Open call for Greening Up the Mountains artists, vendors
 

Open call for Greening Up the Mountains artists, vendors

The 17th Annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26,…
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Zac Brown Band to play Harrah’s Cherokee
 

Zac Brown Band to play Harrah’s Cherokee

Renowned country group the Zac Brown Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Harrah’s Cherokee.
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The Malpass Brothers bring alt-country to Highlands
 

The Malpass Brothers bring alt-country to Highlands

Americana/country act The Malpass Brothers will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

The right place at the right time. We’re all aware of that notion, and most of us have experienced it at…
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Shooting for dreams
 

Shooting for dreams

In a crowded, frenzied gymnasium, Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland was just trying to not embarrass himself. “I haven’t touched…
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DOT explains N.C. 107 survey letter mystery
 

DOT explains N.C. 107 survey letter mystery

A controversial bypass around Sylva that was supposedly tabled by the highway department last year suddenly and mysteriously seemed to…
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WCU staff and students improve libraries in area jails
 

WCU staff and students improve libraries in area jails

For most people, the word “jail” stirs up mental images of vertical bars and stark concrete walls, not of rows…
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Deer reclaim historic home in Cherokee
 

Deer reclaim historic home in Cherokee

From clothing to art to clan names, deer are everywhere in Cherokee culture. But for the past couple of centuries,…
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Jackson County Republicans ready for annual convention
 

Jackson County Republicans ready for annual convention

Jackson County Republicans have been busy during the winter season finalizing plans for their 2014 annual county convention, the NCGOP…
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Steinem celebrates ‘escaping’
 

Steinem celebrates ‘escaping’

By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Correspondent Here is a simple solution for stimulating the economy in this country: give women equal…
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WCU hikes citation fees
 

WCU hikes citation fees

Students and visitors to the Western Carolina University campus, whether in a car or on roller skates, will soon have…
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Haven convinces board that motel is home
 

Haven convinces board that motel is home

In front of a crowded courtroom Tuesday, the Macon County Board of Elections voted unanimously to dismiss a challenge protesting…
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Macon candidate challenges reveal rift between conservative, moderate Republicans
 

Macon candidate challenges reveal rift between conservative, moderate Republicans

Dueling challenges over the legitimacy of two Macon County commissioner candidates could have had far-reaching implications for the county’s political…
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Downtown Sylva bakery opens in April
 

Downtown Sylva bakery opens in April

A new bakery and bistro is coming to downtown Sylva. The Perk & Pastry Bistro will offer a wide array…
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Community asked for input in prison makeover
 

Community asked for input in prison makeover

The trio of Christian ministries and advocates for the disadvantaged looking to transform the old state prison in Hazelwood into…
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Canton school to be reborn
 

Canton school to be reborn

William McDowell remembers when segregation was a reality in Canton. “When I was a kid we weren’t allowed to sit…
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A bear hunter for the ages
 

A bear hunter for the ages

John Baker (Little John) Cable Jr. is one of the prominent figures in Horace Kephart’s Our Southern Highlanders (1913; revised…
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Collegiate bouldering showdown coming to WCU
 

Collegiate bouldering showdown coming to WCU

The Cullowhee Rock & Rumble Fest will attract college students from a several state area for a rock climbing and…
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Fracking documentary to be screened in Sylva
 

Fracking documentary to be screened in Sylva

A documentary about natural gas “fracking” in America, “Gasland Part 2,” will be screened in Sylva on Saturday, March 22,…
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Smokies announces spring openings
 

Smokies announces spring openings

With spring around the corner, campgrounds and secondary roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are reopening for the…
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WCU professor honored for role in conservation
 

WCU professor honored for role in conservation

Jim Costa, a biology professor at Western Carolina University and the Director of the Highlands Biological Station, has been nominated…
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Historic window stolen off Smokies cabin
 

Historic window stolen off Smokies cabin

An antique window was stolen from an historic cabin in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Catch stream insects in the name of water quality
 

Catch stream insects in the name of water quality

The volunteer battalion of the Watershed Association of the Tuckaseigee River is looking for new recruits to help monitor water…
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Missing link of Benton MacKaye trail solved
 

Missing link of Benton MacKaye trail solved

A dicey section of the long-distance Benton MacKaye hiking trail that forced hikers to walk along the side of a…
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Aim high with annual Black Rock ascent
 

Aim high with annual Black Rock ascent

Trail runners will scramble, scratch and claw their way to the 5,810-foot summit of Pinnacle Park in Sylva during the…
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WCU cycling team brings regional race to Cullowhee
 

