The best things come in the smallest packages
 

The best things come in the smallest packages

Looking up at the old chimney, William “Gene” Gibson still wonders how Santa Claus ever managed to fit in it.…
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A renewed appreciation for ‘The Great Gatsby’
 

A renewed appreciation for ‘The Great Gatsby’

In 1977 I fell in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. That was a year of deep reading…
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WCU assists with Cherokee documentary
 

WCU assists with Cherokee documentary

Two Western Carolina University faculty members assisted on a recently released award-winning film that chronicles efforts to revitalize the Cherokee…
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Foxworthy to bring laughs to Harrah’s
 

Foxworthy to bring laughs to Harrah’s

Superstar comedian Jeff Foxworthy will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 3 at Harrah’s Cherokee. Foxworthy is one of…
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‘Mean Mary’ brings folk-rock to Waynesville
 

‘Mean Mary’ brings folk-rock to Waynesville

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist “Mean Mary” James will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at The Classic Wine Seller in…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

In a beloved mountain town already filled with great restaurants, cafes, breweries and independent businesses, Sylva recently became home to…
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Pisgah High students get inspired by real author
 

Pisgah High students get inspired by real author

Dr. Donna Glee Williams, author and fellow at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching in Cullowhee, recently…
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Mom with deployed son leads card drive
 

Mom with deployed son leads card drive

A Christmas card drive on the campus of Western Carolina University netted more than 4,000 cards for soldiers stationed overseas.…
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Canton uses crowdsourcing to improve playground
 

Canton uses crowdsourcing to improve playground

With a focus on improving recreation options for residents with limited funding, the town of Canton is using crowdsourcing methods…
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Canton moves forward with pool project
 

Canton moves forward with pool project

The town of Canton is moving forward with plans to upgrade its public swimming pool after interviewing several design consultants…
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Macon requests funding for Cherokee gravesite memorial
 

Macon requests funding for Cherokee gravesite memorial

Plans to memorialize a Cherokee gravesite found earlier this year in the midst of construction for a new baseball tournament…
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Cherokee cuts the ribbon on $26 million justice center, tribe’s first jail
 

Cherokee cuts the ribbon on $26 million justice center, tribe’s first jail

It’s not every day that the scent of barbecue meatballs wafts through the open doors of a jail filled with…
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Planning board discusses noise ordinance for Macon
 

Planning board discusses noise ordinance for Macon

Two residents shared their horror story experiences dealing with nuisance neighbors during a Dec. 18 Macon County Planning Board meeting. …
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New animal shelter gains traction in Haywood
 

New animal shelter gains traction in Haywood

A movement to build a new animal shelter in Haywood County is in the early conceptual stages. Animal lovers say…
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Park officials consider banning outside firewood
 

Park officials consider banning outside firewood

In an effort to protect the Great Smoky Mountains National Park forest from disease-carrying pests, park officials have proposed a…
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Home helps women transition to independent life after prison, substance abuse
 

Home helps women transition to independent life after prison, substance abuse

The future was looking increasingly frightening to 54-year-old Anita as she got to the end of her six-year prison sentence. …
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Council excludes media from tribal meeting
 

Council excludes media from tribal meeting

Though Cherokee Tribal Council meetings are broadcast live online and through tribal television — as well as recorded on DVDs…
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Questions continue about Cherokee council raises
 

Questions continue about Cherokee council raises

Editor’s note: Cherokee Tribal Police would not allow Smoky Mountain News Staff Writer Holly Kays entry into the Cherokee Tribal…
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Shouldering the cost of Haywood’s old landfill contamination
 

Shouldering the cost of Haywood’s old landfill contamination

Underground contamination leaching from an old, closed-down landfill in Haywood County will cost millions to clean up, a burden homeowners…
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Jackson considers renovations for service centers
 

Jackson considers renovations for service centers

The large, cavernous room at the heart of Jackson County’s Community Services Center doesn’t see much action these days. It’s…
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Mistletoe’s link to romance goes way back
 

Mistletoe’s link to romance goes way back

The custom of decorating with mistletoe goes back to the ceremonials of the Druids. It is a reminder of the…
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Hunger initiative to build bridges with local agriculture
 

Hunger initiative to build bridges with local agriculture

A $10,000 grant will go toward building up food banks in Western North Carolina in partnership with agribusiness.  The award,…
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Permaculture school launches in Asheville
 

Permaculture school launches in Asheville

A 12-week permaculture school in Asheville will launch in 2015, teaching students how to create landscapes that maintain the health…
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Comment call for red wolf rules
 

Comment call for red wolf rules

A series of three public hearings in January will take public input on the future of protection for the reintroduced…
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Internships for Smokies fans
 

Internships for Smokies fans

Five summer internship positions are available for undergraduates looking to get involved with Discover Life in America’s mission to learn…
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Alum Cave Trail restoration to close trail in 2015
 

Alum Cave Trail restoration to close trail in 2015

Just after putting the final touches on the Chimney Tops Trail this month, the Trails Forever program in Great Smoky…
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Congressional act could expand National Parks
 

Congressional act could expand National Parks

The National Parks System could see its largest expansion in decades after bipartisan legislation in Washington, D.C. was introduced proposing…
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Aquatic invaders found in Macon County
 

Aquatic invaders found in Macon County

For the first time, gill lice have been found in brook trout in the Southern Appalachians. The parasitic crustaceans are…
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Smokies Association finishes $3.4 million investment in N.C.
 

