Relationship — and innocence — lost, just like that
 

Relationship — and innocence — lost, just like that

Many years ago, in a time and a place that seems so far away to me now, I courted a…
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Symbols matter, and so does removing them
 

Symbols matter, and so does removing them

Complicated. Ignorant. Entrenched. It’s easy to come up with words to describe the state of race relations in this country…
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Color on high
 

Color on high

I occasionally see The Smoky Mountain News’ Garret K. Woodward’s Facebook posts about hitting the trails around WNC for a…
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Get the scoop on native plants
 

Get the scoop on native plants

Registration is now open for the 2015 Cullowhee Native Plant Conference at Western Carolina University, a four-day event featuring more…
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Canton riverbank gets a makeover
 

Canton riverbank gets a makeover

A much-used riverbank in the Canton Recreation Park is now a lot more stable, thanks to a protection project recently…
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Become a Junior Ranger
 

Become a Junior Ranger

A lineup of summer programs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give young park-lovers the chance to earn…
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Queen honored for environmental advocacy
 

Queen honored for environmental advocacy

The N.C. League of Conservation Voters named Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, as its 2015 Representative of the Year in…
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Cause of hiker’s death still unknown
 

Cause of hiker’s death still unknown

The National Park Service is still waiting on the results of an autopsy looking into the cause of hiker Jenny…
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Here for the long haul: New Smokies superintendent settles into park leadership
 

Here for the long haul: New Smokies superintendent settles into park leadership

Asked what a typical day for the head guy at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park looks like, new Smokies…
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Bronte sisters part and parcel of the magic of Haworth
 

Bronte sisters part and parcel of the magic of Haworth

Haworth, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.  It’s 4:30 in the morning, Sunday June 18, and I stood a few moments…
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Dulcimer U returns to WCU
 

Dulcimer U returns to WCU

Registration is ongoing for Western Carolina University’s 16th annual Dulcimer U Summer Week, a gathering that brings mountain dulcimer virtuosos…
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Medieval, Renaissance recital at WCU
 

Medieval, Renaissance recital at WCU

The faculty of the Mountain Collegium Music Workshop will perform a recital of medieval, renaissance, baroque and contemporary music on…
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Cherokee Pow Wow turns 40
 

Cherokee Pow Wow turns 40

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 40th annual Pow Wow will be held July 3-5 at the Acquoni Expo Center.
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Fourth of July in Southern Appalachia
 

Fourth of July in Southern Appalachia

Nothing says summer more than the 4th of July, and in Western North Carolina, we celebrate Independence Day with gusto.…
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Eaglenest to host grand reopening
 

Eaglenest to host grand reopening

A state-of-the-art entertainment facility, Eaglenest will have its grand reopening at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, in Maggie Valley.
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Alabama brings hit country to Harrah’s
 

Alabama brings hit country to Harrah’s

Country superstars Alabama will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.
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Nantahala Brewing pours ‘Week of Rock’
 

Nantahala Brewing pours ‘Week of Rock’

The “Week of Rock” celebration will run at 8 p.m. June 26-July 4 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City.
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I fixed my hair in the rearview mirror and exited the truck. Heading up the steps, I was already five…
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The Art of Preservation: Stecoah Valley Center bridges past, present
 

The Art of Preservation: Stecoah Valley Center bridges past, present

Heading down N.C. 28, between Bryson City and Robbinsville, is a flat stretch of highway, unusual to the continuous curves…
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U.S. Mint to launch Blue Ridge Parkway quarter
 

U.S. Mint to launch Blue Ridge Parkway quarter

Join officials from the United States Mint and the National Park Service for the launch of the quarter honoring Blue…
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The golden children: Bolivian orphanage fosters international bond with Western North Carolina
 

The golden children: Bolivian orphanage fosters international bond with Western North Carolina

It’s 6:30 in the morning when 24 hours of travel ends with the plane’s landing in Bolivia, but even through…
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Building a home: A timeline of Kory Wawanaca
 

Building a home: A timeline of Kory Wawanaca

2003 Carrie Blackburn Brown, who eventually founded Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home, graduated from Appalachian State University with degrees in dance…
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The joy of cooking
 

The joy of cooking

That last full day in Tacachia, I didn’t have energy for much besides sinking into my wooden chair while waiting…
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Hearing demands answers about bear poaching sting
 

Hearing demands answers about bear poaching sting

fr bruinmeadowsBy Katie Reeder • SMN Intern

A recurring theme emerged in a congressional oversight hearing last week aimed at shedding light on the questionable tactics and motives of wildlife agencies behind the now-infamous undercover poaching sting known as Operation Something Bruin: where is the line between personal freedoms and governmental oversight?

