Sheriff investigates Fines Creek deaths
 

Sheriff investigates Fines Creek deaths

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office detectives continue to investigate two deaths that occurred in the Fines Creek area last week.
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Haywood County woman wins $200,000 lottery
 

Haywood County woman wins $200,000 lottery

The search for a ceramic Christmas tree led Sharon Frizzell of Canton to a $200,000 lottery win.
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ABC Chairman visit Cherokee Nation
 

ABC Chairman visit Cherokee Nation

North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission Chairman Zander Guy met with Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed and other representatives of…
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Committee to lead search for WCU chancellor
 

Committee to lead search for WCU chancellor

Western Carolina University announced the appointment of a 21-member search committee that will recommend a successor to Chancellor David O.…
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Landslide closes N.C. 28 through February
 

Landslide closes N.C. 28 through February

A plan is in place to re-open N.C. 28 in Graham County by the end of February.
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Fake news freakout! All of this really happened in 2017*
 

Fake news freakout! All of this really happened in 2017*

Last year it was still just a quaint, silly little term — fake news.
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2017: Year in review
 

2017: Year in review

Before we ring in the New Year, The Smoky Mountain News likes to look back and reflect on the last…
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House of my soul: A conversation with Langhorne Slim
 

House of my soul: A conversation with Langhorne Slim

The sound echoes a tone of inclusion and timelessness. When you listen to Langhorne Slim, you’re hearing something oddly familiar,…
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This must be the place: ‘Keep on rolling, my old buddy…’
 

This must be the place: ‘Keep on rolling, my old buddy…’

Once the roads became sketchy, I became familiar with the territory.
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Futures of WCU and WNC are inextricably linked
 

Futures of WCU and WNC are inextricably linked

By David Belcher • Guest columnist I had the privilege of presiding over Western Carolina University’s Dec. 16 commencement ceremonies…
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Caught you being good
 

Caught you being good

My dad called the other day and said he had a fun Christmas surprise for my boys. Knowing my dad…
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An open letter to N.C. Senator Jim Davis
 

An open letter to N.C. Senator Jim Davis

District 50: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties December 14, 2017 Dear Senator Davis: Perhaps relations between…
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Kudos for “Homeless for the Holidays”
 

Kudos for “Homeless for the Holidays”

To the Editor: Kudos to Smoky Mountain News Staff Writer Cory Vaillancourt on his story, “Homeless in Haywood for the…
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Christmastime for birders: Cold weather can’t cool enthusiasm for Christmas Bird Count
 

Christmastime for birders: Cold weather can’t cool enthusiasm for Christmas Bird Count

At 8 a.m. on a December morning, the newly risen sun had barely warmed the air over Franklin from the…
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Information wanted on Elkmont fire
 

Information wanted on Elkmont fire

Tips are needed related to a human-caused fire that resulted in damage to cabins in the Elkmont Historic District of…
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Prescribed burning projects proposed in the Nantahala
 

Prescribed burning projects proposed in the Nantahala

A proposal to reauthorize prescribed burning on 19,038 acres in Jackson, Macon and Swain counties is open for public comment…
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Pigeon River Fund awards support water quality
 

Pigeon River Fund awards support water quality

Environmental groups across Western North Carolina got a boost from this fall’s Pigeon River Fund Awards through the Community Foundation…
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New Needmore Game Lands plan released
 

New Needmore Game Lands plan released

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has released the final versions of five game land management plans, including the plan for…
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Elk arrive at Grandfather
 

Elk arrive at Grandfather

Three new elk have arrived at Grandfather Mountain State Park’s environmental wildlife habitats.
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Former CMC president honored
 

Former CMC president honored

Former Carolina Mountain Club president George Oldham received the organization’s highest award last month when he was presented with the…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Bamboo by any other name
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Bamboo by any other name

Bamboo is the common name applied to a wide and varied group of woody grasses from all around the world.…
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Novel whisks one back to the prairie
 

Novel whisks one back to the prairie

Sometimes joy and beauty strike like thunderbolts. One minute we are going about our daily routine, minding our own business,…
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Town of Clyde appoints new mayor, alderman
 

Town of Clyde appoints new mayor, alderman

The recent passing of longtime Clyde Mayor Jerry Walker left a hole not only in the hearts of residents, but…
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Haywood School Board fills vacancy
 

Haywood School Board fills vacancy

After receiving applications from three people, the Haywood County School Board has selected Bethel’s David Burnette to fill the seat…
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Jackson delays pool referendum decision
 

