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Roadside wildflower displays win awards
Wildflower displays along Western North Carolina highways have earned local N.C. Department of Transportation offices statewide recognition.
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SAWS director steps down
Bill Hodge, longtime executive director of the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, is stepping down from the organization.
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Flowers with stories: Nodding Trillium Garden opens in Cullowhee
No matter what scale of time you’re using, the newly opened Jean Pittillo Nodding Trillium Garden in Cullowhee has deep…
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Landslide closes Jackson trail system
A landslide on Forest Service Road 4650 in Jackson County has resulted in closure of the Wayehutta OHV Trail System.
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WCU takes adventure college title
For the fifth time, Western Carolina University has been voted the top adventure college in Blue Ridge Outdoors’ online readers’…
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Longtime Lake Junaluska landscaper retires
After 27 years of service, legendary Lake Junaluska landscaper Roddy Ray has retired.
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Facilities reopen in the Smokies
This year’s opening schedule for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now final, with most facilities having opened in…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Bald eagles, gators and manatees, oh my
It was another great Spring Break along the Gulf Coast of Central Florida. We stayed in Homosassa Springs on the…
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The beauty of simplicity: Bird in Hand & Ivory Hollow Farmstead
These days, Megan and Bryan Thurman call a 31-foot Airstream home. The iconic silver travel trailer is currently parked on…
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A warm fuzzy feeling
One of the newest additions to the Sylva music scene, the Fuzzy Peppers are a blend of indie-rock and psychedelic-soul…
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This must be the place: With your chrome heart shining in the sun, long may you run
Last Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the shooting massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. It’s been on…
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Waynesville Art School grand opening
The grand opening celebration of Waynesville Art School will be from noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at 303…
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When love is illuminated
Sarah Hall, born in the Lake District of the Cumbria region of northwestern England in 1974, began to take writing…
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Author treats death and grief with realism
Some will understand more fully than others. On a Wednesday you arrive home to find the one you love collapsed…
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Something satisfying in a good mystery
Jack Reacher is back. In Past Tense (Delacorte Press, 2018, 382 pages), Lee Child, author of 21 novels about Jack…
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Nikwasi Initiative can proceed without deed
By Bob Scott • Guest columnist As mayor of Franklin, my duty and loyalty is to the town. With that…
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A bucket list full of dreams
Late in life, my mom created a bucket list. It wasn’t in response to her cancer diagnosis, but once she…
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Tax on guns helps wildlife, public lands
To the Editor: In the early 1900s, sporting organizations and state wildlife agencies, concerned with declining wildlife populations in the…
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REAL ID required by Oct. 1, 2020
To the Editor: Do you know that by Oct. 1, 2020, you must have a REAL ID driver license in…
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Growing up grinding: Waynesville skate park takes on new importance
When the Town of Waynesville’s skate park opened in 2013, it was a welcome addition to the suite of recreational…
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Canton adopts long-term bike and pedestrian plan
There are a number of reasons to walk or bike to work, to play or to shop — saving money…
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The tears of these poor men: Victims of Cowee Tunnel disaster deserve recognition
In a region as rich in local lore as this, it may seem like every story’s been told to death,…
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Sexual assault cases present complex challenges
A recent analysis of sexual assault prosecutions in North Carolina conducted by Carolina Public Press showed a shockingly low number…
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Family sues Macon sheriff, deputy for wrongful death
Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland is being sued for wrongful death after his deputy Anthony Momphard Jr. shot and killed…
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Community college leader works to hike salaries
North Carolina Community College President Peter Hans says his main goal is to advocate for more funding for the state…
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Waynesville shows off draft comprehensive land use map
Since late 2017, the Town of Waynesville has been deeply involved in the creation of a successor to the current…
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Health building contract approved in Jackson
Work will soon begin on renovations to the Community Services Building in Sylva — which houses the Jackson County Health…
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DOT design for N.C. 107 ‘best option’ volunteer planners say
The Asheville Design Center will soon complete its final recommendations for the N.C 107 project in Sylva, but the document…
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WNC voices opposition to Catawba casino legislation
Towns and counties across Western North Carolina are considering resolutions to oppose a Congressional bill that would pave the way…
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Hiking through history: Little Cataloochee offers a window to the past
One hundred years ago, the parking area and campground just past the fields in Cataloochee Valley where elk often hang…
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Overlook clearing completed on the Blue Ridge Parkway
The view from the Pink Beds Overlook at milepost 410 on the Blue Ridge Parkway is looking a lot better…
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Prescribed burn proposed for Panthertown
Comments are wanted on a U.S. Forest Service proposal to burn 814 acres in Panthertown Valley, located in the Nantahala…
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Cherokee planting method was ‘agronomically sound’
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in April 2004. These days my wife, Elizabeth, and…
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Is a ‘responsible media’ a fading memory?
It’s one of those anniversaries most would rather forget: April 20, 1999, the Columbine High School shooting. Two high school…
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Golf’s prodigal son gets some redemption
Twenty years ago, a friend and I would get together on the weekends of the major golf tournaments and bet…
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Make redistricting an important issue
To the Editor The U.S. Supreme Court met March 26 to hear arguments on redistricting in three states, including North…
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CDP to hold open house
Center for Domestic Peace (CDP) is hosting an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at 26…
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HCC registration is open
Haywood Community College registration for summer and fall semesters is open now through April 26 for both new and continuing…
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Telling Appalachia’s untold stories: Artistic effort aims to celebrate the female side of history
Just as millennia of rain and wind and heat and cold have carved the physical shape of the mountains for…
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Appalachian Women’s Museum anticipates pivotal year ahead
It’s shaping up to be a big year for the Appalachian Women’s Museum in Dillsboro. The nonprofit is preparing for…
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NC educators will march again in Raleigh
Last May, more than 25,000 educators across the state took to the streets of Raleigh to march for additional public…
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Waynesville’s historic Masonic Temple building sold
A long-underutilized gem in the heart of Waynesville’s historic downtown has finally found a new owner, sparking optimism that new…
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Haywood Community College wants a new building
Despite proposed increases in nearly every major budget category, Haywood Community College is proposing a substantial new facility that could…
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Haywood County Schools looks at capital, personnel
The Haywood County school system presented its proposed local current expense budget to Haywood County commissioners April 15, and at…
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Sylva reorganizes public art efforts
Just over two years after forming it, the Town of Sylva has voted to disband its Public Art Committee —…
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Gov. Cooper touts tourism at Nantahala Outdoor Center
It’s no secret that Western North Carolina has long been a haven for outdoor recreational enthusiasts, but as that particular…
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Regional hospitals reach agreement with UnitedHealthCare
After a four-month lapse, services from physicians working for hospitals in Clyde, Sylva and Bryson City will be back in-network…
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Macon, Jackson funded for school health centers
Macon County Schools will be setting up a school-based health center at South Macon Elementary School soon thanks to a…
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