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Congressional hearing puts spotlight on Operation Something Bruin
 

Congressional hearing puts spotlight on Operation Something Bruin

fr bruinMore than 100 hunters and their supporters packed the historic Haywood County courthouse last week for the latest installment in the ongoing saga over Operation Something Bruin.

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Roller derby a big hit in the mountains
 

Roller derby a big hit in the mountains

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern No hitting, punching, elbowing or tripping people — and definitely no biting or yelling at…
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Rep. Meadows ousted from chairmanship
 

Rep. Meadows ousted from chairmanship

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, recently paid the political price for not toeing his party line.
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Cashiers cell tower application pulled
 

Cashiers cell tower application pulled

A week after a contentious planning board meeting discussing the merits of a proposed new cell tower in Cashiers, the…
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Jackson approves audit contract for code enforcement office
 

Jackson approves audit contract for code enforcement office

Questions about how well the Jackson County Permitting and Code Enforcement Department has been executing its responsibilities prompted commissioners to…
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Schools feeding more students for free
 

Schools feeding more students for free

Free lunch is becoming a more common phenomenon around Western North Carolina as school systems start adopting a new federal…
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Maggie Valley welcomes new restaurant
 

Maggie Valley welcomes new restaurant

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern  When his restaurant doors are open, Chris Chagnon keeps busy, playing the role of owner,…
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Candidates call for a Canton comeback
 

Candidates call for a Canton comeback

After two years of getting a feel for Canton politics, two Canton aldermen hope to continue their work for another…
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Maggie mayor may have competitor in election
 

Maggie mayor may have competitor in election

The political dynamics in Maggie Valley have definitely changed in the last two years.
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Legislature weakens voter ID requirement
 

Legislature weakens voter ID requirement

In an unexpected turn of events, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation last Thursday that will allow people to…
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Wrong bear killed by rangers following Smokies attack
 

Wrong bear killed by rangers following Smokies attack

A bear euthanized following an attack against a backpacker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was not the right…
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Shining Rock charter announces change in location for coming school year
 

Shining Rock charter announces change in location for coming school year

A new charter school slated to open in Haywood in August has been scrambling the past few weeks to find…
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Trumpet vine is tenacious and beautiful
 

Trumpet vine is tenacious and beautiful

It’s mid-June again … the time of the year when certain plants can be relied upon to do their thing…
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Unveiling Horace Kephart
 

Unveiling Horace Kephart

A pair of programs about Horace Kephart, an adopted son of the Smokies who captured the culture of mountaineers in…
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Swain gets second farmers market day
 

Swain gets second farmers market day

The Swain County Farmers Market is branching out, this week launching a second market day 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays…
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Annual bike ride to remember the Trail of Tears underway
 

Annual bike ride to remember the Trail of Tears underway

Seven Cherokee cyclists from North Carolina are in the midst of a 950-mile bike ride to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, an annual…
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Live snakes to take the stage at Jackson library
 

Live snakes to take the stage at Jackson library

A program featuring scaly reptiles as the stars will return to the Jackson County Public Library at 11 a.m. and…
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Bird-banders wanted
 

Bird-banders wanted

Volunteers are needed for a summer monitoring project involving up-close contact with birds.
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Festival to highlight historical women’s roles
 

Festival to highlight historical women’s roles

The Women’s Work Festival in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give a glimpse into the historical roles rural…
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Path to the past: Friends of the Smokies hike explores park history and natural beauty
 

Path to the past: Friends of the Smokies hike explores park history and natural beauty

There was no doubt about how the Smoky Mountains got their name as day dawned on the Friends of the…
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Stratford-on-Avon: in search of ‘The Bard’
 

Stratford-on-Avon: in search of ‘The Bard’

It is mid-June in England, and the skies are a brilliant blue. Sunshine spills on the street and the clipped…
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‘Dancing With The Stars’ at Harrah’s
 

‘Dancing With The Stars’ at Harrah’s

The live stage production of “Dancing With The Stars: Live!” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27,…
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Green Energy Park summer art camp
 

Green Energy Park summer art camp

There will be a summer art camp held June 22-26 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Ages…
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‘An Appalachian Evening’ tickets on sale
 

‘An Appalachian Evening’ tickets on sale

“An Appalachian Evening,” a summer bluegrass/Americana weekly concert series, will return to the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville.…
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HART presents Hitchcock classic
 

HART presents Hitchcock classic

The stage production of the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller “The 39 Steps” will held at 3 p.m. Aug. 1 at…
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Bryson City craft beer, barbecue
 

Bryson City craft beer, barbecue

A “BBQ & Brews Dinner Train” will be departing at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Great Smoky Mountain…
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