State budget includes $850K for Swain
 

State budget includes $850K for Swain

The North Carolina General Assembly passed an official budget last week that includes $850,000 for critical infrastructure projects in Swain…
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Shandra Sims is sworn in as register of deeds by Jackson County Commission Chairman Brian McMahan.
 

New Register of Deeds in Jackson County

Shandra Sims will serve as the new register of deeds for Jackson County after being sworn in Thursday, Nov. 18.…
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Officials Warn of Travel Delay in WNC
 

Officials Warn of Travel Delay in WNC

Digital signs posted several counties away are warning of delays on Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge. They will…
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Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen opens at Harrah's
 

Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen opens at Harrah's

Flavortown has arrived at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort. Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen + Bar is now open and is serving…
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Corbin, Pless secure critical improvements for Haywood County
 

Corbin, Pless secure critical improvements for Haywood County

Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Franklin) and Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) secured critical improvements for Haywood County in the compromise state budget…
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Michele Woodhouse announces her entry into the NC-14 race on Thursday, Nov. 18, in Hendersonville.
 

Woodhouse makes her NC-14 run official

Almost immediately after Rep. Madison Cawthorn announced on Nov. 11 that he’d seek an open seat in the new 13th…
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Comment

Kevin Corbin (left) announces his candidacy for Senate District 50 in September, 2019.
 

Corbin will run for re-election to Senate, not NC-14

Saying that he feels he can “offer more to the citizens of Western North Carolina as a senator than as…
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Comment

Meth trafficker busted in Haywood
 

Meth trafficker busted in Haywood

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies seized 4.1 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop resulting in one arrest and trafficking…
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Debris removal from flood to cease until Nov. 29
 

Debris removal from flood to cease until Nov. 29

This week marks the 90-day post-flood milestone after Tropical Storm Fred impacted Haywood County. As that date nears, the second…
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Comment

Congressman Madison Cawthorn accepts the American PATRIOT Award from AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber on Capitol Hill
 

Cawthorn Accepts AMAC American PATRIOT Award

Washington, D.C. — On Nov. 2 on Capitol Hill, Congressman Madison Cawthorn accepted The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC)…
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Haywood reports more COVID-19 related deaths
 

Haywood reports more COVID-19 related deaths

In the last week, Haywood County has mourned the loss of two more people to COVID-19. Both were in their…
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A bear crosses I-40 using a large culvert originally installed with just water in mind, not wildlife. Wildlands Network/National Parks Conservation Association photos
 

Harmon Den bridge will feature animal underpass

A bridge replacement project underway in the Pigeon River Gorge will temporarily close a section of Interstate 40, but once…
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Red wolf. Donated photo
 

Fish and Wildlife Service ditches controversial red wolf rule

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that it would withdraw its 2018 proposed red wolf management rule…
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Librarian Serenity Richards installs a new page of ‘The Big Dance.’ Donated photo
 

New StoryWalk book up in Cashiers

A new book is available on the StoryWalk in the Village Green in Cashiers. 
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Luftee Rover Tom Dickerson is one of 70 volunteers who helped manage elk viewing in 2020. NPS photo
 

Smokies volunteers honored for service

A pair of volunteer organizations within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park earned regional recognition for their service in 2020. 
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Cassius Cash. NPS photo
 

Smokies superintendent receives leadership award

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash was one of five leaders nationwide recognized with the Walter T. Cox…
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Development does not fit Waynesville
 

Development does not fit Waynesville

To the Editor: I find myself perplexed over the “housing crisis” in Waynesville. It seems all our town does is…
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De-mock-racy and gerrymandering
 

De-mock-racy and gerrymandering

To the Editor: Folks, it is gerrymandered maps time again.
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Inspiration from Mary Oliver, Sadhguru and Ted Lasso
 

Inspiration from Mary Oliver, Sadhguru and Ted Lasso

“Sometimes I need / Only to stand / Wherever I am / To be blessed.”  — Mary Oliver 
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Now we know what the COVID police will do
 

Now we know what the COVID police will do

I’ve had mixed feelings about the “COVID police” since the beginning of the pandemic’s lockdowns.
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Perkins brothers turn custom home building business into YouTube fame
 

Perkins brothers turn custom home building business into YouTube fame

“Living the dream” is what comes to mind after spending a couple of hours with the Perkins brothers and their…
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Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s surprising announcement came on Nov. 11. Jeffrey Delannoy photo
 

Going rogue: Cawthorn’s move has widespread implications

Western North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn has become known for saying some surprising things to further his political agenda, but…
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Jackson to pay $725,000 in jail death settlement
 

Jackson to pay $725,000 in jail death settlement

Nearly three years after a Sylva woman was found dead  in the Jackson County Detention Center, the county has agreed…
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Over the next decade, WCU hopes to improve its facilities while continuing to showcase the natural beauty in which they sit. Hanbury/WCU photo
 

WCU master plan: The focus areas

If the proposed master plan is adopted, over the coming years the university will focus its development efforts on five…
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The draft master plan proposes a split library model with the research library remaining at Hunter Library, while the digital library and student collaboration space would move to a  new collaborative learning commons building. Hanbury/WCU graphic
 

