Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, speaks in support of the trespassing bill on the Senate floor. Donated photo
 

Penalty for trespassing on Cherokee land to increase

Enforcing banishments could become easier for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians depending on the fate of a bill that…
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District Attorney Ashley Welch and Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed lead a public forum on the criminal justice system. Jessi Stone photo
 

Laying down the law: Officers, DA explain challenges within the system

If you don’t have much experience within the criminal justice system, trying to navigate the system can be frustrating.
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The 2018-19 Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority budget will include substantial changes to hookup fees for new customers. File photo
 

TWSA to set new fee levels: Upfront fees will be less than current levels

Hookup fees are set to fall for water and sewer customers in Jackson County, but how much will depend on…
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Work begins for Green Energy Park makeover
 

Work begins for Green Energy Park makeover

An idea to turn the Jackson County Green Energy Park into a campus for creativity, learning and animal adoption now…
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Jackson passes $71.67 million budget
 

Jackson passes $71.67 million budget

Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously June 18 to adopt a $71.67 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year, which starts…
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Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley.
 

Everywhere I go is a long way from home: A conversation with Trey Hensley

Over the last few years, guitarist Trey Hensley and dobroist Rob Ickes have crisscrossed the country with their unique brand…
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Comment

Anthony Bourdain.
 

This must be the place: No guarantees how long we’re going to be here, just enjoy life

I, like many of you reading this, was initially shocked and saddened to hear the news of the recent passing…
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Comment

Bracken fern.
 

Bracken among the world’s most common plants

 “Here and elsewhere, bracken is such an aggressive plant that one wonders why it has not taken over the world.”…
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Clean water makes the Little Tennessee River popular for fly fishing. Hannah Furguiele photo
 

Rally ‘Round the River: Conference aims to unite Macon around watershed conservation

Twenty-five years ago, a group of residents, conservationists and agency officials met in Macon County to talk about water. At…
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Become a junior ranger
 

Become a junior ranger

Kids wanting to earn their badge will have plenty of chances with a full slate of junior ranger programs offered…
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A new outpost for Motion Makers Bicycles and Outdoor 76 is located at 17 Big Cove Road in Cherokee. Donated photo
 

Outdoors retailers open in Cherokee

Cherokee’s new outdoors retailers will host a grand opening celebration 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at their…
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The crew spent a week restoring the Palmer Barn. Camilla Cainan photo
 

Volunteers restore Smokies building

Key elements of the historic Palmer Barn in the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are now…
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Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation announces fundraising goals
 

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation announces fundraising goals

The Waterrock Knob Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway will get new exhibits if the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation…
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Ted Carr (right), past president and board chair of Bethel Rural Community Organization, inducts Bill Holbrook into the 2018 Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame. Donated photo
 

Bethel farmer added to Ag Hall of Fame

Haywood County farmer Bill Holbrook has been inducted into the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame for his tireless…
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Comment

Characters and music star in The Music Shop
 

Characters and music star in The Music Shop

Can there be a sadder sight than a man in his sixties sitting in a garden with tears dribbling down…
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SB 99: Who will teach NC’s children?
 

SB 99: Who will teach NC’s children?

This is about money. But it is also about the North Carolina Legislature’s Conference Report on Senate Bill 99, especially…
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Members of Nantahala Area SORBA riding at the Fire Mountain Trails in Cherokee.
 

Trails are just good for communities

Trails are good and we could have more here. — The board of the Nantahala Area Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association Our…
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Bourdain’s death puts depression in spotlight
 

Bourdain’s death puts depression in spotlight

I was only vaguely aware of who Anthony Bourdain was when news of his suicide swept the internet last week.…
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Be courteous to cyclists
 

Be courteous to cyclists

To the Editor: My wife and I are avid recreational bicyclists, having ridden for 30 and 15 years respectively. You…
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The standard today is a double standard
 

The standard today is a double standard

To the Editor: After reading all three letters to the editor in the latest Smoky Mountain News, I’m wondering how…
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Women from Western North Carolina share a meal with women in Tibet during the Eastern Tibet Women’s Pilgrimage Tour in 2017. Donated photo
 

Tibetan tour connects women across cultures

Standing on a mountaintop ascending above 10,000 feet — an ancient farming village in the valley below and a Buddhist…
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Board can now begin quest to diversify tribal revenue
 

Board can now begin quest to diversify tribal revenue

The Kituwah Economic Development Board is now ready to start pursuing expanded business opportunities for the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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The Chief Pontiac statue at Harry’s on the Hill in Asheville will come down after 51 years. Facebook photo
 

Chief Pontiac statue will leave Asheville

After 51 years standing high on a hill along Patton Avenue in Asheville, a 23-foot-tall statue of Chief Pontiac is…
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$100,000 reward available for information on Cherokee vote tampering
 

$100,000 reward available for information on Cherokee vote tampering

The reward for information leading to a conviction for ballot tampering in Cherokee’s September 2017 elections has been quadrupled from…
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Comment

Jerry DeWeese (second from right) takes his oath of office with other board members. Within the hour, he would resign the position. Holly Kays photo
 

