This must be the place: There’s too much in this world I can’t seem to shake
 

This must be the place: There’s too much in this world I can’t seem to shake

I live in a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Waynesville. Been here going on eight and a half years. Aside from…
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Waynesville painter Jo Ridge Kelley.
 

Haywood art studio tour

The Haywood County Arts Council invites all Haywood County studio artists to participate in the annual Haywood County Studio Tour…
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‘Triggerfish’ yardage by Hannah Mitsu Shimabukuro.
 

‘A Decade in Fiber’ exhibition

Haywood Community College in Clyde recently wrapped up an exhibition to celebrate graduates in the Professional Crafts Fiber program from…
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Check Your Vanity At the Door - Or On Zoom
 

Check Your Vanity At the Door - Or On Zoom

Holidays going on, pandemic still going on, virtual shopping going on x 1000, and my face going on everywhere! I…
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"Hope" by Carol Cole Czeczot
 

The Art of Survival - Spartanburg Exhibits Works Created During Pandemic

Artists Collective | Spartanburg will host The Art of Survival, an art exhibition on tap for Jan. 5-Feb. 27, 2021,…
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Seven more COVID-19 deaths reported in Haywood
 

Seven more COVID-19 deaths reported in Haywood

Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting seven more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number now to 62. 
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Macon identifies COVID-19 cluster at sheriff's office
 

Macon identifies COVID-19 cluster at sheriff's office

Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
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Haywood County to get a new high school
 

Haywood County to get a new high school

At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Shining Rock Classical Academy Board of Directors, the decision was made to begin…
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Dog Park Initiative by Vision Cashiers Moves Forward
 

Dog Park Initiative by Vision Cashiers Moves Forward

Vision Cashiers, a not-for-profit organization led by volunteers and devoted to improving the Cashiers community, recently announced it has received…
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Haywood announces spring school calendar
 

Haywood announces spring school calendar

Following the semester and holiday break, Haywood County Schools will return for blended and in-person learning on Monday, Jan. 11,…
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Ceasars Southern Indiana Casino is home to 1,200 slot machines, as well as sports betting, poker and table games. Laurencio Ronquillo photo
 

Council votes to purchase Indiana casino operation

Tribal Council decided by a razor-thin margin last week to pursue a $280 million deal to purchase the gaming operation…
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Franklin man pleads guilty to drug trafficking
 

Franklin man pleads guilty to drug trafficking

Caught out and arrested by a sharp-eyed deputy sheriff, a Franklin man is headed to state prison after a failed…
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Soup and Cornbread canceled, support still needed
 

Soup and Cornbread canceled, support still needed

Altrusa of Waynesville is part of an International nonprofit organization that emphasizes community service including literacy, education and other needs…
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Holiday gatherings lead to more COVID spread
 

Holiday gatherings lead to more COVID spread

Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 14, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 112 new cases of COVID-19.  As…
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Pomegranate, Apple & Mint Salad
 

Pomegranate, Apple & Mint Salad

During the holiday season we seek out certain types of food. Those that are based in tradition, or that we…
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Jessi and Leilah Stone pictured next to the Dolly Parton statue, Christmas 2018.
 

A Little Sister For Christmas

After living in different states for the last 10 years, I’m finally within a short driving distance of my little…
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How To Handle Season Depression, Isolation
 

How To Handle Season Depression, Isolation

The winter season is upon us and the colder weather may bring individuals further into isolation. Many Americans have been…
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Being A Home Health Worker during COVID
 

Being A Home Health Worker during COVID

Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of us had a notion of what “frontline” or “essential” workers meant. Who they were,…
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You only get to do this once
 

You only get to do this once

 “… one of the most significant facts about us may finally be that we all begin with the natural equipment…
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The human component makes the difference
 

The human component makes the difference

Apple was once a small business that was started in a garage by two college dropouts. It was the pipe…
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Taking the side of WNC’s citizens
 

Taking the side of WNC’s citizens

To the Editor: Please allow me a moment to respond to last week’s op-ed by Patrick Gleason “Local government-run broadband a…
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I am afraid history is repeating itself
 

I am afraid history is repeating itself

To the Editor: I have always  been a history buff. It was my major in college. I studied WWII in great…
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Please give and help fight cancer
 

Please give and help fight cancer

To the Editor: This is in response to your article: “DA undergoes breast cancer treatment,” concerning our elected/head District Attorney,…
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Capitalism married socialism long ago!
 

Capitalism married socialism long ago!

