Scarecrow Festival returns to Bryson City
 

Scarecrow Festival returns to Bryson City

The Scarecrow Festival will be held Sept. 27 through Oct. 10 in Bryson City.
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Vintage trailer open house
 

Vintage trailer open house

The Southern Vintage Trailer Friends, members of the national group the Tin Can Tourists, will be hosting their annual fall…
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Stitch artist to be showcased at WCU
 

Stitch artist to be showcased at WCU

An exhibit featuring stitch drawing artist Rebecca Ringquist will be held through Nov. 7 at the Fine Art Museum at…
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Asheville Symphony string musicians to play WCU
 

Asheville Symphony string musicians to play WCU

String musicians from the Asheville Symphony Orchestra will join students and faculty members from the Western Carolina University School of…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I did it again. It’s 9 a.m. last Saturday at the starting line of the Cashiers Trail Mix five-mile backwoods…
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Crossing the musical bridge of Appalachia
 

Crossing the musical bridge of Appalachia

For the better part of the last 45 years, David Holt has ventured down a rabbit hole. Born in Texas,…
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Collective guilt permeates novel’s characters
 

Collective guilt permeates novel’s characters

A little over one year ago, Mark Powell published The Dark Corner, a novel that was set in the northwest…
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Ahead of the CuRvE: Cullowhee group look to river park for downtown revitalization
 

Ahead of the CuRvE: Cullowhee group look to river park for downtown revitalization

Downtown Cullowhee doesn’t look much like the thriving little town Rick Bennett found when he first moved to Jackson County…
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Program takes on nuisance beavers
 

Program takes on nuisance beavers

Jackson County residents having problems with nuisance beavers can get help through the N.C. Beaver Management Assistance Program, locally administrated…
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Get out and say goodbye
 

Get out and say goodbye

At last! I finally had a birding outing planned last Saturday – the first one since April when I helped…
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NOC says thanks with weekend of fun
 

NOC says thanks with weekend of fun

The Guest Appreciation Festival at Nantahala Outdoor Center Sept. 26-28 will feature an array of activities and attractions for outdoors…
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Stream volunteers wanted
 

Stream volunteers wanted

Volunteers are needed to help monitor stream quality in Haywood County, and a training program 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.…
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Elk rut spells caution for Smokies visitors
 

Elk rut spells caution for Smokies visitors

It’s breeding season for elk, and that means that fields in the Cataloochee and Oconaluftee areas of the Great Smoky…
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Audubon study analyzes expected impact of climate change
 

Audubon study analyzes expected impact of climate change

A National Audubon Society study of bird species in the continental United States and Canada released last week shows that…
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Haywood Waterways hike to hit salamander capital of the world
 

Haywood Waterways hike to hit salamander capital of the world

A hike to the salamander capital of the world will come bundled with highland views and explanation from a National…
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NCCAT leaders breathing easier: Cullowhee teaching center to get recurring funding
 

NCCAT leaders breathing easier: Cullowhee teaching center to get recurring funding

Dr. Richard Thompson is breathing a bit easier this semester. He’s not worrying about funding. Not wondering if the North…
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UNC board meeting draws governor, congressman to WCU
 

UNC board meeting draws governor, congressman to WCU

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ three-day visit on the Western Carolina University campus came to a close…
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Hospital sale over, but when can we get our money?
 

Hospital sale over, but when can we get our money?

Although the ink is dry on the sale of Haywood Regional Medical Center, how much the county will get for…
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Town of Sylva makes history
 

Town of Sylva makes history

The Sylva Downtown Historic District was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is administered…
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Haywood leaders weigh in on fracking fray
 

Haywood leaders weigh in on fracking fray

Haywood County commissioners have joined the growing ranks of local elected leaders to take a stand on fracking.
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Jackson dodges fracking, sans resolution
 

Jackson dodges fracking, sans resolution

Jackson County officials were recently set to discuss the possibility of joining other local governments in the region and consider…
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Theft, vandalism spur Forest Service to build gate
 

Theft, vandalism spur Forest Service to build gate

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to install a gate on Wine Spring Road near Franklin after communications equipment housed…
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Haywood Schools to end cheap childcare incentives for teachers
 

Haywood Schools to end cheap childcare incentives for teachers

An innovative tool to help recruit the best and brightest teachers to Haywood County has become too costly for the…
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Sewage standoff lands offender in jail
 

Sewage standoff lands offender in jail

The owner of a rental trailer in the Cruso community of Haywood County will be locked up until he complies…
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New playground will round out Lake Junaluska’s family appeal
 

New playground will round out Lake Junaluska’s family appeal

A new park and playground under construction at Lake Junaluska carries a price tag of more than $200,000.
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Fretting the PILT jilt: WNC counties could lose out if formula is altered
 

