This must be the place: ‘Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control’
 

This must be the place: ‘Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control’

This one? This one hurt. When I heard Thursday afternoon about the tragic suicide of Chester Bennington, lead singer for…
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GOP turmoil continues, but facts do matter
 

GOP turmoil continues, but facts do matter

I’ve known Ted Carr many years, and he is not a liar. That charge has been leveled against him by…
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Finding the light in an RV
 

Finding the light in an RV

Since my mom’s passing almost a year ago, my dad and I have become very close. Without her here as…
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Single-payer system is badly needed
 

Single-payer system is badly needed

To the Editor: Conservative business owners are realizing that our dysfunctional health care system, driven by private health insurance, is…
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Trump, Meadows just don’t care
 

Trump, Meadows just don’t care

To the Editor: President Trump’s campaign staff met with a Russian attorney in Trump Tower to discuss inside “dirt” about…
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Dispelling myths about indigent defense
 

Dispelling myths about indigent defense

To the Editor: Thank you for dispelling the myth that indigent defense attorneys don’t get paid (http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/20283). They might not…
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North Carolina creates outdoor rec recruitment position
 

North Carolina creates outdoor rec recruitment position

North Carolina now has a position for a dedicated outdoor recreation recruitment director tasked with developing the state’s outdoor recreation…
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Winged wonders: Butterfly house is a living exhibit at the N.C. Arboretum
 

Winged wonders: Butterfly house is a living exhibit at the N.C. Arboretum

It’s one of those summer days that’s so hot and humid it’s impossible to walk even two steps without sweating,…
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New agritourism guide is out
 

New agritourism guide is out

The new Buy Haywood agritourism guide is now available, celebrating the 10th anniversary of this initiative to promote homegrown Haywood…
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Man airlifted following 40-foot fall
 

Man airlifted following 40-foot fall

A man was airlifted from the Graveyard Fields area of the Pisgah National Forest July 12 after falling 40 feet…
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Repairs underway on the Blue Ridge Parkway
 

Repairs underway on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Repairs on the Blue Ridge Parkway will continue through August between mileposts 383 and 389 near Asheville, part of a…
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Fly fishing hall of famers
 

Fly fishing hall of famers

The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians Hall of Fame will have six new members when its second-ever class…
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The Naturalist's Corner: MOU – MIA
 

The Naturalist's Corner: MOU – MIA

Issues surrounding the management of the country’s national forests have always been thorny. It’s easy to see why — there…
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Time to clear the desk, part one
 

Time to clear the desk, part one

Time to clear the decks — or in my case, the desk. For whatever reason — to escape our poisonous…
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This must be the place: ‘Everywhere I turn, here we are…’
 

This must be the place: ‘Everywhere I turn, here we are…’

I was about an hour late. Rolling up to the Swain County Business Education & Training Center in Bryson City…
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Above the distraction: The Swag celebrates old traditions, welcomes new era
 

Above the distraction: The Swag celebrates old traditions, welcomes new era

Heading up Hemphill Road, just outside of Maggie Valley, the lush fields and bungalow homes of Jonathan Creek fade into…
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The power of conviction
 

The power of conviction

The Folkmoot Friendship Center on Virginia Avenue in Hazelwood is central to the festival’s operation.
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Many cultures, one community
 

Many cultures, one community

The 34th annual Folkmoot International Festival will return to Waynesville this weekend for 10 days worth of folk dance performances…
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Secret agent, man
 

Secret agent, man

Not long ago if you told someone you were taking your kids to a hip-hop show, they would probably call…
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Where culture meets community
 

Where culture meets community

Amidst all of last year’s romping, stomping, clogging and dancing during Folkmoot USA, one event may have slipped off the…
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Folkmoot Festival: an international presence
 

Folkmoot Festival: an international presence

The 34th annual Folkmoot Festival in Waynesville kicks off Thursday, July 20 and will again feature close to 300 performers…
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Harris expands cardiac services
 

Harris expands cardiac services

Harris Regional Hospital is expanding its cardiac services, offering diagnostic cardiac catheterization in Sylva beginning in mid-July.
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A million dollars worth of warmth
 

A million dollars worth of warmth

As the sturdy old stake-bed dump truck — held together largely with rusty steel coat hangers — scrambled up the…
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Contributions large and small fuel Reeves’ passion
 

Contributions large and small fuel Reeves’ passion

Although Richard Reeves has spent the last 12 years splitting wood in an empty lot off Lea Plant Road in…
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Russ fuss averted? NCDOT prepares new plan
 

