Sylva library presents Through the Hills
 

Sylva library presents Through the Hills

Americana/bluegrass act Through the Hills will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in the Community Room of the Jackson…
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Charlie Daniels to play Franklin
 

Charlie Daniels to play Franklin

Legendary group The Charlie Daniels Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Smoky Mountain Center for…
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Zoe & Cloyd come to the strand
 

Zoe & Cloyd come to the strand

Merlefest songwriting contest winners Zoe & Cloyd will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at The Strand at 38…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I stopped going. For the better part of the last decade, my life during the summer was music festivals. From…
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The Art of Faking It: Lip sync contests popular in Franklin
 

The Art of Faking It: Lip sync contests popular in Franklin

Sitting at a table at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, Brittney Raby knows exactly what’s going to walk through…
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Meaningful gun control deserves passage
 

Meaningful gun control deserves passage

To the Editor: House Speaker John Boehner boasted in a mass e-mail that he had gotten ahead of President Obama…
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It seemed like a great idea at the time ...
 

It seemed like a great idea at the time ...

It looked so good on paper, the way terrible ideas always do. Instead of boarding our miniature dachshund as we…
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Tribal council takes the wrong stand on openness
 

Tribal council takes the wrong stand on openness

The Tribal Council kicked us out again. Holly Kays, a reporter for The Smoky Mountain News, was told on July…
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Going rogue: Undercover bear poaching sting uses dubious tactics to trap hunters
 

Going rogue: Undercover bear poaching sting uses dubious tactics to trap hunters

coverBy Katie Reeder • SMN Intern

All Chad Crisp took with him was his Bible as he headed into Elkton Federal Correctional Institute in Ohio last week. For a rural mountain boy who’d never left home, 20 months of federal prison would be a long, hard road.

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Cast of characters

“I felt that my heart would burst as I hugged him and told him I loved him and everything would be all right and that we would be back soon,” Linda Crisp, his mother, said. “For a mother, her son – no matter how old he is – is still in some ways a child in her eyes, and she wants to always protect him.”

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Cast of characters
 

Cast of characters

something bruinDavey Webb (alias Davey Williams): an agent with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources who first started hunting with the Crisps in the fall of 2010.

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Haywood County awards grants to local charities
 

Haywood County awards grants to local charities

Three grants have been awarded by The Fund for Haywood County, totaling about $7,000.  This fund is an affiliate of…
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Haywood veteran honored at pinning ceremony
 

Haywood veteran honored at pinning ceremony

Francis “Jack” James was recognized on June 26 by the “We Honor Veterans” program for his years of military service. …
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Warm weather causes toxic algae at Waterville Lake
 

Warm weather causes toxic algae at Waterville Lake

An algal bloom on Waterville Lake in northern parts of Haywood County has tested positive for a toxin with potential…
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Shining Rock leaders say transparency is goal
 

Shining Rock leaders say transparency is goal

Shining Rock Classical Academy, a new charter school opening in Haywood County next month, will pull in more than $2…
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Shining Rock off to rocky start: Did new charter school violate open government law?
 

Shining Rock off to rocky start: Did new charter school violate open government law?

As a public entity receiving public dollars, Shining Rock Classical Academy — Haywood County’s first charter school — is required…
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Bryson City alderman running for Congress
 

Bryson City alderman running for Congress

Rick Bryson, a current alderman in Bryson City, has his eyes on Washington, D.C., as he plans a run to…
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Macon Health to offer primary care to limited number of residents
 

Macon Health to offer primary care to limited number of residents

A new program will enable a limited number of Macon County residents to seek primary medical care at the health…
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Leaders plot the future of domestic violence advocacy in Jackson
 

Leaders plot the future of domestic violence advocacy in Jackson

It’s been two-and-a-half years since cash flow problems forced Jackson County’s domestic violence and sexual abuse resource center to close…
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Chief candidates to debate in Cherokee
 

Chief candidates to debate in Cherokee

Candidates for the two chief offices up for election this year will square off in a pair of debates at…
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Landscape shifts early in the game in Waynesville’s mayor race
 

Landscape shifts early in the game in Waynesville’s mayor race

A candidate for mayor in Waynesville is dropping out of the race, although his name will still be on the…
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Canton celebrates keeping its clinic
 

Canton celebrates keeping its clinic

Within six months, a primary care medical clinic for Evergreen Packaging employees went from being on the chopping block to…
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The Waynesville Inn, Golf Resort & Spa
 

The Waynesville Inn, Golf Resort & Spa

When asked why he loves Western North Carolina, Travis Smith had to pause for a moment. “Well, that’s a good question,”…
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Over the hills and far away
 

Over the hills and far away

Taking a left off U.S. 64 onto Settawig Road in rural Clay County, the busy commercial thoroughfare transforms into lush…
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A brush with fate
 

A brush with fate

Just mere feet from a bustling South Main Street in Waynesville resides a cocoon of creativity. With a steady stream of…
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Crafting the future — Dillsboro
 