Fretting the PILT jilt: WNC counties could lose out if formula is altered

It’s about that time. Time to worry about PILT money.   After seeing the federal payment in lieu of taxes…
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Fracking opponents question show of fracking support at hearing
 

Fracking opponents question show of fracking support at hearing

Attendees at Cullowhee’s hearing on the proposed oil and gas rules Sept. 12 were overwhelmingly anti-fracking, but a small contingent…
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Fracking opponents: What they said
 

Fracking opponents: What they said

“We want unannounced reviews and inspections by DENR. It’s like a drug test. You tell them they’re going to be…
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Fracking opponents sweep public hearing
 

Fracking opponents sweep public hearing

It didn’t take but a glance around the lawn of the Liston B. Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University to…
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Jackson’s cell tower ordinance revision softens up
 

Jackson’s cell tower ordinance revision softens up

Wireless communications companies could ultimately find Jackson County’s revised cell phone tower ordinance considerably more palatable than the stricter version…
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Mountain Senate race once more in the state political spotlight
 

Mountain Senate race once more in the state political spotlight

Two candidates battling for the state Senate seat representing the seven western counties are heading into the homestretch of what…
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More on the meeting of Kephart and Calhoun
 

More on the meeting of Kephart and Calhoun

The story of the initial meeting between Horace Kephart and Granville Calhoun has as many twists and turns as a…
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The red wolf saga continues
 

The red wolf saga continues

The next step for the endangered red wolf in Eastern North Carolina is an evaluation commissioned by U.S. Fish and…
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Used outdoor gear sought to fund clinic in rural Kenya
 

Used outdoor gear sought to fund clinic in rural Kenya

MedicForce, a nonprofit that provides medical care and clinics in remote, third-world areas, is looking for donations of used outdoor…
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Ginseng poacher caught for fourth time, and behind bars again
 

Ginseng poacher caught for fourth time, and behind bars again

A Bryson City man will serve five months and 15 days in jail for illegally harvesting 83 American ginseng roots…
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Farm tour features gardens, ranches, orchards, and homesteads
 

Farm tour features gardens, ranches, orchards, and homesteads

A self-guided tour of 37 farms in a several-county region of the mountains will be held Sept. 20-21, giving locavores…
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Party with PARI
 

Party with PARI

The Friends of Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute’s will unveil a new outdoor amphitheater planetarium with an adjoining nature center on…
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Cherokee help sicklefin redhorse make a comeback
 

Cherokee help sicklefin redhorse make a comeback

A new fisheries program on the Cherokee Reservation aims to restore the imperiled sicklefin redhorse fish to its native habitat…
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Hemlock Initiative looks for solution to adelgid tragedy
 

Hemlock Initiative looks for solution to adelgid tragedy

A trio of projects will launch renewed efforts to save the eastern hemlock following awards of $75,000 under the Hemlock…
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Sunburst’s trout jerky, caviar gets boost
 

Sunburst’s trout jerky, caviar gets boost

Sunburst Trout Farms in Haywood County has received a $150,000 matching fund USDA Value Added Producers Grant.
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On the way to Trout City: Bryson City trout waters to get some cred
 

On the way to Trout City: Bryson City trout waters to get some cred

Bryson City will soon have another feather in the cap proving its worth as an outdoors Mecca. If all goes…
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Time to clear the desk of books waiting for review
 

Time to clear the desk of books waiting for review

For many reasons, this summer in particular afforded many opportunities for reading. During a 60-hour stay at Figure Eight Island,…
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Galaxy of Stars back in the saddle with Riders in the Sky
 

Galaxy of Stars back in the saddle with Riders in the Sky

With a mix of Western song classics and zany send-ups, Riders in the Sky will return to the Western Carolina…
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RailFest rolls into Bryson City
 

RailFest rolls into Bryson City

The 13th annual RailFest will be held Sept. 12-14 at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad depot in Bryson City. 
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Youth Arts Festival coming to Dillsboro
 

Youth Arts Festival coming to Dillsboro

The 6th annual Youth Arts Festival will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Jackson…
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Phillips, Craig and Dean to play Franklin
 

Phillips, Craig and Dean to play Franklin

Christian music group Phillips, Craig and Dean will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at the Smoky Mountain Center…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

How do you do it? I get asked this question quite often. Folks, whether friends, family or strangers, approach me and…
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Never giving up Hope
 

Never giving up Hope

Tracy O’Neil has a lot less weight on his shoulders these days. “We never accepted that we could lose the…
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Tillis out of step on birth control issue
 

Tillis out of step on birth control issue

To the Editor: Thom Tillis is one slick fellow. During his debate with Sen. Kay Hagan last Wednesday, he slithered…
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Evergreen paper and the fracking debate
 

Evergreen paper and the fracking debate

By Avram Friedman Last year Becky Johnson of The Smoky Mountain News interviewed me about Evergreen Packaging’s plans to convert…
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