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Deep Creek offers a great taste of the Smokies
 

Deep Creek offers a great taste of the Smokies

We are attracted to water. Mountain paths always wind down to water — springs, branches, creeks and rivers. Water is…
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Dangerous levels of sewage found in WNC creek
 

Dangerous levels of sewage found in WNC creek

State and local officials are advising people to avoid contact with Long Creek in Graham County after recent water quality…
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Movie touts benefits of local food
 

Movie touts benefits of local food

A movie showing in Waynesville is asking folks to think hard about their food choices. The documentary-style movie “Fresh: New…
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Lend your voice to trail plan vision
 

Lend your voice to trail plan vision

Time is running out for trail users to offer input on a regional trail plan for the seven western counties…
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Grants to help imperiled wildlife
 

Grants to help imperiled wildlife

Nearly $800,000 in grants will fund research in North Carolina that investigates threats to various aquatic species and habitats in…
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Learn ins and outs of seed saving
 

Learn ins and outs of seed saving

Seed expert Keith Nicholson will cover the what, why and how of vegetable seeds and seed saving at 7 p.m.…
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Input sought for park at Hall Mountain
 

Input sought for park at Hall Mountain

Community members are invited to attend upcoming public meetings to learn more about the use of the Hall Mountain Tract…
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Tour planned for historic and eco-friendly estate in Cashiers
 

Tour planned for historic and eco-friendly estate in Cashiers

A storied estate in Cashiers, preserved for future generations, will be the destination of an upcoming ecotour.
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A bird of two tales
 

A bird of two tales

Roger Tory Petersen called it, “one of the most breathtaking of the world’s weirdest birds,” and it was John James…
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Balancing grades, world-class training no problem for SCC Early College student
 

Balancing grades, world-class training no problem for SCC Early College student

By Tyler Norris Goode • Contributor Rowan Stuart’s favorite kayak maneuver is called the “Phonics Monkey” and involves spinning the vessel…
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Carden’s new book depicts Appalachian bestiary
 

Carden’s new book depicts Appalachian bestiary

By Newton Smith • Contributor Gary Carden, local bard, playwright, host of the Liars Bench and reviewer for The Smoky Mountain…
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What is freestyle kayaking?
 

What is freestyle kayaking?

Combining an array of difficult tricks, precision paddling and finely tuned choreography, freestyle kayaking can be described as aquatic gymnastics.
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Meet the athletes
 

Meet the athletes

Peter Csonka Age: 28 Country: Slovakia Awards: 2012 World Cup Champion Day job: Kayak retailer I was 12 when I…
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Freestyle Kayaking World Championships descend on NOC
 

Freestyle Kayaking World Championships descend on NOC

A destination for paddlers around the world, the Nantahala River is known for its complexity of rapids and consistent waters…
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Students food insecure as school starts
 

Students food insecure as school starts

As children return to school this week, the joy of seeing their friends, sharing summer stories, wearing new shoes or…
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Meals on Wheels needs volunteers
 

Meals on Wheels needs volunteers

To the Editor:  I volunteer with Jackson County Meals on Wheels, and I also serve on the volunteer committee.  I…
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Cutting education spending is like eating your seed corn
 

Cutting education spending is like eating your seed corn

I’ve always loved school. Consequently, I detest what the General Assembly is doing to education. As a kid, I knew…
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Better signals may mean uglier views
 

Better signals may mean uglier views

The Jackson County Planning Board is delving into a review of cell tower regulations and discussing changes that could ultimately…
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Trail official worries new cell tower will mar views
 

Trail official worries new cell tower will mar views

A communications tower in Macon County is expected to bring better wireless phone coverage to a remote region but has…
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Greenway starts taking shape in Jackson
 

Greenway starts taking shape in Jackson

Construction could start in September on a paved 1.2-mile section of greenway along the Tucksegee River in Cullowhee.
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Pendulum bound to swing in Maggie election, for better or worse
 

Pendulum bound to swing in Maggie election, for better or worse

While political candidates are usually quick to point out their differences, this election season Maggie Valley residents are calling on…
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Sweepstakes: never say die
 

Sweepstakes: never say die

Despite a statewide ban on video sweepstakes machines, the video gambling industry is taking advantage of yet another apparent loophole…
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Disability discrimination alleged in hiring of county veteran’s officer
 

Disability discrimination alleged in hiring of county veteran’s officer

A group of veterans in Haywood County lodged a formal complaint claiming that the hiring process of the county’s veterans…
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Loan for high-speed Internet company denied in Jackson
 

Loan for high-speed Internet company denied in Jackson

Jackson County commissioners turned down a start-up Internet provider asking for a $1 million economic development loan to bring high-speed…
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Donation centers open for Coats for Kids
 

