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A closer look
Only you can apply the brakes to slow down the Courthouse Timber Sale and get everyone to take a closer…
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Carrying the torch through history
It’s all started with a phone call. A lifelong thirst for adventure led Ronald R. Cooper to a love of…
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Half-price sale at Friends of the Library bookstore in Sylva
A half-price book sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 and from noon to…
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Uncompromising, dark and a worthwhile read
A couple of years ago, I blundered into something called “The Bottom Dog Appalachian Writers Series.” Published in Ohio, this…
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Marijuana in national forests is out of control
To the Editor: Since the mid 1990s, Mexican criminals have been growing marijuana in our national forests. In recent years…
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Let’s do the hard work on mental illness
To the Editor: Almost everyone has an opinion about how to combat violent, mass killing. My hope is that we…
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Our state's priorities have gone askew
The swearing in of new Gov. Pat McCrory this past weekend brought to mind a conversation at a recent holiday…
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Changing the rules: Jackson re-writing development standards amid new economic realities
By Becky Johnson & Andrew Kasper • Staff Writers For two years now, Jackson County’s planning board has systematically combed…
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Haywood welcomes off-site veterans’ health services
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will establish a local field office in Haywood County where veterans who are new…
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Help-wanted: new top lawman for Haywood County
Those vying to be the next sheriff of Haywood County have until 2 p.m. Jan. 17 to get their applications…
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WCU settles wrongful death suit with football player’s family
Western Carolina University has agreed to a $600,000 out-of-court settlment in a civil suit brought by the family of Ja’Quayvin…
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Canton to bid farewell to long-time town anchor
Canton Town Manager Al Matthews has announced his impending retirement, and while his last day won’t be for months yet,…
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Cherokee breaks new ground with fines for domestic violence
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is hitting domestic violence abusers in their pocketbooks. People convicted of domestic violence-related charges…
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Sweepstakes parlor closings leave some winners, some losers
Carol Anthony sat at in the back corner of a sweepstakes parlor in Maggie Valley one afternoon last week, getting…
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Acclaimed songwriter brings guitar, harmonic folk to Waynesville’s Wineseller
Singer/songwriter Ben Wilson will be featured at the Friday Night Live music series from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday,…
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Christian comedian/songwriter hits Franklin
Renowned performer Tim Hawkins will be taking the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center…
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‘80s rock takes the stage in Cherokee with STYX
Legendary rock group STYX will be performing at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center. Tommy Shaw,…
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WNC group releases electropop album
Electropop trio Stereospread, based in Waynesville, is releasing their highly-anticipated first album, The Heart & the Thief, this month.
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Artist showcase
An opening reception for “Ball Mason Jar Art” by Brent Martin will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11,…
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Remembering the dream: Haywood celebrates Martin Luther King’s message with weekend of speeches, prayers and march
Haywood County Rev. Lamont Foster still remembers the day he learned what it meant to be black. It was the…
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Indian words add color to our language
Tuckaseigee, Oconaluftee, Heintooga, Wayah, Cullasaja, Hiwassee, Coweeta, Stecoah, Steestachee, Skeenah, Nantahala, Aquone, Katuwah, and on and on. Our place names…
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Local food on the rise
Last year was a promising year for local food production and farm education in WNC, according to the Appalachian Sustainable…
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Contest captures state’s natural beauty
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has announced the winners of the eighth annual Wildlife in North Carolina magazine outdoor photo…
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Friends, feathers and fellowship
Friday, Dec. 28, was the date of the eleventh annual Balsam Christmas Bird Count (CBC) — 11 dates but 10…
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Forests and water could be doomed in 2060
A comprehensive U.S. Forest Service report released last month examines how expanding populations, increased urbanization, and changing land-use patterns could…
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Restored Lodge offers retreats, rustic getaway in the Nantahala National Forest
Nestled deep in the mountains between Sylva and Cashiers, the scenic U.S. Forest Service Balsam Lodge is celebrating its 30th…
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Novel explores the woes of rich white trash
Let me take a deep breath and see if I can get this out in one long ugly sentence: A…
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Firearms are not the problem
To the Editor: We are writing in response to the gun control controversy. I agree that the recent acts of…
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Doesn’t that just melt your face off?
It all started with a simple book fair at the middle school. My daughter, inspired perhaps by viewing the trailer…
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2012: The year in review
The Smoky Mountain News takes note this week of some of the newsmakers of 2012 by handing out our annual…
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Timeline for Waynesville, Lake Junaluska merger picks up speed
Lake Junaluska and the town of Waynesville are pressing ahead with the possibility of a merger. The two entities have…
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Soccer league seeking a leg up in Swain
Swain County suffers from a serious lack of soccer fields, a plight soccer enthusiasts there hope to do something about.
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Two WNC National Guard units put on alert for possible deployment
The National Guard 210th and 211th Military Police Companies from Western North Carolina were recently placed “on alert.”
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Meadows finds that homework is the first lesson for new Congressman
Give a U.S. congressman a cookie, and he can eat it. But offer him some free pancakes, and he’ll have…
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Explore your creative side this winter with art and photography classes
A line-up of art classes will begin in January, offered through the Inspired Art Ministry at the First Baptist Church…
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As the Crowe flies: Chris Robinson Brotherhood rated among top shows of the year
Chris Robinson is a freak‚ a damn musical freak. Finally wrangling everything into the studio with his freewheelin’ solo project‚…
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Balsam Range series welcomes member of Zac Brown Band
Nationally acclaimed Western North Carolina bluegrass group Balsam Range will continue their winter concert series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan.…
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Learn to draw comic illustrations from a master
Cartoonist and illustrator James Lyle will do a presentation and demonstration on comic books and graphic novels for the Art…
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If you build it, they will come (and play)
Pulling into a row of unimposing metal garage-sized storage units on Frazier Street in Waynesville, the sound of buzzing is…
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The spirituality of mountain graveyards
“I am developing a taste for walking in cemeteries.” – Jules Renard, “Journals” (December 1909) Like Jules Renard, a turn-of-the-century…
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Classes and workshops
Wildlife program seeks help with classes Wild South’s Wildlife Outreach Initiative, along with Mountain Wildlife Days, are in the process…
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Ready, set, ski! Races begin at Catalaoochee
Cataloochee Ski Area is opening its winter race series beginning 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, for middle school competitors, followed…
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News from the conservation front
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust conserves five parcels in 2012 With the help of community members and donors, the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust…
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New hiker shelter finished on the AT
Hikers of the Appalachian Trail now have a new shelter where they can rest their bones. The U.S. Forest Service…
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When it’s good to be threatened
I wrote about wood storks, Mycteria americana, back in August of this year after a trip to Isle of Palms…
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It’s all about the schwag: Race organizers get creative with attracting participants
You’ve been training for months. You’ve skipped the kids’ piano recitals and parent teacher conferences; you’ve bailed on dinner with…
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Author to discuss AT journey
Writer Amy Allen will discuss her journey along the Appalachian Trail as she presents her book, Summoning the Mountains: Pilgrimage…
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Racism and adultery drive Spencer’s novel
Daniel Emerson is afraid of black people. After a chance encounter with a group of violent African American teenagers left…
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Undocumented workers arrested in Jackson traffic checkpoint now free again
Federal authorities have dropped deportation proceedings against 10 Latino men, all suspected illegal immigrants, who were arrested at a Jackson…
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Swain’s oversized jail may finally be breaking even, but not for long
Swain County’s oversized jail will lose about one-third of its current inmate population and a sizeable revenue stream when the…
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