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Road closures to begin in the Nantahala
Seasonal road closures will soon begin in the Nantahala National Forest. Certain roads are closed each winter to help protect…
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Chronic wasting disease found in Tennessee
Chronic wasting disease has been preliminarily detected in western Tennessee, increasing the threat to deer and elk in Western North…
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Invasive found in Deep River
Hydrilla, a highly invasive nonnative plant, has been found in the Deep River, covering a 90-acre area in Moore, Chatham…
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Graham Greene, redemption, and us
Let’s start the new year with some old books. We begin with two suppositions. First, you are a good person…
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Serving ‘something larger than themselves’
“Stray from the truth, and whoever corrects you can be dismissed as ‘the other side.’ The strategy runs on a…
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Basking in the comfort of holiday traditions
They grow up so fast. Of all the clichés in the parenting handbook, this is the oldest and the truest.…
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Elf Parade provided help for seniors
To the Editor: Last Saturday, a group of merry elves paraded down the sidewalks of Main Street in Waynesville to…
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Graveyard tours are disrespectful
To the Editor: I have somewhat followed the issues surrounding the Green Hill Cemetery. I have stayed out of…
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This must be the place: ‘Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away’
This year has been quite the whirlwind. It felt like 2018 was a rollercoaster I either didn’t buy a ticket…
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Fake News FREAKOUT!! Part Three
This is my third Christmas as a member of The Smoky Mountain News staff, and this is also the third…
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2018: A look back
Before we ring in the New Year, The Smoky Mountain News likes to look back and reflect on the last…
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Let my life be a light: After banner year, Balsam Range release ‘Aeonic’
Following a second “Entertainer of the Year” award from the International Bluegrass Music Association this past September in Raleigh, the…
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HART receives N.C. Community Theatre Award
Located in Waynesville, the renowned Haywood Arts Regional Theatre received an early Christmas present when the organization was awarded the…
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Pointing the way: Volunteer group earns national recognition for trail sign project, other accomplishments
The year is nearly over, but in 2018 the Graham County Rescue Squad has run only three search and rescue…
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Fire ant quarantine expands
As of Jan. 1 the quarantine area for the imported fire ant will include Davidson, Orange and Vance counties, meaning…
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Fees to rise on national forest sites
Fees will increase at 24 sites on the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests beginning Jan. 1. For sites that are…
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Portal in the snow
I don’t know if our recent ancestors were better weather readers than we, or if they simply knew, by late…
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An alternative solution for N.C. 107
By Carl Queen • Guest Columnist As a long-time resident of Sylva — 48 years — I have had a…
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Creating an honest path to gratitude
I haven’t always known how to feel grateful or identify the feeling of joy. There are certain lessons in life…
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It’s OK to ignore the people, governor
To the Editor: This is a letter to our dear Gov. Cooper. I couldn’t agree with you more. Pure genius.…
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Polar Express wraps up another magical season
Hearing the joyful sound of a small silver jingle bell from Santa’s sleigh — it’s what separates those who believe…
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Sylva food pantry to get new roof
The Community Table in Sylva will get a new roof to the tune of $18,000 after Town of Sylva and…
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Macon County completes 2019 revaluation
Macon County commissioners may be looking at a possible higher tax rate next year after hearing a presentation on the…
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Homeless services strained in Jackson
The homeless shelter in Jackson County is full up with a waiting list 12 deep, shelter managers told Jackson County…
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Farm Bill offers little relief for American agriculture
American agriculture is experiencing a tougher time than ever, and that includes farmers in North Carolina. But as the latest…
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Haywood Schools will buy land adjacent to Tuscola
It took a while, but after a surprise addition to the Haywood Board of County Commissioners’ agenda, no small amount…
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Resolution passed to dissolve Qualla Housing
The Cherokee Tribal Council took the first step toward dissolving the Qualla Housing Authority with a resolution passed Thursday, Dec.…
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Cooper’s voter ID veto overridden
Legislation implementing North Carolina’s first-ever voter ID requirement passed both the House and the Senate Dec. 6, but a veto…
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Sylva shakes up TWSA board
Sylva commissioners voted Dec. 13 to remove former mayor and longtime Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority board member Brenda Oliver…
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Renewed push for Historic Haywood County Hospital redevelopment
An ongoing effort to qualify for tax credits that would make redevelopment of the county-owned Historic Haywood County Hospital more…
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Common ground found in Green Hill Cemetery spat
Long-established rules and regulations created by the Town of Waynesville that proscribed periodic cleanup of the town’s historic Green Hill…
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Patience, persistence and power chords
The core of any sincere and determined musical circle is a simple formula: camaraderie + compassion = musicianship. Anyone who…
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This must be the place: ‘Didn’t wanna get me no trade, never want to be like papa’
So, amid the whirlwind this past week of being published by Rolling Stone — my biggest dream and top bucket…
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Galax’s enduring popularity
Galax is an evergreen groundcover found throughout the Blue Ridge. The plant can thrive in various settings, but the ideal…
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Clean Water awards flow to WNC
The N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund awarded $20 million for conservation projects across the state this fall, with much…
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Hope for Scotts Creek: Report yields optimism for creek’s restoration
Sylva got some good news about the creek that runs straight through its heart at a Nov. 8 town meeting. …
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Half marathoners brave the cold
A cold, rainy day made for a muddy course on the inaugural Headwaters Half Marathon Saturday, Dec. 1, in Panthertown…
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Choices and changes: A conversation with Sierra Hull
Though part of the scene most of her life, singer/mandolinist Sierra Hull has been making some big waves in the…
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This must be the place: ‘If everything could ever feel this real forever’
As a Rolling Stone magazine subscriber since I was in ninth grade, it has my biggest dream as a writer…
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Making a small dent in the book pile
So many books, so little time. Many booklovers may have uttered that old saw with a sigh, but in my…
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Mueller investigation closing in on Trump
“He (Trump) knows very little about the legislative process, hasn’t learned anything, hasn’t surrounded himself with people that can get…
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Administration makes mistake with gender plans
The current administration is in the process of trying to erase transgender/cisgender people. If they have their way they will…
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Thanks for Sunburst story
To the Editor The works of Bethel Rural Community Organization (BRCO) seem to have flooded the news lately. A full…
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WCU trustees approve fee increases for 2019-20
Western Carolina University students will likely see only a modest increase to their cost of attendance following the Board of…
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AG looks to protect WNC’s interest in Mission sale
Attorney General Josh Stein recently issued a press release discussing his ongoing review of HCA’s proposed $1.5 billion purchase of…
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Drug trafficker gets 37 years, $1 million fine
On Nov. 28, Matthew William Ray, 25, of Waynesville, was found guilty of trafficking in opiates by possessing and transporting…
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DA’s office highlights guilty pleas in Macon
Newman R. Sigman, 55, of Franklin, pled guilty to first degree arson and driving while impaired and was sentenced to…
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Haywood schools Robothon inspires coding and creativity
More than 150 Haywood County Schools fourth- and fifth-grade students chased after zooming robots at the Wolfpack Robothon on Friday,…
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Storm delays N.C. 107 planning process
Snow and ice caused the Asheville Design Center to cancel a planned public hearing on the N.C. 107 project in…
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Store closes following roadwork dispute
Just over a year after opening its doors at a new location, Caney Fork General Store is closed, though likely…
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