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Bugle Corp recognized for their volunteerism
 

Bugle Corp recognized for their volunteerism

In honor of National Volunteer Week, Friends of the Smokies is recognizing the work of the Elk Bugle Corps. The…
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Protected watershed offers rare public hike
 

Protected watershed offers rare public hike

A guided hike to the usually off-limits Waynesville watershed will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April…
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Protestors call for action on global warming
 

Protestors call for action on global warming

A group of about 30 demonstrators gathered last Monday at the public fountain on Main Street in downtown Sylva to…
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Winter floods close some Smokies trails, repairs pending
 

Winter floods close some Smokies trails, repairs pending

A section of the Noland Creek Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed to hikers and horseback…
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Races, paddling, music and more at NOC
 

Races, paddling, music and more at NOC

Visitors to the Nantahala Gorge this weekend can take in a full lineup of freestyle paddling competitions, outdoor activities, film…
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Be a responsible ramp picker this spring
 

Be a responsible ramp picker this spring

Spring means ramp season in Western North Carolina, but the ramp population in Southern Appalachians is being hurt by over-harvesting.
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Have what it takes to be a junior ranger?
 

Have what it takes to be a junior ranger?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate the National Junior Ranger Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday,…
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Homecoming
 

Homecoming

The blue-headed vireo sang to me of spring sometime around the first week of April. Blue-headeds are generally the last…
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Honeybee disappearance baffles experts
 

Honeybee disappearance baffles experts

Beekeepers in Western North Carolina were hit especially hard this winter by a mysterious rash of bee disappearances.  Amateur Haywood…
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Haywood library offers free digital magazine downloads
 

Haywood library offers free digital magazine downloads

Haywood County Public Library announces the addition of Zinio to its system. Zinio is an online service that allows you…
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Tension-soaked novel is one of Appalachia’s best
 

Tension-soaked novel is one of Appalachia’s best

Mark Powell’s The Dark Corner is probably the best Appalachian novel that I have read in the last decade. It is…
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WNC Ecofest comes to Haywood
 

WNC Ecofest comes to Haywood

WNC Ecofest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 4, at Haywood Community College. The festival…
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Folkmoot festival holds Canton fundraiser
 

Folkmoot festival holds Canton fundraiser

Folkmoot USA will kick off its 30th anniversary year with the “BIG 30” from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May…
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Historian to discuss secret son of Cashiers founder
 

Historian to discuss secret son of Cashiers founder

Local historian Jane Nardy will lead a presentation on the secret child of Mordecai Zachary at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April…
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Thunder in the Smokies rides into Maggie Valley
 

Thunder in the Smokies rides into Maggie Valley

The Handlebar Corral presents the annual Thunder in the Smokies spring rally will be held May 3-5 in Maggie Valley.
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Tennis legends Roddick, Courier to face off in Cashiers exhibition match
 

Tennis legends Roddick, Courier to face off in Cashiers exhibition match

Tennis superstars Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will play a charity exhibition match on Saturday, July 27, at Cedar Creek…
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Dunn to play Harrah’s
 

Dunn to play Harrah’s

Country star Ronnie Dunn will be taking the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, April 27, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.
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Photography exhibit goes underwater
 

Photography exhibit goes underwater

Haywood County Arts Council announces a new exhibition, “Under the Sea,” featuring work by Dr. John Highsmith from May 1-27…
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Controlled Chaos Film Festival comes to Cullowhee
 

Controlled Chaos Film Festival comes to Cullowhee

Films created by Western Carolina University students will be screened at the fifth annual Controlled Chaos Film Festival at 7…
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Aiming for the soul, one note at a time
 

Aiming for the soul, one note at a time

When finding your artistic voice, it’s about moving forward and not looking back, being true to yourself and refusing to…
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Spring up at Greening Up
 

Spring up at Greening Up

The 16th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival takes place Saturday, April 27, on Main and Mill streets in historic…
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Democrats need to unite behind Christopher
 

Democrats need to unite behind Christopher

To the Editor: I’m deeply troubled to learn that some Haywood Democrats are still disgruntled about the appointment of Greg…
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Career politicians are the problem
 

Career politicians are the problem

To the Editor: Career politicians are ruining this country. Unfortunately, once elected, most of our politicians’ concerns are to become…
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Dillsboro and Jackson need railroad back
 

Dillsboro and Jackson need railroad back

To the Editor: How will the saga of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad end? There have been many letters written…
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I will miss my conversations with Roger Ebert
 

I will miss my conversations with Roger Ebert

I cannot credit film critic Roger Ebert, who died just a couple of weeks ago after a lengthy battle with…
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WCU’s Chris Cooper named among UNC system’s top professors
 

WCU’s Chris Cooper named among UNC system’s top professors

Chris Cooper, associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University, has…
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WCU names Drake to board
 

