SMN showed great support for library
 

SMN showed great support for library

To the Editor: As the opening of the new Jackson County Library Complex draws near, it brings to mind the…
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Minick’s reviews are a great part of paper
 

Minick’s reviews are a great part of paper

To the Editor: Jeff Minick has always provided informative and insightful book reviews. His review of Till We Have Faces…
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Article was like those found in tabloids
 

Article was like those found in tabloids

To the Editor: It was shocking to read the article entitled “Crossing the Line” published June 1 in The Smoky…
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Of mice, Ming and my seed stash
 

Of mice, Ming and my seed stash

When planting season is upon us, gardeners and farmers of all stripes are making plans and counting seeds. As long-time…
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Rooster 1, Farmer 1 – a first-round draw
 

Rooster 1, Farmer 1 – a first-round draw

There are two puncture wounds decorating my left leg, courtesy of a rooster who has taken an inexplicable but pronounced…
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Really, we just have to get out more often
 

Really, we just have to get out more often

(Atlanta, GA) — We don’t get out much. Unless “getting out” means running out to Taco Bell because the fish…
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Appreciating good stories, civic engagement
 

Appreciating good stories, civic engagement

A week before this week’s dedication of the new Jackson County Library complex, this newspaper’s 12th birthday passed almost unnoticed…
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‘Free condoms’ replaced by patch
 

‘Free condoms’ replaced by patch

In Swain County, free condoms aren’t particularly controversial. But the words “free condoms” on a billboard certainly are. At least…
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Swain DSS to meet to discuss director’s possible dismissal
 

Swain DSS to meet to discuss director’s possible dismissal

For now, Swain County Department of Social Services Director Tammy Cagle still has her job. But that might soon be…
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Learn about food preservation June 9
 

Learn about food preservation June 9

A free class covering the basics of food preservation will be offered at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library from 1 …
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Jackson Paper scholarship awarded
 

Jackson Paper scholarship awarded

The Jackson Paper Manufacturing Company has awarded a $500 scholarship to Candace Erin Ridley, a senior at Smoky Mountain High…
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Lunch and learn in Macon County
 

Lunch and learn in Macon County

This month’s lunch with the League of Women Voters of Macon County will focus on a presentation discussing the background…
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Discuss world wars with WCU professor
 

Discuss world wars with WCU professor

Those interested in the history of world wars can join a new discussion group launched by Western Carolina University history…
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Sponsor or volunteer at Cherokee golf tournament
 

Sponsor or volunteer at Cherokee golf tournament

Registration is open for the Meet Me in the Smokies Open at Sequoyah National Golf Club. The event will have…
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Few find anything to like  in Haywood budget proposal
 

Few find anything to like in Haywood budget proposal

Haywood County residents told commissioners just what they thought of funding reductions at a hearing last week over the county’s…
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Building named after Bardo
 

Building named after Bardo

After a decade-and-a-half of stable leadership — a situation almost unheard of within the greater University of North Carolina system…
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Town wants parking scofflaws’ fees to benefit bottom line
 

Town wants parking scofflaws’ fees to benefit bottom line

Tired of watching a source of possible town revenue end up in the state’s coffers, Sylva wants to start collecting…
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Cashiers rec center gets green light
 

Cashiers rec center gets green light

The Cashiers Recreation Center is back on track following a unanimous vote this week by Jackson County commissioners to move…
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Interim no more – Wooten to remain Jackson manager
 

Interim no more – Wooten to remain Jackson manager

Jackson County commissioners this week voted unanimously to keep Chuck Wooten on for at least another year as county manager.…
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Money available for railroad, if commissioners ink deal
 

Money available for railroad, if commissioners ink deal

No actual decision was made, but County Manager Chuck Wooten told commissioners this week that they have $95,176 set aside…
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Canton’s Imperial grill set for July opening
 

Canton’s Imperial grill set for July opening

A merger is afoot in Canton that will bring together two staples of the town’s downtown scene. Soon, the Canton…
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Jackson’s new library might be economic boon
 

Jackson’s new library might be economic boon

Set high on a mountaintop above Sylva, the historic courthouse has long been a focal point in this Jackson County…
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Noise ordinance in Sylva getting tweaked tighter
 

Noise ordinance in Sylva getting tweaked tighter

Sylva leaders are looking to tighten the town’s noise ordinance on the heels of complaints by one of their own.…
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Reid Brown under investigation for work in district attorney’s office
 

Reid Brown under investigation for work in district attorney’s office

The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether Reid Brown, a former assistant district attorney in Waynesville, handled any cases…
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A voice heard in the distance
 

A voice heard in the distance

Rural residents know the yellow-billed cuckoo as the “rain crow” or “storm crow” because its guttural “ka-ka-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp” seems to be…
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Human Race set for June 11
 

