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Duke Energy donates toward firefighting
The Duke Energy Foundation gave a hand toward supporting firefighters battling wildfires this fall with a $100,000 donation.
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‘No change in your pockets’: Farmers grapple with effects of historic drought year
Dowdy Bradley is 68 years old, and for nearly all of those years he’s been involved in some kind of…
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Drought diminishes due to rain
Last week’s rains caused a downgrading of drought designations across the board in Western North Carolina.
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A mystery tale with a canine hero
This is a delightful book and I am confident that it will be judged one of the best books of…
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Christmas classic comes to life
A frigid mountain wind howled through Bryson City last Friday evening as a handful of folks hurried into the Smoky…
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Under the Bright Lights: Smoky Mountain Community Theatre
It’s the heartbeat of a town. Coming into its 37th year, the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre has become a beacon…
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This must be the place: Christmas Jam, now more than ever
“You don’t know me but I’m your brother/I was raised here in this living hell/You don’t know my kind in…
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Haywood, Jackson Arts grant recipients
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) and Jackson County Arts Council (JCAC), co-administrating organizations of this year’s program, are pleased…
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HCAC receives gifts
In 2016, the Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) Gallery Committee set out to improve its Gallery & Gifts retail space…
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Story damages Jukebox Junction’s reputation in Bethel community
To the Editor: There was a story with the headline “Haywood County wipes the dust off the bottle” in the December…
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Please, just check the facts
To the Editor: In the recent edition of The Smoky Mountain News, Carl Iobst’s letter seems to indicate that traditional…
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A public servant retires
To the Editor: To my friends in Western North Carolina, I will be retiring on December 31.
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Novel idea is surely just too far-fetched
I am writing a fictional spy novel. Here is the draft outline of it.
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I love newspaper readers, but please read carefully
Some things never change, and the reality of collateral damage from news stories is one of them. Plus the fact…
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A thank you to local media
By Greg Christopher • Guest Columnist This time of year, as many people are counting their blessings, they also realize…
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All one can do is keep fighting the good fight
I don’t know about you, but I need a quiet place about now. I need to turn off the news…
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Full-time work, part-time pay
Harry S. Truman’s Secretary of State Dean Acheson said upon his return to private life, “I will undoubtedly have to…
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To serve, Haywood Commissioners leave money on the table
At just 22 years of age, Kevin Ensley became one of the youngest licensed land surveyors in the entire state…
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Carrying commissioner duties a juggling act in Jackson
When Mark Jones first ran for a seat on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners in 2006, he was the…
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Macon commissioners not there for money
Macon County Commissioner Ronnie Beale was pouring concrete on a job site when he was contacted about this story.
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Swain commissioners give little thought to salary
“You know, I really can’t tell you what we get paid,” Swain County Commissioner David Monteith said when asked about…
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Cherokee council makes more than state reps, less than congressmen
Members of the Cherokee Tribal Council are hands-down the highest-paid local representatives in Western North Carolina, with other commissioner stipends…
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Upcoming tuition drop could have unintended consequences
A state program that’s set to lower Western Carolina University’s tuition to $500 per semester could have unintended consequences when…
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Laura Bush and friends visit Lake Junaluska
As fall visitors flocked to Western North Carolina in mid-October, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center welcomed a distinguished visitor…
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Swain County to implement reverse 911 system
When the wildfires were threatening structures in Swain County a couple of weeks ago, first responders had to knock on…
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Highlands hires Josh Ward as town manager
Last September, the town of Bryson City hired Highlands’ town planner Josh Ward to serve as it’s new town manager,…
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Pickin’ Chicken
There are few things more American than fast food. In the United States, fast food restaurants serve more than 50…
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First indoor gun range to open in Haywood
When local businessman Jule Morrow proposed a gun shop and indoor firing range in the pastoral Francis Farm community last…
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Canton’s new town logo approved despite concerns
No one can accuse Canton town officials of not crossing their t’s and dotting their i’s.
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Canton rewards brewery owner
Even before BearWaters Brewing announced its intentions to leave Waynesville for nearby Canton, the town has touted itself as Haywood…
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Sanitary District policy upsets landlords
Several Haywood County landlords are questioning the legality of a new policy adopted by the Junaluska Sanitary District that will…
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Election do-over slated for 2017
Unless the U.S. Supreme Court steps in, some or all of North Carolina’s state senators and representatives will face re-election…
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Two arrested for arson in Qualla wildfires
Two Cherokee men have been arrested in connection with wildfires set on the Qualla Boundary this fall.
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Two charged with starting Tennessee fires
Two juveniles have been arrested in Tennessee for allegedly starting the Chimney Tops 2 Fire, which ballooned to encompass more…
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Stronger language on the way for Jackson’s steep slope rules
Approval of a 38-home subdivision in Cullowhee has served as a catalyst for the Jackson County Planning Board to revisit…
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We must remain vigilant on environment
To the Editor: As President Obama’s impressive term winds down and the focus shifts to speculation about an uncertain, perhaps…
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Media clueless to how it has killed itself
To the Editor: The traditional news media (newspapers) have killed themselves through poor writing, a lack of balanced reporting, advocacy…
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A small-town weekend packed with big meaning
After three months of internal darkness and coping with grief, this past weekend offered some soothing reprieve. Over the years,…
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Life in Gitmo was idyllic, but the danger was real
Fidel Castro’s death should remind us that we are oftentimes more powerless and rudderless than our country’s leaders like to…
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Granddaddy of ‘em all
This year will mark the 117th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC.) The CBC is the longest-lived and largest citizen-science…
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State burn ban lifted
Steady rains over the past week have caused the N.C. Forest Service to lift burning bans for 32 counties, including…
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Bird the holidays away
As December unfolds, birders across the globe will embark on a quest to tally as many birds and species as…
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New species named for Fontana
A new-to-science lichen species discovered in March 2016 has been named after Fontana Dam due to its discovery in the…
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Going forward by looking backward: Tradition and science meet in Cherokee forest plan
Over the course of thousands of years lived in the Southern Appalachian mountains, the Cherokee people had pretty well developed…
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It’s OK sometimes to just take a dip
Of course, we’re intended to read from cover to cover many books — novels, histories, biographies, and more. It would…
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In their words: WCU professor and alumnus nominated for Dublin Literary Award
Novels written by a Western Carolina University professor and by his former student are among the 147 titles in the…
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This must be the place: Indonesia to Carolina and back again
“I’m glad you’re here right now.” Standing in line at the Old Europe coffee shop in downtown Asheville, I said…
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When I sing: An interview with Bear Rinehart
Heralding from just down the mountain in Greenville, South Carolina, Bear Rinehart is the front man for the rock group…
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Get on the ‘Appalachian Mural Trail’
With the help of the Blue Ridge Parkway Association, the Appalachian Mural Trail Group began accomplishing its vision on Dec.…
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Haywood County wipes the dust off the bottle
The State of North Carolina has long had a conflicted relationship with alcohol; although largely unregulated during colonial times, it…
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