Sanders would be a refreshing change
 

Sanders would be a refreshing change

To the Editor: Imagine, if only there was a viable candidate for President who for decades has spoken with honesty,…
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Wording change on Statue of Liberty
 

Wording change on Statue of Liberty

To the Editor: I have recently learn was told that the wording on the base of the Statue of Liberty…
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Love, marriage ... and a sharp paring knife
 

Love, marriage ... and a sharp paring knife

The other night I cut a skin tag off my husband’s face with a really sharp paring knife and some…
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Fortunately, the ‘ups’ outweigh the ‘downs’
 

Fortunately, the ‘ups’ outweigh the ‘downs’

Sometimes I forget why I love it so much. The truth is that newspaper work is partly satisfying, partly frustrating.…
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A look at the races
 

A look at the races

• Republican reboot on tap for House 119 primary• Rep. West’s retirement leads to Republican primary tussle• Congressional primary moved to June 7• Meet…
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Republican reboot on tap for House 119 primary
 

Republican reboot on tap for House 119 primary

The March ballot might feel a bit like déjà vu for Republican voters in N.C. House District 119, as Aaron…
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Rep. West’s retirement leads to Republican primary tussle
 

Rep. West’s retirement leads to Republican primary tussle

Rep. Roger West’s, R-Marble, announcement that he wouldn’t be running for re-election left a void in N.C. House District 120,…
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Congressional primary moved to June 7
 

Congressional primary moved to June 7

North Carolina will now have two primary elections in 2016 as lawsuits challenging the state’s districting maps continue to play…
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Voting begins March 3
 

Voting begins March 3

The 2016 Primary Election will be held March 15 and polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.…
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Meet the candidates in Haywood County’s commissioner primary
 

Meet the candidates in Haywood County’s commissioner primary

Over the past two weeks, The Smoky Mountain News has explored where Haywood County commissioner candidates stand on education, economic…
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Swain sees Hepatitis B cases skyrocket
 

Swain sees Hepatitis B cases skyrocket

The Swain County Health Department is concerned about the number of Hepatitis B cases confirmed in 2015.
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Higher education leaders push for Connect N.C. bond
 

Higher education leaders push for Connect N.C. bond

With $120 million at stake, higher education leaders in Western North Carolina have taken every opportunity in the last month…
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Referendum on sales tax increase possible in Jackson
 

Referendum on sales tax increase possible in Jackson

Jackson County Commissioners will vote this week on whether to approve a referendum vote for a quarter-cent sales tax increase…
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How about them apples?
 

How about them apples?

The Smoky Mountain News won more awards in the large circulation, non-daily newspaper category than all but one newspaper in…
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NOC considering Dillsboro location
 

NOC considering Dillsboro location

If discussions between Nantahala Outdoor Center and Jackson County continue to move forward, the outdoor recreation giant could start work…
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Murphy’s Law turns simple water line repair into quagmire
 

Murphy’s Law turns simple water line repair into quagmire

Residents and business owners in Hazelwood have grown increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of water-and-sewer line work that has…
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Champion Credit Union donation gives teachers a deserved boost
 

Champion Credit Union donation gives teachers a deserved boost

Champion Credit Union donated $100,000 last week to nine local school systems in the communities it serves — including Haywood,…
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After 19-year run, Meadowbrook to end its year-round school experiment
 

After 19-year run, Meadowbrook to end its year-round school experiment

Meadowbrook Elementary in Canton is ending its long run as a year-round school.
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Musical tribute to Civilian Conservation Corps
 

Musical tribute to Civilian Conservation Corps

Author Bill Jamerson will present a music and storytelling program about how the Civilian Conservation Corps camps improved the surrounding…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Boo yah. That was my exact response (loudly) when I was informed last week I’d won a few awards from the…
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Where East meets West: Thai fusion restaurant enters next chapter in Waynesville
 

Where East meets West: Thai fusion restaurant enters next chapter in Waynesville

It’s lunchtime in downtown Waynesville. Hungry bellies wander up the sidewalk in search of nourishment. It is the calm before…
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An oddly familiar photo brings back memories
 

An oddly familiar photo brings back memories

I hate having my picture taken. The simple truth is that I have found clever ways to avoid it for…
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Who changed words on Statue of Liberty?
 

Who changed words on Statue of Liberty?

To the Editor: I have recently learned from a D.C. resident that the wording on the base of the Statue…
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Time for a little torture, a la Trump?
 

Time for a little torture, a la Trump?

