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Become a master outdoor educator
The Landmark Outdoor Educator Semester will return with classes May 9 through June 28, a 51-day program that yields a…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Birds in the hand
The Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History in York, South Carolina, is one of the few year round banding…
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Sucking the marrow out of a great word
What’s in a name? In You Are A Badass: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness And Start Living An Awesome…
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Wind on the water, carry me home
When you simply mention the name Graham Nash, a multitude of sounds, images, movements and ideas flood your field-of-vision. You…
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This must be the place: ‘There’s no such thing as truth. Everyone has their own truth.’
Now, let’s get this out of the way. What happened to U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan from within the social…
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Student threats taken seriously after Parkland shooting
The latest mass shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has spurred a number…
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‘On all of our minds’: Jackson County leaders plan to prevent school violence
When a teenage shooter shattered an otherwise normal day in Parkland, Florida, with gunfire and bloodshed, the ripples of fear…
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Swain High students walk out of class
Following a social media threat that led to a countywide school lockdown and an early dismissal on Thursday, Feb. 22,…
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UNC School of Government prepares local leaders
“First, congratulations. Second, why are you here?” he asked. The airy hotel conference room fell silent, nearly 200 eyeballs glancing…
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War of words: public records requests troublesome for Haywood County
Despite being called “a shameful person to deal with” and “obsessed” in highly unusual comments directed at him by a…
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New sewer capacity could soon come to Cashiers
A new sewer treatment plant being planned for Cashiers will start allowing for growth in the mountain community before the…
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Haywood sheriff all about customer service
Growing up in Haywood County, Sheriff Greg Christopher certainly learned the value of hard work at his family’s farm and…
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Homeless shelter question looms in Jackson
As a startlingly cold winter lapses into a startlingly early spring, Jackson County leaders are pondering a question they’ve been…
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State approves partial rate hike for Duke Energy
The North Carolina Utilities Commission has issued an order granting a partial rate increase for Duke Energy Progress.
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Swain County responds to election director lawsuit
Swain County Election Director Joan Weeks finally got a response from the county regarding a lawsuit she filed against the…
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Voters need to realize what Trump really is
To the Editor: Try as hard and I can, I just can’t make myself believe someone would write such as…
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NRA controls our politicians with blood money
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Cars don’t kill. Drivers do. Remember that? No one does, because although Detroit dragged…
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We can change, as the past has shown us
My grandfather loved guns. He had a magnificent collection, including a dazzling array of pistols, shotguns, and rifles, some very…
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Public broadcasting cuts would not serve WNC well
By Peter Nieckarz • Guest Columnist The Trump administration in mid-February unveiled its proposed federal budget for 2019. The proposal calls…
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Opening the gates: Lake Logan opens up to public recreation
Lake Logan is a familiar fixture of any cruise along Haywood County’s stretch of N.C. 215, an 80-acre expanse of…
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Colorful reminders of long-ago homesteads
A chimney standing all alone where a fire burned a house down long ago … a crumbling stone wall overgrown…
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A strange mix of books crosses my desk
The first weeks of 2018 have seen some offbeat books shamble across my desk and into my fingers. First up…
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On your plate, on the plateau: Chef Ken Naron of Canyon Kitchen
Though the culinary and agricultural history of Southern Appalachia is as vast and robust as the tall and rigorous mountains…
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This must be the place: ‘It’s herd behavior, it’s evolution, baby’
Cape Cod. Well, to be more specific, the small seaside town of Chatham, Massachusetts, on the southeastern coast of Cape…
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‘American Pickers’ return to WNC
Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and their team are excited to return to Western North Carolina to film more episodes of…
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Making the Grade: Garrett leaves a legacy of learning
As someone who’s spent 13 years as a school superintendent and four decades as a teacher and administrator fostering the…
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Garrett: class size reprieve ‘happy news’
School administrators around the state have been crying foul since late 2017 over the way the North Carolina General Assembly…
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Changes to water/sewer tap-on fees could impact Sylva economy
Jackson County’s controversially high water and sewer fees could remain unchanged following implementation of a 2017 state law that was…
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Swain settlement money part of Trump’s budget
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget calls on Congress to fund the overdue remaining balance of $39.2 million owed to Swain…
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Improvements planned for Monteith Gap
The N.C. Department of Transportation is planning a $1.7 million improvement project on Monteith Gap Road in Cullowhee following passage…
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SCC lead cleanup cost reaches $500,000
Jackson County will spend an additional $254,000 to clean up lead contamination and plan for sound abatement at the Southwestern…
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Miller admonished before Haywood commissioners
Local government watchdog Monroe Miller is well known to many in county government circles; he attends most Haywood County Board…
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Cherokee leaders chart path forward following discovery of elections failures
A two-hour work session last week on alleged ballot tampering and security lapses during Cherokee’s 2017 elections yielded arguably more…
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Nonprofits offer support, funding to mental health
The mental health system in North Carolina can use all the help it can get as it struggles with cuts…
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Legislators respond to mental health shortfalls
As The Smoky Mountain News wraps up an ongoing series on the state of mental health in North Carolina, state…
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Evergreen gets economic incentives from Haywood
Although recent economic development efforts by Haywood County, including a highly anticipated partnership with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce,…
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Candidates sign up to run for office
Candidates have until 5 p.m. today, Feb. 28, to sign up to run for office.
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Welch seeks second term as 30th Judicial DA
Ashley Welch, the first female District Attorney for the 30th Judicial District, is seeking a second term — and is…
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Globe-trotting evangelist Billy Graham dies at 99
By Dale Neal • Special to The Smoky Mountain News Evangelist Billy Graham — a spiritual guide to generations of American…
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Arrest made in SunTrust Bank robbery
Waynesville Police Officers responded to the SunTrust Bank in downtown on Feb. 13 when it was reported a robbery had…
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Many ways down the mountain: Adaptive ski program opens doors at Cataloochee
The sky is a flawless, cloudless blue over Cataloochee Ski Area as Mark Brogan, 37, suits up for a morning…
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New trail complete near Asheville
A new trail in the budding Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Trail loop has been completed, getting the system one step…
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Plunge prizes announced
Incentives aplenty await those who sign on to join The Plunge in support of environmental education 11:30 a.m. to 2…
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Running for a reason
An upcoming attempt at the 70-mile Georgia Death Race could mean a boost in assistance for Southwestern Community College students…
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The eagles have landed
The eagles’ neighbors have known for months, observant birders and other Lake Junaluska regulars have either known or suspected, and…
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A tribute to the Lord of Scaly Mountain
While it is difficult to write objectively yet critically about someone whom you know personally or about a book whose…
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Breathing in the good
My life is starting to even out. And while I’m happy about this, a peaceful, comfortable life doesn’t offer as…
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Let’s fix Confederate Monument issue
The Jackson County, North Carolina Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) wishes to communicate…
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Vote Phillip Price in Democratic primary
To the Editor: I appreciated Cory Vaillancort’s story “Unseating Mark Meadows” describing the candidates running against the now-millionnaire incumbent representing…
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