Mean Mary. File photo
 

Mean Mary returns to Classic Wineseller

Americana/indie singer-songwriter Mean Mary will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 
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When history really does repeat itself
 

When history really does repeat itself

Recently someone described me as a “longtime columnist for the Smoky Mountain News,” which made me realize I’ve been sharing…
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To be a moderate takes real courage
 

To be a moderate takes real courage

One good thing about being skeptical of your own opinions is that if the wrong candidate wins you can reassure…
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We should support individual freedom
 

We should support individual freedom

To the Editor: This writing is not the product of extensive research. It is an opinion. The opinion of an…
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Trump masterfully uses false fears
 

Trump masterfully uses false fears

To the Editor: I’m writing in response to the “Democrats try to scare voters” letter in the May 8 edition…
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Once heart beats, life begins
 

Once heart beats, life begins

To the Editor: I’ve never written a letter to an editor but I cannot sit silent after reading Mr. Hoffman’s…
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Mountain Projects Executive Director Patsy Davis speaks to the crowd at the NCCAA conference. Donated photo
 

Community Action conference comes to WNC: The annual conference paid special homage to several regional leaders

True freedom isn’t attainable without economic freedom. This was the central theme of the 2024 North Carolina Community Action Association’s…
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Democrats rallied for reproductive rights and healthcare at a May 11 event in Franklin. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Western Dems sense an opportunity on abortion

It’s been just over two years since a leaked draft opinion suggested the U.S. Supreme Court would vote to overturn…
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Tribal Council made it clear it still plans on voting for recreational adult use of marijuana next month. File photo
 

EBCI inches toward adult marijuana use

Adults may soon be able to purchase marijuana for recreational use from Cherokee’s new dispensary.  At a work session last…
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Trans person filmed in WCU bathroom
 

Trans person filmed in WCU bathroom

In its final week of classes, Western Carolina University became the subject of a video that went viral on social…
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Jackson, Swain refuse proposed FRL agreement changes
 

Jackson, Swain refuse proposed FRL agreement changes

Neither Jackson County nor Swain County commissions have agreed to approve the changes Macon County proposed to the Fontana Regional…
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Andrue Smith was among the first group of graduates from the Call Me MiSTER program. Donated photo
 

WCU Call Me MiSTER program graduates its first cohort

When Andrue Smith walks across the stage this spring after earning his bachelor’s degree in middle grades education and history,…
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Sylva budgets for future uncertainty
 

Sylva budgets for future uncertainty

The Town of Sylva will not see a tax increase for the coming budget cycle, but with work looming on…
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WOW members (left to right) Jessi Stone, Katie Vanderpool and Celeste Ybanez don their Dolly Parton wigs during the 2024 Mardi Gras Ball fundraiser for Haywood County Schools Foundation. Donated photo
 

WOW to host country karaoke fundraiser

Women of Waynesville will host a “Queens of Country” themed karaoke party starting at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24, at…
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U.S. Attorney’s office announces action against Money Mules
 

U.S. Attorney’s office announces action against Money Mules

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of North Carolina announced the completion of the Money Mule Initiative, an…
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Gary Carden. File photo
 

Discounted preorder for Gary Carden’s memoir now available

Legendary Western North Carolina storyteller Gary Carden is at it again, this time, with a new memoir due out from…
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Shannon Swimmer named director of WCU Cherokee Center
 

Shannon Swimmer named director of WCU Cherokee Center

Shannon Swimmer received a master’s degree in human resource management from Western Carolina University in 2007. After several years working…
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Smoky Mountain Host celebrates 36 years
 

Smoky Mountain Host celebrates 36 years

The Smoky Mountain Host held its annual meeting on May 1 at Harrah’s Conference Ballroom, bringing together businesses from across the seven…
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Donovan, a spirited third-grade student from Junaluska Elementary School, has been crowned the champion for his imaginative suggestion, ‘Rowdy’ the Raccoon. Donated photo
 

Third-grader names new bike park mascot

Donovan, a spirited third-grade student from Junaluska Elementary School, is the winner of the mascot naming contest for the upcoming…
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Compost can help reduce waste while improving soil. Donated photo
 

Haywood Extension composting class

Bonnie Refinski-Knight, an N.C. State Extension Master Gardner volunteer, will host a presentation on composting. The class will include an…
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Hazardous waste collection event
 

Hazardous waste collection event

The Haywood County Solid Waste Department will be holding a spring household hazardous waste collection event from 9 a.m. to…
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SAHC marks 50 years
 

SAHC marks 50 years

Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) is celebrating 50 years of conserving clean water, plant and wildlife habitat, farmland and scenic…
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The sale will feature a broad selection of plants. Donated photo
 

Macon Master Gardeners to host plant sale

Come out to the Macon County Master Gardener Association’s plant sale. 
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The daily bag limit for Canada geese will decrease this year. Stock photo
 

North Carolina migratory bird seasons released

Officials with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission have announced the approved season dates, bag limits and applicable regulations for the…
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EBCI wins award for outstanding water protection
 

EBCI wins award for outstanding water protection

The N.C. Source Water Collaborative — a statewide drinking water protection group — has announced the winners of the Source…
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Managing invasive species: Plant removal begins in Pinnacle Park
 

Managing invasive species: Plant removal begins in Pinnacle Park

After a botanical survey identified the location of several invasive species in Jackson County’s Pinnacle Park, work has begun to…
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Potential problems with Pactiv’s wastewater treatment plant in Canton are being reported by area residents.
 

