WCU exhibit of artwork by local students
 

WCU exhibit of artwork by local students

An exhibit of artwork by local students in kindergarten through 12th grade will run Feb. 28 through March 21 in…
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Chocolate Drops to perform at WCU
 

Chocolate Drops to perform at WCU

Grammy Award-winning black string band Carolina Chocolate Drops will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, in the John W.…
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Squirm Burpee Circus to perform at WCU
 

Squirm Burpee Circus to perform at WCU

The Squirm Burpee Circus will perform at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 2, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I ski in jeans. There, I said it. And I’ve been doing it for years — as far back as I…
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Bridging faith, music and Appalachia — Mountain Faith
 

Bridging faith, music and Appalachia — Mountain Faith

Summer McMahan remembers the exact moment her life changed. “Mountain Heritage Day [at Western Carolina University], 14 years ago,” she…
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Let it snow! Area photographers capture winter beauty in WNC
 

Let it snow! Area photographers capture winter beauty in WNC

For every degree of cold or inconvenience, wintry weather adds two of beauty. Members of Waynesville’s Lens Luggers photography club…
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Jackson and Macon poised to lose their cash cow in wake of second-home real estate crash
 

Jackson and Macon poised to lose their cash cow in wake of second-home real estate crash

When inflated real estate values in the second-home market came back down to earth, the touchdown wasn’t gentle.  It was…
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Remembering the glory of sports radio
 

Remembering the glory of sports radio

Let’s talk some sports radio. I began thinking about this piece the afternoon before the Super Bowl. The Panthers were…
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HCC Wildlife Club to host wild game dinner fundraiser
 

HCC Wildlife Club to host wild game dinner fundraiser

The Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College is hosting the 8th annual Wild Game Dinner at 6 p.m. Friday, March…
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Sports for youth
 

Sports for youth

Girls volleyball prep league at Waynesville Recreation Center A volleyball development league for girls in fourth through sixth grade will…
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Learn to grow mushrooms in a log
 

Learn to grow mushrooms in a log

Learn to grow shiitake mushrooms from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Macon County Environmental Resource…
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Teaching farmers to be businessmen
 

Teaching farmers to be businessmen

Boosting sales at farmers’ markets, marketing to restaurants, finding farmland and tapping agritourism are just a few of the topics…
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Commissions wants input on how to manage Needmore game land
 

Commissions wants input on how to manage Needmore game land

A public meeting on management plans for the Needmore game land in Macon and Swain counties will be held from…
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New reference book on Unicoi and Snowbird mountains available
 

New reference book on Unicoi and Snowbird mountains available

Owen Link McConnell liked the Unicoi and Snowbird mountains so much, he wrote a book about them. And not just…
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Mailer — a man of his time and shaper of it
 

Mailer — a man of his time and shaper of it

In the Prologue to Norman Mailer: A Double Life (978-1-4391-5019-1, 2013, $40), biographer J. Michael Lennon writes that “Mailer’s desire…
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Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival wants artists
 

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival wants artists

The Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association is currently looking for artisans for the 6th annual Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, which…
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Waldroop family benefit in Franklin
 

Waldroop family benefit in Franklin

A benefit for Sam Waldroop will be at 4 p.m. Feb 15 at South Macon Elementary School in Franklin. On…
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Celtic dance troupe steps into Franklin
 

Celtic dance troupe steps into Franklin

The National Dance Company of Ireland’s “Rhythm of the Dance” hits the stage 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at the…
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Exhibit of rare pottery at WCU
 

Exhibit of rare pottery at WCU

Pottery from the private collection of Joan Byrd and George Rector will be on display Feb. 17 through May 9…
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The Drifters to bring doo-wop to Franklin
 

The Drifters to bring doo-wop to Franklin

Bennie Anderson and The Drifters will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, at the Smoky Mountain Center for…
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‘Sunday Concert Series’ in Waynesville, Canton
 

‘Sunday Concert Series’ in Waynesville, Canton

The Sunday Concert Series continues at 3 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Waynesville and Canton libraries.
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

My first time was in a navy blue 1991 Toyota Camry. My first time hearing The Beatles, that is. Like…
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Country boys can survive
 

Country boys can survive

Zach Haney looks at obstacles as opportunities. “I wasn’t even supposed to walk, but here I am,” he said.  Guitarist…
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Visualizing the options for growth
 

Visualizing the options for growth

By Ben Brown • Guest Columnist Think of it as a starter kit for a comprehensive business plan for North Carolina’s…
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Democratic whining ignores progress
 

Democratic whining ignores progress

To the Editor: Some parts of Western North Carolina are loaded with socialist agenda people, especially in Asheville and Cullowhee. …
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Article misstated my views on slope rewrite
 

