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Voting rights bill deserves support
To the Editor: Voting records show that North Carolina and Haywood County had the largest voter turnout ever in the…
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Summer Camp Guide
While summer camps were on hiatus during the height of the pandemic in 2020, many camps in Western North Carolina…
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HERE in Jackson plans considers homeless shelter project
For more than a decade, groups serving Jackson County’s homeless population have done so on a shoestring and a thin…
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WCU women create local branch of University Women
The American Association of University Women was founded by a group of female college graduates in 1881 to advocate for…
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Vaccine availability increases
Macon County became the first county in The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area to break the 20 percent mark…
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Tough decisions in store for Waynesville budget
As the town of Waynesville digs into the budget process for the 2021-22 fiscal year, aldermen are again considering ways…
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Feichter pushes for affordable housing in Waynesville
Waynesville Alderman Jon Feichter says that he’s proud of the concrete steps previous town boards took to address the affordable…
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Jackson forecasts revenue increase
Despite the dire predictions of spring 2020, Jackson County’s budget prognosis for the 2021-2022 fiscal year is looking downright positive,…
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Maggie Valley begins budget talks
Maggie Valley town officials are cautiously optimistic about the coming budget year after preliminary reports show the pandemic did not…
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Macon moves forward with middle school renovations
At the 11th hour, Macon County Commissioners called a special meeting to discuss whether to move forward with an $8…
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Patience, passion and pork: Big Nick’s Barbecue carries on family tradition
Coming off Exit 85 on the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, a funny thing happens to drivers when they’re about halfway…
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This must be the place: You are the rock on the riverbed, growing smoother every year
Sunday morning. Sunshine and blue skies piercing through my dusty bedroom window. I’ve been up an hour or so. And…
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Reggae, soul rolls into WNC
The Natti Love Joys will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.
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Franklin art classes
There will be a wide array of new and ongoing art classes offered in the coming weeks and months at…
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Under Attack, Cawthorn Moves (Farther) Right
By Peter H. Lewis, Asheville Watchdog | Since Madison Cawthorn took office two months ago, vowing to represent everyone in his…
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Repaving Coming to Three Western Highways
SYLVA – N.C. Department of Transportation officials recently awarded three contracts to resurface highways in Cherokee, Jackson and Henderson counties.
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DA Welch presented with patches of comfort
Quilters at Sassy Stitches in Franklin recently presented patches of comfort to District Attorney Ashley Welch, who is undergoing treatment…
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Jackson opens online vaccine registration
A new online portal now allows people to schedule themselves for COVID-19 vaccine appointments through the Jackson County Department of…
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WNC claims two of 2020’s three most visited National Park units
Despite the pandemic — or perhaps because of it — Western North Carolina was home to two of the nation’s…
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Harrah's Donates to Swain County Fund
The Swain County United Gift Fund is pleased to announce a donation of $2,000 from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. This…
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Barbara McRae leaves lasting legacy in Macon County
Vice Mayor of Franklin Barbara McRae passed away Tuesday night after a long and valiant battle against cancer.
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WCU Women Create Branch of University Women
The American Association of University Women was founded by a group of female college graduates in 1881 to advocate for…
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Celebrate International Women's Day - March 8
International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also…
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N.C. Legislators Introduce RBG Bill
On the first day of Women’s History Month, North Carolina legislators filed the RBG Act, or the Removing Barriers to…
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Female Artists Getting Me Through Quarantine
By Daley Hooten - Quarantine has taken an emotional toll on all of us. Some more than others, but we…
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New trail coming to Old Fort
The U.S. Forest Service wants public input on a proposal to build 42 miles of new trails near Old Fort…
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Pandemic changes trail season plans
With the pandemic still very much in effect as thru-hiker season comes around once more, trail season in Franklin will…
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Full closure planned for Cades Cove Loop Road
Cades Cove Loop Road will be fully closed for three weeks in September to allow crews to resurface the popular…
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Riding high in Jackson: Proposed 35-mile trail system would be East Coast’s highest for bikes
A group of Western North Carolina mountain biking enthusiasts has unveiled plans to bring the highest-elevation mountain bike trail on…
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Paving begins on park road
A paving project expected to last through the end of November is now underway on the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Video shows impact of Smokies Hikes for Healing
A new video highlighting the Smokies Hikes for Healing program, a hiking series that Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent…
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Silence, devils, pollyanna and peace of mind
“What happens to people who live inside their phones?” In his short novel The Silence (Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2020,…
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How many visitors are too many?
The Smokies region is an outdoor mecca that attracts millions of people each year. For better or worse, that onslaught…
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The ‘Sap is Risin’ and a life well lived
By Randy Siske • Contributing writer | Our “Breakfast Club” started eating together in 2006 just because we went to…
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Election fraud evidence is slim to none
To the Editor: I am alarmed by the variety and sheer numbers of claims of election fraud we still see,…
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Letter writer has her facts wrong
To the Editor: This is in response to the recent letter by Carol Adams of Glenville: “Trump was 1,000 Percent…
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Getting vaccinated also helps others
To the Editor: On behalf of the Haywood County Senior Democrats, I would like to express our profound gratitude to…
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Buncombe Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara wants Madison Cawthorn’s seat
Some people will say a gay woman who’s a Christian minister just can’t get elected in the South.
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COVID cases plunge as vaccine availability increases
Coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations are falling sharply around the region as vaccine coverage improves, providing a longed-for surge of…
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Pandemic exposes fragile childcare system
On average, it costs parents $9,480 a year for infant childcare in North Carolina, which is $2,126 more than they’ll…
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Jackson approves economic development strategy
A plan that will guide the county’s economic development strategy for the next five years received unanimous support Feb. 16…
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AT&T boosts network speeds for Cherokee
AT&T customers and FirstNet subscribers in Cherokee got a big boost in wireless connectivity. AT&T added a new cell tower…
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SMN brings home 26 N.C. Press Awards
The Smoky Mountain News team won 26 editorial awards in the 2020 North Carolina Press Association News and Editorial Contest.
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Jackson man to serve 18 months for EBCI embezzlement
A Jackson County man who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $95,000 from an enterprise of the Eastern Band of…
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Cawthorn defends proxy vote from CPAC
As if last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) wasn’t controversial enough — the stage resembled a rune with Nazi…
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Health care foundation won’t remove anti-vax, anti-mask trustee
Despite calls to do so, a nonprofit health care foundation charged with managing more than $13 million of Haywood County…
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Major increase in property values coming for Haywood
Although the results of Haywood County’s comprehensive revaluation process haven’t yet been mailed out, county administrators and elected officials want…
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Hillbilly Jammers get high on the mountain
Attendees of this year’s Hillbilly Winter Jam kicked off the annual fest with a special treat — a private visit…
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Plans for Ghost Town property begin to emerge
There is perhaps no parcel of land in Haywood County that generates as much interest as the one that’s home…
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Been a long time since I rock and rolled: Facing uncertainty amid the shutdown, WNC bands aim even higher
In the depths of The One Stop in downtown Asheville on Saturday, members of the Travers Brothership and Abby Bryant…
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