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WNC residents urge Duke Energy to move away from coal
 

WNC residents urge Duke Energy to move away from coal

Western North Carolina residents are asking Duke Energy to rethink its use of fossil fuels in the region.  Community leaders…
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Moss Knob shooting range to reopen in 2014
 

Moss Knob shooting range to reopen in 2014

The Moss Knob Shooting Range, located in the Nantahala Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest, will reopen in spring 2014 following…
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Hear research presentations at the Highlands Biological Station
 

Hear research presentations at the Highlands Biological Station

College students who spent the past semester doing research at the Highlands Biological Station will present their findings at 2…
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WCU athletic training majors help young high school sports teams
 

WCU athletic training majors help young high school sports teams

Western Carolina University’s athletic training major is giving hands-on experience to its students while helping area high school athletic departments,…
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Experts taking wildlife education to area schools
 

Experts taking wildlife education to area schools

Mountain Wildlife Days has created a wildlife education speakers bureau of sorts to share its pool of wildlife experts with…
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Hunting season
 

Hunting season

Orion the Hunter has taken to the late autumn skies. One of the loveliest and most easily recognized constellations will…
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WCU will digitize historic Smokies photos
 

WCU will digitize historic Smokies photos

Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library will produce a new digital collection of 2,000 items focused on the history of Great…
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‘Green’ text more relevant today than ever
 

‘Green’ text more relevant today than ever

Although this book was published over a decade ago, A Fierce Green Fire has grown steadily in popularity and is…
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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

Last weekend, I sat down with a calendar and began sifting through all the fabulous Christmas-related events happening this month.…
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Model train set open house, Dec. 7-8
 

Model train set open house, Dec. 7-8

This holiday season pull the kids away from their headsets and video games and show them another version of an…
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Sale, demos and classes at Green Energy Park
 

Sale, demos and classes at Green Energy Park

A holiday sale and demonstrations of glassblowing and blacksmithing will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7,…
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‘Sounds of the Season’ at WCU
 

‘Sounds of the Season’ at WCU

The School of Music at Western Carolina University will present its annual “Sounds of the Season” holiday concert, a performance…
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Balsam Range ‘Winter Concert Series’ returns to Canton
 

Balsam Range ‘Winter Concert Series’ returns to Canton

Renowned bluegrass/gospel group Balsam Range 4th annual “Winter Concert Series” will return to the Colonial Theatre in Canton.  Guest artists…
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Ringing in Christmas in Franklin
 

Ringing in Christmas in Franklin

Brasstown Ringers will present “A Brasstown Christmas” at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the First United Methodist Church in Franklin.
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

The strings of tradition and progress echoed from the back alley. Upon further inspection (and a lone door cracked open),…
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Holiday Roundup: Christmas comes to Appalachia
 

Holiday Roundup: Christmas comes to Appalachia

As the temperatures drop in Western North Carolina, the fun only heats up. The holiday season here is filled with…
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WestCare employees excited about changes
 

WestCare employees excited about changes

To the Editor: Recently, we the employees of WestCare learned of an exciting decision that we are entering into a …
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Righting what’s wrong means making changes
 

Righting what’s wrong means making changes

We are now — officially — barreling into the holidays. Thanksgiving is already a fading, drowsy memory of turkey carcasses…
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Waynesville says no to blow-up gorillas: Off-the-beaten path businesses seek signage answers
 

Waynesville says no to blow-up gorillas: Off-the-beaten path businesses seek signage answers

Waynesville leaders last week voted to loosen the town’s sign rules at the behest of some business owners, but stopped…
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Jury deliberating fate of jailer who helped murderer escape
 

Jury deliberating fate of jailer who helped murderer escape

The jury deciding the fate of a former Swain County jailer who helped a murderer escape and then ran away…
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Cullowhee advocates seek to sharpen vision of community plan
 

Cullowhee advocates seek to sharpen vision of community plan

Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Building consensus among the increasing number of residents and business owners in Cullowhee is critical to…
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Reception for Jackson Librarian Dottie Brunette
 

Reception for Jackson Librarian Dottie Brunette

Jackson County Librarian Dottie Brunette will retire at the end of the year, and the public is invited to a…
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On a mission to fight drug abuse, help families
 

On a mission to fight drug abuse, help families

To Jean Parris, the drug bust in Haywood County last month wasn’t just a matter of locking up suspected drug…
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UPDATED: Undercover bust targets dealers in every corner of the county
 

UPDATED: Undercover bust targets dealers in every corner of the county

An undercover investigation in Haywood County targeting alleged drug dealers culminated in a sweeping roundup last month, netting 31 suspects…
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Counties have to figure hospitals’ values before collecting tax revenues
 

Counties have to figure hospitals’ values before collecting tax revenues

The sale of the hospitals in Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties to Duke LifePoint Healthcare next year will bring an…
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Student profiles
 