Jackson delays pool referendum decision

An already-tight timeline to get a referendum question about funding an indoor pool on Jackson County’s November 2018 ballot just…
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Fired tribal employees receive $100K settlement
 

Fired tribal employees receive $100K settlement

Seven tribal employees who were fired or demoted when former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert took office in 2015 have received…
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Sylva commissioners butt heads over TWSA appointment
 

Sylva commissioners butt heads over TWSA appointment

A routine board appointment turned contentious last week when Sylva Commissioner Harold Hensley announced that he’d like to see someone…
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Tourists taste Maggie Valley as season grows ever longer
 

Tourists taste Maggie Valley as season grows ever longer

For all of its bluster and bikers and bling in the summertime, Maggie Valley can be one sleepy little town…
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Sponsors, donations needed to provide Christmas for kids
 

Sponsors, donations needed to provide Christmas for kids

There are still plenty of children in need this Christmas in Swain County and your donation to the Swain County…
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Waynesville reservoir study could result in capacity increase
 

Waynesville reservoir study could result in capacity increase

Pristine and nearly untouched by the hands of humans, the Town of Waynesville’s watershed has been hailed as a visionary…
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Public not invited to Franklin hospital hearing
 

Public not invited to Franklin hospital hearing

Angel Medical Center held a public hearing Tuesday morning regarding a new potential location for the hospital on U.S. 441,…
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The Haywood shuffle: top county posts remain unfilled
 

The Haywood shuffle: top county posts remain unfilled

Employee turnover in local governments is nothing new, but Haywood County’s recent rash of retirements and resignations has resulted in…
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Raleigh hotelier purchases Balsam Mountain Inn
 

Raleigh hotelier purchases Balsam Mountain Inn

A Jackson County landmark has changed hands.
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This must be the place: ‘Life being what it is…’
 

This must be the place: ‘Life being what it is…’

Ten years ago this week I left my native Upstate New York for my first journalism gig out of college…
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Haywood sheriff investigating two deaths in Fines Creek
 

Haywood sheriff investigating two deaths in Fines Creek

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office detectives continue to investigate two deaths that occurred in the Fines Creek area.
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Haywood’s assistant county manager resigns
 

Haywood’s assistant county manager resigns

In a statement issued by Haywood County moments ago, the resignation of Assistant County Manager Talmadge “Stoney” Blevins was announced.…
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If you’re reading this, then we thank you
 

If you’re reading this, then we thank you

In this holiday season, I have much to be thankful for. At least that’s the way I see it, though…
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GOP’s tribal loyalty will be its downfall
 

GOP’s tribal loyalty will be its downfall

Many years from now, Americans are going to look back on the election of the 45th President Donald J. Trump…
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We must stop the coup
 

We must stop the coup

To the Editor: An American coup d’etat is in progress. There are no guns being fired, no booting out of…
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Is health care a right or commodity?
 

Is health care a right or commodity?

To the Editor: No one wants to talk about this question, least of all the folks who make our laws.…
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Tax cut is ill-conceived
 

Tax cut is ill-conceived

To the Editor: I’m confused! The stock market is at all-time high and unemployment is lower than we have seen…
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A stealth attack on the working class
 

A stealth attack on the working class

To the Editor: Unless Congress comes to its senses and rejects the misguided tax legislation currently being considered, working people…
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A German idealist sought refuge among the Cherokee
 

A German idealist sought refuge among the Cherokee

Christianus Gottlieb Priber was born in Zittau, Germany, where he was the son of a beerhouse owner. In October 1722,…
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A fire-forged laboratory: Scientists look to learn from 2016 wildfires
 

A fire-forged laboratory: Scientists look to learn from 2016 wildfires

When rain finally quelled the wildfires running rampant through the Southeastern U.S. last year, the public was breathing a collective…
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At home in the snow
 

At home in the snow

Muted under a blanket of fresh snow, the forests surrounding the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Western North Carolina stretch were quiet,…
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Parkway maintenance causes closures
 

Parkway maintenance causes closures

Boom axe operations along the Blue Ridge Parkway will result in closures at various locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway…
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Buncombe makes clean energy pledge
 

Buncombe makes clean energy pledge

Buncombe County Commissioners voted to commit to complete transition to clean and renewable energy during a meeting Tuesday, Dec. 5.
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Rim Trail reopened following purchase
 

Rim Trail reopened following purchase

A portion of the Rim Trail near Hayesville that’s been closed since 2010 has now reopened to the public.
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New species found in Tennessee
 

New species found in Tennessee

A new fish species has been discovered in the South, with Tennessee Valley Authority biologists identifying the logperch, or Percina…
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