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Under the Bright Lights: Smoky Mountain Community Theatre
It’s the heartbeat of a town. Coming into its 37th year, the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre has become a beacon…
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Creating a community: Haywood Arts celebrates 40 years
In her short tenure, Executive Director Lindsey Solomon has righted the unknown direction of the ship that is the Haywood…
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Bryson City’s Nantahala Brewing launches restaurant, open-air taproom
Surrounded by piles of debris, old wood and gravel, Joe Rowland sees opportunity. “This is the inevitable next step for…
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Hop, skip and a pour away: Waynesville’s Leap Frog Tours
Stepping out of a large passenger van into the sunshine last Saturday afternoon, a group of around 10 people entered…
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Pouring passion: Andrews welcomes second brewery
Turning onto 2nd Street from the hectic U.S. 19/74 highway, you find yourself cruising through downtown Andrews. It’s Saturday afternoon,…
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Becoming a trail town: Sylva embraces the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
White dots will soon pepper the sidewalks of downtown Sylva as the town sets out to claim its identity as…
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Brownfield lands a beehive
A restored brownfield property in Franklin is now home to a hive of Carniolan honeybees.
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Water quality projects receive Pigeon River Fund grants
Environmental groups working to improve water quality, aquatic habitat and recreational access recently saw $182,000 in grants from the Pigeon…
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WNC water plants honored for extra-clean water
The N.C. Division of Water Resources has honored 49 water treatment plants statewide for surpassing federal and state drinking water…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Escargot — no
There was much concern regarding the noonday globe snail, Petera clarkia nantahala, after the Tellico Fire burned through the Nantahala…
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Was this all a dream?
The other night while channel-surfing I stumbled upon an online Sunday School class sponsored by a host of Baptist churches…
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Health bill critics ignore facts
To the Editor: Last week’s letters to the editor were critical of the proposed healthcare reform. HRMC executives write, “Without…
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Trump pushes boundaries of legality
To the Editor: On Sunday morning, July 2, Donald Trump tweeted a short doctored video clip of him attacking an…
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Finding daily adventure in a place I love
I call myself an adventurer. While I do love to travel, adventuring isn’t just about experiencing new places and seeing…
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Politics may fail us, but our ideals endure
As I sit to write a day before Independence Day, it seems I keep hearing voices questioning whether the shared…
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Beaches and great mysteries go hand in hand
For many people, summer means vacation, and vacation means beach. For readers, the beach in turn means packing books to…
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This must be the place: The year is half-over, my cup half-full
I remembered those places, and those faces. Scrolling through Facebook — through the “fun in the sun” Fourth of July…
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The next chapter: Blue Ridge Books celebrates 10 years
Sitting at a booth in the back of her store on recent morning, Allison Lee remembers the days long ago…
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Religion in early America
The World Methodist Museum in Lake Junaluska announces its participation in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History exhibit. The…
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State tries to curb indigent defense expenses
Court-appointed lawyers are the crux of the U.S justice system because it is their duty to ensure every U.S. citizen…
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State charges dropped in Gatlinburg fires
State charges against the two teenagers arrested in connection with November’s deadly Gatlinburg fires have been dropped, but prosecution could…
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TDA fine-tunes its approach
Double-digit increases in both monthly and year-to-date tourist spending have the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority flush with cash, but…
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‘It’s five past five and time to jive’: Moonlighting mailman’s star won’t fade
As the sun rises over Papertown one bright morning in 1958, a 30-year-old African-American by the name of Nathaniel Lowery…
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Frog Level facelift: Funds flowing into streetscaping
With all the attention paid to downtown Waynesville’s bustling Main Street, the Frog Level Historic District is often overlooked by…
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Waynesville discretionary spending reveals trends
In each year’s budget, the Town of Waynesville makes discretionary special appropriations contributions to a plethora of local nonprofits that…
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Macon forms task force to fix fire service inconsistencies
Macon County Commissioners hope a newly established Fire Task Force will be able to create more consistency among the county’s…
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Forest management planning process moves forward
While a draft forest management plan is still nearly a year away, a group of recently released documents gives a…
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‘Disloyalty resolution’ allegedly targets five
In a story that sounds like it should have come out of Moscow in 1938 or Havana in 1961 rather…
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Election season begins for municipalities
As the candidate sign-up period for November’s municipal elections opens at noon on Friday, July 7, voters in most municipalities…
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What’s in the cards? Growing the greens
The cultivation of agriculture is the first and most important way Homo sapiens differentiate themselves from other creatures.
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Freshman enrollment at Western Carolina high for ‘17
The tuition reduction program N.C. Promise won’t go into effect until 2018, but its impending implementation could already be affecting…
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New traffic pattern on I-40 in Haywood County
The present pains for drivers on Interstate 40 in Haywood County are temporary.
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Long may they sing
It’s a Saturday night in Sparta, and the three sisters — all of them widows — are heading off to…
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American Health Care Act will negatively affect this community
By Rod Harkelroad and Maurice Phillips Our country’s healthcare system is in the midst of a massive upheaval. Never before have…
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A plea for fairness from D.C.
To the Editor: A wise good man once said, approximately, “politics is about making people’s lives better.” I don’t believe…
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Price campaign visits Haywood
To the Editor: We had the great pleasure of visiting Haywood County on Saturday, June 17, as we attended the…
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People need to take back the power
To the Editor: Editor Scott McLeod’s thoughtful analysis (May 24 edition, www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/20019) described the formidable marketplace corporate control that permeates…
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Health care needs reasoned, open debate
To the Editor: My organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the AARP, the American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association…
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Whitewater Falls to reopen
The Whitewater Falls viewing area is on track to reopen by July 4 after being closed since wildfire destroyed it…
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A magical thing: Retiring Parkway superintendent reflects on 37 years with the Park Service
Mark Woods will retire as superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway on July 3, but on July 4 he’ll don…
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Land purchase protects crown jewel of the A.T.
Views from the breathtaking Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands are now protected thanks to a 324-acre purchase the Southern…
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Rec access to expand on the Chattooga
A plan to make recreational access to the Chattooga River ecologically sustainable calls for construction of three kayak launch sites,…
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In praise of the local library
Some people are devotees of whiskey, cigars, wine, and craft beer. Some are aficionados of the fine arts, experts on…
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The day lily is a beautiful, hardy outlander
How many naturalized plants do you recognize from your vehicle this time of year as you drive around taking care…
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STOP Act to combat opioid addiction
The North Carolina Senate unanimously passed comprehensive legislation to combat the opioid addiction crisis that is plaguing the state.
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Celebrate Independence Day
Many generations of families look forward to the Fourth of July festivities at Lake Junaluska every year, and this year’s…
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Summit Charter plans $8 million expansion
Summit Charter School in Cashiers is planning to expand its K-8 operation to include high school as well, recently announcing…
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Armachain pleads not guilty
A bail bondsman who faces federal charges for sexual abuse of a minor has been detained at the Buncombe County…
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State budget fight comes down to the wire
Leaders in both the North Carolina House and Senate have reached consensus on a $23 billion fiscal year 2017-18 budget…
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Bellying up to the trough
Any local, state and federal budget typically includes what is technically called discretionary spending but is commonly known as “pork.”
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