Crafting the future — Dillsboro

Amid the numerous businesses in Dillsboro, its cultural and economic heart lies in the plentiful art galleries and studios. From…
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Tapping your dreams — Andrews Brewing Company
 

Tapping your dreams — Andrews Brewing Company

Sitting on the porch of the Andrews Brewing Company, co-owner Eric Carlson looks out onto his property. With bluebird skies…
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From the farm to your plate — The Chef’s Table
 

From the farm to your plate — The Chef’s Table

What started as a job while in high school turned itself into a lifelong career and passion for Josh Monroe.…
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Finding common ground
 

Finding common ground

Standing in the back of The Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley last week, several languages could be heard in every…
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A spoonful of improv helps the glitches go down: Nimble feet are behind Folkmoot’s recipe for success
 

A spoonful of improv helps the glitches go down: Nimble feet are behind Folkmoot’s recipe for success

There’s a secret ingredient behind the bright lights, splashy costumes and glossy programs of Folkmoot: for every two parts planning,…
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Preserving to persevere: Relating to one another through music and dance
 

Preserving to persevere: Relating to one another through music and dance

Each year international groups from all over the world travel abroad to share their traditional folk dances and songs with…
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Old steel should be used for footbridge
 

Old steel should be used for footbridge

To the Editor: I have an idea for reducing the cost of the footbridge at the end of the Cullowhee…
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The Battle Flag was indeed about slavery
 

The Battle Flag was indeed about slavery

To the Editor: To get past the emotionality regarding the Virginia Battle Flag, we need to examine its history and…
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Hillary has way too much baggage
 

Hillary has way too much baggage

To the Editor: When Bill Clinton was president, Hillary assumed authority over health care reform. Even after threats, she couldn't…
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Parents should teach children to drive
 

Parents should teach children to drive

To the Editor: The problem of how to fund driver's ed could be easily solved. Since when did it become…
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How can we be proud to be Americans?
 

How can we be proud to be Americans?

To the Editor: USA Today has reported that on average there were 96 cases of a white police officer killing…
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The Confederate flag flap: Rapid policy change? yes; rapid shift in public opinion? no
 

The Confederate flag flap: Rapid policy change? yes; rapid shift in public opinion? no

By Gibbs Knotts & Chris Cooper A longstanding social science finding holds that collective public opinion is fairly sticky on…
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Summer skies
 

Summer skies

My family and I made a quick run up to Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway around dusk last…
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Sunday hunting now OK in North Carolina
 

Sunday hunting now OK in North Carolina

Sunday hunting with firearms will now be legal on private property following passage of the Outdoor Heritage Act by the…
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New guide highlights the best of Haywood’s homemade
 

New guide highlights the best of Haywood’s homemade

The new agritourism guide for Haywood County is out, highlighting farmers markets, plant nurseries, pick-your-own farms, roadside produce stands, Christmas…
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Hendersonville woman becomes 50th person to hike the MST
 

Hendersonville woman becomes 50th person to hike the MST

The tally of people who have hiked the entire 1,150-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail reached 50 when Lorie Hansen, of Hendersonville, took…
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A natural fit: Balsam nature center a hub for research and education in the mountains
 

A natural fit: Balsam nature center a hub for research and education in the mountains

“Hey buddy, you about ready to come out?” Michael Skinner asks the juvenile broadwing hawk standing in the back of…
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Discovering Rome with the help of American ex-pats
 

Discovering Rome with the help of American ex-pats

When we think of American writers living and working overseas, most of us turn to those authors who lived in…
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Y’all ready for some BBQ?
 

Y’all ready for some BBQ?

The “Smokin’ in the Valley” Western North Carolina BBQ Festival will be from noon to 9 p.m. July 24 and…
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WCU Summer Concert Series continues
 

WCU Summer Concert Series continues

Americana ensemble Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends will perform as part of the “Summer Concert Series” at 7 p.m. Thursday,…
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Hillbilly Woodstock returns to Maggie Valley
 

Hillbilly Woodstock returns to Maggie Valley

The 6th Annual Hillbilly Woodstock will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 31-Aug. 1 at the Maggie Valley Festival…
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Owner of the Sun — “Sharp Tongue”
 

Owner of the Sun — “Sharp Tongue”

Setting down deep roots in Jackson County over the past couple of years, Owner of the Sun (Sylva-based by way…
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Mountain Faith appears on NBC
 

Mountain Faith appears on NBC

All eyes were on Summer McMahan and company. “We were all so nervous going into the audition,” she said. “But, once…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Often times as a journalist, you just simply can’t get to everything.
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Strength in numbers: Sylva music scene pushes forward
 

Strength in numbers: Sylva music scene pushes forward

Covered in paint speckles, Drew Duncan walked into O’Malley’s Pub & Grill on a recent Thursday evening. Finishing up work…
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Mayor remembered for reshaping Maggie’s future
 

Mayor remembered for reshaping Maggie’s future

There are two types of mayors — the ones who show up to shake hands and kiss babies and the…
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