WCU names Drake to board

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors elected Phil Drake, chief executive officer of Drake Enterprises, and Kenny Messer,…
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Scholarships available for high school seniors
 

Scholarships available for high school seniors

The Fines Creek Community Association is offering $500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors living within the Fines Creek, Panther…
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Free kids festival coming to Haywood fairgrounds
 

Free kids festival coming to Haywood fairgrounds

A free kids festival featuring music, activity areas, performances and give-aways will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.…
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Cemeteries ensconced by park remain a source of consternation
 

Cemeteries ensconced by park remain a source of consternation

It is a day Lawrence Hyatt looks forward to all year — venturing into the Smokies backcountry to pay homage…
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Lake Junaluska’s bold new plan to reclaim its future
 

Lake Junaluska’s bold new plan to reclaim its future

Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center has unveiled a $40 million, 10-year campus master plan in hopes of bolstering convention…
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One-size-fits-all tourism brand sought for Jackson
 

One-size-fits-all tourism brand sought for Jackson

Ask vacationers why they pick Jackson County, and you might heard words like “escape,” “relief” and “tradition.” 
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Lots of winners in festival grants
 

Lots of winners in festival grants

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will hand out a bevy of grants for festivals and niche tourism projects throughout…
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Folkmoot back in the tourism grant fold
 

Folkmoot back in the tourism grant fold

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will restore annual grant funding for Folkmoot USA, reversing a move last year to…
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Maggie aldermen bow out of business approval process
 

Maggie aldermen bow out of business approval process

The Maggie Valley town board will soon divest itself from the role of both judge and jury for new businesses…
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Flourishing in a fading art form
 

Flourishing in a fading art form

It’s Monday morning, and Mary Lou Rinehart is taking a moment to relax. Owner of Clyde Ray’s Flower Shop in…
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Horse trading comes full circle in Jackson school budget
 

Horse trading comes full circle in Jackson school budget

Jackson County Schools brokered a sweet deal with county commissioners last year, or so it seemed at the time. School…
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Tuscola High School student arrested for threats of mass violence
 

Tuscola High School student arrested for threats of mass violence

A 16-year-old Tuscola High School student was arrested by Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday afternoon, April 18, and charged…
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More school counselors could afford needed ounce of prevention
 

More school counselors could afford needed ounce of prevention

If a student at Central Elementary has a particularly tough weekend at home, school counselor Leslie Smith won’t get to…
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National Guard send off one of many seen in WNC during decade-long conflict
 

National Guard send off one of many seen in WNC during decade-long conflict

As Lieutenant James Rossi took the stage in his fatigues, a toddler’s voice cut across the auditorium, breaking the otherwise…
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No good deed goes unpunished in state’s domestic violence funding formula
 

No good deed goes unpunished in state’s domestic violence funding formula

The domestic violence nonprofit REACH of Macon County is facing a more than $80,000 shortfall next year due partly to…
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Neighborly lifeline for domestic violence victims could fray at the edges unless Jackson steps up
 

Neighborly lifeline for domestic violence victims could fray at the edges unless Jackson steps up

Nearly a year has passed since a domestic violence support agency in Jackson County abruptly shut down under financial duress,…
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Libraries brace for hit: Libraries play offense over state budget cuts
 

Libraries brace for hit: Libraries play offense over state budget cuts

For years, state funding for libraries has been on the decline. But librarians in Western North Carolina are not taking…
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DOT to pave the way for new casino coming to Murphy
 

DOT to pave the way for new casino coming to Murphy

The construction of a bridge and entrance road to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ second casino in Murphy has…
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‘We’ll go back’: Sylva doctor who helped at Boston bombing vows not to let terrorists win
 

‘We’ll go back’: Sylva doctor who helped at Boston bombing vows not to let terrorists win

As the manhunt ends, the nation begins to cope and the primary suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing either lay…
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The blue-grey gnatcatcher is a mighty mite
 

The blue-grey gnatcatcher is a mighty mite

Elizabeth and I were sitting on the deck Monday evening when a tiny bird made an abbreviated appearance — apparently…
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Beginners luck, or magic touch?
 

Beginners luck, or magic touch?

Fire is a life source. Without fire or some other form of heat, it’s nearly, if not impossible, to survive…
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Volunteers needed to liaison with elk viewers
 

Volunteers needed to liaison with elk viewers

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to impart wildlife viewing etiquette in high-traffic tourist areas at the…
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Delve into nature with Highlands Nature Center day camps
 

Delve into nature with Highlands Nature Center day camps

The Highlands Nature Center is offering a lineup of summer Nature Day Camps for children. Five different camps on ecology…
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Stomach bug takes to the A.T.
 

Stomach bug takes to the A.T.

A pesky stomach virus has turned up among hikers along the Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs, especially on a stretch…
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