Jackson TDA hires trio of marketing firms for trial period
 

Jackson TDA hires trio of marketing firms for trial period

After a split vote that followed nearly an hour of discussion, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority hired three different…
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Hunters upset about ‘Something Bruin’ tactics
 

Hunters upset about ‘Something Bruin’ tactics

Hunters from all over the mountains came together last weekend to speak out against the tactics used by undercover wildlife…
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In Waynesville, meter readers going the way of milkmen
 

In Waynesville, meter readers going the way of milkmen

Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Some homeowners in Waynesville might have started wondering why a certain visitor who had routinely appeared…
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McCrory to appoint Holt’s successor, but could ignore bar’s counsel
 

McCrory to appoint Holt’s successor, but could ignore bar’s counsel

Attorneys in the seven western counties will to be called on in the coming weeks to weigh in on their…
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Local churches lift the lives of homeless, incarcerated
 

Local churches lift the lives of homeless, incarcerated

On Sept. 12, Jeff Clontz walked out of Haywood County Jail a free man. It wasn’t his first time, though.…
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Reforming lives on a wing and a prayer
 

Reforming lives on a wing and a prayer

A proposal to convert a closed-down state prison into a halfway house and homeless shelter in Haywood County is gaining…
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And, goal: WNC soccer players train with Olympics in mind
 

And, goal: WNC soccer players train with Olympics in mind

Jacob Flannick & Holly Kays • Correspondent/Staff writer When Scott Cline graduated from Swain High School in the mid-1990s, the community…
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Forum aims to create new vision for Canton
 

Forum aims to create new vision for Canton

When Heidi Dunkelberg first entered the town of Canton, she couldn’t imagine ever living there.
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Rules rule and rulers rue it
 

Rules rule and rulers rue it

I mentioned the fact a couple of weeks ago that N.C. House Bill 74— the Regulatory Reform Act of 2013…
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Cold temps freeze Highland’s lake
 

Cold temps freeze Highland’s lake

Lindenwood Lake, a four to five-acre stretch of water in Highlands, froze over last week during the area’s record-cold temperatures.…
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Slide closes Tsali Trail loop
 

Slide closes Tsali Trail loop

The left loop of the Tsali Trail system popular among mountain bikers is closed due to a slide along the…
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News from the farmers market
 

News from the farmers market

New farmers market planned for Macon  The Macon County Heritage Center at the old Cowee School is launching a new…
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Race to support the Community Table
 

Race to support the Community Table

Registration is now open for the Assault on Black Rock, a seven-mile trail race in Jackson County that takes runners…
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Last call for Polar Plungers
 

Last call for Polar Plungers

Haywood Waterways Association is calling on lovers of clean water, those immune to the cold or anyone out there  crazy…
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Relocated white-tailed deer come to Cherokee
 

Relocated white-tailed deer come to Cherokee

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will receive 25 to 50 white-tailed deer every year for the next three years…
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The cost of cleaner air: New pollution standards would cost paper mill $50 million in upgrades
 

The cost of cleaner air: New pollution standards would cost paper mill $50 million in upgrades

Evergreen Packaging’s Canton paper mill will be writing some big checks over the coming years as it moves to comply…
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Much of ACA came from conservatives
 

Much of ACA came from conservatives

To the Editor: When Hillary Clinton proposed a government-run, single-payer system to solve our health care crisis, Republicans responded by proposing…
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Columnist’s anti-Israel tirade distorts truth
 

Columnist’s anti-Israel tirade distorts truth

David C. Friedman • Guest Columnist Doug Wingeier’s op-ed published in The Smoky Mountain News on Dec.  25, 2013, titled, “Christmas…
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Views on Israel based on life experiences
 

Views on Israel based on life experiences

Doug Wingeier • Columnist My oh my! Looks like the long arm of Israeli surveillance has reached out to us…
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Hipps brings work ethic to race
 

Hipps brings work ethic to race

When Jane Hipps began toying with the idea of running for state Senate as a Democratic challenger, a wave of…
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Robinson says WNC voters need representation in Raleigh
 

Robinson says WNC voters need representation in Raleigh

Ron Robinson thinks a state senator should represent all of his constituents. 
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Battle for state Senate seat begins to take shape
 

Battle for state Senate seat begins to take shape

The North Carolina Senate seat for the seven western counties could be one of the few swing races in the…
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Negotiations in progress over Ghost Town gunfighter incident
 

Negotiations in progress over Ghost Town gunfighter incident

Nearly six months after a staged gunfight left a Ghost Town gunfighter injured, the incident is still not resolved.  Ghost…
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Mayor’s mandate for change in Franklin searching for traction
 

Mayor’s mandate for change in Franklin searching for traction

Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent He campaigned on the promise of making Franklin fertile ground for new ideas and encouraging more…
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A winter rescue: Rangers trek into frigid, snowy darkness to save hikers
 

A winter rescue: Rangers trek into frigid, snowy darkness to save hikers

By 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 2, the sky had long gone dark and rain was turning to snow. It was…
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New Canton board to hold public forum on vision, direction for town
 

New Canton board to hold public forum on vision, direction for town

Canton residents will have the chance to weigh in on the town board’s yearlong search for a town manager at…
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Jackson County has a new slogan; now what?
 

