Tourists caught in the middle not amused by tit-for-tat Cherokee sign debate
 

Tourists caught in the middle not amused by tit-for-tat Cherokee sign debate

Pity the poor visitors trying to find their ways to Cherokee if the N.C. Department of Transportation heeds requests of…
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Jackson tourism task force weighted
 

Jackson tourism task force weighted

A group tasked with helping Jackson County leaders decide whether to merge two separate tourism entities or possibly hike the…
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Has Maggie found its heroine?
 

Has Maggie found its heroine?

Longtime Maggie Valley resident Alaska Presley has seen it all when it comes to Ghost Town in the Sky’s ups…
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Resurrecting a ghost town: Alaska Presley hopes to revive Maggie Valley  by reopening the once-popular Ghost Town amusement park
 

Resurrecting a ghost town: Alaska Presley hopes to revive Maggie Valley by reopening the once-popular Ghost Town amusement park

Tears gathered in Alaska Presley’s eyes as she moved one step closer to attaining a Maggie Valley icon that has…
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Heatherly wastes no time in meeting with Harris employees
 

Heatherly wastes no time in meeting with Harris employees

Steve Heatherly made sure there were plenty of Diet Cokes queued up in the office mini-fridge before work Monday morning…
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Shared finances complicate MedWest partnership
 

Shared finances complicate MedWest partnership

Some within the Jackson County medical community are wondering whether their hospital has gotten a fair shake in the partnership…
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Haywood schools score major grant
 

Haywood schools score major grant

The Haywood County School District has landed a $1 million grant to fight childhood obesity by encouraging an active, healthy…
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Domestic violence agency shuts without warning amid irregularities
 

Domestic violence agency shuts without warning amid irregularities

A domestic violence and sexual assault agency serving victims of abuse in Jackson County abruptly shut its doors last week…
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Chocolate Cook-off planned for Feb. 11
 

Chocolate Cook-off planned for Feb. 11

The Friends of the Marianna Black Library will host the 5th Annual Chocolate Cook-Off between 2 and 4 p.m., Feb.…
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Geronimo’s brush with Western North Carolina
 

Geronimo’s brush with Western North Carolina

The names Geronimo and Gen. George Cook are interwoven in the lore of northern Mexico, southeastern Arizona, western New Mexico…
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Blue Ridge Breakaway wins critical acclaim
 

Blue Ridge Breakaway wins critical acclaim

The Blue Ridge Breakaway was recently named the 2011 Ride of the Year by blogger Aaron West of StepClimbs.com. The…
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Women’s and girl’s sports day
 

Women’s and girl’s sports day

Women and girls can learn about a variety of activities that will inspire them to lead active, healthy lives at…
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Sixth-grader explores the science of water quality
 

Sixth-grader explores the science of water quality

Waynesville Middle School student Jed Messer designed a project about water quality for the regional science fair. The project was…
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The Osborne Boundary Oak gets historic designation
 

The Osborne Boundary Oak gets historic designation

With several centuries under its belt, the Osborne Boundary Oak on N.C. 110 in Haywood County’s Bethel community has long…
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Order those fruit trees and berry bushes
 

Order those fruit trees and berry bushes

The Swain County Cooperative Extension is now taking orders for 3- to 4-foot tall apple, pear and peach trees, plus…
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Lace up your boots and hit the Walhalla Trail
 

Lace up your boots and hit the Walhalla Trail

A hike on the Walhalla Trail at Cataloochee Ranch is set for Saturday, Feb. 11, a postponement of an earlier…
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Shiitake mushroom workshop in Swain
 

Shiitake mushroom workshop in Swain

Learn how to grow your own shiitake mushrooms through the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service and the Master Gardener Association from…
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Beekeeping class being held this month
 

Beekeeping class being held this month

An introductory beekeeping class will be held this month in Haywood County from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday,…
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Grab the binoculars and get ready to count
 

Grab the binoculars and get ready to count

The Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to…
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Punxsutawney Phil was right
 

Punxsutawney Phil was right

I think the shrewd rodent hedges his bet a bit. I mean if you think about it, the difference between…
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By foot or by bike: New running and cycling clubs hit their stride in Cherokee
 

By foot or by bike: New running and cycling clubs hit their stride in Cherokee

Anyone can run or bike. And if any two people could testify to that, it’s Gerri Grady and Hugh Lambert.…
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Judith Toy to discuss finding forgiveness through Zen
 

Judith Toy to discuss finding forgiveness through Zen

Judith Toy, ordained by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh as a core member of his order, will be at City…
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Asheville author to host spiritual adventure workshop
 

Asheville author to host spiritual adventure workshop

Author Art Ramsay will present a free workshop based on his newest spiritual adventure novel, The Tibetan Wisdom Code at…
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Book delves into a dark corner of our world
 

Book delves into a dark corner of our world

Thursday. Throughout this anguished and gripping tale, this day of the week, Thursday” is usually italicized, suggesting that it has…
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Voices in the Laurel presents movie-inspired Valentine dinner concert
 

Voices in the Laurel presents movie-inspired Valentine dinner concert

Relive the classic age of MGM movies, the magic of Disney and the special effects of contemporary film through the…
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Songwriters festival announces contest
 

