Undressing: Sex, scandal and character
 

Undressing: Sex, scandal and character

Campus Sexpot: A Memoir! by David Carkeet. The University of Georgia Press, 2005. 137 pages. Before I was 10 pages…
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Bethel gets $30,000 for flood recovery
 

Bethel gets $30,000 for flood recovery

The North Carolina Rural Center has provided a $30,000 grant to Haywood County to assist with flood recovery and flood…
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Board made wrong decision, says press attorney
 

Board made wrong decision, says press attorney

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County commissioners’ failure to follow state Open Meetings Law was a failure to…
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Closed session minutes reveal reasons for EDC probe
 

Closed session minutes reveal reasons for EDC probe

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A Superior Court Judge has ruled that Jackson County Commissioners acted illegally when they…
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Haywood schools appear ready to pass tobacco ban
 

Haywood schools appear ready to pass tobacco ban

Haywood County schools could go tobacco free starting in the fall of 2007, banning smoking and chewing not only for…
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Up in the air no longer: Judge’s ruling keeps McClure on the airport authority
 

Up in the air no longer: Judge’s ruling keeps McClure on the airport authority

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County Airport Authority members are hoping to get on with business following a…
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Gilfillan’s Burnt House to Paw Paw
 

Gilfillan’s Burnt House to Paw Paw

Several weeks ago I was perusing the used bookstores in Asheville, where there are, somewhat surprisingly, at least four excellent…
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With Mike gone, train’s call is truly lonesome
 

With Mike gone, train’s call is truly lonesome

Mike and I were not exactly a match made in heaven. In fact, I didn’t think we were much of…
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Appalachia’s ambassadors: Cloggers share local culture during Folkmoot festival
 

Appalachia’s ambassadors: Cloggers share local culture during Folkmoot festival

When Shirley Finger was younger, she never did too much clogging. Or dancing of any kind, really. “Back when I…
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Finding common ground through the universal language
 

Finding common ground through the universal language

For two weeks every July, the old Hazelwood School in Waynesville becomes a mini United Nations.  Performance groups from around…
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Meet the folks: Cultures mingle at Folkmoot World Friendship Day event
 

Meet the folks: Cultures mingle at Folkmoot World Friendship Day event

The whirling skirts and clacking heels of Folkmoot USA represent eight different nations spanning the globe, but while the diversity…
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Sylva comes out against fracking
 

Sylva comes out against fracking

The town of Sylva is now the second Jackson County locale to formally oppose hydraulic fracturing for natural gas within…
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On track to grow: Macon TRACs’ in-school horse therapy program moves beyond pilot stage
 

On track to grow: Macon TRACs’ in-school horse therapy program moves beyond pilot stage

A summer school horse therapy offering at South Macon Elementary School in Franklin will be sticking around once the school…
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Road to Nowhere bill advances
 

Road to Nowhere bill advances

Swain County is one step closer to getting $4 million in “Road to Nowhere” funds after a bill introduced by…
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Swain murder suspects have August court date
 

Swain murder suspects have August court date

Eight defendants charged with the 2013 murder of Calup Joe Caston in Swain County are slated for an Aug. 11…
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WCU launching new program for retirees this fall
 

WCU launching new program for retirees this fall

Western Carolina University is launching a new lifelong learning institute aimed at people age 50 and older across Western North…
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HCC gets donated fire truck, ambulance
 

HCC gets donated fire truck, ambulance

Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department recently added an ambulance and a fire truck to help train students in…
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Prison makeover project closes in on $50K prize
 

Prison makeover project closes in on $50K prize

Haywood Pathways Center is almost to the finish line in an online voting contest that would provide $50,000 — plus…
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Sylva considers expanding territorial jurisdiction
 

Sylva considers expanding territorial jurisdiction

Property owners along the fringes of Sylva may soon have to adhere to town zoning regulations. The town board is…
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Canton nixes street parking near Blackbear Automotive
 

Canton nixes street parking near Blackbear Automotive

A section of Johnson Street in Canton has been closed following complaints that parked vehicles — repair jobs from Blackbear…
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Growing the neighborhood: Claiborne preaches unity, community to Junaluska youth
 

Growing the neighborhood: Claiborne preaches unity, community to Junaluska youth

Shane Claiborne was a couple minutes late for his interview with The Smoky Mountain News, but for good reason. Claiborne…
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Ballot shapes up for Jackson sheriff’s race
 

Ballot shapes up for Jackson sheriff’s race

Jackson County voters will finally be able to see the shape of the November ballot with the close of a…
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The slow leak: Junaluska Sanitary District rocked by embezzlement
 

The slow leak: Junaluska Sanitary District rocked by embezzlement

No one knows for sure what motivated Scarlette Heatherly the first time she skimmed a little cash off the top…
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Tapping the trough
 

