Swain sheriff receives federal grant
 

Swain sheriff receives federal grant

The Swain County Sheriff’s Office has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice under the 2010 COPS Hiring…
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New Choices moves to REACH thrift store
 

New Choices moves to REACH thrift store

The job training and life skills program, sponsored by REACH of Jackson County, has moved from its original location at…
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Golf tournament to benefit REACH
 

Golf tournament to benefit REACH

A golf tournament will be held Monday, Oct. 18, at Highlands Falls Country Club in Highlands. Registration begins at 9…
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Haywood Hospice volunteer training
 

Haywood Hospice volunteer training

Training for hospice is scheduled for the end of this month at Lake Junaluska First Baptist Church. Haywood Regional Medical…
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Candidates forum held in Franklin
 

Candidates forum held in Franklin

A forum for Macon County Commissioner candidates will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Macon County at…
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As American as apple pie
 

As American as apple pie

On a chilly Wednesday night in early October, the small parking lot of the North Hominy Community Center in Haywood…
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Big lot mandate hampers housing growth in Sylva
 

Big lot mandate hampers housing growth in Sylva

Residential density is coming under scrutiny in Sylva after town leaders learned they require larger lots than most similar-sized towns.
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Sylva merchant fights back against employee parking ban downtown
 

Sylva merchant fights back against employee parking ban downtown

Dodie Allen might be an unlikely hero for those business owners and downtown employees in Sylva who believe a new…
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Brazilian energy company to set up shop on WCU campus
 

Brazilian energy company to set up shop on WCU campus

A partnership between Western Carolina University and a Brazilian-based company could eventually result in up to 300 new jobs for…
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Search for new chancellor could be silent process
 

Search for new chancellor could be silent process

A national search for a new Western Carolina University chancellor will start immediately following longtime leader John Bardo’s announcement this…
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WCU chancellor to retire
 

WCU chancellor to retire

John Bardo, chancellor of Western North Carolina since 1995, announced this week he would step down. It’s been an extraordinarily…
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Franklin gets reprieve from oversized radio tower
 

Franklin gets reprieve from oversized radio tower

A radio tower that caused an outcry in Franklin because of its height — 471 feet — and its location…
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Late-night shuttle to keep  drunken WCU students off the road
 

Late-night shuttle to keep drunken WCU students off the road

The “buzz bus” soon will be ferrying students from bars in Sylva back to the Western Carolina University campus.
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Western caught in crosshairs of First Amendment battle
 

Western caught in crosshairs of First Amendment battle

A First Amendment battle is not what Western Carolina University senior Justin Caudell expected when he returned to campus this…
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WCU student paper accused of plagiarism
 

WCU student paper accused of plagiarism

Though The Sylva Herald and the Western Carolinian are still at odds about whether plagiarism occurred this summer, The Smoky…
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Lake Junaluska Multicultural Conference early registration approaches
 

Lake Junaluska Multicultural Conference early registration approaches

A conference at Lake Janaluska Dec. 2-4 will be, “Embracing Christ’s Multi-Ethnic Body: Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges.” This…
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Few takers step up to run Haywood’s landfill
 

Few takers step up to run Haywood’s landfill

Selling space in the Haywood County landfill might not be the windfall some county leaders were hoping for.
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Homeowners in limbo as sides volley blame in Maggie landslide lawsuit
 

Homeowners in limbo as sides volley blame in Maggie landslide lawsuit

The latest filing in a lawsuit over the massive landslide in Maggie Valley last winter claims the collapse of the…
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Welcome fall during Fall Colors Festival
 

Welcome fall during Fall Colors Festival

The famous Inspirations Gospel group will welcome fall at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin on…
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Brass quintet presents free concert Oct. 26
 

Brass quintet presents free concert Oct. 26

The Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet will perform a free concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, in the recital hall…
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Daylong marching band contest Oct. 16 at WCU
 

Daylong marching band contest Oct. 16 at WCU

Approximately 3,500 students from 23 high schools will compete for top marching band honors during a daylong competition Saturday, Oct.…
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Eaglenest hosts Mountain Music Jamboree Oct. 15-16
 

Eaglenest hosts Mountain Music Jamboree Oct. 15-16

The Fourth Annual Mountain Music Jamboree at Eaglenest Entertainment in Maggie Valley is Oct. 15-16 and will feature several well-known…
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Macon’s Gemboree planned for Oct. 15-17
 

Macon’s Gemboree planned for Oct. 15-17

The 21st Annual Leaf Lookers Gemboree will be held Oct. 15-17 at the Macon County Community Building just south of…
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‘Twelve Angry Jurors’ returns for encore performance
 

‘Twelve Angry Jurors’ returns for encore performance

The Smoky Mountain Community Theatre’s fall production will be “Twelve Angry Jurors – The Encore.” The play was performed in…
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Beadle to speak on Haywood history Oct. 17
 

