Wildlife photo exhibit in Macon
 

Wildlife photo exhibit in Macon

There will be a wildlife photography exhibit showcasing the works of Ed & Cindy Boos through the month of September…
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Folk Festival returns to Lake Junaluska
 

Folk Festival returns to Lake Junaluska

Mountain music, dancing and tradition will be on display once again as the 45th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

With the cornfields as high as an elephant’s eye, apples just ripe for the pickin’ and the last of the…
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This is one ride I’m not gonna miss
 

This is one ride I’m not gonna miss

Some of them arrive four or five days early, packed up and just sitting there on the Haywood County Fairgrounds…
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Macon citizens want to help the homeless
 

Macon citizens want to help the homeless

To the Editor: Thank you Macon County. It was truly humbling to see the community turnout for the Homeless Symposium.…
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You can choose your own worldview
 

You can choose your own worldview

To the Editor: I am a human being, a member of a family, an American, and a Democrat, in that…
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Trump may be best choice for president
 

Trump may be best choice for president

To the Editor: Traditionally, Americans have sent lawyers to congressional offices in Washington. The assumption was that they would be…
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Granting opportunity available for farmers
 

Granting opportunity available for farmers

Grants to help famers offset the risk of trying something new are available through the WNC Agricultural Options program, which…
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Comment period still open on fracking drinking water study
 

Comment period still open on fracking drinking water study

The public comment period for a 1,000-page study of the effects of hydraulic fracturing — known as “fracking” — on drinking…
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Monarch migration takes center stage
 

Monarch migration takes center stage

A talk on the migration of monarch butterflies at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Highlands Nature Center will…
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Energy audit earns WCU students top prize
 

Energy audit earns WCU students top prize

A student-conducted energy audit of Western Carolina University won first place at the Appalachian Energy Summit in Boone, marking the…
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Wildlife program at HCC earns five-year reaccreditation
 

Wildlife program at HCC earns five-year reaccreditation

Haywood Community College recently got word that its fish and wildlife management technology program has received five more years of…
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New members join land trust board
 

New members join land trust board

Four new members will join the 18-member board of Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, a Franklin-based nonprofit focused on…
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Smokies telethon a success
 

Smokies telethon a success

Hundreds of callers, online donors and private sponsors teamed up to raise $202,351 for work in the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Stocking will resume in N.C. trout waters
 

Stocking will resume in N.C. trout waters

Stocking will resume in North Carolina’s hatchery-supported trout waters now that testing for whirling disease in fish raised at Marion…
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Take fly tying to the next level
 

Take fly tying to the next level

Budding fly tyers looking to get beyond the basics may enjoy a second-level fly-tying class at the Pisgah Center for…
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Making way for rare juniper and locust species
 

Making way for rare juniper and locust species

A small study on Satulah Mountain near Highlands hopes to shed light on what might be responsible for poor reproduction…
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History lovers needed for mill volunteer force
 

History lovers needed for mill volunteer force

An orientation for volunteers who’d like to tell visitors about the history of Mingus Mill in the Great Smoky Mountains…
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A bird’s-eye view: Photographer publishes aerial views of WNC’s highest peaks
 

A bird’s-eye view: Photographer publishes aerial views of WNC’s highest peaks

If Garrett Fisher had his way, he’d live on the side of a mountain with a glacier as his next-door…
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Interesting book draws some unusual conclusions
 

Interesting book draws some unusual conclusions

We Americans are noted for our ignorance of world geography. Few of us, I imagine, could distinguish Iraq from Iran…
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Clay activities at Cowee
 

Clay activities at Cowee

The Cowee Pottery School in Franklin, an emerging nonprofit outlet for people of all ages wanting to play in clay,…
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Griffin photography exhibit at WCU
 

Griffin photography exhibit at WCU

An exhibition of works by photographer Cathryn Griffin will be on display through Friday, Sept. 25, in the Fine Art…
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Best album earns IBMA nod
 

Best album earns IBMA nod

Great Smoky Mountains Association’s “Carroll Best and the White Oak String Band” has been named among the best of the…
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RailFest rolls into Bryson City
 

RailFest rolls into Bryson City

The 14th annual RailFest will be held Sept. 5-6 at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad depot in Bryson City.
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Steve Miller Band to play Cherokee
 

Steve Miller Band to play Cherokee

Legendary rock act The Steve Miller Band will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at Harrah’s Cherokee.
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It was the line in the sand. During the summer of 2005, I left one existence and embraced another. In a…
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In Search of the Song: The 45th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival
 

