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New species discoveries in the Smokies total 1,000
The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory has reached a major milestone with the announcement that it’s added 1,000 new species to…
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Climate change – deadly serious
The last installment of “The Naturalist’s Corner” began kind of tongue-in-cheek, referring to climate change in Trumpian terms of a…
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Halloween suggestions for the young and old
In 2015, online blogger Amanda Russo posted a humorous piece “Why Halloween Is Actually A Pretty Weird Holiday.” As Russo…
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Finding inspiration in banned books
My mom was a librarian and my dad an English teacher so books were always stacked on the dining room…
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Hate is not a platform
To the Editor: The large sign on the Asheville highway that was apparently put up by a rare “civil” local…
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Voter ID opponents insult citizenry
To the Editor: Opponents of the Voter ID amendment use the reason that requiring a photo ID will suppress the…
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Melrose deserves vote for judge
To the Editor: I am writing in support of Mark Melrose for Superior Court Judge. I am for common sense…
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I’d vote for Mau if I was able
To the Editor: I can’t vote in Jackson County, but I’m committed to the future of my hometown. That’s why…
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Won’t someone think of the children?
To the Editor: Listen, if you will. A small child somewhere in the United States crying out in the night.…
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Vote ‘no’ on all six amendments
To the Editor: Amending the N.C. Constitution should not be taken lightly nor done with political intent. This document is…
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Rep. Meadows sells out to Trump
To the Editor: As we prepare to vote in the November elections, let’s recall Bill Covin’s letter (SMN, Oct. 2-9,…
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Schandevel supports students, teachers
To the Editor: I am writing this letter as a plea for parents to think about education as you cast…
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Elect leaders who will support children, families
To the Editor: As the director of the Jackson County Department of Social Services, every day I observe young families…
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Walking in Her Steps: Macon County to unveil Women’s History Trail
The multifaceted roles women have played in society are often overlooking in the history books, but if you dig deep…
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Rowland challenges Rogers in lone Haywood School Board race
Haywood County’s high-performing schools slipped a few notches in state rankings this year — from 11th the last two years to 14th this year, of 115 districts statewide — and although that’s not cause for alarm, school board members are focused on the challenge of returning to the top 10 percent again this year.
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Rep. Corbin seeks second House term
The four westernmost counties in North Carolina can be described with three words — rugged, rural and Republican.
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TWSA considers policies to help displaced N.C. 107 businesses
There’s still more than a year to go before the N.C. Department of Transportation starts acquiring right-of-way for the N.C.…
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Work to start on alternative road plan
MountainTrue’s Asheville Design Center will soon begin work toward an alternative vision of the N.C. 107 project in Sylva.
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Haywood Republicans again stung by social media
More and more, Facebook is becoming a place not only to catch up with friends, read the news and look…
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Haywood Habitat unveils deconstruction program
If you’re about to remodel, don’t put a sledgehammer through the kitchen cabinets and toss the tub into the dumpster.
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Today is a video game: Vermont singer-songwriter returns to Waynesville
About six years ago, I moved from Upstate New York to Western North Carolina. I was, and remain, some 1,100…
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Remember what we’ve said and done and felt about each other
The laughter ensued deep into the night.
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Haywood deputies charge four with trafficking drugs
Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested four people Thursday night (Oct. 18) charging them with trafficking heroin and cocaine.
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Power-drunk GOP leaders try grabbing for more
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist A nonpartisan nominating commission can be the best method of appointing judges. Or it…
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Check mate, and I’m off to Ingles
My wife and I do not play chess. A few years ago at a company Christmas party, we were participants…
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Board likes Angel’s acquisition
After thorough consideration of the options available, the community board members of Angel Medical Center voted unanimously to approve the…
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Young people need to vote
To the Editor: President Trump dominates the news with his tweets and public statements, awkward diplomacy, unpopular tax cuts, and…
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ID amendment is a pig in a poke
To the Editor: There’s an amendment that will be on your ballot in November that would require everyone to have…
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GOP abandons voters like me
To the Editor: The letter from Ms. Kathryn van Heyningen in the last issue contained some valid points, but she…
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Planting for pollinators: Waynesville couple seeks to educate on the benefits of native bees
Brannen Basham spends more time puttering around the yard than the average homeowner, but the result is not what most…
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Canoe Slalom a success
More than 50 people competed in the ninth annual Cullowhee Canoe Slalom Sept. 22, raising more than $300 for the…
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Mainspring to solve minnow mystery
Mainspring Conservation Trust is partnering with the Tennessee Valley Authority in a study to better understand what triggers thousands of…
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Friends of the Smokies gets bear management grant
Proactive bear management in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got a boost thanks to a $4,000 grant Friends of…
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New Smokies magazine released
The Great Smoky Mountains Association has released a new issue of its award-winning Smokies Life magazine.
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Stream cleanup nets a ton of trash
A countywide stream cleanup held Sept. 22 in Haywood County removed 2,205 pounds of trash from area waterways thanks to…
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Outdoor gear industry to expand in WNC
The outdoor gear industry in Western North Carolina is expected to take off in the coming years thanks to a…
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Birder honored for volunteerism
Tom Tribble, president of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society in Asheville, has been named Audubon North Carolina’s 2018 Volunteer of…
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Finding the balance between good and evil
The Cherokees believed that they must keep the world in balance, in a state of equilibrium …. that if they…
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It ain’t over yet: Rodney Crowell reflects on life, role of the songwriter
Like a tumbleweed from his native Texas, Rodney Crowell has bounced and rolled along through life to wherever the four…
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This must be the place: The only way to remember is to forget in a rhyme
There was a slight ringing in my ears leaving the show last Sunday evening at Ambrose West on Haywood Road…
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Fiddle instructor needed
A fiddle instructor is needed for the Jackson County Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program.
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WCU’s high school marching band tournament
Twenty-two of the top high school marching bands from the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee will be competing for the title…
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A book for those who wonder what ails them
Time to move away from novels and histories, and look inside some general gift books. First up is How Psychology…
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‘The band that changes people’s lives’: WCU marching band a motivator for enrollment
The calendar had declared the start of fall two weeks prior, but that didn’t stop the sun from shining hot…
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Dems defend Haywood commission seats
Haywood County’s board of commissioners consists of five members, three of whom are up for election Nov. 6. All three of those seats are currently held by Democratic commissioners. One of them, Bill Upton, isn’t seeking re-election.
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Republicans on the hunt for Haywood commission seats
The only two seats that aren’t up for election on Haywood County’s five-member board of commissioners this November are both held by Republicans. The other three are currently held by Democrats, and have attracted two Democratic incumbents as well as a third Dem candidate seeking to maintain that majority.
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Haywood’s last female commissioner says we need more women in government
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there should be at least 31,614 women in Haywood County, but judging by this year’s commission race that number is actually zero.
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Tough fight expected in Haywood tax collector’s race
Incumbent Republican Tax Collector Mike Matthews is seeking re-election to an office many people don’t even think should be elected at all. In fact, Haywood County is home to the state’s only remaining elected tax collector.
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Macon commissioner incumbents run to keep seats
Two incumbent candidates running for re-election to the Macon County Board of Commissioners say they want to see the current board’s progress continue, but the two challengers — one Republican and one Democrat — say the county is moving in the wrong direction.
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