High schoolers conquer the Rockies
 

High schoolers conquer the Rockies

After biking more than 300 miles through the Rocky Mountains, the group of five high schoolers involved in Western Carolina…
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Fatalities prompt caution when visiting waterfalls
 

Fatalities prompt caution when visiting waterfalls

Two fatalities related to waterfalls occurred in the Pisgah National Forest last week.
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Bradbury created a genre all his own
 

Bradbury created a genre all his own

Last year a storm of controversy erupted over the destruction of writer Ray Bradbury’s home in Los Angeles. Architect Thom…
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Folkmoot moments
 

Folkmoot moments

Peru: We travel to different countries. It’s our fifth festival this year, already two in France. We like a lot…
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Folkmoot dance party at Asheville’s Orange Peel gives a peek below the cultural waterline
 

Folkmoot dance party at Asheville’s Orange Peel gives a peek below the cultural waterline

After talking with staff, volunteers and last year’s groups, Folkmoot Executive Director Angie Schwab decided that this year, she wanted…
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Sam Love Queen and the values of Folkmoot
 

Sam Love Queen and the values of Folkmoot

In May, the auditorium in the Folkmoot Friendship Center was dedicated to a man instrumental in establishing Waynesville and its…
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Faith alone: Ugandan group changes lives through performance
 

Faith alone: Ugandan group changes lives through performance

Just prior to the 2016 Folkmoot Wanderlust Gala, Folkmoot staff, sound technicians, photographers and performers scurried about behind the stage.
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SCC launches ‘PEAK’ initiative
 

SCC launches ‘PEAK’ initiative

PEAK, which stands for “Professional Expectations, Attendance and Knowledge,” is the name of Southwestern Community College’s new Quality Enhancement Plan…
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New beer to benefit conservation trust
 

New beer to benefit conservation trust

Mainspring Conservation Trust will benefit from a collaboration with Lazy Hiker Brewing Company to create Needmore Ale, which will be…
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HCC hosts free Latino Business Start Up series
 

HCC hosts free Latino Business Start Up series

The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College in partnership with The Support Center and the Western Women’s Business Center…
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Ethics rules passed in Cherokee
 

Ethics rules passed in Cherokee

Tribal government is expected to gain on openness and accountability following passage of a pair of laws in Cherokee Tribal…
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Swain officials discuss houseboats with TVA
 

Swain officials discuss houseboats with TVA

Members of the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors recently requested a meeting with Swain and Graham County officials to…
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Lead cleanup poised to start at SCC
 

Lead cleanup poised to start at SCC

After more than two years of tests and evaluations, the end is now in sight for an effort to remove…
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No decision yet on Jackson hospital appeal
 

No decision yet on Jackson hospital appeal

The jury is still out on a property tax challenge being waged by Harris Regional Hospital, which claims its property…
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High stakes in hospital tax dispute
 

High stakes in hospital tax dispute

Haywood Regional Medical Center and county officials  are locked in a dispute over how much the hospital should pay in…
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Jackson’s new industrial ordinance limits fracking, emphasizes traffic considerations
 

Jackson’s new industrial ordinance limits fracking, emphasizes traffic considerations

After sixteen months of meetings, a change of planning director and a nearly complete turnover of membership on the Jackson…
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WNC artist visits Cuba in search of its political and cultural meaning in the 21st century
 

WNC artist visits Cuba in search of its political and cultural meaning in the 21st century

It’s about 855 miles between the quiet mountain town of Waynesville, North Carolina and the urban hustle and bustle of…
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An Artist’s Visit to Cuba
 

An Artist’s Visit to Cuba

By Christopher Holt • Special to SMN When my plane touched down at Havana International Airport to loud applause from the…
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Discussion to focus on Cuba
 

Discussion to focus on Cuba

You can get answers to that question and more first-hand information about the island nation during a symposium and art…
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Second Bryson City brewery to open
 

Second Bryson City brewery to open

The Mountain Layers Brewing Company has begun construction on a seven-barrel craft microbrewery and taproom located on Everett Street in…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I noticed it two rows behind me. Sitting at the cold, hard tables of my eighth-grade science class in the…
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GALLERY: Folkmoot “Wanderlust” Gala
 

GALLERY: Folkmoot “Wanderlust” Gala

The annual Folkmoot USA The "Official" North Carolina International Folk Festival once again has touched down in Western North Carolina.
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So this is who we are, and I didn’t see it
 

So this is who we are, and I didn’t see it

Amidst a raucous crowd of nearly 600 runners — and probably just as many spectators — a couple of Saturday…
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God really does work in mysterious ways
 