Smokies Association finishes $3.4 million investment in N.C.

The opening of the Swain County Visitor Center in downtown Bryson City this year represented the culmination of a $3.46…
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Hike against hunger: Whittier man hikes A.T. to celebrate 65th birthday, raise money for food pantry
 

Hike against hunger: Whittier man hikes A.T. to celebrate 65th birthday, raise money for food pantry

Hiking the Appalachian Trail had been in the back of Andy Smith’s mind for a while, ever since a coworker…
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Country noir masterpiece gets its due — again
 

Country noir masterpiece gets its due — again

One of the things that I admire about the New York Review of Books is a special honor that they…
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Faster than thought: two book covers
 

Faster than thought: two book covers

By Steve Ellis • Guest Columnist As we leave this political season, which has been nasty, brutal and long, I’d…
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This is no time to devalue our wild heritage
 

This is no time to devalue our wild heritage

By Bill McLarney • Guest Columnist We humans are highly skilled and devilishly clever. We can create ball fields, schools,…
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Commissioners get an earful about wilderness resolution
 

Commissioners get an earful about wilderness resolution

A roomful of hunters and hikers turned out at last week’s Macon County Commissioners meeting. It was the first meeting…
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Forest users debate pros and cons of potential wilderness recommendations
 

Forest users debate pros and cons of potential wilderness recommendations

Out of the gate, the U.S. Forest Service’s first stab at listing potential wilderness areas in the Pisgah and Nantahala…
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Ridgetop towers OK’d in draft Jackson ordinance
 

Ridgetop towers OK’d in draft Jackson ordinance

Cell phone towers will now be allowed on Jackson County ridgetops — at least according a draft ordinance that’s on…
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Tribe’s new justice center opens
 

Tribe’s new justice center opens

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will open its new state-of-the-art, $26 million Cherokee Justice Center on Dec. 17 following…
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Politics aside, county attorney search conducted out of fairness in Jackson
 

Politics aside, county attorney search conducted out of fairness in Jackson

Jackson County commissioners will decide in the coming weeks whether to keep Jay Coward on board as their county attorney.…
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Folkmoot named a Top Ten Festival by USA Today
 

Folkmoot named a Top Ten Festival by USA Today

Folkmoot USA was recently named a Top Ten Festival by USA Today, the only festival in the state of North…
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Noise ordinance in the works for Macon
 

Noise ordinance in the works for Macon

A noise ordinance could be in Macon County’s future as the planning board starts in on writing a set of…
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‘Play On’ poised to go online
 

‘Play On’ poised to go online

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority will launch its new website that will support its “Play On” branding campaign at…
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Haywood to patch up Pigeon Center, albeit reluctantly
 

Haywood to patch up Pigeon Center, albeit reluctantly

When Haywood County put up $35,000 to replace a chronicly leaky roof on the Pigeon Community Center in Waynesville, it…
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Former, current tax collectors build rapport
 

Former, current tax collectors build rapport

The outgoing and incoming tax collectors in Haywood County appeared shoulder to shoulder at the podium of the Haywood County…
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Macon finalizes property values
 

Macon finalizes property values

Macon County’s tying up the loose ends on a property revaluation that will likely cause tax hikes for some and…
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Waynesville’s electric system is a cash cow for the town, but can the good fortune continue?
 

Waynesville’s electric system is a cash cow for the town, but can the good fortune continue?

If Waynesville has a dirty little secret, it’s this: a cash cow runs through its power lines. Of course, it’s…
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Bomb threat disrupts WCU graduation
 

Bomb threat disrupts WCU graduation

A bomb threat was received by the Jackson County 911 office shortly before the beginning of Western Carolina University’s fall…
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In murky aftermath of bid snafu, truckers jostle for trash contract
 

In murky aftermath of bid snafu, truckers jostle for trash contract

A tug of war between two Jackson trucking companies over a high-stakes contract for hauling trash was settled last week…
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HCC builds desk for Forest Service
 

HCC builds desk for Forest Service

Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Wood instructor Brian Wurst and students recently finished a project for the U.S. Forest Service…
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‘John Parris’ Christmas’ returns to Webster
 

‘John Parris’ Christmas’ returns to Webster

The Webster Historical Society will present its 4th annual “John Parris’ Christmas” at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at the…
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Carolina Brass to play Waynesville
 

Carolina Brass to play Waynesville

Carolina Brass will feature a variety of holiday and classical songs at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the Waynesville…
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