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Soggy birding
May 5 was a soggy morning. At 7:30 a.m. a light drizzle had engulfed Lake Junaluska. We sat in our…
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Haywood TDA helps Parkway views
Drivers on the Blue Ridge Parkway will be able to catch a few more views from overlooks through the Haywood…
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Mountain Momma
I have faint but fond memories of picking strawberries as a kid: the twisty, dusty gravel roads leading to the…
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The mystical allure of moving water
We are attracted to water. Mountain paths always wind down to water. Water is the essence of our very being…
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Health department urges precautions against mosquito-borne illnesses
Warm weather brings with it a greater risk for mosquito-borne illnesses, but health officials say precautions can be taken to…
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The Owl Prowl is back in Highlands
A birds of prey program will put participants face to face with live raptors and give them a chance to…
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Don’t touch that fawn!
They are awfully cute, and often times look abandoned, but the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding the public not…
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See winged hunters up close and personal
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be the site of an upcoming birds of prey program, featuring live raptors…
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Planetarium and stargazing on the agenda at PARI
A summer night sky viewing event and open house will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, June 14, at the…
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Audobon Society, here I come
Maybe someone heard my plea. For the last two weekends, the rain, for the most part, has stayed away, giving…
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Time to SWEAT on the Appalachian Trail
Volunteers are being sought to work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on its Wilderness Elite Appalachian Trail Crew…
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Serendipitous beach trip
Conscientious, detailed vacation planning; anticipating the “what ifs” and having contingency plans; route planning and hashing out all the logistics…
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Site near Cowee mound saved from development, turned over to tribe
A mountainside in Macon County once destined for a housing development is now destined to be a community forest area…
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A book to help wade through self-help industry
In The Last Self-Help Book You’ll Ever Need: Repress Your Anger, Think Negatively, Be a Good Blamer, and Throttle Your…
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Ghost Town opening delayed again: Park hammering out ride inspection glitches
After two false starts, Ghost Town in the Sky theme park in Maggie Valley remains closed this week.
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Site chosen for Cashiers liquor store
A new Jackson County liquor store will soon be under construction in Cashiers, with plans to open for business by…
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Jackson library supporters make last-ditch budget pitch
Jackson County commissioners were implored by library advocates this week to give the Sylva and Cashiers libraries a sizeable bump…
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State teaching center in Cullowhee could be shuttered by budget cuts
The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching in Jackson County had its funding slashed in half in 2011,…
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Cullowhee hitches its college-town dreams to the Tuckasegee River
Lackluster at best and run-down at worst, it’s no question the has-been commercial district on Western Carolina University’s doorstep needs…
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State grant bridges the gap for Jackson greenway
Jackson County will begin building the first leg of a long-awaited greenway along the Tuckasegee River this summer.
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Finding your element
David Burress wants to live forever. Not necessarily in the immortal sense though. Burress is an accomplished blacksmith. And for…
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Downtown Waynesville celebrates Appalachian heritage
An Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration will showcase mountain culture, heritage, music, dance, storytelling, arts and crafts and demonstrations from 10 a.m.…
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Novice Jackson tourism board flounders over budget
The Cashiers Chamber of Commerce leaders claim they have been slighted their fair share of visitor center funding from the…
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Jackson planning board further refines steep slope rewrites
Jackson County Planning Board members discussed axing part of the steep slope rules aimed at protecting mountain viewsheds. The viewshed…
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Meadows keeps pledge to make time for constituents
In his brief five months in Congress, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has kept busy — voting on several pieces of…
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Feds to foot more of bill in Cherokee storm clean-up
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will receive more federal aid than originally promised after January’s rainstorms, flooding and mudslides.…
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Tribe settles suit over sewage spills
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has settled a civil lawsuit claiming overflows from the tribe’s sewage treatment plant were…
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Battle over degrees at WCU could heat up
Western Carolina University is grappling with whether to cut unpopular or obsolete majors, posing a conundrum as it and other…
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Haywood settles into budget norm of making ends meet
Haywood County’s budget will increase by more than $2 million next fiscal year, but it will still be nearly that…
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Did that used to be a tree? The tragic legend of the ‘Hazelwood haircut’
It’s got more names than the Bible. The “round-over,” the “lollipop,” and the “bob” to name a few. No matter…
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Jackson did not spend $50,000 wisely
To the Editor: My first reaction to the county brand “Play On” was that it must be April 1. Quickly…
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Spend fund balance and cut property tax rate
To the Editor: Macon County commissioners can re-sponsibly reduce the property tax. The county manager’s proposed 2014 general fund budget…
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Legislative moves will harm rural N.C.
To the Editor: We are well into this Legislature’s session. The governor has put forward his budget. The Senate has proposed…
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The boys of summer are, after all, just that – boys
It was a great day for a picnic … or a baseball game. The sun hung there above the horizon…
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Sculptures installed in Cashiers
Nine sculptures were installed in The Village Green in Cashiers this past week in preparation for the opening of the…
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Festival celebrates Cherokee life, culture
The Cherokee Voices Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at the Museum of the Cherokee…
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Tickets on sale for Miranda Lambert
Mega-country star Miranda Lambert hits the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, July 19, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center. Lambert is…
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Buddy Holly musical comes to Highlands
“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” will be showcased from June 13-30 at the Highlands Playhouse. Holly’s brief life became the…
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Trail release party at Nantahala Brewing
The 5th Trail Magic Ale release party is set for June 7-8 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City.
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WNC film shown in honor of library anniversary
A showing of the film “Paradise Falls” will coincide with the Jackson County Public Library’s second anniversary, at 7 p.m.…
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Harpist plays artist reception
Harpist Betina Morgan will play the artist reception for the exhibition “Appalachia,” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 7,…
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Dwight Yoakam hits the stage at Harrah’s
Multi-platinum Grammy winning singer-songwriter, actor, director and country music pioneer Dwight Yoakam will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, June 14,…
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This Must Be the Place
Well, hello there Western North Carolina. As the arts and entertainment writer at The Smoky Mountain News, I spend my…
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Making the connection, one melody at a time
You’ve sung it in the shower, in the car with the windows rolled down, at weddings, in karaoke bars, and…
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Smoky Mountain anglers gain toehold in competitive fly fishing scene
Like New York is known for its basketball legends, and Texas is known for its football stars, Western North Carolina…
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Swingin’ for the Smokies
Craig Hartle just might have the best job in Western North Carolina. The head golf professional for High Hampton Inn…
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Head for the hills
When he was a young boy, Jason Hardin fell in love. It was a 1973 Harley-Davidson Sportster. Owned by his…
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Getting your fill in Appalachia
Strolling through downtown Bryson City, one tends to cross paths with the scent of delicious food wafting from a nearby…
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Heinzelmannchen Brewery taps into the Smokies
Dieter Kuhn was 4,500 miles from his hometown in Germany when he came across Sylva, a small community tucked away…
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Getting away from it all
David Lippy was sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Orlando when it hit him. “The city was so congested with vehicles,”…
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