WCU cycling team brings regional race to Cullowhee

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent About a year ago, Patrick O’Neal bought an old, chrome-rimmed Schwinn bicycle. He was just…
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Wading into a few of my favorite ‘dipper’ books
 

Wading into a few of my favorite ‘dipper’ books

Some books — novels, certain histories and biographies — deserve full immersion. We dive into them, plummet into their depths,…
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Spring beckons, but don’t forget the moment
 

Spring beckons, but don’t forget the moment

By John Beckman • Columnist After the hard winter of sub-zero temperatures, heavy snows and power outages our region and much…
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It’s not really about Obamacare
 

It’s not really about Obamacare

To the Editor: The drumbeat of complaints about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) from the political right wing leave me…
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Elect Robinson to replace Sen. Davis
 

Elect Robinson to replace Sen. Davis

To the Editor: I’m writing as a citizen and resident of Jackson County to voice my support for Ron Robinson…
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Government is always less efficient
 

Government is always less efficient

To the Editor: I was having an otherwise intelligent conversation with one of my more liberal acquaintances the other day…
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This state’s GOP has violated the Voting Rights Act
 

This state’s GOP has violated the Voting Rights Act

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Even authoritarian regimes like Russia’s pretend to respect the right to vote. The contrast with…
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Iglesias to bring laughs to Harrah’s
 

Iglesias to bring laughs to Harrah’s

Acclaimed comedian Gabriel Iglesias will perform at 7:30 p.m., March 22, at Harrah’s Cherokee.
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Encaustic demo at Gallery 86
 

Encaustic demo at Gallery 86

Artist t.e. siewert will hold an encaustic painting demonstration from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at Gallery 86…
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‘Gentle Giant’ returns to Franklin
 

‘Gentle Giant’ returns to Franklin

Country music’s legendary “Gentle Giant” Don Williams will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Smoky Mountain Center…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

But, it’s only mid-March? I’m well aware of that, dear readers. Yes, it is mid-March, but 2014 is hitting the…
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Playing the sounds of your dreams
 

Playing the sounds of your dreams

He was a toddler with tenacity and talent. At three years old, Seth Taylor picked up his first guitar. Seeing…
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Somebody got some splainen to do
 

Somebody got some splainen to do

People say the corporate world has no soul. Corporations don’t give a rat’s behind about their employees, especially after they’re…
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Burns prescribed for Nantahala National Forest
 

Burns prescribed for Nantahala National Forest

The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct a series of prescribed burns over the next three to six weeks on…
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Whitewater season opens with NOC’s Glacier Breaker
 

Whitewater season opens with NOC’s Glacier Breaker

The Nantahala Racing Club Glacier Breaker is set for March 8-9 at the Nantahala Bridge Gates at the Nantahala Outdoor…
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Left loop of Tsali Trail system reopened
 

Left loop of Tsali Trail system reopened

The left loop of the Tsali Trail system has been reopened.  Last month, the U.S. Forest Service closed the trail…
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Classic hikes of the Smokies kicks off
 

Classic hikes of the Smokies kicks off

Friends of the Smokies’ first Classic Hike of the year will be to Little Cataloochee on Tuesday, March 11. Join…
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Park seeks volunteer citizen scientists
 

Park seeks volunteer citizen scientists

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers need volunteers to help track nature’s calendar.
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Hops growing on the minds of Appalachian agriculture
 

Hops growing on the minds of Appalachian agriculture

Heidi Dunkelberg is determined to make hops synonymous with Western North Carolina. “I’ve got to figure it out,” she said.…
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Distilling the life of blues legend Robert Johnson
 

Distilling the life of blues legend Robert Johnson

I have always been fascinated by the folklore attending the too-short life of Robert Johnson, “King of the Delta Blues…
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Ron Robinson supports education for all
 

Ron Robinson supports education for all

To the Editor: Ron Robinson, a Democrat and Sylva businessman, has launched his campaign to become the next senator from…
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Do not encroach on our freedoms
 

Do not encroach on our freedoms

To the Editor: Our basic freedoms in the Bill of Rights are encroached on almost daily by some branch of…
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N.C. 107 is a plain disaster
 

N.C. 107 is a plain disaster

To the Editor: Jackson County's main business corridor, Highway 107 South, is a disaster.   By allowing all the main…
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Local tourism leaders aren’t qualified
 

Local tourism leaders aren’t qualified

To the Editor: In response to Mr. Robert Jumper's letter in the Feb. 19 edition and the Jackson County TDA,…
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Ridgetop houses are too common
 

Ridgetop houses are too common

To the Editor: Regarding Clark Lipkin's guest opinion column in the Feb. 26 opinion, I find it incredulous that he…
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