Supporting transparency is never a bad move
 

Supporting transparency is never a bad move

Let’s be completely honest: the Haywood County School Board’s long-time practice of recording its work sessions makes it one of…
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Cherokee students become Smokies experts
 

Cherokee students become Smokies experts

Students at Cherokee Middle School have spent the last two years digging deep into the ecology, culture and history of…
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New education chief comes to the Smokies
 

New education chief comes to the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a new chief of resource education in Nigel Fields, who Superintendent Cassius Cash…
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Task force to tackle affordable housing shortage
 

Task force to tackle affordable housing shortage

• Affordable housing issues on Haywood County’s horizon• Habitat houses give people hope• Old hospital’s rehab into low-income housing falls flat• Affordable housing…
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Affordable housing issues on Haywood County’s horizon
 

Affordable housing issues on Haywood County’s horizon

Anecdotal accounts of a tight housing market have long swirled about Haywood County, but a quick look at hard data…
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Habitat houses give people hope
 

Habitat houses give people hope

About five years ago, Suzanne Cianciulli and her son were living in a rundown mobile home rental while she tried…
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Going tiny: Some look to downsized housing for personal freedom, financial security
 

Going tiny: Some look to downsized housing for personal freedom, financial security

When her husband lost his battle with cancer, Lindey Herrington was living in a 1,800-square-foot house in Lakeland, Florida, where…
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Old hospital’s rehab into low-income housing falls flat
 

Old hospital’s rehab into low-income housing falls flat

Despite a perfect score on its application, Haywood County was not awarded tax credits that would have helped developers turn…
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Affordable housing development looks for resources
 

Affordable housing development looks for resources

Passersby probably don’t give a second thought to seeing news houses being built on the hillside when traveling up Jonathan…
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Self-build program empowers low-income families
 

Self-build program empowers low-income families

Mountain Projects’ self-build housing program is all about helping those who are willing to help themselves.
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Funding shortage results in fewer Macon library hours
 

Funding shortage results in fewer Macon library hours

Macon County Public Library in Franklin will be cutting its hours of operations to combat a budget deficit.
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Macon manager earns hefty raise
 

Macon manager earns hefty raise

After exceeding expectations for more than three years without a merit raise, Macon County commissioners approved an $18,000 salary increase…
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WCU opens $29 million building
 

WCU opens $29 million building

With fall classes newly underway, 420 Western Carolina University students are settling into their rooms in brand new Noble Hall,…
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Plan for new mountain biking system moving forward
 

Plan for new mountain biking system moving forward

A meeting seeking feedback on an emerging plan to turn Sylva’s Pinnacle Park into a mountain biking destination drew about…
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Cherokee council, chief tussle over veto power
 

Cherokee council, chief tussle over veto power

When the Cherokee Tribal Council voted last month to investigate hiring and firing practices in tribal government, Principal Chief Patrick…
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Party in the front, business in the back for Haywood County Board of Education
 

Party in the front, business in the back for Haywood County Board of Education

Admittedly, the issue of recording work sessions and regular board meetings on video would be mostly moot if the public…
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Candidates weigh in on board of education videos
 

Candidates weigh in on board of education videos

Just prior to the Haywood County Board of Education’s work session on Aug. 4, Chairman Chuck Francis unilaterally decreed that…
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Haywood Board of Elections copes with changes
 

Haywood Board of Elections copes with changes

The recent ruling out of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit may have county elections boards…
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High impact development ordinance to protect vulnerable populations
 

High impact development ordinance to protect vulnerable populations

Haywood County commissioners are considering an ordinance that would ensure that certain types of developments do not pose adverse effects…
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Davis, deVille spar over state education funding
 

Davis, deVille spar over state education funding

In the last year, Macon County teacher John deVille has asked county commissioners several times to pass a resolution asking…
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Novel explores questions of real import
 

Novel explores questions of real import

It’s a wonderful day when a book surprises us with its wit, story, style, and wisdom. Recently I was talking…
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It’s ragweed that is the real culprit
 

It’s ragweed that is the real culprit

“Hay fever: An acute allergic condition of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes, characterized by…
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Speaking for the trees: Waynesville launches arboretum effort
 

Speaking for the trees: Waynesville launches arboretum effort

As manager of Waynesville’s urban forest, it’s safe to say that Jonathan Yates likes trees. So when Diane Kornse of…
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Ahead of her time: Photographer shifted the art of the image, fought for women’s rights
 

Ahead of her time: Photographer shifted the art of the image, fought for women’s rights

Who was Bayard Wootten? “She was a wonderful, strong North Carolina woman,” said Pam Meister. “She was a skilled photographer.…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It’s a feeling rather than an attitude.
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School board to continue recording meeting
 

School board to continue recording meeting

Earlier today, Haywood County Board of Education Chairman Chuck Francis reversed his controversial decision to stop taping the board’s work…
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Sheriff searching for break-in suspects
 