Article misstated my views on slope rewrite

To the Editor: I want to thank The Smoky Mountain News for the  article in the Feb 5 edition (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/12419)…
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Moral March is not a moment, but a movement
 

Moral March is not a moment, but a movement

By Doug Wingeier • Columnist As I write this, I have just returned from a tiring but exhilarating day participating in the Moral…
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Jackson fire tax goes up in smoke
 

Jackson fire tax goes up in smoke

Jackson County commissioners have nixed the idea of making volunteer fire departments financially autonomous.
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Farm Bill secures 2014 payments for counties home to federal land
 

Farm Bill secures 2014 payments for counties home to federal land

County leaders in Western North Carolina breathed a collective sigh of relief after the 2014 Farm Bill was signed into…
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Cherokee Bear Zoo fined by OSHA
 

Cherokee Bear Zoo fined by OSHA

Cherokee Bear Zoo has been fined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violating worker safety regulations. Cherokee…
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Wild ride with a log splitter leads to larceny arrests
 

Wild ride with a log splitter leads to larceny arrests

Four Asheville residents were arrested after an attempt to steal a logsplitter from Lowe’s in Waynesville drew the attention of…
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2014 election filing season opens
 

2014 election filing season opens

The 2014 election season officially got underway this week. Candidates could begin signing up to run for office on Monday.…
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Steep slope redux: A pocket guide to proposed revisions in Jackson’s steep slope ordinance
 

Steep slope redux: A pocket guide to proposed revisions in Jackson’s steep slope ordinance

Limits on mountainside development and standards for steep slope building are once again in the spotlight in Jackson County.  The…
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Franklin merchants want bigger voice in gazebo make-over
 

Franklin merchants want bigger voice in gazebo make-over

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent A design for a new gazebo on the town square in downtown Franklin has been…
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Ghost Town gunfight negotiations finalized
 

Ghost Town gunfight negotiations finalized

A compromise has been reached between Ghost Town in the Sky and state inspectors over a violation and fine stemming…
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Eighth Macon school officer position goes to Nantahala
 

Eighth Macon school officer position goes to Nantahala

Robert Holland has been pushing to place a resource officer in every school for years — long before the Sandy…
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Districts grapple with directive to identify top 25 percent of teachers
 

Districts grapple with directive to identify top 25 percent of teachers

Usually, you’d expect a school system to jump at the chance to give its teachers a raise, but superintendents statewide…
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Melange of the Mountains caters to food fans with bigger lineup
 

Melange of the Mountains caters to food fans with bigger lineup

Restaurants in Haywood County are being encouraged to jump on the Melange of the Mountains train, which will return this…
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Canton debates alcohol policy at armory
 

Canton debates alcohol policy at armory

A request to serve keg beer at an event in the Canton Armory prompted a broader discussion of the town’s…
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Mixed feelings among residents on new plans for old prison
 

Mixed feelings among residents on new plans for old prison

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Haywood County leaders have all but signed off on plans by a pair of faith-based…
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Tallulah Hike steps off a year of wilderness
 

Tallulah Hike steps off a year of wilderness

A guided hike along the Tallulah River in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15, to…
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Outhouse race to run in Sapphire
 

Outhouse race to run in Sapphire

So, when else would you have an opportunity to race an outhouse down a ski mountain? Thought so. 
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WNC Nature Center reaches record attendance for 2013
 

WNC Nature Center reaches record attendance for 2013

A whole lot of people visited the WNC Nature Center last year. The Friends of the WNC Nature Center report…
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Haywood teacher recognized for conservation education
 

Haywood teacher recognized for conservation education

A Haywood County teacher, Janet Frazier, has been named the 2013 North Carolina Elementary Conservation Education Teacher of the Year.
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Macon hiker talks about life feat
 

Macon hiker talks about life feat

Octogenarian Jim Pader will talk about his record-setting hike up Mount Whitney from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12,…
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Dinosaurs, LEGOS and toads, oh dear
 

Dinosaurs, LEGOS and toads, oh dear

No better way to celebrate a big thaw than an impromptu field trip. We rounded up kids, friends and friends’…
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Hooked for life: Mills reels in memories with artisan rods
 

Hooked for life: Mills reels in memories with artisan rods

There’s nothing abnormal about the pair of armchairs in Jim and Baraba Mills’ living room, or about the television —…
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‘Night Film’ is a tiring yet mesmerizing read
 

‘Night Film’ is a tiring yet mesmerizing read

I did not like this book. My first response on finishing it was that I would not review it, but there…
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Background checks are government overreach
 

Background checks are government overreach

To the Editor: The Jackson County commissioners recently made a mistake — an honest, well-meaning, well-intentioned error, yet a mistake…
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How did county finance not catch on?
 

How did county finance not catch on?

To the Editor: The alleged embezzlement of around $50,000 from Macon County taxpayers by a county employee highlights incompetency within…
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