Russ fuss averted? NCDOT prepares new plan

Public outcry over North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to eviscerate historic Walnut Street during Russ Avenue improvements slated for…
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Candidates continue filing for office
 

Candidates continue filing for office

Sign ups for 2017 municipal elections close at noon Friday, July 21. The election will be Tuesday, Nov. 7, with…
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Jackson commissioners and elections boards disagree over budget authority
 

Jackson commissioners and elections boards disagree over budget authority

The Jackson County Board of Elections’ attempt to exert a new level of independence from the county commissioners resulted in…
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Vice Chief position remains vacant
 

Vice Chief position remains vacant

This month’s two full days of Tribal Council sessions included discussion on everything from research requests to drug policies to…
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Jackson launches citizen’s academy
 

Jackson launches citizen’s academy

Jackson County residents will have the chance to get grounded in local government with the launch of a citizen’s academy…
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Waynesville animal shelter closes
 

Waynesville animal shelter closes

Duke’s Animal Haven off Stamey Cove Road in Waynesville has suddenly closed its animal rescue facility with little explanation.
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Haywood Regional expands behavioral health unit
 

Haywood Regional expands behavioral health unit

Haywood Regional Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint Health hospital, has completed a 17-bed expansion to its behavioral health wing on…
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Swain County receives federal funding for schools
 

Swain County receives federal funding for schools

Swain County will be receiving $577,000 in federal funding to help meet the many needs of its public school system.
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Macon pushes forward with broadband expansion
 

Macon pushes forward with broadband expansion

Macon County’s concerted efforts to bring better broadband capabilities to residents are moving right along.
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Sylva passes food truck rules
 

Sylva passes food truck rules

Sylva’s proposed food truck ordinance passed unanimously at the town meeting July 13, one year after the town board began…
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Jackson County approves contract to merge planning ordinances
 

Jackson County approves contract to merge planning ordinances

A 14-month process to overhaul Jackson County’s splintered planning ordinances is now underway following the county commissioners’ unanimous approval of…
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Meadows' first challenger drops out
 

Meadows' first challenger drops out

Moments ago, Congressman Mark Meadows' first Democratic Challenger, Matt Coffay, announced that he would be dropping out of the race…
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Utility bills to disappear for Cherokee elders
 

Utility bills to disappear for Cherokee elders

Cherokee elders will no longer have power, water or sewer bills to worry about following a divided Tribal Council vote…
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Story on party disloyalty had inaccuracies
 

Story on party disloyalty had inaccuracies

To the Editor: The disloyalty resolution article in the previous edition of The Smoky Mountain News (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/20275) was correct in…
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Voters are treated poorly by gross gerrymandering
 

Voters are treated poorly by gross gerrymandering

Speaking to his son’s graduating class, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts told them this: “From time to time in…
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Look before you leap!
 

Look before you leap!

To the Editor: Now that the Republican Party has temporary political control over America a strong push is being made…
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Meadows once again fighting the wrong fight
 

Meadows once again fighting the wrong fight

The chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus says there could be a government shutdown if money isn’t included in…
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Trumpcare debacle means health care woes will remain
 

Trumpcare debacle means health care woes will remain

Half a year into his presidency, it seems pretty clear that Donald Trump would rather continue campaigning — or golfing,…
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Early book gives vivid descriptions of WNC
 

Early book gives vivid descriptions of WNC

Those who read this column regularly are aware of my interest in the early descriptive literature of Western North Carolina.…
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Under the Pigeon: Snorkeling workshop gives an up-close look at aquatic diversity
 

Under the Pigeon: Snorkeling workshop gives an up-close look at aquatic diversity

The clear water of the West Fork Pigeon River tumbling from its mountain headwaters takes on a yellowish hue through…
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Endangered snail thrives after wildfire
 

Endangered snail thrives after wildfire

After the fall 2016 wildfires concluded, biologists feared that the flames had devastated populations of the rare noonday globe snail…
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A friendship forged in faith helped change the world
 

A friendship forged in faith helped change the world

On Nov. 5, 2001, not quite two months after the 9/11 attacks, Lech Walesa spoke at Western Carolina University. Walesa…
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Heinzelmannchen Brewery to close
 

Heinzelmannchen Brewery to close

After a couple years of uncertainty, Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva will close its doors on Thursday evening.
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This must be the place: ‘Would you like to know a secret, just between you and me?’
 

This must be the place: ‘Would you like to know a secret, just between you and me?’

Those who forget history, tend to... Well, you know the rest. Nowadays, it seems each morning we awaken into another…
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