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America, mile by mile: Cross-country trip reveals country’s beauty, diversity
Back when the trip was a new idea, I don’t think either of us took it seriously. Three weeks on…
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Motorcycle accident results in fatality
A motorcycle fatality occurred on Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shortly after 5 p.m. Monday,…
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Man drowns after rescuing minor
A visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park perished last week when he tried to save a younger family…
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LEGOs in the garden
The arrival of the N.C. Arboretum’s newest exhibit was delayed due to COVID-19, but Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks…
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Butterfly murals installed in Cullowhee garden
Four larger-than-life butterflies now greet visitors as they enter the Cullowhee Community Garden, each representing a species that helps pollinate…
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Planning effort seeks to form regional multi-use trail network
A plan that would create a 150-mile-plus trail network through Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties is now out…
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The secretive, intelligent and prolific crow
Like most commonly observed objects, crows flit across our field of vision unheeded. Caw-caw-cawing unmusically … flap-flap-flapping over the fields…
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Redemption and Occasional Magic: two books of inspiration
Many readers are familiar with his story. Johnny Cash, also known in later life as “The Man in Black,” grew…
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Groovin’ On the Green canceled
The Village Green has announced that the Friday night summer concert series, Groovin’ On the Green is canceled for the…
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This must be the place: ‘Don’t let ‘em pick guitars and drive them old trucks’
Sitting in the back den of my parents’ Upstate New York farmhouse last week, I could hear the familiar sounds…
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Pandemic changes WNC’s Independence Day tourism
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | In the past, the Fourth of July holiday has been counted on to…
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Outdoor adventures reopen in WNC
The Coronavirus Pandemic and ensuing shutdown means folks have been spending most of their time at home for the last…
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Customer service should be a powerful connection
By Gerri Wolfe Grady • Special to SMN | Customer service is an important commodity for any business and particularly…
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‘The arts will always be open’: Bardo Arts Center adapts to remote audience
By Andrew Dundas • Contributing writer | This fall, Western Carolina University’s John W. Bardo Fine & Performing Arts Center…
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It’s Cawthorn in NC11 after runoff blowout
How, exactly, does someone lose a Primary Election in which they have almost a year’s exclusive advance knowledge of the…
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‘Back the Badge’ rally comes to Waynesville
Last week, as demonstrations were taking place across the nation to call attention to police brutality and racial injustice, Canton…
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Maggie Valley starts planning process for waterfall park
When tourists visit this region, many of them come seeking the beauty and awe of the waterfalls that decorate the…
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Cherokee has second COVID-related death; Macon experiences nursing home ‘outbreak’
As of June 30, North Carolina had 64,670 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The death toll is now over 1,300 and…
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DOT revises plan for Dillsboro bridge project
Plans for a $14 million bridge project in Dillsboro have changed, with the project now expected to take nine months…
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WCU removes name 'Hoey' from auditorium
The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution removing the name “Hoey” from a campus performance facility.
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DA searches for larger substitute courtrooms during COVID
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said across the 43rd Prosecutorial District, in the state’s seven most-westernmost counties, court officials are…
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Additional COVID-19 cases confirmed in Haywood
Haywood County Public Health received notice on June 26 that three more Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19. …
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Lake Junaluska opens new restaurant
The Terrace Bistro has opened at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, offering a rare lakeside dining option in…
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Drowning occurs near Oconaluftee Visitor Center
At approximately 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers responded to a drowning in progress…
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Grandfather Mountain mourns loss of Gerry the black bear
On Saturday, June 20, Grandfather Mountain bid farewell to Gerry the black bear. Gerry was humanely euthanized following a long history of…
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Jackson County budget passes without tax cut
Following a June 23 public hearing, Jackson County Commissioners voted to pass the proposed 2020-21 budget without any of the…
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SRCA approves preliminary plans for $15 million facility
According to a press release, Shining Rock Classical Academy board of directors recently unanimous voted to accept the architectural designs…
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COVID-19 outbreak at Macon nursing home
Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 outbreak in staff at Macon Valley Nursing Home. Two staff members of…
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No Phase 3 for NC
North Carolina’s graduated three-phase COVID-19 reopening plan was set to cruise into Phase 3 on June 26, but due to…
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Box turtles can live 120 years
Five turtle species reside in Western North Carolina: snapping, musk, and painted turtles are primarily found in streams, lakes, and…
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Hiker fatality in the Smokies
A hiker on the Abrams Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park died following a cardiac event Monday,…
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Senate votes to fund conservation needs
Outdoors groups are hailing a recent vote by the U.S. Senate to pass legislation supporting funding for public lands as…
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Campgrounds, rec areas reopen in the Pisgah
New re-openings have been announced for the Pisgah National Forest.
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Writer argues that common sense is not so common
“At the heart of this wonderful book by Robert Curry is the simple belief that you as a human being…
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Nurturing the creative flame: Haywood County Arts Council holds steady during pandemic
Back in January, the Haywood County Arts Council was setting itself up for another year of growth, creatively and financially.…
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This must be the place: Acadian driftwood gypsy tailwind, they call my home the land of snow
It’s been a wild and wondrous thing to be able to wander around my native North Country right now: to…
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BearWaters welcomes Grey Eagle Taqueria to Canton
BearWaters Brewing in Canton has announced a new partnership with longstanding Asheville taqueria and music hall The Grey Eagle this…
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Restorative justice helps all involved
To the Editor: Seeing people take to the streets to demand reform of the police system is gratifying. Yes, we…
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Considerations for racial justice policies
To the Editor: All candidates for office: please, please reimagine justice for everyone and provide us a clear and comprehensive…
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For news, look beyond ‘The Frame’
To the Editor: The “Frame” is the view of the world news you get from the Main-Stream Media (MSM). The…
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Looking for answers in a time of uncertainty
By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist | I am in the market for a good, slightly used, Ouija Board. I…
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Walter moves on to a far greener cow pasture
Maybe we should have named our beagle-mix Lazarus, so often did he seemingly come back from the dead over the…
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Gateway to recreation: Canton begins planning for 448-acre outdoor park
The 448-acre woodland property sitting right off U.S. 23/19 and Interstate 40 near Canton was almost a speedway. Then, it…
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State allocates $26 million for families
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that the state’s Community Action Agencies have begun to…
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DA wants to close DWI loophole
Speaking in Raleigh, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch this week urged members of the N.C. Senate Judiciary Committee to close…
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Future of Haywood lynching monument becoming clear
While much of the nation is talking about removing monuments, the discussion in one Western North Carolina county is also…
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Of meth and motherhood: Two stories of addiction, family and recovery
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Few issues raise as much political ire in Western North Carolina as that…
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School surveys reveal lack of internet connectivity
As schools shut down during the pandemic, students were sent home and instructed to tune in online. Chromebooks were loaned…
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Consortium formed to address affordable housing in WNC
Seven counties in Western North Carolina have the opportunity to band together and receive money for affordable housing through the…
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