full containment

A forest fire that broke out April 27 on the Pisgah National Forest near the Pisgah Inn has been contained,…
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Comment

Take time to read the ‘Book of Nature’
 

Take time to read the ‘Book of Nature’

During the pandemic, regional authors have been busy. I’ve been made aware of several books being released this year by…
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Comment

Home is where the meal is: Sylva restaurant specializes in authentic Thai cuisine
 

Home is where the meal is: Sylva restaurant specializes in authentic Thai cuisine

Although the 5 o’clock dinner rush is still a few hours away, Chef Kanlaya Supachana is zipping around the kitchen…
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Comment

Onstage at SweetWater 420 in downtown Atlanta. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)
 

This must be the place: Can I sing for my supper and play for my rent?

Standing on the massive main stage at the SweetWater 420 music festival in downtown Atlanta last Saturday afternoon, I hoisted…
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Comment

Rickman Store. (photo: Elena Carlson)
 

Gather at the Rickman Store

Weekly festive gatherings are underway at the Rickman Store in Macon County.
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Comment

The story of one family among thousands
 

The story of one family among thousands

In response to the news of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) proposing fees for parking, now is an…
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Comment

Democracy in danger
 

Democracy in danger

You don’t need an invading army to destroy a democracy, as Russia is attempting to do to Ukraine.
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Comment

Elections must remain open and honest
 

Elections must remain open and honest

To the Editor: Martin Luther King Jr. always believed “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends…
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Comment

No one is above the law
 

No one is above the law

To the Editor: The late great singer Kenny Rogers recorded many songs written by other artists. Yet, he wrote one…
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Comment

Bridge to clean energy: Leaders mull WNC’s energy future
 

Bridge to clean energy: Leaders mull WNC’s energy future

When the first transmission lines began popping up in the mountains 100 years ago, only one type of power provided…
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Comment

The Oconee Nuclear Station produces enough energy to power 1.9 million homes. Duke Energy photo
 

Legislators, governor usher in new age of clean energy

As more states have pledged their commitment to reducing carbon emissions over the last decade, North Carolina has begun to…
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Comment

Waynesville hopes to spark residential solar generation
 

Waynesville hopes to spark residential solar generation

Unlike most North Carolina municipalities, the Town of Waynesville operates its own electric service, giving it greater local control over…
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Comment

Mold halts 
construction 
at Cherokee schools
 

Mold halts 
construction 
at Cherokee schools

Cherokee Central School was in the home stretch of a $22 million construction and renovation project on the 13-year-old campus…
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Comment

Bear sanctuary hunting rule now up to legislators
 

Bear sanctuary hunting rule now up to legislators

Following an April 21 vote from the N.C. Rules Review Commission, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission might not be allowed…
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Comment

Taxes, fees may 
go up in new Waynesville budget
 

Taxes, fees may 
go up in new Waynesville budget

Declining revenues and a growing list of capital improvements are both putting the squeeze on Waynesville’s finances, but a proposed…
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Comment

Construction is expected to begin soon on 59 units in Waynesville. Town of Waynesville photo
 

Waynesville approves 
housing development

A 59-unit townhome development on 7.7 acres just off East Street in Waynesville has been approved over opposition from neighbors, several…
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Comment

Justin Stamey and Shawna Thun Lamb.
 

The race is on for Macon clerk of court

The clerk of court is a humble albeit crucial office, an elected position filled by someone willing to ensure the…
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Comment

Haywood’s animal services department will trade six part-time employees for three full-time employees. File photo
 

Haywood budget shows staffing needs, rising costs

As the completion of Haywood County’s 2022-23 budget draws near, it’s becoming apparent that inflation, the tight labor market and…
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Comment

The Town of Waynesville’s budget process is nearly complete. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Waynesville takes a look at board meeting procedures

Governing a small municipality is work enough, but add in unprecedented amounts of federal recovery funds that need to be…
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Comment

Jackson faces safety funding requests
 

Jackson faces safety funding requests

The Jackson County Commission is faced with several requests to fund safety operations throughout the county, totaling over $1.5 million.…
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Comment

Allen street repairs will likely begin this summer
 

Allen street repairs will likely begin this summer

Funding for Allen Street repairs in Sylva has seen several boosts over the last several months. These funding opportunities have…
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Comment

Clockwise from top, left? Don Willis, Gary Shields, Richard Lightner, Gregg Jones, Danny Reitmeier.
 

Macon commissioner candidates discuss education, broadband

Several problems and opportunities await Macon County’s next board of commissioners.
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Comment

Bear sanctuary hunting rule now up to legislators
 

Bear sanctuary hunting rule now up to legislators

A new rule allowing bear hunting in three Western North Carolina sanctuary areas currently off-limits to the practice might not…
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Comment

Historian, local author to talk history of ginseng in Sylva
 

Historian, local author to talk history of ginseng in Sylva

Join City Lights Bookstore for a conversation between authors, Luke Manget and Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, at 3 p.m. this Saturday,…
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Comment

Major improvements coming to Catawba Falls
 

Major improvements coming to Catawba Falls

The popular Catawba Falls Trail on the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest will close Monday, May 2,…
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Comment

Bikers enter Berm Park in Chestnut Mountain Nature Park shortly after the ribbon-cutting April 22. Holly Kays photo
 

Launching a legacy: Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Park officially open

As Earth Day bloomed under one of spring’s sunniest skies yet, more than 150 people gathered on a concrete bridge…
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Comment

Around the Smokies
 

Around the Smokies

It’s a busy time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as visitation ramps up while the park works to…
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Comment

The Laurel Fork Bridge slated for replacement was built in 1939. NPS photo
 

Parkway prepares for major maintenance projects

The Great American Outdoors Act will give the Blue Ridge Parkway $127 million for projects to address its deferred maintenance…
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Comment

Summer’s coming, and it’s time for some fun!
 

Summer’s coming, and it’s time for some fun!

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy….” So begins one of the George Gershwin’s greatest songs, an aria in “Porgy and Bess”…
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Comment

Can’t believe what’s happening to my hometown
 

Can’t believe what’s happening to my hometown

Change is difficult for most people. Watching my humble hometown turn into an unrecognizable place is a hard pill to…
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Comment

Family relationships are the ties that bind
 

Family relationships are the ties that bind

All of my childhood memories include my older sister, Savannah. She and I did some pretty weird and funny things…
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Comment

Nothing more than political hyperbole
 

Nothing more than political hyperbole

To the Editor: Pam McAloon's letter “The woke family is bad for U.S.” in last week’s paper is a clear…
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Comment

Letter writer wrong about Ukraine, Russia
 

Letter writer wrong about Ukraine, Russia

To the Editor: The recent letter from a Sylva reader critical of support for Ukraine could have been written by…
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Comment

In-person early voting begins April 28
 

In-person early voting begins April 28

Primary Elections in Western North Carolina will be held on Tuesday, May 17, but in-person early voting will get underway…
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Comment

Sheriffs in Western North Carolina face challenges, change
 

Sheriffs in Western North Carolina face challenges, change

The job of the county sheriff is important even though the county sheriff’s job is widely misunderstood.  
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Comment

UNC System President Peter Hans (from left), WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown and    Board of Governors Chairman Randall Ramsey take press questions following the April 7 meeting. Holly Kays photo
 

UNC adopts new funding model

The decades-old model used to determine state funding requests for University of North Carolina System schools is set to change…
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