When life comes full circle
 

When life comes full circle

When I was 7 years old, my dad spent hours assembling my Strawberry Shortcake dollhouse, taking time to ensure every…
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Cultivating visibility for WNC farmworkers
 

Cultivating visibility for WNC farmworkers

Fall is upon us and so are the beautiful colors and seasonal customs of our region. Just thinking of tomato…
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TVA: No new floating home construction on the water
 

TVA: No new floating home construction on the water

It’s been about three years since the Tennessee Valley Authority tried to remove all floating homes on its 49 lakes.
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Money was a motivator for botanical exploration
 

Money was a motivator for botanical exploration

Editor’s note: This column first appeared in an October 2003 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. The economic considerations behind the…
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More land conserved at Highlands of Roan
 

More land conserved at Highlands of Roan

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has purchased 62 acres at Doll Branch in the Highlands of Roan, an acquisition that…
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Report pine snake sightings
 

Report pine snake sightings

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wants to know about pine snake sightings in North Carolina, found mostly in the southwestern…
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Conservation purchase will protect elk, other wildlife on I-40
 

Conservation purchase will protect elk, other wildlife on I-40

A 187-acre conservation purchase in Haywood County will allow for wildlife grazing and movement near Interstate 40.
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Youth learn life lessons from bees
 

Youth learn life lessons from bees

Students in the HIGHTS program, which works with vulnerable youth and their families in Western North Carolina, learn about more…
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That Month In Tuscany serves up romance and adventure
 

That Month In Tuscany serves up romance and adventure

At the public library that is my third home — my first home is a basement apartment, and my second…
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Canton alderman candidate backs out of race
 

Canton alderman candidate backs out of race

The race to fill an unexpired aldermanic seat in Canton just got a lot easier for Pisgah High School science…
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This must be the place: Seen so many places, still don’t know where I’m bound
 

This must be the place: Seen so many places, still don’t know where I’m bound

My 2019 festival season is over as of this past Sunday night at the “Blue Ridge Jam” at Pisgah Brewing…
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Charlie Parr.
 

Running jumping standing still: A conversation with Charlie Parr

In the matter of a song, Charlie Parr can make you laugh and cry, all while finding simple meanings and…
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Sylva candidate drops out of race
 

Sylva candidate drops out of race

This year Sylva voters will be given a ballot listing six possible names for three open seats on the town’s…
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Election protest denied in Cherokee
 

Election protest denied in Cherokee

After coming up short in the General Election Sept. 5, principal chief candidate Teresa McCoy filed an election protest Sept.…
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Jackson Republicans push for commissioner removal
 

Jackson Republicans push for commissioner removal

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners has gathered to conduct official business on 14 days since June began, but Commissioner…
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New leaders inaugurated in Cherokee
 

New leaders inaugurated in Cherokee

A new chapter in tribal government began this week when the winners of September’s General Election were sworn in before…
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Billy Graham left legacy of humility, compassion, unity
 

Billy Graham left legacy of humility, compassion, unity

 Billy Graham was just a local preacher from Montreat the first time that the Methodist Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat…
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Speaker of the House Tim Moore (center) tours Western Carolina University’s old steam plant with (left to right) WCU Board of Trustees Member Tim Haskett, Jackson County Commissioner Ron Mau, WCU Chancellor Kelly Brown, Sen. Jim Davis and Rep. Kevin Corbin.
 

Budget stalemate could leave WCU out in the cold

Like all of North Carolina’s universities, Western Carolina University in Cullowhee has some pressing capital project funding needs that aren’t…
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Franklin Graham talks impeachment, evangelism prior to Decision America Tour stop in Asheville
 

Franklin Graham talks impeachment, evangelism prior to Decision America Tour stop in Asheville

  Had he any other man for a father, William Franklin Graham III might still have become known as a…
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BearWaters Brewing wins medal, announces expansion
 

BearWaters Brewing wins medal, announces expansion

Western North Carolina’s brewery scene is a crowded, competitive place, but thanks to Canton-based BearWaters Brewing, Haywood County’s own small…
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Drought worsens in North Carolina
 

Drought worsens in North Carolina

Drought has deepened throughout Central and Western North Carolina, according to a new map published today.
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Here’s the truth about immigration
 

Here’s the truth about immigration

By Paul Strop • Guest Columnist I read with interest a recent letter expressing concerns about immigration, truly one of the…
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We must be honest about adolescent addiction
 

We must be honest about adolescent addiction

By Beth Young • Guest Columnist “It’s just a phase.” “They are just being teenagers.” “I drank when I was their…
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Surprisingly, we were able to pull it off
 

Surprisingly, we were able to pull it off

Before we go any further, let me be clear: I am not the guy you want to put in charge…
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The Naturalist's Corner: A tale of two monarchs
 

The Naturalist's Corner: A tale of two monarchs

I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway last weekend scouting for an upcoming Alarka Expeditions trip, “Migration Celebration” which will…
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Morning sun shines through the trees upslope from Judaculla Rock. Holly Kays photos
 

Gift of the Mountains: Rooted in the Mountains connects Cherokee past and global future