In Search of the Song: The 45th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival

Mountain music, dancing and tradition will be on display once again as the 45th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates…
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Native American journalists face unique issues when it comes to free press
 

Native American journalists face unique issues when it comes to free press

Joe Martin had never worked for a newspaper or owned a handgun when he took the reins of the tribally…
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Wandering elk in Nantahala falls victim to wildlife ‘stand your ground’ rule
 

Wandering elk in Nantahala falls victim to wildlife ‘stand your ground’ rule

A property owner in the remote Nantahala area of Macon County shot an elk that was eating his corn, upsetting…
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Cherokee budget proposes another pay raise for council
 

Cherokee budget proposes another pay raise for council

With elections a week away and threat of a lawsuit still hanging, the Cherokee Tribal Council is considering a proposed…
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Western Carolina responds to increased regulations regarding sexual assault
 

Western Carolina responds to increased regulations regarding sexual assault

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern With evolving regulations and a complicated system of reporting, there is no end in sight…
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Jackson passes revised cell tower ordinance
 

Jackson passes revised cell tower ordinance

Two years after the planning board first began reviewing the document, Jackson County has adopted a revised ordinance governing cell…
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Shining Rock charter school keeping site options open
 

Shining Rock charter school keeping site options open

Shining Rock Classical Academy, a new charter school in Haywood County, has not given up on the idea of building…
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Jackson opts to pay for landslide mapping
 

Jackson opts to pay for landslide mapping

Jackson became the first North Carolina county to take landslide mapping into its own hands when the board of commissioners…
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Drilling down: construction cost balloons for HCC’s fire and rescue training center
 

Drilling down: construction cost balloons for HCC’s fire and rescue training center

The construction cost for a new fire and rescue training center at Haywood Community College has clocked in more than…
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Swain County to get rid of parking lot potholes
 

Swain County to get rid of parking lot potholes

After hearing numerous complaints about the enormous potholes plaguing the county administrative building parking lot, Swain County commissioners agreed it…
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Swain to begin enforcing ‘false alarm’ rules
 

Swain to begin enforcing ‘false alarm’ rules

Beginning Sept. 1, Swain County Sheriff’s Office will have the authority to issue citations and fines for residents who have…
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Saralyn Price runs as write-in for Maggie mayor seat
 

Saralyn Price runs as write-in for Maggie mayor seat

A month after the sudden death of Maggie Valley Mayor Ron DeSimone, longtime alderwoman Saralyn Price has decided to seek…
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Shining Rock students settle in
 

Shining Rock students settle in

With only three days of school under their belts, students attending Shining Rock Classical Academy were already settling into their…
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Two schools, one campus: School year starts in Cashiers
 

Two schools, one campus: School year starts in Cashiers

While most kids are just getting their new backpacks stocked or suffering through the first days of shift from summertime…
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A second look at Williams classic
 

A second look at Williams classic

In recent years, I have been surprised to learn that it possible for books to win prestigious awards, honors and…
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Balsam Range in, well, Balsam
 

Balsam Range in, well, Balsam

The 2014 IBMA “Entertainer of the Year” Balsam Range (bluegrass/gospel) will perform during the open house and barbecue on Saturday,…
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‘Granny D’ meets Reverend B
 

‘Granny D’ meets Reverend B

Acclaimed actress Barbara Bates Smith will bring her performance of “Granny D” to North Carolina NAACP President Reverend Barber at…
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Open Air Indian Art Market
 

Open Air Indian Art Market

The Open Air Indian Art Market will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Qualla…
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Haywood County Fair returns
 

Haywood County Fair returns

The Haywood County Fair will be held through Aug. 31 at the Haywood County Fairground in Lake Junaluska.
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Joan Jett to rock Harrah’s
 

Joan Jett to rock Harrah’s

Rock legend Joan Jett & The Blackhearts will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.
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Balsam Range gets IBMA nods
 

Balsam Range gets IBMA nods

Acclaimed bluegrass act Balsam Range recently received eight nominations by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
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Stuart, Smith bring country to Franklin
 

Stuart, Smith bring country to Franklin

Country music stars Marty Stuart and Connie Smith will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Smoky Mountain…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

My eyes fluttered open and, for a moment, I didn’t know where I was. The room was familiar. The sheets…
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The Road to Rock — The Freeway Revival
 

The Road to Rock — The Freeway Revival

Manic, menacing and mesmerizing. That’s how rock-n-roll is supposed to make you feel. It’s meant to be a bit jarring,…
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