Human Race set for June 11

The Human Race 5K Road Race/Walk is scheduled for 8 a.m. on June 11 at the Waynesville Middle School. The…
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4-H summer golf day camp
 

4-H summer golf day camp

The 4-H Summer Golf Day Camp will be each Thursday beginning June 9 through July 28. The day camp is…
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Bicycle survey to help cyclists
 

Bicycle survey to help cyclists

A short online survey to help guide a new comprehensive bicycle plan for Haywood County is available for completion at…
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Lifeguard training and swimming lessons
 

Lifeguard training and swimming lessons

Lifeguard training and group swimming lessons will be provided by Medwest Health & Fitness Center beginning June 2 and June…
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Comment

AT under attack from invasives
 

AT under attack from invasives

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy needs volunteers to eradicate invasive plants choking out native flora on the AT in Graham County…
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Pinnacle Park profiled for Trails Day
 

Pinnacle Park profiled for Trails Day

A discussion about the future of Pinnacle Park outside Sylva will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 4, followed…
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Comment

Explore nature with young children
 

Explore nature with young children

“Growing Up Wild,” a free professional development workshop sponsored by Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District for educators who work…
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“Go Native” in your backyard
 

“Go Native” in your backyard

“From Mowing to Growing,” a workshop with Sara Martin, a biology instructor at Haywood Community College with a B.A. in…
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Comment

Catch a runner’s view of Sylva’s Main
 

Catch a runner’s view of Sylva’s Main

The Main Street Mile, a series of 1-mile races highlighting the state’s Main Street Program, will hit the streets of…
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Picnic with WATR
 

Picnic with WATR

The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River will hold its fifth-annual summer picnic at 6 p.m. Friday, June 10, on…
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Summer Daze
 

Summer Daze

Soccer balls litter the yard, my wife is auditioning for NASCAR on the lawn mower and I am following the…
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Comment

Black bear festival coming up in Highlands
 

Black bear festival coming up in Highlands

A Mountain Black Bear Festival is set for June 10 and 11 at the Highlands Civic/Recreation Center, featuring exhibits, artisans…
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Comment

Outsider Art: Franklin’s Bill Lea is a nationally recognized nature photographer
 

Outsider Art: Franklin’s Bill Lea is a nationally recognized nature photographer

It started out simply enough. Fresh out of college on his new job in Vicksburg, Miss., on the banks of…
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Author explores hidden local history
 

Author explores hidden local history

Author Alice Sink will read from her new book, Hidden History of the Western North Carolina Mountains, at 1 p.m.…
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Comment

Crowe and Dawson release children’s book
 

Crowe and Dawson release children’s book

Jackson County writer Thomas Crowe and illustrator Marilyn K. Dawson will celebrate the publication of their children’s book, The Wake…
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Comment

Liar's Bench moves to WCU venue
 

Liar's Bench moves to WCU venue

The Liar’s Bench has been adopted by the Mountain Heritage Center The one-year anniversary of The Liar’s Bench will be…
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Comment

The story of a modern-day oracle
 

The story of a modern-day oracle

Occasionally, books are published in the U. S. that can best be described as “oddities” which acquire a kind of…
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Comment

Protect wilderness before legislation makes it too late
 

Protect wilderness before legislation makes it too late

When Congress passed the Wilderness Act back in 1964, it immediately became one of the most important pieces of conservation…
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Comment

Radical Senate budget crippling NC’s future
 

Radical Senate budget crippling NC’s future

To the Editor: The fact that Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, refers to the radical budget being proposed down in Raleigh…
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Comment

Profit motive should not be driving education
 

Profit motive should not be driving education

To the Editor: It appears that the radical Republicans in control of the N.C. legislature are starving funding for public…
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Comment

Education cuts will harm student, schools
 

Education cuts will harm student, schools

To the Editor: Republicans are cutting off education from beginning to end in North Carolina. The new cuts will take…
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Comment

Junaluska garden is indeed a gem
 

Junaluska garden is indeed a gem

To the Editor: This letter is further comment on Quintin Ellison’s column about the Corneille Bryan Native Garden at Lake…
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Just where are all the promised jobs?
 

Just where are all the promised jobs?

To the Editor: Republican Sens. Ralph Hise, R-Spruce Pine, and Jim Davis, R-Franklin, promised “jobs, jobs, jobs” and “better times”…
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Comment

Commissioner right to question SCC road
 

Commissioner right to question SCC road

To the Editor: Jackson County Commissioner Jack Debnam’s recent comments on the proposed SCC spur road are valid and show…
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Comment

Life lessons learned in the barnyard
 

Life lessons learned in the barnyard

Goats view a gate left open as a passageway to excitement. And it is exciting, too, for the goat keeper,…
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