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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My ‘year of lasts’ is officially underway
 

My ‘year of lasts’ is officially underway

I was watching my son’s soccer game last night and the old Al Stewart tune, “Time Passages,” kept running through…
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Shining Rock was not prepared for hearing
 

Shining Rock was not prepared for hearing

To the Editor: The August 17 Town of Waynesville Planning Board meeting provided first-time meeting participants a crash course in…
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Don’t mix faith with government
 

Don’t mix faith with government

To the Editor: In Man for Himself, Erich Fromm gave us this valuable observation. He wrote, “Because of the fact…
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Chief candidate Lambert lays out platform
 

Chief candidate Lambert lays out platform

If Patrick Lambert wins his bid for principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, he expects to be…
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Mary Crowe hopes for chief’s job with write-in campaign
 

Mary Crowe hopes for chief’s job with write-in campaign

Mary Crowe isn’t a councilmember, but when a Tribal Council session starts up in Cherokee, hers is one face you…
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No good resolution to neighbor dispute over barking dogs
 

No good resolution to neighbor dispute over barking dogs

Driven crazy by the barking dogs of neighbors, Judy West says she is pulling up her life-long stakes in Haywood…
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Macon’s only homeless shelter struggling to stay open
 

Macon’s only homeless shelter struggling to stay open

Lowell Monteith, pastor of The Father’s House ministry, says the shelter has many needs right now. However, Macon County’s only…
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Fry Street closure — disaster or dream come true?
 

Fry Street closure — disaster or dream come true?

There was barely room to breathe in Bryson City Town Hall on Monday night.
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Jackson seeks input on permitting and code enforcement audit
 

Jackson seeks input on permitting and code enforcement audit

Jackson County is looking for the public’s help with an ongoing audit of its Permitting and Code Enforcement Department. The…
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Funding likely for sidewalk on U.S. 441
 

Funding likely for sidewalk on U.S. 441

The future is looking bright for plans to build a sidewalk along U.S. 441 where Jackson County meets Cherokee, with…
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Tribal Council candidates race through the home stretch
 

Tribal Council candidates race through the home stretch

Nearly 30 people have put their names in the hat for election to Cherokee’s 12-member Tribal Council this fall, and…
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Audit will target lodging owners in Haywood to deter room tax fraud
 

Audit will target lodging owners in Haywood to deter room tax fraud

A dozen hotels, motels and tourist accommodations in Haywood County will have to open their books to auditors in coming…
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Balsam Nature Center property headed for sale on court house steps
 

Balsam Nature Center property headed for sale on court house steps

A nonprofit nature center ensnared in a foreclosure saga at Balsam Mountain Preserve is one step closer to being evicted.
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Round-the-clock vet clinic  to open in Haywood
 

Round-the-clock vet clinic to open in Haywood

Plans are in the works to open a 24-hour emergency clinic at Junaluska Animal Hospital in Waynesville next year, a…
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Shining Rock’s permit denied — for now — on Raccoon Road site
 

Shining Rock’s permit denied — for now — on Raccoon Road site

Shining Rock Classical Academy was sent back to the drawing board Monday night on its proposed location, continuing a nearly…
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Former Monarch Ventures owner could face charges
 

Former Monarch Ventures owner could face charges

The Charlotte developer behind a 488-bed student apartment complex planned for Cullowhee could face criminal charges, pending the outcome of…
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Revised steep slope rules spark debate at planning board
 

Revised steep slope rules spark debate at planning board

Jackson County’s steep slope ordinance made one last stop at the planning board before heading to a public hearing, but…
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The eagle lady: Mager, preparing to leave N.C., reflects on 51 years of life with raptors
 

The eagle lady: Mager, preparing to leave N.C., reflects on 51 years of life with raptors

Doris Mager returned from her most recent doctor appointment with some grim marching orders. Her instructions didn’t have anything to…
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Bikers raise cash for Parkway Mt. Pisgah campground project
 

Bikers raise cash for Parkway Mt. Pisgah campground project

A rehabilitation project for the aging amphitheater at Mount Pisgah Campground will get some funding thanks to a fundraising ride…
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Parasitic gill lice found in Haywood waters
 

Parasitic gill lice found in Haywood waters

A new parasite has been confirmed on rainbow trout collected from the West Fork Pigeon River in Haywood County, as…
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Smokies telethon to support park projects
 

Smokies telethon to support park projects

A fundraising broadcast to support Friends of the Smokies will air 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, on…
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Audio tour brings the Smokies to life
 

Audio tour brings the Smokies to life

A new audio tour for the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee will give visitors to the…
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Smokies visitation high at Cherokee
 

Smokies visitation high at Cherokee

Visitation has been strong in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, with numbers for the first six months…
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Bug Apetit - a tasteful discussion about insects
 

Bug Apetit - a tasteful discussion about insects

Ever looked at a six-legged creature and thought of dinner? A program by “bug chef” Zack Lemann will explore the…
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Paddle tour of Lake Junaluska offered
 

Paddle tour of Lake Junaluska offered

A paddle tour of Lake Junaluska will tell the history of the 200-acre lake and information about the ecosystems contained…
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We need to darken the way
 

We need to darken the way

perseids fallingperseids burning white hotperseids flame out I made sure to keep an eye out for falling stars last week…
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