To the Editor: IF socialism is: “any of various theories or systems of the ownership and operation of the means…
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Kyle James, field team lead for Haywood Search and Rescue, carefully crosses a tributary of the West Fork Pigeon River. Nancy East photo
 

Safety net: Nonprofit aims to bolster search and rescue ops

It was the fall of 2019, and Bill Zimmerman had just hopped in a truck with other members of the…
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Noland certified in playground inspection
 

Noland certified in playground inspection

A Waynesville Parks and Recreation employee was recently certified as a playground safety inspector. 
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USDA launches contact center
 

USDA launches contact center

A new contact center is available for people with questions for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
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‘100 Favorite Trails’ map gets update
 

‘100 Favorite Trails’ map gets update

More than 35 Carolina Mountain Club members banded together to create an updated version of the widely popular “100 Favorite…
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Folks and faith: two books about the South
 

Folks and faith: two books about the South

In his short essay, “Dear Santa (Again),” Rick Bragg writes, “For my big brother Sam, I would like you to…
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The back of Beverly Banks’ big red truck is full of groceries donated to the Open Door, in Frog Level. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Volunteers ‘fill in the gaps’ of the food security spectrum

Passing modest, nondescript houses with swing sets and dog houses in their yards, the big red pickup truck lumbered up…
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Schools keep kids fed during pandemic
 

Schools keep kids fed during pandemic

North Carolina is regularly ranked as one of the 10 hungriest states in the nation. According to Feeding America data…
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Pastor Rubi Pimentel of Hendersonville Spanish Church unloads produce from a local farm to feed community members in need. Photo by Colby Rabon
 

Food insecurity triples in WNC

Food insecurity in Western North Carolina has nearly tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic as people struggle to put food on…
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Salvador and Alyssa Moreno of SMM Farm deliver to Haywood Christian Ministries. ASAP photo
 

Farmers, pantries strive to feed the hungry

Food pantries and meal delivery programs have had to change how they operate during the pandemic while still trying to meet…
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Walter S. Jackson.
 

Sylva endorses county namesake change

The Town of Sylva joined the Village of Forest Hills last week in formerly supporting a request from the Eastern…
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The Lavern Hamlin Allen Residence Hall is home to 600 students. WCU photo
 

WCU trustees approve fee increases

The cost of attendance at Western Carolina University will increase by $152 in the 2021-2022 school year for on-campus, in-state…
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Christian conservatives invited to GOP party
 

Christian conservatives invited to GOP party

The media received a press release from GOP leaders in Western North Carolina inviting all Christian conservatives to a “Can’t…
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A substantial crowd waits for a Waynesville Board of Aldermen meeting to begin. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Waynesville passes State of Emergency ordinance

A routine update to the Town of Waynesville’s State of Emergency ordinance finally passed on Dec. 8 after being tabled…
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Council delays Indiana casino decision
 

Council delays Indiana casino decision

Tribal Council voted 10-1 today to table a resolution that would have allowed the tribe to move forward with a…
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Cowee School awards art grants
 

Cowee School awards art grants

The Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center recently announced the 2020-21 NC Arts Council Artist Support Grant Recipients for Region…
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New virus outbreak reported in Sylva
 

New virus outbreak reported in Sylva

A total of 37 people at Morningstar Assisted Living in Sylva have tested positive for COVID-19, making the facility the…
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Seven more nursing home residents die in Haywood
 

Seven more nursing home residents die in Haywood

Between Dec. 8 and Dec. 10, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 107 new cases of COVID-19 and…
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Cheryl Moss apologizes Thursday in Jackson County Superior Court to her former law-firm colleagues.
 

Moss pleads guilty to embezzling charges

A would-be lawyer found herself in handcuffs and headed to prison Thursday after pleading guilty in Jackson County Superior Court…
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With sales tax strong, Jackson considers budget increase
 

With sales tax strong, Jackson considers budget increase

The 2020-2021 budget Jackson County passed in June was a slimmed-down plan adopted in reaction to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis…
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Whittier man dead following shooting incident
 

Whittier man dead following shooting incident

A Whittier man is dead due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a 911 call that the Jackson County Sheriff’s…
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Graham County Clerk of Court closed due to COVID
 

Graham County Clerk of Court closed due to COVID

The Graham County Clerk of Superior Court’s office will be closed through Friday, Dec. 18, due to COVID-19 exposure.
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District Court judges (left to right) Donna Forga and Kaleb Wingate, along with NCGOP 11th District Chairman Aubrey Woodard count ballots.
 

Haywood Republicans fill commission vacancy

After several public meetings where intensive questions were posed by the Haywood County Republican Party to seven candidates, the party…
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Greening Up the Mountains moved to summer
 

Greening Up the Mountains moved to summer

The beloved Greening Up The Mountains Festival will once again be absent from its traditional date of the last Saturday…
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Mountain Projects seeks emergency fund donations
 

Mountain Projects seeks emergency fund donations

Mountain Projects 31 Days of Giving Campaign is seeking holiday contributions to support the well-being of families experiencing poverty in…
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