Where art meets architecture
 

Where art meets architecture

Sam Olbekson has never met a duality he couldn’t reconcile. As the lead architect for the $110 million Harrah’s Cherokee Valley…
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Getting ready for game day: Preparations at new casino in full swing as opening day approaches
 

Getting ready for game day: Preparations at new casino in full swing as opening day approaches

Spirits were high last week as Lumpy Lambert made his morning lap around the floor of the new casino. The count…
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Savannah community could get its first park
 

Savannah community could get its first park

If the details work out, Jackson County’s Savannah community could soon have a park to call its own. 
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Waynesville grants Giles’ Chemical zoning flexibility in the name of economic expansion
 

Waynesville grants Giles’ Chemical zoning flexibility in the name of economic expansion

Waynesville leaders have granted a free pass on many of its aesthetic development standards to pave the way for a…
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Waynesville rolls out the red carpet for riders
 

Waynesville rolls out the red carpet for riders

It’s all hands on deck this weekend as Waynesville prepares to welcome more than 1,100 cyclists and their families to…
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Haywood wants a share of cycling tourists
 

Haywood wants a share of cycling tourists

Since the first wheels starting turning in 2010’s inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway bike ride, cycling has been picking up speed…
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Signs pinpoint greenway opportunities in Haywood
 

Signs pinpoint greenway opportunities in Haywood

The results of a plan to install signs demystifying Haywood’s disjointed collection of greenway paths will be unveiled at a…
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Kid-friendly event celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day
 

Kid-friendly event celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day

A family-friendly event celebrating fishing, hunting and wildlife conservation will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26,…
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LTLT named river champion
 

LTLT named river champion

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee was named the Tennessee River Champion of the year by the Tennessee Valley…
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Film showcasing forestry’s WNC roots premiers on UNC-TV
 

Film showcasing forestry’s WNC roots premiers on UNC-TV

A documentary telling the story of Dr. Carl Schenck, the German forester who managed the Biltmore Estate’s forests and helped…
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Conservation award nominations open
 

Conservation award nominations open

Nominations are open to recognize the people and businesses most instrumental in promoting conservation this year for MountainTrue’s annual awards. …
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Pink it up: annual race raises money for mammograms
 

Pink it up: annual race raises money for mammograms

It’s time to get ready for a relay, race and walking event raising money for breast cancer detection, coming up…
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Referendum on tobacco assessment coming up
 

Referendum on tobacco assessment coming up

On Nov. 19, North Carolina tobacco growers will get to choose whether to continue paying 10 cents per 100 pounds…
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Free annual National Park passes offered to fourth-graders
 

Free annual National Park passes offered to fourth-graders

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway are always free to enter, but fourth grade students have…
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Water quality monitors wanted
 

Water quality monitors wanted

People wanting to get wet while volunteering to keep an eye on water quality in local streams have a chance…
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Symposium to explore mountain plant lore
 

Symposium to explore mountain plant lore

The annual symposium “Rooted in the Mountains: Valuing our Common Ground” at Western Carolina University will be held on Thursday,…
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Smokies rangers battle graffiti
 

Smokies rangers battle graffiti

With the fall season coming, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is gearing up to guard against graffiti — lasting…
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Search continues for missing hiker
 

Search continues for missing hiker

The search for an overdue Tennessee hiker in the Shining Rock wilderness area continues for a second day after Sunday’s…
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End of the bloody tetrad
 

End of the bloody tetrad

All the lunar-phobes out there, as well as many of the astronomically challenged – like me, will be praying for…
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Filling the plate: Haywood group feeds the hungry with harvest leftovers
 

Filling the plate: Haywood group feeds the hungry with harvest leftovers

A half-hour into the morning, Carol Larson has the gleaning operation smoothly underway at Skipper Russell’s farm in Bethel. A…
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Sowing the seed of learning: Elementary school garden serves as a conduit for science and life lessons alike
 

Sowing the seed of learning: Elementary school garden serves as a conduit for science and life lessons alike

Clad in his signature overalls, Joe Smiley leaned on his rake, taking in the tranquil late-summer scene: pie-pans strung among…
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Make hiking a family affair
 

Make hiking a family affair

From Georgia to Maine, outings celebrating Family Hiking Day will provide opportunities to explore the Appalachian Trail the weekend of…
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Fall ranger programs start up in the Smokies
 

Fall ranger programs start up in the Smokies

It’s once more fall in the Smokies, and that means a reboot of ranger programs to reflect the season. The…
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Experience the elk rut
 

Experience the elk rut

An excursion to witness the peak of the elk rut in Cataloochee Valley will set out Wednesday, Sept. 23, part…
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Wild poses
 

Wild poses

This great horned owl is among the stunning wildlife photography of Ed and Cindy Boos on display this month at…
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NOC closes out season with gear crazy GAF
 