Donation centers open for Coats for Kids

The Coats for Kids clothing drive in Jackson County is accepting donations of clothing and shoes starting Sept. 1. Drop-off…
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Jackson to name new economic development director soon
 

Jackson to name new economic development director soon

Jackson County has extended the application deadline for a new economic development director after the first round failed to attract…
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Appalachian Women’s Museum finally gets Monteith House
 

Appalachian Women’s Museum finally gets Monteith House

The Appalachian Women’s Museum finally has a home to call its own. Dillsboro town council members agreed Monday to lease…
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Meadows listens to constituents at town hall meetings
 

Meadows listens to constituents at town hall meetings

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, sporting an Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians button, hosted a town hall meeting last Thursday in…
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Curtain call: Waynesville welcomes revival of the Strand theater
 

Curtain call: Waynesville welcomes revival of the Strand theater

When Rodney and Lorraine Conard took the keys to the shuttered Strand movie theater two years ago, the hulking shell…
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Can commissioners turn their albatross into apartments for 20-somethings?
 

Can commissioners turn their albatross into apartments for 20-somethings?

There’s only one feasible option for what to do with the abandon Haywood Department of Social Services building: turn it into…
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Groundbreaking on the horizon for new hospital in Cherokee
 

Groundbreaking on the horizon for new hospital in Cherokee

Preliminary sitework on a new Cherokee Indian Hospital could start as early as December. The hospital has entered contract negotiations…
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Public cites physician quality at hearing on possible sale of hospital
 

Public cites physician quality at hearing on possible sale of hospital

Maintaining high-quality doctors in Haywood County emerged as a common theme in a public hearing last week on the future…
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Open Air Indian Art Market in Cherokee
 

Open Air Indian Art Market in Cherokee

The Open Air Indian Art Market will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Qualla…
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Mountain dulcimer concert, workshop
 

Mountain dulcimer concert, workshop

Champion mountain dulcimer players Lois Hornbostel and Ehukai Teves will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Swain…
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‘How to create a mural’ presentation in Bryson City
 

‘How to create a mural’ presentation in Bryson City

Artist, writer and speaker Doreyl Ammons Cain will do a demonstration and presentation on the four-step process of creating a…
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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

If you’re lucky enough to stay home this Labor Day weekend, revel in the fact you live somewhere other people…
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Copper Pot named by Food & Wine
 

Copper Pot named by Food & Wine

The editors of Food & Wine magazine honored Waynesville’s Copper Pot & Wooden Spoon in the September issue. The artisan…
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Labor Day in WNC
 

Labor Day in WNC

Labor Day LakeAlooza at Fontana Village The 4th annual Labor Day Weekend LakeAlooza celebration will be Aug. 30 to Sept. 1,…
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Hank Williams Jr. to perform at Harrah’s
 

Hank Williams Jr. to perform at Harrah’s

Legendary outlaw country singer Hank Williams Jr. will play at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.
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Smoky Mountain Folk Festival returns to Lake J
 

Smoky Mountain Folk Festival returns to Lake J

The 43rd annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival will be Aug. 30-31 at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska.
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WCU chancellor, first lady and friends to perform
 

WCU chancellor, first lady and friends to perform

Western Carolina University’s first couple will team up with other WCU performers, including recent Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Terrence Mann,…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I had never heard anything like that before. Sitting on the porch of my grandfather’s camp on Lake Champlain, a…
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Waynesville taps into craft beer festival
 

Waynesville taps into craft beer festival

The inaugural Waynesville Craft Beer Festival will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the American Legion…
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Brewing the next chapter
 

Brewing the next chapter

During the last 20 years, the Western North Carolina craft beer scene has exploded.  While Asheville’s nearly 20 breweries earned…
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A favorite time to watch the home garden
 

A favorite time to watch the home garden

This time of the year is perhaps the best time to enjoy flowering plants in a home garden. Many of…
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Unlocking the mystery of Graveyard Fields: Why there are so few trees and so many people
 

Unlocking the mystery of Graveyard Fields: Why there are so few trees and so many people

While lines of cars zip down the Blue Ridge Parkway and hikers scurry along its zigzagging trails, Graveyard Fields moves…
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Telethon draws support for national park
 

Telethon draws support for national park

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park raised more than $200,000 through its “Friends Across the Mountains” telethon this year,…
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NC native chosen for Smokies top spot
 

NC native chosen for Smokies top spot

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has found its next deputy superintendent in Patricia M. Wissinger. She replaces Kevin Fitzgerald,…
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Cherokee exhibit puts culture center stage
 

Cherokee exhibit puts culture center stage

“Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” is an exhibition that displays Cherokee language, culture and history through images, text and…
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