When India comes to town
 

When India comes to town

By Jerica Rossi • Folkmoot Guide When asked which country I wanted to be a guide for during the 2017 Folkmoot…
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Cherokee man receives N.C.’s highest honor
 

Cherokee man receives N.C.’s highest honor

A life of service to country, culture and global community has earned Jerry Wolfe the state of North Carolina’s highest…
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‘We want the peace’: Israeli group director preaches harmony through dance
 

‘We want the peace’: Israeli group director preaches harmony through dance

Home to some of the most important and sacred Judeo-Christian sites in the world, what should be a place of…
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Sixth time’s the charm: Folkmoot comes full circle, enters new era
 

Sixth time’s the charm: Folkmoot comes full circle, enters new era

I kept glancing over at the signs. Strolling the long and busy corridors of the Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) this…
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Is this a teachable moment?
 

Is this a teachable moment?

To the Editor: We all wish Sen. John McCain a speedy recovery. Sen. Mitch McConnell kindly delayed the vote on…
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Rep. Meadows is doing us no favors
 

Rep. Meadows is doing us no favors

To the Editor: Scott McLeod hit the proverbial nail directly on its head July 12th in his assessment of our…
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Thanks to Franklin, Macon leaders
 

Thanks to Franklin, Macon leaders

To the Editor: As a proud Great Lakes kid, I am so pleased that Franklin Town Council and Macon County…
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Finding your beach
 

Finding your beach

Edisto Beach, South Carolina – I will never forget the pictures. The day after Hurricane Matthew plowed through — and…
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We have to decide: turn left or right?
 

We have to decide: turn left or right?

We got to the stop sign at the bottom of our mountain in our fully loaded truck — bikes, camping…
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Field of Dreams: If you build it, they will come
 

Field of Dreams: If you build it, they will come

By Kurt J. Volker • Contributing Writer In a sense, Warren and Phil Drake and Warren’s wife Ronda have created their…
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Mortgage agreement goes up in flames
 

Mortgage agreement goes up in flames

Forty-one years have gone into making Dogwood Crafters Cooperative of Dillsboro the successful business it is today. And the co-op…
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Clearing the desk: Part II
 

Clearing the desk: Part II

In my last review, I mentioned the need to reduce a pile of books I’d read, all of them, new…
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What’s a naturalist?
 

What’s a naturalist?

Trying to answer that question, the first source I resorted to was, of course, the Oxford English Dictionary. Therein I…
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Fontana algal bloom persists
 

Fontana algal bloom persists

An algal bloom observed in the Tuckasegee arm of Fontana Lake during late June continues to develop, prompting the N.C.…
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Duke Energy work proposed in national forest
 

Duke Energy work proposed in national forest

The Nantahala National Forest is reviewing a proposal from Duke Energy that would allow the company to upgrade its electrical…
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High schoolers become eclipse experts
 

High schoolers become eclipse experts

A Solar Eclipse Education Program at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont will turn high school students into experts…
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Haywood gets a honey extractor
 

Haywood gets a honey extractor

The number of Haywood County beekeepers is on the rise, and a new honey extraction facility is now available for…
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WNC’s deadliest waterfalls
 

WNC’s deadliest waterfalls

The attraction between people and waterfalls is nothing new, with a couple waterfall deaths per year typical between the Great…
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Fatal Attraction: Herculean rescue effort at Yellowstone Falls highlights dangers of waterfall play
 

Fatal Attraction: Herculean rescue effort at Yellowstone Falls highlights dangers of waterfall play

The 911 call, coming from a gorge cut high in the Balsam Mountains, was nearly unintelligible. When the connection ended…
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Frontier Communications rep flooded with customer complaints
 

Frontier Communications rep flooded with customer complaints

Swain County residents recently crowded a room to voice their dissatisfaction with the internet and cell service they are —…
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EBCI could provide broadband relief in Swain
 

EBCI could provide broadband relief in Swain

For many Swain County residents, waiting until 2020 in hopes Frontier Communications will be able to provide them with any…
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Public invited to property rights conference
 

Public invited to property rights conference

The Southeastern Private Property and Federal Land Use Conference will be held July 29 in Bryson City.
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Mayor, board elections represent the changing face of Canton
 

Mayor, board elections represent the changing face of Canton

Although the Municipal General Election isn’t until Nov. 7, when the candidate sign-up period closed on July 21, Canton’s fate…
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Flurry of last-minute candidates flood Maggie Valley
 

Flurry of last-minute candidates flood Maggie Valley

For a while there, things seemed to be pretty quiet on the Maggie Valley political scene, but on the very…
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Six vie for three seats on Franklin board; Bryson City incumbents face challengers
 

Six vie for three seats on Franklin board; Bryson City incumbents face challengers