Songwriters festival announces contest

Songwriters have three months to enter The Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival 2012 Songwriters Contest in Gatlinburg. “The primary goal of…
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Share the Warmth concert is Feb. 12
 

Share the Warmth concert is Feb. 12

Haywood Community College and Champion Credit Union will once again host a Share the Warmth benefit concert from 2 until…
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Artist-in-residence Andrea Dezsö to speak Feb. 9
 

Artist-in-residence Andrea Dezsö to speak Feb. 9

Visual artist Andrea Dezsö will speak at 4 p.m., Feb. 9, in Room 130 of the John W. Bardo Fine…
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Whimzik presents dinner theater in Cullowhee Feb. 14
 

Whimzik presents dinner theater in Cullowhee Feb. 14

Whimzik, a mask and music performance, will perform a Valentine’s dinner theater at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the…
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Woodworkers’ art on display in Sylva
 

Woodworkers’ art on display in Sylva

A new display at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva showcases the artistic work of 10 local woodworkers. The…
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Hornbostel, Teves to perform in Bryson
 

Hornbostel, Teves to perform in Bryson

Lois Hornbostel and Ehukai Teves will perform a concert at 3p.m. on Feb. 12 at the Swain County Center for…
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Community band begins its 10th season
 

Community band begins its 10th season

The Haywood Community Band will begin rehearsing for its 10th season of free concerts. Concerts take place on the third…
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Haywood’s Taste of Chocolate is April 21
 

Haywood’s Taste of Chocolate is April 21

The Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center is looking for volunteers to help coordinate its annual Taste of Chocolate fundraiser as well…
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Workshop, Valentine’s party for kids in Macon
 

Workshop, Valentine’s party for kids in Macon

Elementary school-aged children and their families are invited to a free ARTSaturday workshop and Valentine party from 10 a.m. to…
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Learn card embroidery at Feb. 16 workshop
 

Learn card embroidery at Feb. 16 workshop

Learn how to make handmade cards for any occasion from weddings to birth announcements to holidays with card makers Doris…
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Kelley to show new paintings from WaterDance series
 

Kelley to show new paintings from WaterDance series

Local artist Jo Ridge Kelley will exhibit the latest painting from her WaterDance series at The Jeweler’s Workbench on Main…
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‘Coy’ to be centerpiece of Liars Bench benefit shows
 

‘Coy’ to be centerpiece of Liars Bench benefit shows

The Liars Bench, a program featuring authentic traditional Southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, and drama, has announced that its February…
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WCU professor publishes book about professional development
 

WCU professor publishes book about professional development

Sarah T. Meltzer, an assistant professor of secondary education at Western Carolina University, has published her book Step-by-Step Professional Development…
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‘Collected Stories’ in the HART Studio Theater Feb. 10-12
 

‘Collected Stories’ in the HART Studio Theater Feb. 10-12

The HART Studio season continues this week with “Collected Stories” by noted playwright Donald Margulies. Margulies won the Pulitzer Prize…
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Serena headed to the big screen
 

Serena headed to the big screen

Ron Rash’s novel, Serena, was birthed in an image: his mind’s eye pictured a woman on horseback. From the woman’s…
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An old friend comes for what I hope is a short visit
 

An old friend comes for what I hope is a short visit

A good friend of old came to stay last week. A great respecter of proper etiquette, she provided ample warning…
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Newspaper criticism was just off the mark
 

Newspaper criticism was just off the mark

To the Editor: I had to read “Shame on you, SMN, for poking fun” (Smoky Mountain News, Feb. 1 edition)…
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A citizens’ scroll should replace library plaque
 

A citizens’ scroll should replace library plaque

To the Editor: In a recent article in The Smoky Mountain News, Jackson County Commissioner Jack Debnam was quoted as…
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Who does Sen. Jim Davis really represent?
 

Who does Sen. Jim Davis really represent?

To the Editor: State Sen. Jim Davis had an excellent idea. He suggested that anyone who wondered about contributions to…
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Counties don’t need to be in the banking business
 

Counties don’t need to be in the banking business

In this country built on capitalism, it’s a constant source of antagonism among politicians and citizens. I’m talking about the…
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Candidate forum to be held in Bryson City
 

Candidate forum to be held in Bryson City

Several Republican candidates for the 11th Congressional District will participate in a Feb. 17 forum sponsored by the Smoky Mountain…
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Girl Scouts seeking new troop leaders
 

Girl Scouts seeking new troop leaders

In an effort to recruit new Troop Leaders and volunteers, Girl Scouts will host “Information Hours” from 1 to 6…
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Class on self-defense for women Feb. 16
 

Class on self-defense for women Feb. 16

Western Carolina University is offering a self-defense class for women Thursday, Feb. 16. The class, sponsored by WCU’s Division of…
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Build it and they still didn’t come: Wastewater plant pumps more money in than treated waste out
 

Build it and they still didn’t come: Wastewater plant pumps more money in than treated waste out

Whittier’s $5 million wastewater treatment plant could be facing eventual financial insolvency, saddled with too much overhead and too few…
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Haywood commissioners join fray over Cherokee signage
 

Haywood commissioners join fray over Cherokee signage

The Haywood Board of Commissioners agreed to put its John Hancock on a letter asking the N.C. Department of Transportation…
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