Steep slope redux: A pocket guide to proposed revisions in Jackson’s steep slope ordinance
 

Steep slope redux: A pocket guide to proposed revisions in Jackson’s steep slope ordinance

Limits on mountainside development and standards for steep slope building are once again in the spotlight in Jackson County.  The…
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Franklin merchants want bigger voice in gazebo make-over
 

Franklin merchants want bigger voice in gazebo make-over

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent A design for a new gazebo on the town square in downtown Franklin has been…
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Ghost Town gunfight negotiations finalized
 

Ghost Town gunfight negotiations finalized

A compromise has been reached between Ghost Town in the Sky and state inspectors over a violation and fine stemming…
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Eighth Macon school officer position goes to Nantahala
 

Eighth Macon school officer position goes to Nantahala

Robert Holland has been pushing to place a resource officer in every school for years — long before the Sandy…
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Districts grapple with directive to identify top 25 percent of teachers
 

Districts grapple with directive to identify top 25 percent of teachers

Usually, you’d expect a school system to jump at the chance to give its teachers a raise, but superintendents statewide…
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Melange of the Mountains caters to food fans with bigger lineup
 

Melange of the Mountains caters to food fans with bigger lineup

Restaurants in Haywood County are being encouraged to jump on the Melange of the Mountains train, which will return this…
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Canton debates alcohol policy at armory
 

Canton debates alcohol policy at armory

A request to serve keg beer at an event in the Canton Armory prompted a broader discussion of the town’s…
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Mixed feelings among residents on new plans for old prison
 

Mixed feelings among residents on new plans for old prison

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Haywood County leaders have all but signed off on plans by a pair of faith-based…
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Tallulah Hike steps off a year of wilderness
 

Tallulah Hike steps off a year of wilderness

A guided hike along the Tallulah River in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15, to…
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Outhouse race to run in Sapphire
 

Outhouse race to run in Sapphire

So, when else would you have an opportunity to race an outhouse down a ski mountain? Thought so. 
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WNC Nature Center reaches record attendance for 2013
 

WNC Nature Center reaches record attendance for 2013

A whole lot of people visited the WNC Nature Center last year. The Friends of the WNC Nature Center report…
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Haywood teacher recognized for conservation education
 

Haywood teacher recognized for conservation education

A Haywood County teacher, Janet Frazier, has been named the 2013 North Carolina Elementary Conservation Education Teacher of the Year.
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Macon hiker talks about life feat
 

Macon hiker talks about life feat

Octogenarian Jim Pader will talk about his record-setting hike up Mount Whitney from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12,…
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Dinosaurs, LEGOS and toads, oh dear
 

Dinosaurs, LEGOS and toads, oh dear

No better way to celebrate a big thaw than an impromptu field trip. We rounded up kids, friends and friends’…
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Hooked for life: Mills reels in memories with artisan rods
 

Hooked for life: Mills reels in memories with artisan rods

There’s nothing abnormal about the pair of armchairs in Jim and Baraba Mills’ living room, or about the television —…
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‘Night Film’ is a tiring yet mesmerizing read
 

‘Night Film’ is a tiring yet mesmerizing read

I did not like this book. My first response on finishing it was that I would not review it, but there…
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Background checks are government overreach
 

Background checks are government overreach

To the Editor: The Jackson County commissioners recently made a mistake — an honest, well-meaning, well-intentioned error, yet a mistake…
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How did county finance not catch on?
 

How did county finance not catch on?

To the Editor: The alleged embezzlement of around $50,000 from Macon County taxpayers by a county employee highlights incompetency within…
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Teachers, public education get raw deal
 

Teachers, public education get raw deal

To the Editor: If you have been following the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, you have recently learned that…
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Public Art Commission needs to speak up
 

Public Art Commission needs to speak up

To the Editor: I served on the Waynesville Public Art Commission from 2006 until March of 2011. Public art was a…
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Vouchers are just bad education policy
 

Vouchers are just bad education policy

The Smoky Mountain News published an excellent analysis of the controversy centered on the current legislation called the “Opportunity Scholarship…
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Moving forward: Commissioners express support for use of old prison by trio of ministries
 

Moving forward: Commissioners express support for use of old prison by trio of ministries

A plan to turn the old state prison campus in Hazelwood into an epicenter for changing lives is moving forward…
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For some pet owners in rural west, round-the-clock vet care out of reach
 

For some pet owners in rural west, round-the-clock vet care out of reach

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Years have passed since Jack McJunkin’s dog was struck and fatally injured by a car…
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Finding a culprit behind parking crunch in Canton
 

Finding a culprit behind parking crunch in Canton

Free parking has its drawbacks, at least for the Country Music and Dance Parlor in downtown Canton.
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Steep slopes on the rocks: Relaxed building rules try to strike a balance
 