Beadle to speak on Haywood history Oct. 17

Haywood County writer Michael Beadle will give a program on Haywood County history at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 17,…
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Classic trucks roll into Cherokee Oct. 15
 

Classic trucks roll into Cherokee Oct. 15

The 5th Annual Big Rigs and Antique Trucks Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct.…
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Haywood Apple Harvest Festival returns Oct. 16
 

Haywood Apple Harvest Festival returns Oct. 16

The 22nd annual Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 16,…
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It’s chili season
 

It’s chili season

Bryson City The 20th annual Bryson City Chili Cook-off will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 16…
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Smythe sets up shop in downtown Sylva
 

Smythe sets up shop in downtown Sylva

Artist James Smythe has opened a new upstairs art studio in the Downtowner Building at 563 West Main Street in…
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Learn art mold making at Green Energy Park
 

Learn art mold making at Green Energy Park

The Green Energy Park in Jackson County will hold a two-part mold making workshop Oct. 18 and Oct. 22. Experienced…
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Gallery 86 to host national juried pastel show
 

Gallery 86 to host national juried pastel show

The Haywood County Arts Council will host the Appalachian Pastel Society’s second National Juried Exhibition beginning Wednesday, Oct. 20, through…
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Two Cherokee artists featured in OICA Gallery
 

Two Cherokee artists featured in OICA Gallery

The Gallery at Southwestern Community College’s Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts will feature two Cherokee artists in October as part…
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Taking ownership: Exhibit explores the exploitation of Native American stereotypes
 

Taking ownership: Exhibit explores the exploitation of Native American stereotypes

By Leon Grodski de Barrera • Guest writer There are a lot of ways to spin Christopher Columbus’ accomplishments or…
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Dialect of the southern highlands
 

Dialect of the southern highlands

I’m no expert on regional linguistics, but through the years I have delighted in the dialect English still spoken here…
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Wildlife-friendly subdivisions encouraged
 

Wildlife-friendly subdivisions encouraged

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, along with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and the North Carolina chapter of the American…
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Rabies vaccine kibbles to be scattered by air
 

Rabies vaccine kibbles to be scattered by air

Raccoons across WNC may stumble upon unexpected tasty treats this week: fish-flavored morsels containing an oral rabies vaccine. More than…
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Paddling put-in on Nantahala gets makeover
 

Paddling put-in on Nantahala gets makeover

A put-in on the Nantahala River that had seen better days has gotten a stunning new makeover. The put-in at…
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Gear up for Franklin’s Halloween Hunard charity bike ride
 

Gear up for Franklin’s Halloween Hunard charity bike ride

Bicyclists, ghosts and goblins will be on the road for the Tour de Franklin “Halloween Hunard” charity bicycle ride on…
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Local disc golf course to star in regional tournament
 

Local disc golf course to star in regional tournament

Parks and rec departments around WNC are jointly hosting a unique disc golf tournament for the first time ever on…
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Program to offer armchair journey of Bartram’s Trail
 

Program to offer armchair journey of Bartram’s Trail

An outdoor author who embarked on a modern day pilgrimage to follow in the footsteps of William Bartram, a naturalist…
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Icelandic National Park connects with the Smokies, Parkway
 

Icelandic National Park connects with the Smokies, Parkway

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway are playing host to a visiting entourage from Iceland,…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

Foggy fall morning at Lake Junaluska I decided to get out and get a breath of autumn air this morning…
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Shadow of the bear in Jackson County
 

Shadow of the bear in Jackson County

The “shadow of the bear,” located in southern Jackson County near Cashiers, will be visible for 30 minutes daily between…
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Lace up for the Bethel Half Marathon
 

Lace up for the Bethel Half Marathon

The 17th annual Bethel Half Marathon and 5K race will be held Saturday, Oct. 9. The two routes follow back…
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Benton MacKaye trail celebrates milestone
 

Benton MacKaye trail celebrates milestone

By Reggie Jay • Guest writer As the Benton MacKaye Trail turns 30 this year, a dedicated group of volunteers…
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Art and authors at Blue Ridge Books
 

Art and authors at Blue Ridge Books

Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville is offering a full lineup of special events this month. For more information on any…
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REACH gets help from local book author
 

REACH gets help from local book author

Mary J. Messer, author of Moonshiner’s Daughter, the recently published Haywood County based Appalachian memoir, presented a check to REACH…
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Crews’ world is full of blood and bone
 

Crews’ world is full of blood and bone

Getting Naked with Harry Crews, edited by Erik Bledsoe. University of Florida Press, 1998. The first time I ever heard…
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The resurrection will arrive, sayeth the gardeners
 

The resurrection will arrive, sayeth the gardeners

There is a story about Katharine White — an editor and writer for The New Yorker magazine — that I…
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Give Obama more time to succeed
 

Give Obama more time to succeed

To the Editor: I am going to the dentist in the coming week. As a self-employed artist and educator, I…
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