Canton leaders make ‘big stink’ over big stink

Festering frustration with nearly every aspect of Pactiv Evergreen’s actions taken in closing its Canton paper mill a year ago…
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Amy Ray will play Asheville May 18. Sandlin Gaither photo
 

Sure feels good anyway: A conversation with Amy Ray

A true mark of an artist is how well they age.  Not simply by the passing years on the calendar,…
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The Lonesome River Band will play Black Mountain May 19. File photo
 

Steve Sutton Memorial Festival

There will be a special concert in memory of late Haywood County banjo great Steve Sutton kicking off at 2…
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Good medicine and Mother’s Day — a book, a poem
 

Good medicine and Mother’s Day — a book, a poem

All of us, to one extent or another, make our way through a world of unexamined phenomena.  It’s a complex…
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Whole Bloomin' Thing returns to Waynesville May 11. File photo
 

Whole Bloomin’ Thing Festival

The 21st annual Whole Bloomin’ Thing Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11, in…
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Do you like strawberries?
 

Do you like strawberries?

The 22nd annual Strawberry Jam festival will be held May 18-19 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. 
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Leonidas Lagrimas will play Franklin May 12. Donated photo
 

Mother’s Day piano concert

Leonidas Lagrimas will present “Musical Storytellers: A Piano Recital” at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, at the First Presbyterian Church…
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'The Secret Garden' will play at HART this spring. Donated photo
 

HART presents ‘The Secret Garden’

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will open its 40th season with the enchanting Tony Award-winning musical “The Secret Garden,” which…
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Andrew Wakefield. File photo
 

Indie, folk at Innovation

Singer-songwriter Andrew Wakefield will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva.
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A special gem show will be in Franklin May 17-19. File photo
 

Ready for the ‘May Gemboree’?

The “May Gemboree” will be held May 17-19 at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. 
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Ann Jobe.
 

‘And So I Run’ reading in Franklin

Author Anne Jobe will be hosting a special reading at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, at the Macon County Public…
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Change is coming, and things will change
 

Change is coming, and things will change

What happens when the those with the most chips in the game only have a partial stake in it? In…
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Sorry, fertilized eggs are not living beings
 

Sorry, fertilized eggs are not living beings

It is time to have a fact-based discussion about the biology and history of our knowledge about human reproduction. Much…
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Religious tolerance should be celebrated
 

Religious tolerance should be celebrated

To the Editor: “In the beginning God created ….” Do you recognize those famous words? Many people do. They are…
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Democrats try to scare voters
 

Democrats try to scare voters

To the Editor: In a letter in SMN’s April 10 edition, a former official of the Haywood County Democratic Party…
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Surface water spills on the Pigeon River near Canton’s shuttered paper mill have been the EPA’s focus. File photo
 

Bringing in the feds: EPA agreement mandates elements of Canton mill cleanup

Pactiv Evergreen, owner of the shuttered papermill in Canton, has been working to clean up two separate seeps leaking toxic…
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Corporate leaders from Pactiv Evergreen reported company performance and spoke with industry analysts on a May 3 earnings call. Pactiv Evergreen photo
 

Paying the price: Pactiv passed up millions in revenue to close Canton paper mill

Amid ongoing restructuring, Pactiv Evergreen presented its first quarter earnings report on May 2, missing earnings targets and revealing flagging…
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The Catamount School will move from Smoky Mountain High School to WCU this fall. File photo
 

Catamount School will move to WCU campus

The Catamount School, a laboratory school operating on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School, will relocate to the campus…
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Western Carolina University students in the School of Nursing are benefiting from the newly established Conway Scholars program. Donated photo
 

WCU nursing school receives grant: $2.1 million will launch 'Conway Scholars' initiative

The Western Carolina University School of Nursing in Cullowhee is the recipient of a $2 million contribution from the Bedford…
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Kristy Parton took a huge step forward toward becoming a District Court Judge. Donated photo
 

With Superior Court seat filled, steps taken to address District Court vacancy

There have been a lot of questions regarding the future of Western North Carolina’s judges over the last year or…
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Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead presents  his proposed budget to Haywood County Commissioners. Haywood County photo
 

No tax increase proposed in Haywood budget

With jail expansion debt payments coming on the books and lingering questions about one of the county’s biggest taxpayers, Haywood…
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HCC Construction Technology students build shed platforms for Waynesville HousingAuthority houses. Corey Isbell Photo
 

HCC construction technology students support the Waynesville Housing Authority

Haywood Community College Construction Technology students recently helped the Waynesville Housing Authority add much-needed storage behind several homes in the…
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Haywood County Schools to bring back middle school academy
 

Haywood County Schools to bring back middle school academy

The Academy, an alternative service for middle grades students, will return to Haywood County Schools in the coming year as…
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Cherokee man sentenced for assaults, firearms offense
 

Cherokee man sentenced for assaults, firearms offense

Martin Medina, 32, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been sentenced to 14 years in…
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