Rangers rescue family of six
 

Rangers rescue family of six

When George and Heather Ferrell, of Louisiana, began to hike up Mount LeConte Oct. 18 with their four children, they…
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Kayak Lake Junaluska
 

Kayak Lake Junaluska

A kayaking program from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Oct. 23 at Lake Junaluska will give paddlers of all skill levels a…
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Plowing demos at Darnell Farms
 

Plowing demos at Darnell Farms

The annual Fall Plow Day at Darnell Farms in Bryson City Saturday, Oct. 25, will feature a full day of…
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Park plans prescribed burn in Cataloochee
 

Park plans prescribed burn in Cataloochee

Prescribed burns will light up the Canadian Top Knob, Mathews Branch and Noland Mountain areas adjacent to Cataloochee Valley in…
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Lead the way: Haywood artist releases frame-worthy trail guides
 

Lead the way: Haywood artist releases frame-worthy trail guides

Ken Czarnomski has always loved sketching and writing, but as a department chair for the sustainability and construction management programs…
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Being manipulated by a book not all bad
 

Being manipulated by a book not all bad

Gone Girl is currently the most popular novel in America and it has been around since 2012; it is also…
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Cowee Pottery School receives RTCAR grant
 

Cowee Pottery School receives RTCAR grant

The Cowee Pottery School at the Macon Heritage Center in Franklin has announced the nonprofit’s receipt of a grant from…
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PumpkinFest rolls into Franklin
 

PumpkinFest rolls into Franklin

The 18th annual PumpkinFest will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Saturday, Oct. 25, in downtown Franklin. During…
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Music, craft beer converge at Hiker Jam
 

Music, craft beer converge at Hiker Jam

The inaugural Hiker Jam will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at The Village Green…
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‘The Legend of Tommy Hodges’ returns to Cradle of Forestry
 

‘The Legend of Tommy Hodges’ returns to Cradle of Forestry

The outdoor drama “The Legend of Tommy Hodges” will hit the stage at 6:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 9 p.m.…
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Contemporary photo exhibit at WCU
 

Contemporary photo exhibit at WCU

More than 600 photographs will be featured in a two-part exhibition titled “David Raymond’s Other People’s Pictures” and “Eric Oglander:…
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Pottery festival fires up in Dillsboro
 

Pottery festival fires up in Dillsboro

The 10th annual WNC Pottery Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, in downtown Dillsboro. 
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Soldier’s Heart, 96.5 House Band to play fireworks fundraiser
 

Soldier’s Heart, 96.5 House Band to play fireworks fundraiser

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will host a fireworks benefit with Soldier’s Heart and the 96.5 House Band from…
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Cashiers Library welcomes banjo champ
 

Cashiers Library welcomes banjo champ

Two-time banjo champion Mary Z. Cox will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Albert Carlton – Cashiers…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It’s not only a time capsule, but also a window into the future. With guitars in-hand, The DuPont Brothers are…
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Carolina chills
 

Carolina chills

As the leaves change and the air becomes crisp, the mountains of Western North Carolina transform into a landscape of…
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Leaders steer U.S. ever closer to becoming an oligarchy
 

Leaders steer U.S. ever closer to becoming an oligarchy

To the Editor: What kind of country is ours? That’s more than an idle question to a foreign-born gentleman who…
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Obama wasting energy on climate change talk
 

Obama wasting energy on climate change talk

To the Editor: Speaking at the U.N. Climate Change Summit last month, our esteemed president made the following statement. Climate…
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EMS crew provided fantastic service
 

EMS crew provided fantastic service

To the Editor: When someone you love has a sudden onset of an acute illness, there are numerous fears to…
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Vote for change, get GOP out of Raleigh
 

Vote for change, get GOP out of Raleigh

To the Editor: Overall quality of life in North Carolina has drastically deteriorated during the past four years due to…
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Haywood incumbents should be reelected
 

Haywood incumbents should be reelected

To the Editor: How fortunate we are in Haywood County to have three county commissioners running for reelection, commissioners who…
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Jim Moore is best choice for DA
 

Jim Moore is best choice for DA

To the Editor: I am writing to you on behalf of my good friend and mentor, Jim Moore. He is…
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Letter writer had it wrong about GOP
 

Letter writer had it wrong about GOP

To the Editor: The letter on Oct. 15 from my friend in Franklin titled, “Why doesn’t the GOP protect our…
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Let’s send GOP leaders home this election
 

Let’s send GOP leaders home this election

To the Editor: The Republican Party in North Carolina has repeated, time after time, that the public schools were broken.…
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Rep. Mark Meadows needs to go
 

Rep. Mark Meadows needs to go

To the Editor: I am no Paul Revere, but like him I am providing warning that we are threatened. The…
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Elect Republicans, keep state moving forward
 