Tapping the trough

A wall calendar edged with hot-pink swirls seems out of place in the Junaluska Sanitary District, where the back door…
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Canton wins Camp Hope appeal
 

Canton wins Camp Hope appeal

A two-year court battle over the ownership of Camp Hope concluded last week when the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled…
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Macon County revisits Parker Meadows plans
 

Macon County revisits Parker Meadows plans

Discovery of a Cherokee gravesite on the soon-to-be ballfield complex at Macon County’s Parker Meadows property will likely mean that…
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Column blaming Rep. Presnell was wrong
 

Column blaming Rep. Presnell was wrong

To the Editor: The column by Editor Scott McLeod two weeks ago taking after Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Burnsville, for stopping…
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Man of action and education proves popular
 

Man of action and education proves popular

There are movies that I simply cannot turn off once I stumble into them when I am switching channels, which…
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On the Isle again
 

On the Isle again

Thanks to the generosity of dear friends, my family gets to vacation on Isle of Palms every summer. If you…
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Proposed fracking rules released
 

Proposed fracking rules released

The Mining and Energy Commission has finished writing a proposed set of rules to govern oil and gas development in…
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Get up close with birds and fish on the Little T
 

Get up close with birds and fish on the Little T

Amateur biologists of all ages are invited to help find out how the birds and fish are doing on Land…
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New moth species named for Cherokee
 

New moth species named for Cherokee

A new moth species recently discovered in the Southern Appalachians has a locally inspired name.
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WCU fishermen head to national competition
 

WCU fishermen head to national competition

Western Carolina University will send two students to the national Bassmaster College Series National Championship following a third place win…
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Organizations step up to save the Georgia aster
 

Organizations step up to save the Georgia aster

A coalition of public and private conservation organizations is stepping up to save the Georgia aster, a purple Southern flower…
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Chemistry concentration to tap natural products movement
 

Chemistry concentration to tap natural products movement

Western Carolina University will launch a new master’s degree in chemistry this fall with a professional science concentration in natural…
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Birds of Prey program comes to Oconaluftee
 

Birds of Prey program comes to Oconaluftee

Raptors will ride into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with a birds of prey program 10 a.m. Friday, July…
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Mushroom immersion at the Highlands Biological Station
 

Mushroom immersion at the Highlands Biological Station

Explore the diversity of fungi in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and their relationships with native plants through upcoming programs at…
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Hashing out habitat: Crowd debates wildlife habitat in forest management plan meeting
 

Hashing out habitat: Crowd debates wildlife habitat in forest management plan meeting

More than 100 people filled the room at Asheville’s Crowne Plaza Hotel earlier this month, but they weren’t there for…
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Summer reading always takes a different tack
 

Summer reading always takes a different tack

For whatever reason — the leisurely pace of days, the break in my work routine, the annual trip to the…
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Kansas string duo to play Bryson City
 

Kansas string duo to play Bryson City

Sister string duo Scenic Roots will continue the Summer Music Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 24, at the Marianna…
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Bluegrass to hit Robbinsville stage
 

Bluegrass to hit Robbinsville stage

Acoustic bluegrass quartet The Special Consensus will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts…
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Dinosaur Train rolls into Bryson City
 

Dinosaur Train rolls into Bryson City

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad has partnered with Rail Events Inc. and The Jim Henson Company to bring the PBS…
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HCC instructor elected to Craft Guild Board
 

HCC instructor elected to Craft Guild Board

Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Wood instructor Brian Wurst was recently elected to the board of the Southern Highland Craft…
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Change in leadership at WCU arts college
 

Change in leadership at WCU arts college

Western Carolina University Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar announced a change in leadership in the College of Fine and Performing Arts. Robert…
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Hillbilly Woodstock returns to Maggie
 

Hillbilly Woodstock returns to Maggie

The 5th Annual Hillbilly Woodstock will be held 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug 1-2 at the Maggie Valley Festival…
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Fountain sculpture dedication, Frog Hop in Waynesville
 

Fountain sculpture dedication, Frog Hop in Waynesville

The Waynesville Public Art Commission will hold a dedication of a new public art piece entitled “Chasing Tadpoles” during the…
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Join Jackson’s Farm, Garden & Studio Tour
 

Join Jackson’s Farm, Garden & Studio Tour

Metalsmith William S. Rogers is one of several studios participating in the July 26-27 Jackson County Farm, Garden, & Studio…
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Tritt presents country hits July 26
 

Tritt presents country hits July 26

Country music megastar Travis Tritt will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

There’s no place like home. Amid my first few weeks living in Western North Carolina, there were times I got homesick.…
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Roddick, Courier to play charity match in Cashiers
 

Roddick, Courier to play charity match in Cashiers

The 2nd annual United Community Bank Mountain Challenge featuring American tennis legends Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will be held…
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