Craft students win national awards
 

Craft students win national awards

Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Fiber students Abigail Ahlberg and Tony Embrey both were recently recognized with national awards.
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Why do you write? I write because I was told at a very young age, at some point in elementary…
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Brews news
 

Brews news

Bryson City welcomes second brewery With the former brewmaster for Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin), Noah McIntee, at the helm, Mountain Layers…
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Tapping into your tummy: Nantahala Brewing launches restaurant, open-air taproom
 

Tapping into your tummy: Nantahala Brewing launches restaurant, open-air taproom

Surrounded by piles of debris, old wood and gravel, Joe Rowland sees opportunity. “This is the inevitable next step for…
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Pound your chest and punch your neighbor
 

Pound your chest and punch your neighbor

There were two primetime spectacles Monday evening. One was the first presidential debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.…
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Pockets of happiness have become lifelines
 

Pockets of happiness have become lifelines

For a week I’ve been thinking about what to write in this week’s column, and very little clarity came until…
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Sen. Davis and reverse Robin Hood tactics
 

Sen. Davis and reverse Robin Hood tactics

To the Editor: The N.C. Republican Party sent out a flyer stating Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, voted for a middle-class…
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Sen. Jim Davis’ mailers make false claims
 

Sen. Jim Davis’ mailers make false claims

To the Editor: Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and his surrogates in Raleigh recently sent out a series of expensive glossy…
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Sen. Jim Davis raised taxes on farm families
 

Sen. Jim Davis raised taxes on farm families

To the Editor: If you are like many residents of Western North Carolina, you probably cut hay, raise a few…
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Yes, there are some bikers for Clinton
 

Yes, there are some bikers for Clinton

To the Editor: I am a female motorcyclist who actually rides my motorcycle across the country, not one who hauls…
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We need a senator who is for the people
 

We need a senator who is for the people

To the Editor: Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, has unleashed a series of negative flyers against his opponent, Jane Hipps. His…
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The Wait of War
 

The Wait of War

It is known by many names.  Some call it the Second Indochina War. Some call it the Resistance War. Some…
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Education and infrastructure key issues for House candidates
 

Education and infrastructure key issues for House candidates

It’s been 17 years since voters in North Carolina’s four westernmost counties have chosen a new representative for the state…
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Candidates seek school board seats
 

Candidates seek school board seats

On Tuesday Nov. 8, voters in Haywood County will decide from amongst a slew of candidates seeking election to the…
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WCU seals the deal on $1.8 million Koch gift
 

WCU seals the deal on $1.8 million Koch gift

A year in the making, Western Carolina University has sealed a deal with the Charles Koch Foundation for a $1.8…
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Between the lines: what WCU’s Koch gift says, and doesn’t say
 

Between the lines: what WCU’s Koch gift says, and doesn’t say

Few if any universities have made the Charles Koch Foundation jump quite so many hurdles before opening its wallet as…
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Jackson unveils new ad campaign, celebrates upward tourism trend
 

Jackson unveils new ad campaign, celebrates upward tourism trend

After months of talking, planning and producing, Jackson County is set to unleash a new ad campaign and website showcasing…
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TVA houseboat policy scrutinized during congressional hearing
 

TVA houseboat policy scrutinized during congressional hearing

The Tennessee Valley Authority leadership fielded some tough questions from members of Congress last week in Washington, D.C., during a…
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Canton improvements on the horizon
 

Canton improvements on the horizon

The town of Canton has scored several small victories of late in its effort to diversify its economic base and…
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USDA loan hang-up:  Blessing in disguise?
 

USDA loan hang-up: Blessing in disguise?

Another of Canton’s highly anticipated capital improvements on the horizon is a new municipal pool to replace the leaky aging…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I teared up immediately.
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Water was not always taken for granted
 

Water was not always taken for granted

Old-time mountaineers often picked their home and church sites according to the location and purity of springs. They were connoisseurs…
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Dreaming of Toyko: A conversation with Michal
 

Dreaming of Toyko: A conversation with Michal

Since the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Michal Smolen has been hopping continents to finish out the post-Rio racing season,…
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Dreaming of Toyko: Following competition in Rio, NOC paddler sets sights on 2020 Olympic medal
 

Dreaming of Toyko: Following competition in Rio, NOC paddler sets sights on 2020 Olympic medal

Much of America spent Aug. 5-21 with eyes glued to a television, cheering on athletes from all corners of the…
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Protect your beehive
 

Protect your beehive

Mosquito spraying for Zika virus in other states has led some North Carolina beekeepers to ask what they can do…
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Red wolf reintroduction to cease in southeast N.C.
 

Red wolf reintroduction to cease in southeast N.C.