Ten years ahead: WCU trustees mull master plan proposal

At a board retreat this month, Western Carolina University trustees got their first look at a draft proposed 10-year master…
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Planning Board Chairman removed from post in Maggie
 

Planning Board Chairman removed from post in Maggie

David Williamson was removed from his position as Planning Board Chairman for the Town of Maggie Valley following a 3-2…
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Family, friends and gratitude: a great American holiday
 

Family, friends and gratitude: a great American holiday

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I raided my public library, brought home an armload of books having to do…
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Darren Nicholson. (photo: Jeff Smith Photography)
 

Man on a mission: Darren Nicholson on new album, new chapter

On his way from performing at a Sunday church service in Highlands to an afternoon gig at Ole Smoky Distillery…
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GWAR at The Orange Peel. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)
 

Ode to GWAR, ode to heavy metal integrity

Standing in the photo pit last week between heavy metal icons GWAR and a sold-out roaring audience at The Orange…
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Comment

Sen. Kevin Corbin speaks at the Cruso Fire Department in the aftermath of deadly flooding this past summer.
 

Sen. Kevin Corbin is ‘considering’ a run in NC-14

Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s decision to leave his 14th Congressional District seat open has already produced a “ripple effect” of electoral…
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Comment

Traffic delays expected for I-40 in Pigeon River Gorge
 

Traffic delays expected for I-40 in Pigeon River Gorge

HARMON DEN – A winding drive on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge will soon take a little longer than…
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Photo by Suzanna Moses. Haywood Community College was selected by the Department of Labor, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, to receive a grant in the amount of $1.196M for Project UP, a program to support the development of short-term training programs in construction. Pictured left to right are members of the Haywood Community College Project Up grant team Alicia Jack, Wendy Hines, Doug Burchfield, Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes of the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, HCC President Dr. Shelley White, Jennifer Yowell and Jessica Honeycutt.
 

HCC awarded $1 million construction grant

Haywood Community College was selected by the Department of Labor, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, to receive a…
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Tips to Prepare for Thanksgiving
 

Tips to Prepare for Thanksgiving

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | Over The River and Through the Woods! Thanksgiving is 2 weeks out and I’m sure…
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Haywood Alerts implements new, streamlined alert messages
 

Haywood Alerts implements new, streamlined alert messages

In the next few weeks, Haywood County Alerts will switch over to a new, streamlined message format for emergency text…
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Winter hours begin at N.C. Arboretum
 

Winter hours begin at N.C. Arboretum

The days are getting shorter, and so are the hours at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. 
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Lifetime sportsman licenses now cheaper for older residents
 

Lifetime sportsman licenses now cheaper for older residents

North Carolinians ages 50 and older can now purchase lifetime hunting and fishing licenses for half price, following implementation of…
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Comment

Help the Park Service solve a murder
 

Help the Park Service solve a murder

The National Park Service is asking anybody who took pictures or videos on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina…
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Comment

New NPS agreement to amp up collaboration with tribal nations
 

New NPS agreement to amp up collaboration with tribal nations

The National Park Service and the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association recently finalized a new five-year agreement that aims…
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Comment

After weathering a flood and a lingering pandemic, the Berm Park bike skills course is expected to open to the public this spring. Holly Kays photo
 

Canton’s catalyst: Chestnut Mountain aims for April open

Seth Alvo makes defying gravity look easy. Pushing off on his mountain bike, he gathers speed on a rolling portion…
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Comment

Winter begins on the Parkway
 

Winter begins on the Parkway

Winter has started on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with some seasonal closures in effect and the first round of snow-related…
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Phil Woody, who lives in Dillsboro, finished the 2021 N.C. Senior Games a decorated athlete. Donated photo
 

Dillsboro resident wins big in Senior Games

Dillsboro resident Phil Woody took home 10 medals in this year’s North Carolina Senior Games. 
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Words from a wisdom keeper
 

Words from a wisdom keeper

Joy Harjo is the current Poet Laureate of the United States. She is “Native,” “Indigenous,” of the Muscogee/Creek (Mvskoke) “Native…
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J.D. Pinkus. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)
 

Rolling down that lost highway: A conversation with J.D. Pinkus

Hunkered down at a table in the depths of the cavernous DeSoto Lounge in West Asheville, J.D Pinkus takes a…
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Comment

An excerpt from ‘On the Road.’
 

This must be the place: Ode to being real, ode to the dude who felt otherwise

It was Saturday. Having just strolled into my neighborhood bar in Waynesville, I walked over to say hello to my…
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Comment

David Holt.
 

Holt to receive N.C. Award

David Holt is one of nine North Carolinians who will receive the state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award,…
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Comment

History is complicated, let’s teach it that way
 

History is complicated, let’s teach it that way

There has been a lot of hype about Critical Race Theory (CRT) — most of it false. CRT actually involves…
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Comment

Back to near normalcy is a treasured gift
 

Back to near normalcy is a treasured gift

When practice begins each year for the new high school marching band season, summer is still bearing down, the sun…
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Comment

Cawthorn’s fears should worry us
 

Cawthorn’s fears should worry us

To the Editor:  As each new report comes to light about Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s concealed weaponry, we should be asking…
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Comment

No guarantee the republic will survive
 

No guarantee the republic will survive

To the Editor:  I’ve been giving much thought recently to what the framers had in mind when contemplating the creation…
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