God really does work in mysterious ways

Until 18 days ago, the Bible had always been an afterthought in my spiritual journey. It was a book I…
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Lawsuit could bring about a more righteous process
 

Lawsuit could bring about a more righteous process

By David Teague • Guest Columnist Possibly the best perspective I’ve ever read about the importance of open government, and the…
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Planning begins for logging project in Haywood
 

Planning begins for logging project in Haywood

Round tables and large, neon sticky notes characterized last week’s kickoff of a planning process to cut timber and create…
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Wading through nostalgia
 

Wading through nostalgia

Give a Loosiana boy a reason to don his hip boots and strap on a headlight and you’ve got a…
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Program turns high school students and teachers into park rangers
 

Program turns high school students and teachers into park rangers

Students and teachers from communities around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are starting six weeks of hands-on learning and…
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WNC angling to take over television
 

WNC angling to take over television

Jackson County will be displayed on national television this week with the airing of Anglers & Appetites, a show that…
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Conservation groups plead for red wolf program to stay
 

Conservation groups plead for red wolf program to stay

Petitions bearing nearly half a million signatures urging protection of the endangered red wolf made their way to the U.S.…
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Cowan’s writing could make you cry
 

Cowan’s writing could make you cry

When Leo Cowan, Jackson County’s noted historian and author, died last February just after his second book was published, I…
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Meet ‘Mr. Folkmoot’: Rolf Kaufman has played a large part in festival’s success
 

Meet ‘Mr. Folkmoot’: Rolf Kaufman has played a large part in festival’s success

Rolf Kaufman has been a fixture on the Folkmoot scene since before it even began, bringing people from foreign lands…
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New music director takes over at Folkmoot
 

New music director takes over at Folkmoot

Dillon Ingle will only be the third music director in Folkmoot’s 33-year history.
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Below the waterline: Folkmoot 2016 looks at more than just the tip of the iceberg
 

Below the waterline: Folkmoot 2016 looks at more than just the tip of the iceberg

Everyone in Western North Carolina knows that once the Smokies shed their winterwear and the trees begin to bud, summer’s…
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Many countries, one community
 

Many countries, one community

Ongoing coverage of the 33rd year of Folkmoot — an international folk dance festival based in Waynesville.  • Folkmoot 2016 looks at…
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Evergreen Foundation gives away half million
 

Evergreen Foundation gives away half million

The Evergreen Foundation has provided $507,995 in funding to 13 agencies providing programs and services for individuals with behavioral health,…
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Western works to address low salaries
 

Western works to address low salaries

When Bill Yang decided to leave the world of private industry to join Western Carolina University’s School of Engineering and…
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Franklin bike walk projects revealed, ranked
 

Franklin bike walk projects revealed, ranked

Franklin is one step closer to outlining a plan to provide better connectivity throughout the town for pedestrians and bicyclists.
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Jackson health department gets new leadership
 

Jackson health department gets new leadership

Jackson County’s health department is gearing up to start millions of dollars of construction for its animal shelter and health…
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Business owner wants out of downtown tax district
 

Business owner wants out of downtown tax district

At least one local property owner plans to take advantage of a new law allowing for withdrawal from Waynesville’s Municipal…
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New DSS director hired in Jackson
 

New DSS director hired in Jackson

After 20 years with the department, Jackson County’s director of social services will be retiring from county employment at the…
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Charters of freedom coming to Sylva
 

Charters of freedom coming to Sylva

After months of fundraising, cash is now in hand to get a monument to the country’s founding documents in place…
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Swain County to vote on quarter-cent sales tax
 

Swain County to vote on quarter-cent sales tax

Swain County residents will get to decide whether the county can levy an additional quarter-cent sales tax when they vote…
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November election lineup complete
 

November election lineup complete

Ballots have been finalized in Haywood County for November’s General Election, and while a number of national and state campaigns…
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Plaintiff suffers setback in school board lawsuit
 

Plaintiff suffers setback in school board lawsuit

Arguments were heard in Haywood County Superior Court July 19 in the matter of Melrose v. The Haywood County Board…
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Secluded country store can’t hide from time
 

Secluded country store can’t hide from time

The pungent aroma of morning dew was still in the air and Kelly Sutton had just opened the Big Creek…
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Waynesville to formalize policy for pro-bono utility work
 

Waynesville to formalize policy for pro-bono utility work

Waynesville utility crews will no longer donate labor to run power, water and sewer connections for community projects on a…
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Cherokee council votes to extend dog running season
 

Cherokee council votes to extend dog running season

Bear hunters on the Qualla Boundary may be able to run their dogs through tribal reserve land for a full…
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