Stephanie Wampler • Guest Columnist Good news, fellow citizens.  It’s only a matter of time before we can all sleep easily,…
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Apple or Uncle Sam? I don’t like my choices
 

Apple or Uncle Sam? I don’t like my choices

Who you going to trust, Apple or Uncle Sam? By deciding not to obey a court order to unlock the…
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Classic Hikes of the Smokies kicks off
 

Classic Hikes of the Smokies kicks off

Exploration of the remote Little Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will kick off this year’s Classic…
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Poster contest winners announced in Jackson
 

Poster contest winners announced in Jackson

Students in Jackson County got a chance to show the artistic side of what it means to live in a…
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Agreement signed to protect rare fish
 

Agreement signed to protect rare fish

The sicklefin redhorse is a rare fish found nowhere else in the world other than six Southern Appalachian counties, but…
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Boats banned from new Lake Glenville swimming area
 

Boats banned from new Lake Glenville swimming area

Starting in August, no boating vessels will be allowed at the new swimming area at the Pines Recreation Area on…
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Community leaders recognized in Haywood
 

Community leaders recognized in Haywood

Before a roomful of dedicated citizens, Haywood’s Commission for a Clean County doled out its annual awards last week to…
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The fly collector: Collection of 9,000 flies holds memories, knowledge for Bryson City angler
 

The fly collector: Collection of 9,000 flies holds memories, knowledge for Bryson City angler

“This is the ugliest fly I have,” says Mike Kesselring, pulling a battered-looking brown-bodied, black-feathered fly from a box marked…
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Katrina-spawned novel finally getting its due
 

Katrina-spawned novel finally getting its due

Hurricane Katrina spawned an awesome number of literary works, and it may be that, given sufficient time to determine the full…
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Animal hospitals donate pet oxygen masks
 

Animal hospitals donate pet oxygen masks

Country Lane Animal Hospital in Clyde and The Animal Hospital in Waynesville teamed together to address the issue of pet…
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WCU chancellor to host forum on NC bond issue
 

WCU chancellor to host forum on NC bond issue

Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher will host an educational forum at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29, in the theater…
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Development could be in Cullowhee’s future
 

Development could be in Cullowhee’s future

Phones in Jackson County’s planning department have been buzzing lately with people interested in developing property in Cullowhee, and that…
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Schools work through calendar challenges
 

Schools work through calendar challenges

Macon County teachers recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of adding 20 minutes to their school days in an effort to…
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Tobacco-free ordinance on hold in Swain
 

Tobacco-free ordinance on hold in Swain

Swain County Commissioners postponed a vote on whether to make the county recreation center a tobacco-free area after hearing feedback…
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Homeless shelter planned for Cherokee
 

Homeless shelter planned for Cherokee

Work will begin on establishing a shelter for Cherokee’s homeless following passage of a resolution Principal Chief Patrick Lambert introduced…
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Artificial turf likely for Smoky Mountain High
 

Artificial turf likely for Smoky Mountain High

A plan to replace the football field at Smoky Mountain High School with artificial turf is likely to move ahead…
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Parents feel railroaded in Central Elementary closure
 

Parents feel railroaded in Central Elementary closure

A study conducted by Haywood County Schools justifying the closure of Central Elementary School was a sham and failed to meet state requirements for a school closure, two speakers argued before the Haywood County School Board last week.
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Republican legislature castigated for its role in Haywood school budget woes
 

Republican legislature castigated for its role in Haywood school budget woes

State Republican lawmakers were strongly chastised for penning Central Elementary School’s death warrant during a rally prior to the Haywood County School board meeting last week.
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Blurred lines for Haywood commissioner race
 

Blurred lines for Haywood commissioner race

On the right track or wrong track? That question was posed to candidates running for Haywood County commissioner and could…
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Republican candidates deliberate Macon’s future
 

Republican candidates deliberate Macon’s future

Even though all five of the candidates running for two open seats in the Macon County commissioner primary are Republicans,…
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Oscar winners to film movie in Sylva
 

Oscar winners to film movie in Sylva

Sylva is going to hit the big screen next year, made over as the fictional town of Ebbing, Missouri, and…
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Bishop back out on bond after failing drug test
 

Bishop back out on bond after failing drug test

Former Macon County Elections Director Kim Bishop recently had to appear before a federal judge for the second time to…
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WCU preps for visit from new UNC president
 

WCU preps for visit from new UNC president

Western Carolina University leaders are getting ready to roll out the red carpet for the impending arrival of Margaret Spellings,…
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Mountain Heritage Center selected for accreditation academy
 

Mountain Heritage Center selected for accreditation academy

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is among 10 museums selected to participate in the American Alliance of Museums’ new…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It is for all special occasions.
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Veteran reflects on World War II, life and poetry
 

Veteran reflects on World War II, life and poetry

He got to me before I could get to him. Turning into the large parking lot of the Canton Ingles…
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Florence King: a biting wit that took no prisoners
 

Florence King: a biting wit that took no prisoners

In Withering Slights: The Bent Pin Collection (National Review Books, 2015, ISBN 978-0-9847650-3-4, 186 pages, $24.95), the recently deceased (she…
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