Sheriff searching for break-in suspects

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office is searching for one or more individuals who around midnight Tuesday, Aug. 16, broke into the…
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Rev. Jimmy Pennell named 2016 Chief Junaluska
 

Rev. Jimmy Pennell named 2016 Chief Junaluska

Rev. Jimmy Pennell was recognized as the 2016 Chief Junaluska recipient during Lake Junaluska Associates Weekend held on Aug. 6. 
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HB2 and Voter ID controversies boost Cooper’s campaign
 

HB2 and Voter ID controversies boost Cooper’s campaign

North Carolinians can debate whether a few of the controversial laws enacted by the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly and…
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Trickle-down economics just doesn’t work
 

Trickle-down economics just doesn’t work

To the Editor You may have noticed that we have an election coming up. With that, one hot topic will…
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Trip to Trump Tower teaches powerful lesson
 

Trip to Trump Tower teaches powerful lesson

To the Editor: Glittering gold and gleaming glass Dominating the miserable humans Huddled in the shadows Of the Trump Tower.…
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More wilderness areas not a good idea
 

More wilderness areas not a good idea

To the Editor: I want to commend the U.S. Forest Service and district ranger staffs for an excellent job in…
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Build greenway bridge, and they will come
 

Build greenway bridge, and they will come

To the Editor: I was very happy to read the article, “Greenway use rising in Jackson County” in The Smoky…
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I’ll say it: Epstein is the greatest living American essayist
 

I’ll say it: Epstein is the greatest living American essayist

Most of us like lists: “The 100 Greatest Novels of the Twentieth Century,” “The Ten Best Movies of All Time,”…
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Ma Nature doesn’t see things the way we do
 

Ma Nature doesn’t see things the way we do

The red-cockaded woodpecker (RCWO) is a small – cardinal-sized – woodpecker native to eastern pine forests. It once ranged from…
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Forest Service evaluates potential wilderness areas
 

Forest Service evaluates potential wilderness areas

The cadre of groups helping the U.S. Forest Service work toward a new management plan for the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest…
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Locals succeed in Lake Logan races
 

Locals succeed in Lake Logan races

Nearly 1,000 athletes converged on Lake Logan this month, pushing for a finish in challenging half-ironman and triathlon competitions at…
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Town manager hopes to bring Waynesville to new heights
 

Town manager hopes to bring Waynesville to new heights

Waynesville’s new town manager won’t take the helm until Aug. 22, but The Smoky Mountain News was recently able to…
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The ‘man’ behind the ‘manager’
 

The ‘man’ behind the ‘manager’

When hiring a new employee in any profession, the focus is first and foremost on professional qualifications, as it obviously…
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Fly fishing museum moves to Bryson City
 

Fly fishing museum moves to Bryson City

Just one year after setting up shop in Cherokee, the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians will be moving…
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Board brings early end to MSD exodus
 

Board brings early end to MSD exodus

Sharon and James Earley had sought unsuccessfully for almost two years to have their property removed from Waynesville’s downtown taxing…
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TVA meets with Alarka houseboat owners
 

TVA meets with Alarka houseboat owners

Following a May 5 decision by the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors to ban all houseboats on Fontana Lake…
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Health news
 

Health news

Details on Mission Hospital for Advanced Medicine  The public got its first detailed look at the Mission Hospital for Advanced…
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Big city fitness in the heart of Waynesville
 

Big city fitness in the heart of Waynesville

While motivating oneself to wake up early and hit the gym may be a constant struggle for some, whenever that…
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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for health, fitness, self-defense
 

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for health, fitness, self-defense

The Gracie family is well known to martial arts enthusiasts across the world; as perhaps the only martial arts practitioners…
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Maggie Valley Wellness: Finding balance with a healthy mind and body
 

Maggie Valley Wellness: Finding balance with a healthy mind and body

As a yoga instructor and a massage therapist, Candra Smith knows that staying healthy requires a sound mind and body,…
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Commit to be fit: Franklin Health & Fitness helps community stay healthy
 

Commit to be fit: Franklin Health & Fitness helps community stay healthy

Franklin Health & Fitness has invested a lot in its community, and in return, the community has been able to…
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Grant focuses on building love of outdoors for Cherokee youth
 

Grant focuses on building love of outdoors for Cherokee youth

The Nantahala Racing Club is all about ensuring future generations have a love and appreciation for whitewater recreation, and a…
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Fitness by the numbers at 9Round
 

Fitness by the numbers at 9Round

Enjoy working out like a fighter but hate getting punched in the face? Then a new fitness franchise concept in…
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Flying on faith: Clyde woman finds strength and spirituality in aerial silks
 

Flying on faith: Clyde woman finds strength and spirituality in aerial silks

Wearing a leopard-print leotard and suspended 4 feet off the ground in a band of purple silk, Patricia Forgione is…
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