Steep slopes on the rocks: Relaxed building rules try to strike a balance

David Brooks grew up dirt poor. His dad farmed corn, apples and tobacco, always with a plow and mule, never…
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Step up and be counted: Public could tip scales in steep slope rewrite
 

Step up and be counted: Public could tip scales in steep slope rewrite

Who shows up and speaks out at a steep slope public hearing in Jackson County next week could alter what…
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Macon election office assesses damage in emergency meeting
 

Macon election office assesses damage in emergency meeting

After discovering $50,000 worth of unauthorized checks had disappeared from its budget and placing director Kim Bishop on paid investigatory…
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Macon County reviews policies as embezzlement investigation continues
 

Macon County reviews policies as embezzlement investigation continues

Three weeks after the State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into possible embezzlement at the Macon County Board of…
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REO Speedwagon to rock Harrah’s
 

REO Speedwagon to rock Harrah’s

Iconic rockers REO Speedwagon will play at 9 p.m. Feb. 14 at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center. Formed in 1967, signed…
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‘A Doll’s House’ at WCU
 

‘A Doll’s House’ at WCU

The 1960s version of the production “A Doll’s House” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12-15 and at 3…
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Artist reception, showcase for Macon painter
 

Artist reception, showcase for Macon painter

A reception and conversation with artist Lizzy Falcon will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb.13, at the…
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‘Coffee and Chocolate Reception’ with printmaker at Jackson library
 

‘Coffee and Chocolate Reception’ with printmaker at Jackson library

A “Coffee and Chocolate Reception” and gallery talk with artist Matt Liddle will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m.…
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Haggard brings honky-tonk to Harrah’s
 

Haggard brings honky-tonk to Harrah’s

Legendary country singer Merle Haggard will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center. Haggard has…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

What does the “K” stand for? “It stands for Kavanagh,” I told the lady behind the counter. “My mother’s maiden…
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Haywood revives film commission
 

Haywood revives film commission

Becky Seymour can see the bright lights of Hollywood from Haywood County. “Right now we’re in the major infancy stage,…
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You yellow-bellied sapsucker
 

You yellow-bellied sapsucker

In my youth, never did a B-western movie make it to the end without the bad guy being cornered and…
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Agritourism contributors needed
 

Agritourism contributors needed

Buy Haywood is collecting listings for an agri-tourism guide to feature produce stands, farmers markets, value-added products with local ingredients…
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Students to participate in regional science fair
 

Students to participate in regional science fair

The Western Regional Science and Engineering Fair will bring students from across the region to Western Carolina University on Wednesday…
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Photography happenings
 

Photography happenings

Photography workshop to focus on Appalachian barns A weekend photography workshop called “The Appalachian Barn Workshop: The Barns of Haywood and…
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Birds of prey program to be held in national park
 

Birds of prey program to be held in national park

A program about birds of prey called “Heads Up for Hunters of the Sky” will be held at 2 p.m.…
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Polar Plunge makes final fundraising case before this weekend’s chilly jump
 

Polar Plunge makes final fundraising case before this weekend’s chilly jump

More than 60 brave souls are taking the Polar Plunge challenge by jumping into Lake Junaluska this Saturday, Feb. 1.
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“Armored” mammal spotted in Pisgah National Forest
 

“Armored” mammal spotted in Pisgah National Forest

Roger Skillman had just finished a hike and was driving home through the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County when…
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Forest fixer-upper: Logging clears the way for a more ecologically robust watershed
 

Forest fixer-upper: Logging clears the way for a more ecologically robust watershed

The silence seeped from the mountain ridges and hung heavily over the forest, silence like a deep well, so deep…
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Raising youth in the digital age
 

Raising youth in the digital age

Four years ago in November, a schoolteacher in Knoxville asked her English class to write a composition on family dinner…
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WCU kicks off celebration of 125 years
 

WCU kicks off celebration of 125 years

A yearlong celebration of Western Carolina University’s 125th anniversary kicked off Thursday, Jan. 23, in Cullowhee.
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Beatles tribute band comes to WCU
 

Beatles tribute band comes to WCU

Recreating the music of the Beatles, “1964: The Tribute,” will perform at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, in the John…
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HCC to offer new creative arts classes
 

HCC to offer new creative arts classes

Haywood Community College’s Continuing Education Department will offer a number of classes in the Creative Arts Building in the coming…
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Sarge’s pet photo contest begins
 

Sarge’s pet photo contest begins

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation is now accepting photographs for its 8th annual “Pet Photography Contest.”
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

The end is near. On Feb. 5, I’ll turn 29 years old — the last official birthday of my young…
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Arts council opens arms to the creative and curious
 

Arts council opens arms to the creative and curious

There’s a buzz going on at the Mahogany House in Waynesville. Normally, one could attribute that to a woodturning tool,…
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