Red wolves will be removed from the majority of the five-county area of eastern North Carolina where they now exist…
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Woman dies following fall in the Smokies
 

Woman dies following fall in the Smokies

A woman perished following a fall at the Newfound Gap parking lot in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last…
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Sales strong for Smokies plates
 

Sales strong for Smokies plates

Sales of North Carolina Friends of the Smokies license plates brought in $118,240 to support the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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A rollicking debut novel with a Hemingway twist
 

A rollicking debut novel with a Hemingway twist

In December 1922 Hadley Hemingway set out from Paris to join her husband Ernest, then a newspaper reporter and an…
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Remember when you were ‘16 going on 17?’
 

Remember when you were ‘16 going on 17?’

When I was 16 years old — going on 17 — I had a poster of Stevie Nicks, the mystical,…
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There are plenty of good reasons to vote for Hillary
 

There are plenty of good reasons to vote for Hillary

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both have their liabilities, but his are so much more…
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N.C. leaders remain – indignantly – on wrong side of HB2
 

N.C. leaders remain – indignantly – on wrong side of HB2

When it comes to HB2, our state’s Republican leadership will eventually prove to be on the wrong side of history.…
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Wrecker service denied location in Sylva
 

Wrecker service denied location in Sylva

A vacant lot along the gateway to Sylva from Dillsboro will stay empty for a while longer following the town…
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Engineers say burn building needs to be replaced
 

Engineers say burn building needs to be replaced

Last month Macon County commissioners said they wanted a second opinion on the remaining lifespan of the first responder training…
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WCU faculty set new precedent for standing up to political influence of big donors
 

WCU faculty set new precedent for standing up to political influence of big donors

Western Carolina University faculty tasked with overseeing a $2 million gift from the Charles Koch Foundation had their work cut…
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WCU faculty closely monitoring $2 million Koch gift
 

WCU faculty closely monitoring $2 million Koch gift

A firestorm over a $2 million gift from political operative Charles Koch ignited the campus of Western Carolina University last…
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Haywood County high-impact development ordinance passes
 

Haywood County high-impact development ordinance passes

Children, the elderly, the ill, the mentally challenged and the incarcerated in Haywood County all have at least one thing…
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Waynesville annexes charter school property
 

Waynesville annexes charter school property

The Town of Waynesville’s area increased by 2.82 acres last week with the annexation of a parcel at 1023 Dellwood…
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Cherokee council votes to keep vans gifted from Washington Redskins
 

Cherokee council votes to keep vans gifted from Washington Redskins

A pair of Mercedes-Benz vans that The Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation once bestowed upon the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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No elk allowed: Two-mile fence keeps elk off dairy farm following winter shooting of seven animals
 

No elk allowed: Two-mile fence keeps elk off dairy farm following winter shooting of seven animals

These days, bovines — not elk — are the only cows wandering around the Ross dairy farm in Jonathan Creek.
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Growing elk population triggers landowner conflicts, land conservation efforts
 

Growing elk population triggers landowner conflicts, land conservation efforts

Elk may be the most polarizing animal in Western North Carolina right now, but William Carter has kept a closer…
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Upcoming political forums and debates
 

Upcoming political forums and debates

If you are undecided or just want more information about the Nov. 8 election, there are plenty of opportunities to…
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State candidates speak to Macon residents
 

State candidates speak to Macon residents

Every election cycle, the Macon County League of Women Voters aims to educate its community about local and state candidates…
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Finding the root of your rhythm
 

Finding the root of your rhythm

The RPMs hovered around 4,000, the truck huffing and puffing up the steep hillside. Approaching Sam’s Gap (elevation 3,760 feet)…
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True patriotism comes in many colors
 

True patriotism comes in many colors

We drove through the small town of Clyde on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 11, right in the midst of the commemoration…
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Finding my way in this season of change
 

Finding my way in this season of change

Not long ago my front porch was a barren, pathetic place with a few pieces of hard, wooden furniture, zero…
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I remember John Snow, and what GOP did to him
 

I remember John Snow, and what GOP did to him

To the Editor: I remember John Snow. For those that don’t, he was the three-term state senator from this district who…
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Hillary does not deserve support of women
 

Hillary does not deserve support of women

To the Editor: In the August 31 edition of The Smoky Mountain News, guest columnist Hannah McLeod asked “Where are…
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Rep. Meadows should open up discussions
 

Rep. Meadows should open up discussions

To the Editor: I was one of the people who was turned away from Rep. Mark Meadows’ meeting at the…
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Hiking for Hope: Robbinsville man raises $70,000 for children with A.T. hike
 

Hiking for Hope: Robbinsville man raises $70,000 for children with A.T. hike

It was nighttime in the White Mountains, and Steve Claxton was pretty sure he wouldn’t make it till morning. Rain…
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