Elect Republicans, keep state moving forward

To the Editor: Beam me up Scotty if you have heard of any big oil or gas companies prowling the…
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Jane Hipps is the right choice for Senate
 

Jane Hipps is the right choice for Senate

To the Editor: From many perspectives, North Carolina is in big trouble. Rather than governing to provide the best direction…
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Cullowhee planning will take away rights
 

Cullowhee planning will take away rights

To the Editor: On Tuesday night, Oct. 7, I along with many property owners attended the presentation of the “Cullowhee…
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Sen. Davis votes against will of people
 

Sen. Davis votes against will of people

To the Editor: “Tis a puzzlement.” How can any elected representative currently in office perpetually insist on being proud while consistently…
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No, Mr. Clampitt, fracking is an issue
 

No, Mr. Clampitt, fracking is an issue

To the Editor: Suppose we turn history upside down, we might have heard the following from famous and infamous people:…
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District attorney hopeful needs an answer
 

District attorney hopeful needs an answer

To the Editor: Two weekends ago I went to the district attorney debate in Canton at the Colonial Theater. The…
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Everyone reads the local free papers
 

Everyone reads the local free papers

To the Editor: I was just thumbing back through recent issues of SMN and read your piece about supporting local…
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No, school board race is not about our children’s ‘souls’
 

No, school board race is not about our children’s ‘souls’

Getting an education is about reducing ignorance. Whether it’s in a rural second-grade classroom or at one of this nation’s…
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Meet the candidates for district attorney
 

Meet the candidates for district attorney

Two candidates are competing for the job of top legal prosecutor in the seven western counties. The seat came up…
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March to the polls
 

March to the polls

With elections nearing, some groups are already making plans for how to cast their ballot.  In Sylva, a group will…
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Evergreen negotiations ‘worked out fine’
 

Evergreen negotiations ‘worked out fine’

Evergreen Packaging has been in talks with its employees since the spring, trying to hammer out a new contract. This…
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County votes ‘yes’ on hospice grant
 

County votes ‘yes’ on hospice grant

Hospice House of WNC passed a hurdle in its fundraising effort when the Macon County Board of Commissioners voted to…
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Folkmoot gets $25,000 donation
 

Folkmoot gets $25,000 donation

Folkmoot USA got some cash toward its expansion of education programs with a $25,000 donation from Wells Fargo & Company. …
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Franklin, Macon County debate taxes on old town hall
 

Franklin, Macon County debate taxes on old town hall

When a property tax bill for the old town hall building showed up in the Town of Franklin’s mail, John…
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House 118th seat showdown
 

House 118th seat showdown

Hicks: Getting off the sidelines Dean Hicks is still a coach at heart.  “I’m an old coach, I don’t want to…
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A day in the life: Sen. Jim Davis makes the rounds, confident of outcome
 

A day in the life: Sen. Jim Davis makes the rounds, confident of outcome

Editor’s note: The Smoky Mountain News spent a day on the campaign trail with Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, as he…
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A day in the life: A political newcomer finds her stride
 

A day in the life: A political newcomer finds her stride

Editor’s note: The Smoky Mountain News spent a day with Jane Hipps, a Democratic challenger running for the state Senate…
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Queen, Clampitt battle it out again
 

Queen, Clampitt battle it out again

Election season is winding down to the finish line and both candidates in the N.C. House’s 119th District race are…
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Class warfare looms in debate over state tax reform
 

Class warfare looms in debate over state tax reform

Tax reform was one of the top issues tackled by the new Republican majority in Raleigh last year, but voters…
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The GOP’s new normal in Raleigh — Are you for it or against it?
 

The GOP’s new normal in Raleigh — Are you for it or against it?

North Carolina has rarely seen an election where the candidates matter so little, but who wins matters so much. This…
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They do, too: Same-sex couples in WNC embrace new legal landscape
 

They do, too: Same-sex couples in WNC embrace new legal landscape

Jamie Kemper knew it’d happen. She just didn’t think it’d happen this quickly. “We thought it’d be a few years,”…
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Same-sex marriages cause Swain magistrate to resign
 

Same-sex marriages cause Swain magistrate to resign

In the short walk from the doors of the Swain County Courthouse to the steps outside it, a couple of…
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WCU faculty to discuss Ebola crisis risk and response at Nov. 4 event
 

WCU faculty to discuss Ebola crisis risk and response at Nov. 4 event

A panel of Western Carolina University faculty members, including an environmental health professor who has studied the spread and control…
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New roof for Waynesville middle
 

New roof for Waynesville middle

Waynesville Middle School is set to get a new roof, following a vote by Haywood County Commissioners to approve a…
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Flame on!
 

Flame on!

Color is starting to spill down the mountainsides once again. I recently received an email from a reader asking about…
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