WCU kicks off celebration of 125 years
 

WCU kicks off celebration of 125 years

A yearlong celebration of Western Carolina University’s 125th anniversary kicked off Thursday, Jan. 23, in Cullowhee.
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Beatles tribute band comes to WCU
 

Beatles tribute band comes to WCU

Recreating the music of the Beatles, “1964: The Tribute,” will perform at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, in the John…
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HCC to offer new creative arts classes
 

HCC to offer new creative arts classes

Haywood Community College’s Continuing Education Department will offer a number of classes in the Creative Arts Building in the coming…
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Sarge’s pet photo contest begins
 

Sarge’s pet photo contest begins

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation is now accepting photographs for its 8th annual “Pet Photography Contest.”
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

The end is near. On Feb. 5, I’ll turn 29 years old — the last official birthday of my young…
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Arts council opens arms to the creative and curious
 

Arts council opens arms to the creative and curious

There’s a buzz going on at the Mahogany House in Waynesville. Normally, one could attribute that to a woodturning tool,…
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Climate change still an important issue
 

Climate change still an important issue

To the Editor: A critical skill for magicians is to be able to misdirect your attention while executing the deception.…
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We need to oppose fracking in WNC
 

We need to oppose fracking in WNC

To the Editor: James Womack, Chairman of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mining and Energy Commission, would…
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Support Sen. Hagan, not Koch brothers
 

Support Sen. Hagan, not Koch brothers

To the Editor: The billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch don’t live in North Carolina. One resides in New York…
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Wildlife officers did a good job for us
 

Wildlife officers did a good job for us

To the Editor: Thanks to the wildlife officers for catching the poacher who shot the mother bear on our private…
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Low-wage workers deserve a better deal
 

Low-wage workers deserve a better deal

By Doug Wingeier • Columnist Debate is picking up these days on help for the unemployed and low-wage workers. Congress is…
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Sales of Smokies plates increased in fourth quarter
 

Sales of Smokies plates increased in fourth quarter

Sales of the Friends of the Smokies specialty license plate in North Carolina increased in the fourth quarter, benefiting priority…
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What to do when winning means closing: Parent wants discussion about football-related school closure in Swain
 

What to do when winning means closing: Parent wants discussion about football-related school closure in Swain

Swain County students may have been cheering when the high school football team’s trip to the state semifinals meant everyone…
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Elected leaders to push again for room tax hike in Haywood
 

Elected leaders to push again for room tax hike in Haywood

Haywood’s elected leaders plan to invite their three General Assembly representatives to a March meeting in hopes of reviving a…
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Neediest waiting more than three months for benefits: N.C. food stamp delays ‘alarm’ feds
 

Neediest waiting more than three months for benefits: N.C. food stamp delays ‘alarm’ feds

Time has nearly run out for the beleaguered N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to fix the systemic problems…
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Maggie leaders debate how much  to underwrite festival grounds event
 

Maggie leaders debate how much to underwrite festival grounds event

Maggie Valley town leaders are questioning the amount of money the town plows into its festival grounds each year and…
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County mulls best way to dispose of old DSS building
 

County mulls best way to dispose of old DSS building

Haywood County leaders have substantially lowered the asking price for the empty, run-down, old hospital — it’s now free.
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Attorney with strong GOP ties to seek judge’s seat
 

Attorney with strong GOP ties to seek judge’s seat

A fifth attorney has added his name to the list of possible nominees for an open District Court judge position…
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Computing for the future
 

Computing for the future

Waynesville residents will soon be reaping the benefits of an information technology makeover at town hall. While town employees will…
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Waynesville lands free property for new in-town greenway section
 

Waynesville lands free property for new in-town greenway section

Waynesville will soon have a new section of walking path along Richland Creek and, if all goes as planned, public…
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The Kudzu Cocktail, Cat Catch and  other bright ideas from WCU students
 

The Kudzu Cocktail, Cat Catch and other bright ideas from WCU students

Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent For as long as he can remember, Austin Brown’s fascination with plants has remained rooted in…
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SBI probes embezzlement allegations at Macon County Board of Elections
 

SBI probes embezzlement allegations at Macon County Board of Elections

By Holly Kays & Becky Johnson • Staff writers An embezzlement investigation at the Macon County Board of Elections locked down…
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Private schools, public money, heated discourse: School stakeholders debate new N.C. voucher program
 

Private schools, public money, heated discourse: School stakeholders debate new N.C. voucher program

It’s been six months since the N.C. General Assembly passed a budget earmarking $10 million for school vouchers to low-income…
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Sylva restaurant highlighted for creative use of meat
 

Sylva restaurant highlighted for creative use of meat

A Sylva farm-to-table restaurant is featured in the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s (ASAP) Get Local initiative for its additional sourcing…
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WNC Nature Center reaches record attendance in 2013
 