Student profiles

Michael Bruce  2nd year assoc. Hometown: Waynesville Major: Web Technologies  App: Class Schedule Organizer As soon as he learned how…
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Coding for the rest of us
 

Coding for the rest of us

If the very thought of trying your hand at computer programming or writing software code is intimidating, Dr. Jonathan Wade…
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At WCU, an app to keep students out of the rain
 

At WCU, an app to keep students out of the rain

By Paul Clark • SMN Correspondent So, here’s the problem. It’s raining and you need to catch the CAT TRAN, one…
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There’s an app for that: If not, a growing number of students are learning to create one
 

There’s an app for that: If not, a growing number of students are learning to create one

Imagine you’re a college student in the summer of 2010. One of your professors offers you a job. He has…
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Tribal council names Snowbird resident a ‘beloved woman’
 

Tribal council names Snowbird resident a ‘beloved woman’

Ella Wachacha Bird has joined the ranks of a small and revered group last week after the Eastern Band of…
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Lake Junaluska merger proponents preparing for round two
 

Lake Junaluska merger proponents preparing for round two

Supporters of the stalled merger of Lake Junaluska with the town of Waynesville hope to get it back on the…
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Can you believe the gall of this grafter Jeff Minick?
 

Can you believe the gall of this grafter Jeff Minick?

By Joe Ecclesia My name is Joe Ecclesia, and I have a bone the size of an elephant’s thigh to…
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Exhibit showcases artist Joshua Grant
 

Exhibit showcases artist Joshua Grant

The Southern Appalachian Office of the Wilderness Society will host a reception for “Land of the Crooked Water,” an exhibit…
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‘Enchanted Broadway Holiday’ at WCU
 

‘Enchanted Broadway Holiday’ at WCU

“An Enchanted Broadway Holiday Show” performed by award-winning recording artists Lee Lessack and Joanna O’Brien begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,…
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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

I was caught flat-footed last year when my oldest daughter began questioning the myriad Santa spottings of the Christmas season.…
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Christmas parade, food drive in Franklin
 

Christmas parade, food drive in Franklin

The 2013 Franklin Christmas Parade will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1 in downtown.
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Museum fundraiser begins
 

Museum fundraiser begins

The Appalachian Women’s Museum has kicked off its first fundraiser since reaching an agreement with the Town of Dillsboro to…
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Hayweird Holiday Jam in Waynesville
 

Hayweird Holiday Jam in Waynesville

The inaugural Hayweird County Hometown Holiday Jam will be at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, at the Water’n Hole Bar…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Cruising up Utah Mountain Road outside Maggie Valley, one begins to get the feeling if they drove any further up…
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America’s First Foods: Cherokee elder’s cookbook celebrates the old ways
 

America’s First Foods: Cherokee elder’s cookbook celebrates the old ways

By Colby Dunn • Correspondent This week, kids across America will learn the story of the first Thanksgiving. How the pilgrims,…
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Gov. McCrory is leading a turnaround in N.C.
 

Gov. McCrory is leading a turnaround in N.C.

To the Editor: For the past few months some of the people in Western North Carolina who write letters to…
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Who are the real job creators?
 

Who are the real job creators?

To the Editor: As I write this, the stock market is hovering around record highs. The Federal Reserve is keeping…
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Zoning advocates had predictable response
 

Zoning advocates had predictable response

To the Editor: The response from zoning advocates — to my letter that was printed two weeks ago — was typical.…
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Freedom versus limited government
 

Freedom versus limited government

To the Editor: Limited government was ridiculed in a recent Smoky Mountain News article. Most Americans are strong believers in…
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Resilient living on a different planet
 

Resilient living on a different planet

By Doug Wingeier • Columnist In early October we spent two weeks in our 150-year-old log cabin situated on a corner…
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Fresh from the farm: Meat gets a sizzling reception at farmers market
 

Fresh from the farm: Meat gets a sizzling reception at farmers market

By Paul Clark • Correspondent Mary McNeil carried her shopping bag around Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market like a kid on Halloween.…
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Recycle your cooking oil this Thanksgiving
 

Recycle your cooking oil this Thanksgiving

Hey, all you turkey deep-fryer users. What are your plans this Thanksgiving for all that cooking oil once you have…
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Waynesville Judo team dominates tournament
 

Waynesville Judo team dominates tournament

The Waynesville Judo team took top honors at the Fall Brawl judo tournament Oct. 5 at the Waynesville Recreation Center…
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Forest service seeks camper
 

Forest service seeks camper

U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officials have released a picture of a man they believe may have information about the…
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Black Friday has reached the Smokies
 

Black Friday has reached the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains Association will hold a “blow-out sale” on select merchandise starting Thanksgiving Day at its Clingmans Dome…
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