Health and human services board member resigns

The tension that surrounded Jackson County commissioners’ decision to merge its health and social services departments wasn’t hard to sense…
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Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran shakes hands with his supporters after a candidate challenge against him was dismissed by the local board of elections in April. File photo
 

Swain sheriff suspends mutual aid to town; Opponent claims the move is purely political

Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran has suspended a longstanding mutual aid agreement with the Bryson City Police Department, though the…
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Comment

A number of historic structures in Waynesville’s African American community like Jones Temple on Pigeon Street could benefit from a historical documentation. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Survey to document local African American history

A cultural survey currently underway that seeks to document the legacy of an overlooked Waynesville community could add to the…
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Comment

Rep. Presnell revisits voter ID issue
 

Rep. Presnell revisits voter ID issue

North Carolinians will be asked this November to weigh in on the controversial issue of voter ID if a bill…
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Comment

Swain budget holds the line
 

Swain budget holds the line

Swain County’s proposed budget for 2018-19 will maintain the status quo without a proposed property tax increase or any major…
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Comment

Commissioners move to clear J-Creek dirt delays
 

Commissioners move to clear J-Creek dirt delays

Five months into the economic development partnership between the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Haywood County Chamber of…
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Comment

WCU’s Dr. Angela Dills unveils the N.C. Data Dashboard at a meeting of the Mountain West Partnership June 6. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

WCU unveils new economic tool

A new tool that compiles a mind-boggling array of economic and demographic data and presents it in a simple map-based…
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Comment

Macon County Schools Superintendent Chris Baldwin explains a $478,000 funding shortfall to the county commissioners during a recent work session.
 

Macon schools faces drastic cuts without more funding

Macon County commissioners are considering contributing another $750,000 toward public education to prevent further drastic cuts to Macon County Schools’…
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Jackson County Public Schools Superintendent Kim Elliott asks commissioners to fund six additional teaching positions during a May 31 work session. Holly Kays photo
 

Jackson finalizes proposed budget

When the Jackson County Commissioners met June 5 to discuss final changes to the proposed budget for 2018-19, they came…
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Comment

JJ Grey. Jay Simon photo
 

Brighter days, where did they go?

When you find yourself in conversation with JJ Grey, you walk away from the interaction with a kick in your…
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Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at Bonnaroo. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

This must be the place: We had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life

Hopping out of my truck, the intense sunshine and humidity of rural central Tennessee in early June slapped me right…
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Comment

A sound decision and a wise investment
 

A sound decision and a wise investment

Town and counties never have enough money to provide all the services and amenities that their citizens — in a…
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Comment

Students and teachers are on my mind
 

Students and teachers are on my mind

It’s high stakes testing week for students and educators in Haywood County. This is my 9-year old’s first year taking…
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Comment

WLOS propaganda is sickening
 

WLOS propaganda is sickening

To the Editor: I am extremely uncomfortable knowing that our local television station, WLOS, continues to advance political content under…
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Comment

EPA’s Pruitt is doing a bad job
 

EPA’s Pruitt is doing a bad job

To the Editor: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is in violation of his oath of office. Our members of Congress are…
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Comment

Do we want another Andrew Jackson?
 

Do we want another Andrew Jackson?

To the Editor: By the year 1808, the eastern Cherokee had adopted a written legal code. In 1820, they established…
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Comment

The Jackson County Greenway and boat put-in were blocked off last week due to danger from the swollen Tuckasegee River. Holly Kays photo
 

Through the raincloud: Agricultural community takes stock after record-breaking rains

A month of rain capped off by the arrival of Tropical Storm Alberto has caused massive flooding, landslides and loss…
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Comment

Crews work to remove fallen trees. Donated photo
 

Chimney Rock State Park still closed

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is still closed due to storm damage, but Chimney Rock Village and Old…
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Comment

Simp Gap appears in a view from the Appalachian Trail. Donated photo
 

Grant helps preserve A.T. view

A $21,500 grant from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will help Mainspring Conservation trust conserve a 504-acre property in Graham County. 
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Comment

Rick Thomas (left) and Lucas Cody show off winning design for this year’s  Kids in the Creek T-shirt. Donated photo
 

Kids in the Creek design winners announced

Lucas Cody of Bethel Middle School won this year’s Haywood Waterways Association Kids in the Creek T-shirt design contest. 
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Eagle perched at nest back in March - Lake Junaluska. Don Hendershot photo
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Lake J eagles

Most readers know the pair of bald eagles that nested at Lake Junaluska this spring were unsuccessful. There is no…
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Comment

Judging a book by its cover
 

Judging a book by its cover

In Appalachia and the foothills and into the surrounding lands, we find log cabins — southern and rustic — constructed…
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Comment

Cold Mountain Music Festival returns to Lake Logan
 

Cold Mountain Music Festival returns to Lake Logan

The second annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will return June 8-9 to the Lake Logan Conference Center.  The festival will…
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Comment

Jackson sheriff recognized
 

Jackson sheriff recognized

Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall was recently recognized by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee as a…
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