WNC Nature Center reaches record attendance in 2013

A whole lot of people visited the WNC Nature Center last year. The Friends of the WNC Nature Center report…
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Keeping track in the Smokies
 

Keeping track in the Smokies

Tracking elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park just got a little easier, thanks to a grant from Charter Communications.…
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Good times at Tube World
 

Good times at Tube World

Tube World in Maggie Valley treated 170 students from Clyde Elementary to a fieldtrip last week as part of a…
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New public river access launched along Tuckasegee
 

New public river access launched along Tuckasegee

Three new public access sites and boat put-ins have been developed along the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County:
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New fees tacked on to all-electric cars
 

New fees tacked on to all-electric cars

This year all-electric vehicles registered in North Carolina — about 1,600 of them — are required to pay a $100…
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Grant helps buy feed for abused horses
 

Grant helps buy feed for abused horses

STAR Ranch Rescue, a refuge for abused and neglected horses and other animals in Haywood County, has received a $750…
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Discovery Place
 

Discovery Place

Looking for something fun for the kids on a cold and/or rainy winter’s day. The Discovery Place in Charlotte has…
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Energy on the horizon: Debate on drilling still hypothetical, but groundwork is being laid
 

Energy on the horizon: Debate on drilling still hypothetical, but groundwork is being laid

From the oil fields of North Dakota to the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania, the U.S. oil and gas industry is…
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Slave narratives an insightful collection
 

Slave narratives an insightful collection

This remarkable collection of interviews with African-Americans in North Carolina who were once slaves is a fascinating discovery. Conducted by the…
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NC Arts Council grants open call
 

NC Arts Council grants open call

The deadline for submitting applications for grants from the North Carolina Arts Council is Monday, March 3. The grant programs…
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Haywood County’s ‘Homegrown Picks’ for 2014
 

Haywood County’s ‘Homegrown Picks’ for 2014

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has announced its “Homegrown Picks” for 2014. Buy Haywood, is the only county-specific agritourism…
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Jackson County Arts Council awards grants
 

Jackson County Arts Council awards grants

Six Western North Carolina artists have received funding from the Jackson County Arts Council to support their artistic endeavors. Regional…
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Cullowhee fire victims fundraiser at WCU
 

Cullowhee fire victims fundraiser at WCU

Donations for people affected by a November fire in Cullowhee will be collected at Western Carolina University’s men’s basketball game…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

If Keith Richards had been born below the Mason-Dixon Line, his name might have been Mike Cooley.
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Native art: Bill Eleazer bronze comes home to Waynesville 30 years later
 

Native art: Bill Eleazer bronze comes home to Waynesville 30 years later

Nearly 30 years after Bill Eleazer put the finishing touches on “Chasing Tadpoles,” a multi-piece bronze sculpture of three children…
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GOP leaders should provide emails
 

GOP leaders should provide emails

To the Editor: Everybody wants transparency in government — everybody except our Republican legislators in Raleigh. Last year, they passed…
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Keystone Pipeline could help economy
 

Keystone Pipeline could help economy

To the Editor: Are you concerned if you are in your 50s or late 40s that the Social Security fund…
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On the way to an imperial presidency
 

On the way to an imperial presidency

To the Editor:  This is what President Barack Obama said this week: “Where I can act on my own without…
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Weaker slope law could lead to lawsuits
 

Weaker slope law could lead to lawsuits

To the Editor: After reading the Jan. 15 edition and seeing continued plans to weaken the present Steep Slope Ordinance…
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Awards deserve a little more comment
 

Awards deserve a little more comment

To the Editor: I always look forward to the “Awards” issue of The Smoky Mountain News. May I make three short…
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Education is alternative to killing more bears
 

Education is alternative to killing more bears

To the Editor: The changes in the five-year black bear management plan currently being proposed by the North Carolina Wildlife…
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Plan for teacher raises a bone of contention
 

Plan for teacher raises a bone of contention

The ramifications of one particularly disturbing directive passed in the last session of the General Assembly is unfolding right now…
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Grant to bring advanced manufacturing training to Swain
 

Grant to bring advanced manufacturing training to Swain

The Golden LEAF Foundation and Duke Energy recently funded a trio of advanced manufacturing training grants, totaling $1.3 million, to…
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HRMC labor and delivery unit to be remodeled
 

HRMC labor and delivery unit to be remodeled

The Haywood Regional Medical Foundation has donated $400,000 to MedWest Haywood for a remodel of the fourth floor, which includes…
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Changing of the guard in store for Haywood tourism board
 

Changing of the guard in store for Haywood tourism board

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will see unprecedented turnover on its board this month, with five of the 12…
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Stepping down: Aumen’s departure marks end of an era for Haywood TDA
 

Stepping down: Aumen’s departure marks end of an era for Haywood TDA

Editor’s note: Alice Aumen has been a major voice in Haywood’s tourism landscape for more than half a century —…
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