Jackson County has a new slogan; now what?

Jackson County tourism leaders are weighing the best way to get their message to the masses.
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Laxer steep slope rules head for public hearing in Jackson
 

Laxer steep slope rules head for public hearing in Jackson

Controls on mountainside development in Jackson County could be loosened following a year-long line-by-line rewrite of steep slope rules by…
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HART to hold 2014 season auditions
 

HART to hold 2014 season auditions

There’s an open call for actors to audition for “To Kill A Mockingbird” Feb. 2-3 at the Haywood Arts Regional…
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Apollo Winds brings chamber music to WCU
 

Apollo Winds brings chamber music to WCU

Apollo Winds, a professional chamber music group, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the recital hall of…
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FUN ZONE ribbon cutting, customer appreciation skate
 

FUN ZONE ribbon cutting, customer appreciation skate

Smoky Mountain Sk8way & FUN ZONE will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and customer appreciation skate on Wednesday, Jan. 15,…
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Reenactment, other activities planned in honor of MLK
 

Reenactment, other activities planned in honor of MLK

Play Shop, a free event in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service and Celebration, will be…
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2014 marks 125th year for WCU
 

2014 marks 125th year for WCU

This year marks the beginning of Western Carolina University’s 125th year of existence, and university faculty, staff and students are…
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The Stuart Brothers to play The Strand
 

The Stuart Brothers to play The Strand

Appalachian fiddle and banjo duo The Stuart Brothers will perform at 7:45 p.m. Jan. 16 at The Strand at 38…
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‘Good Thoughts Better’ exhibit opens at WCU
 

‘Good Thoughts Better’ exhibit opens at WCU

An exhibit of work by Edward J. Bisese titled “Good Thoughts Better” will open with an artist talk and reception…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Hailing from the Green Mountains of Burlington, Vt., The DuPont Brothers have emerged as a breath of fresh air in…
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Tossing fate into the air
 

Tossing fate into the air

What started as a backyard game one afternoon has turned into a passionate career for Nathan Lowe. “I just got…
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Bringing in the new year naturally
 

Bringing in the new year naturally

Some musings on the New Year, from one who never cared much for noisy midnight celebrations of any sort, but…
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Bear hunting changes possible
 

Bear hunting changes possible

A public hearing on changes to the state’s hunting and fishing rules, including looser rules for black bear hunting, will…
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Deep Creek crossing wins photo contest
 

Deep Creek crossing wins photo contest

Hiker Danny Bernstein of Asheville, author of The Mountains-to-Sea-Trail Across North Carolina, won third place in the “People on the…
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Garden and landscape designer to give talk
 

Garden and landscape designer to give talk

One of the region’s premier garden and landscape designers will give a talk at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at…
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CBC gods smile on Lake Junaluska
 

CBC gods smile on Lake Junaluska

The annual Balsam Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place Saturday, Jan. 4. In the weeks prior to the count many…
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Ski Junaluska Weekends pair Christian fellowship with downhill fun
 

Ski Junaluska Weekends pair Christian fellowship with downhill fun

By Colby Dunn • SMN correspondent Perched atop the crest of a mountain, with two slim pieces of fiberglass strapped to…
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O’Brien’s fiction uniquely relevant to our current issues
 

O’Brien’s fiction uniquely relevant to our current issues

In Voyage To Alpha Centauri (Ignatius Press, ISBN 978-1-58617-832-1), Michael O’Brien, Canadian writer and painter, gives us a grand tale…
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Natural areas under assault from warming
 

Natural areas under assault from warming

To the Editor: I love this time of year. Cold, crisp days remind me of the days I spent with…
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Lake J annexation issue not fairly represented
 

Lake J annexation issue not fairly represented

To the Editor: While I recognize that The Smoky Mountain News’ annual year in review awards are meant to be…
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Lots of problems with ‘Something Bruin’
 

Lots of problems with ‘Something Bruin’

In numerous newspapers in late November 2013, it was reported that six U.S. Forest Service (USFS) employees from Western North…
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Putting a price on memories
 

Putting a price on memories

By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Correspondent For most of Yvonne Wadham’s 64 years, horses were her life, on a big scale,…
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Course steady for Jackson Meals on Wheels
 

Course steady for Jackson Meals on Wheels

Jackson County’s new volunteer policy, enacted in November, is taking a bite out of the Meals on Wheels volunteer force. 
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Hunters claim they were unfairly targeted in undercover poaching operation
 

Hunters claim they were unfairly targeted in undercover poaching operation

Some hunters in Western North Carolina are speaking out against the tactics used by undercover wildlife officers in a multi-year…
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