It was an hour and a half after sunrise, and the day’s first rays had not yet touched Judaculla Rock,…
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Two killed in Smokies car crash
 

Two killed in Smokies car crash

Two people died during a three-vehicle collision at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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The N.C. Drought Monitor map is updataed every Thursday, with this most recent map published Sept. 26. NCDM map
 

Drought arrives in the mountains

A ban on backcountry fires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was announced Sept. 26 following the release of…
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Dr. Joe Lee, the first African-American park naturalist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (right), stands with current Smokies Superintendent Cassius Cash. NPS photo
 

Park recognizes first African-American naturalist

Florida resident Dr. Joe Lee earned recognition recently for his role as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s first African-American…
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Learning American history through songs
 

Learning American history through songs

In February 2019, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation released the results of a nationwide poll of 41,000 Americans testing…
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Balsam Range. David Simchock photo
 

In search of that ‘high, lonesome sound’: IBMA awards showcase celebrates 30 years

Just before he entered the main auditorium of the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh this past…
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This must be the place: Breakin’ ties that you’d grown, catchin’ dreams from the clouds
 

This must be the place: Breakin’ ties that you’d grown, catchin’ dreams from the clouds

The crisp air now wafts into the open windows of my quiet apartment in downtown Waynesville. The ushering in of…
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Fontana Regional reflects on 75 years
 

Fontana Regional reflects on 75 years

What started as a traveling bookmobile 75 years ago has now evolved into a regional system of six library branches.…
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With victim advocate Ruby Lawrence in the center, board members Mary Ann Lochner (from left), Bob Cochran, Heather Baker and Marsha Lee Baker stand in the office of Jackson County’s Center for Domestic Peace, which operates in partnership with REACH of Macon County. Holly Kays photo
 

Jackson’s domestic violence agency aims for independence

The Center for Domestic Peace — the successor to REACH of Jackson County — is hoping to take over domestic violence…
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Waynesville to review appearance standards
 

Waynesville to review appearance standards

Within the multi-layered strata of American governance, many people assume that the nation’s most sacred values — liberty and justice…
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Aaron Littlefield addresses the Sylva town board Sept. 12. Holly Kays photo
 

Sylva strikes down annexation request

Sylva’s town board voted unanimously Sept. 12 to deny a petition from Dillardtown resident Aaron Littlefield to have his property…
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 WCU’s new residential facility, Levern Hamlin Allen Hall, opened to students with the start of the fall semester. Levern Hamlin Allen speaks to the audience at the Sept. 5 dedication event. WCU photo
 

WCU honors first black student

Nearly 300 members of the Western Carolina University community came together Thursday, Sept. 5, to dedicate the campus’s newest residence…
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Tribal Council approves Cannabis Commission in Cherokee
 

Tribal Council approves Cannabis Commission in Cherokee

UPDATE: Principal Chief Richard Sneed vetoed this resolution on Oct. 2, after The Smoky Mountain News' press time. Tribal Council will…
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A map shows Little T Broadband’s proposed service areas for high-speed internet service. Courtesy of Little T Broadband.
 

Macon approves funding for broadband projects

Getting impatient waiting for private providers or the government to help in the effort to bring high-speed internet service to…
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Dan Harbaugh led the Tuckseigee Water and Sewer Authority from July 2012 to September 2019. File photo
 

Harbaugh resigns as TWSA director

After more than seven years at the helm, Dan Harbaugh has left his role as executive director of the Tuckasiegee…
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All 13 N.C. congressional districts, including the two westernomst, are the subject of a gerrymandering suit. Donated photo
 

Lawsuit could redraw North Carolina Congressional Districts

As expected, a lawsuit alleging partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina’s congressional districts will utilize some of the same arguments that…
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Ghost Town under contract again
 

Ghost Town under contract again

Beloved but long-shuttered Maggie Valley mountaintop amusement park Ghost Town in the Sky is once again under contract, giving new…
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Mumps outbreak reported at N.C. universities
 

Mumps outbreak reported at N.C. universities

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging all North Carolinians to make sure they…
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The N.C. Drought Monitor's newest drought map was released today.
 

Drought arrives in Western North Carolina

A ban on backcountry fires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was announced today following the release of a…
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Haywood investigates Legionella case
 

Haywood investigates Legionella case

Haywood County Public Health, in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is investigating a case…
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Price tag for new central office is mighty high
 

Price tag for new central office is mighty high

Is it a Taj Mahal or a wise use of tax dollars?  I’m talking about the proposal to spend around…
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What living well means to me
 

What living well means to me

This is our annual Living Well issue where we offer suggestions and advice on topics related to fitness, nutrition and…
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More than medicine needed to address opioid epidemic
 

More than medicine needed to address opioid epidemic

By Kae Livsey • Guest Columnist In the U.S., there is a common perception that there is a pill to…
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Swain Democrats support animal control ordinance
 

Swain Democrats support animal control ordinance

To the Editor: Swain County Democrats recently passed a resolution in support of the county’s proposed animal control ordinance and…
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SMN buried an important story
 

SMN buried an important story

To the Editor: In the September 4 issue of The Smoky Mountain News I was happy to see that WCU,…
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