NOC closes out season with gear crazy GAF

A weekend featuring games, music, rafting, bike competitions and plenty more will comprise Nantahala Outdoor Center’s annual Guest Appreciation Festival…
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Essays highlight breadth of Styron’s knowledge
 

Essays highlight breadth of Styron’s knowledge

Some 30 years ago or so, William Styron — the acclaimed author of novels like The Confessions of Nat Turner…
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Roller derby slides into Bryson
 

Roller derby slides into Bryson

The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls will take on the Middle Georgia Derby Demons on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Swain County…
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Asheville Symphony, WCU team up
 

Asheville Symphony, WCU team up

Western Carolina University student musicians will join members of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra for a performance of orchestral masterworks at…
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Mountain Heritage Day celebrates Appalachian culture
 

Mountain Heritage Day celebrates Appalachian culture

The 41st annual Mountain Heritage Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Western…
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Galaxy of Stars opens with tribute to Groucho
 

Galaxy of Stars opens with tribute to Groucho

Award-winning actor and director Frank Ferrante will perform his acclaimed portrayal of legendary comedian Groucho Marx at 3 p.m. Sunday,…
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Highlands gala welcomes Three Tenors and a Diva
 

Highlands gala welcomes Three Tenors and a Diva

The Three Tenors and a Diva Gala will be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Highlands Performing Arts…
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Disco for a soulful cause
 

Disco for a soulful cause

The inaugural Mountain Disco Music Festival will be held from 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Soul Infusion…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I just wanted to break 18 minutes. Taking a seat in Ms. Trudeau’s second period social studies class, all I had…
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Climbing the Mountain: Following ‘America’s Got Talent’ appearance, Mountain Faith looks to the future
 

Climbing the Mountain: Following ‘America’s Got Talent’ appearance, Mountain Faith looks to the future

Standing behind the counter of High Country Tire, Summer McMahan is a long way from the bright lights of New…
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Community needs supporters to step up
 

Community needs supporters to step up

To the Editor: This past weekend I had the privilege of working beside my fellow students and colleagues in an…
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When faith and government collide
 

When faith and government collide

To the Editor: In Rowan County, Kentucky, Kim Davis has been ordered to jail for contempt of court.  Her confinement…
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Canton can rebrand itself, but it won’t be easy
 

Canton can rebrand itself, but it won’t be easy

With the right leadership, it can happen. If the national and regional economy continues chugging along for another few years…
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HCC students collaborate to commemorate 50 years
 

HCC students collaborate to commemorate 50 years

It isn’t often students in the creative arts program and the high-tech machinery program get to collaborate on a project,…
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50 years forward: HCC invites community to ‘Big Day’ of celebration
 

50 years forward: HCC invites community to ‘Big Day’ of celebration

What better way to celebrate 50 years of education at Haywood Community College than to invite the community for a…
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HCC graduates find success
 

HCC graduates find success

Not every success story starts with a four-year degree from an elite university, and there are many Haywood Community College…
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History in the making: HCC grows to meet community needs
 

History in the making: HCC grows to meet community needs

As Haywood Community College leaders look to the future, it’s import to reflect on how far the institution has come…
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HCC President Parker looks forward 50 years
 

HCC President Parker looks forward 50 years

What is the significance of HCC’s 50th anniversary? The 50th anniversary celebration gives us an opportunity to reflect upon those…
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McMahan convicted in vehicle death
 

McMahan convicted in vehicle death

Christopher Harold McMahan was recently convicted of felony death by vehicle and felony serious injury by vehicle in Macon County…
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Stecoah man found guilty of sexual offense
 

Stecoah man found guilty of sexual offense

Michael Lee White, 38, of the Stecoah community, was recently found guilty by a jury in Robbinsville of sexual offense…
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Swain to dissolve outdated ordinances
 

Swain to dissolve outdated ordinances

Swain County commissioners will hold two public hearings at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, before deciding whether to dissolve ordinances…
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Yellow Mountain residents complain of shooting range
 

Yellow Mountain residents complain of shooting range

Some residents of the Yellow Mountain area near Lake Glenville are hoping Jackson County commissioners will step in to address…
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Waynesville now owns park, can forcefully remove partiers
 

Waynesville now owns park, can forcefully remove partiers

Hazy ownership of a de facto three-acre park in Waynesville has been resolved, allowing the town to remove a group…
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Waynesville sidesteps fallout from severing its wholesale power buys from Duke
 

Waynesville sidesteps fallout from severing its wholesale power buys from Duke

Duke Energy has roped Waynesville in for another year even though the town hoped to quit buying its wholesale power…
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Steep slope hearing postponed: Commissioners kick back date to comply with public notice laws
 

Steep slope hearing postponed: Commissioners kick back date to comply with public notice laws

The final public hearing in the two-year-old saga of revisions to Jackson County’s steep slope ordinance was all set to…
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