Sign ups for Franklin’s Town Council were coming in slow until the last day, and now there are six candidates…
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Election sign-ups extended in Jackson
 

Election sign-ups extended in Jackson

The sign-up period to run for municipal office is over in North Carolina, but the Jackson County Board of Elections…
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High cost puts public access to Parris cabin on hold
 

High cost puts public access to Parris cabin on hold

A plan to build an amphitheater and stage next to the cabin where Sylva author John Parris once wrote newspaper…
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Law enforcement still searching for armed suspect
 

Law enforcement still searching for armed suspect

Numerous law enforcement agencies led by the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office are engaged in a search for Phillip Michael Stroupe…
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What’s in the cards? Entrepreneurs go face-to-face with customers
 

What’s in the cards? Entrepreneurs go face-to-face with customers

Since late April, The Smoky Mountain News series on economic development has focused on the financial health of Haywood County, the mechanisms by which state, local and national governments encourage economic development and the various sectors that make up the county’s economy.
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Waynesville charter school embarks on year three
 

Waynesville charter school embarks on year three

Shining Rock Classical Academy administrators have their hands full preparing for the school’s third year, expanding to eighth grade, accommodating…
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Cherokee to conduct census
 

Cherokee to conduct census

A census of people living on the Qualla Boundary will soon begin following a unanimous vote from Tribal Council to…
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This must be the place: ‘Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control’
 

This must be the place: ‘Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control’

This one? This one hurt. When I heard Thursday afternoon about the tragic suicide of Chester Bennington, lead singer for…
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GOP turmoil continues, but facts do matter
 

GOP turmoil continues, but facts do matter

I’ve known Ted Carr many years, and he is not a liar. That charge has been leveled against him by…
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Finding the light in an RV
 

Finding the light in an RV

Since my mom’s passing almost a year ago, my dad and I have become very close. Without her here as…
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Single-payer system is badly needed
 

Single-payer system is badly needed

To the Editor: Conservative business owners are realizing that our dysfunctional health care system, driven by private health insurance, is…
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Trump, Meadows just don’t care
 

Trump, Meadows just don’t care

To the Editor: President Trump’s campaign staff met with a Russian attorney in Trump Tower to discuss inside “dirt” about…
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Dispelling myths about indigent defense
 

Dispelling myths about indigent defense

To the Editor: Thank you for dispelling the myth that indigent defense attorneys don’t get paid (http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/20283). They might not…
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North Carolina creates outdoor rec recruitment position
 

North Carolina creates outdoor rec recruitment position

North Carolina now has a position for a dedicated outdoor recreation recruitment director tasked with developing the state’s outdoor recreation…
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Winged wonders: Butterfly house is a living exhibit at the N.C. Arboretum
 

Winged wonders: Butterfly house is a living exhibit at the N.C. Arboretum

It’s one of those summer days that’s so hot and humid it’s impossible to walk even two steps without sweating,…
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New agritourism guide is out
 

New agritourism guide is out

The new Buy Haywood agritourism guide is now available, celebrating the 10th anniversary of this initiative to promote homegrown Haywood…
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Man airlifted following 40-foot fall
 

Man airlifted following 40-foot fall

A man was airlifted from the Graveyard Fields area of the Pisgah National Forest July 12 after falling 40 feet…
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Repairs underway on the Blue Ridge Parkway
 

Repairs underway on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Repairs on the Blue Ridge Parkway will continue through August between mileposts 383 and 389 near Asheville, part of a…
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Fly fishing hall of famers
 

Fly fishing hall of famers

The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians Hall of Fame will have six new members when its second-ever class…
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The Naturalist's Corner: MOU – MIA
 

The Naturalist's Corner: MOU – MIA

Issues surrounding the management of the country’s national forests have always been thorny. It’s easy to see why — there…
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Time to clear the desk, part one
 

Time to clear the desk, part one

Time to clear the decks — or in my case, the desk. For whatever reason — to escape our poisonous…
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This must be the place: ‘Everywhere I turn, here we are…’
 

This must be the place: ‘Everywhere I turn, here we are…’

I was about an hour late. Rolling up to the Swain County Business Education & Training Center in Bryson City…
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Above the distraction: The Swag celebrates old traditions, welcomes new era
 

Above the distraction: The Swag celebrates old traditions, welcomes new era

Heading up Hemphill Road, just outside of Maggie Valley, the lush fields and bungalow homes of Jonathan Creek fade into…
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The power of conviction
 

The power of conviction

The Folkmoot Friendship Center on Virginia Avenue in Hazelwood is central to the festival’s operation.
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Many cultures, one community
 

Many cultures, one community

The 34th annual Folkmoot International Festival will return to Waynesville this weekend for 10 days worth of folk dance performances…
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