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Cackleberry Mountain will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 23. There will be discounts, surprises, hot cider and nibbles for everyone.
As a special treat, John Long, a 80-year-old local artist, will be “in the house” painting and personalizing ornaments.
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Mission Outpatient Care Center in Clyde is hosting a discussion titled “How to Be Healthy at Home: Addressing Childhood Diet and Exercise” as part of its Community Health Talk Series.
Pediatric Endocrinologist Lori Wagner will lead the discussion of healthy eating and how to apply that to your everyday life on Nov. 29 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Register at 828.213.2222. Select option 2.
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The Mast General Store is hosting its annual Share the Warmth coat, sweater and blanket collection campaign from now until Nov. 30.
This is the seventh year the Mast Store has undertaken this project to help provide coats for those in need in their home communities, and it’s the fifth time that Columbia has offered its own donation of 326 coats, which will be divided across all Mast Store communities.
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The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals is holding its holiday party Dec. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Frog Level Brewery.
They will be taking donations for a local Haywood County family in need.
The group engages Young Professionals through the core values of Professional Development, Networking and Community Service to make Haywood County a better place to live, work and play.
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Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing Education will offer a one-day workshop in building free personal and business websites Dec. 2.
Participants will learn how to create, design and publish personal Web pages on the Internet using no-cost online resources. The workshop, which costs $49, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room 137 of WCU’s Cordelia Camp Building.
Register at 828.227.7397 or learn.wcu.edu.
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Barry Patterson, environmental health section administrator at Macon County Public Health, was presented with a plaque for his service as president of the state’s Public Health Association’s Environmental Health Section — Mountain District.
The section’s mission is to safeguard human and environmental health through prevention, protection, promotion and educational efforts. Patterson has been with Macon County Public Health for six years and currently supervises a staff of 12.
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park employee Dave Lyvers, of Franklin, recently received the “Outstanding C-Well Operator of the Year” award from the North Carolina Waterworks Operators Association during their annual conference in Raleigh.
Lyvers is responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of five water systems that provide drinking water to park visitors and staff at campgrounds, picnic areas and employee facilities at Collins Creek, Balsam Mountain, Purchase Knob, Big Creek and Cataloochee. He was cited as “an outstanding and very professional water treatment system operator” where the systems he manages are kept in “top notch condition and very well maintained.”
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Dr. Al Mina, a general surgeon with Haywood Surgical Associates, recently graduated from the North Carolina Medical Society’s Leadership College.
He was recognized last month at the annual North Carolina Medical Society meeting in Raleigh for completing the selective, yearlong program that orients and trains physicians and physician assistants for possible future leadership positions at the county, state and national level. Mina, who is a past chief of surgery and past chief of staff at MedWest-Haywood, is the second MedWest Health System physician in Haywood County to complete the prestigious program.
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La Chispa, which sells a variety of overstocked items at discounted prices, has opened in Franklin.
Products range from original perfumes, men’s clothing and shoes to soccer supplies, western wear, party supplies, blankets and Baptism supplies. Purchasing overstocked items allows them to offer items to customers at a drastic savings.
La Chispa is located at 497 Highlands Road and is open daily from noon to 11 p.m.
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Gold & Silver Exchange has added another storefront in Franklin.
The Gold & Silver Exchange is located at 143 Franklin Plaza Drive next to Signs Express. The new store is its 10th location in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The Gold & Silver Exchange is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
www.goldandsilverex.com.
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has again ranked the heart surgery program at Mission Hospital and the cardiovascular surgeons of Asheville Heart with its top “three-star” rating for how well patients did following coronary artery bypass grafting procedures.
Only 10 percent of hospitals ranked achieved this level.
Among the criteria studied are mortality rates, complication rates, and whether the practices associated with best outcomes were consistently followed for all patients.
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Cherokee Preservation Foundation has awarded 19 new grants, totaling more than $2 million.
The grants support cultural preservation, economic development, job creation and environmental preservation. The money will fund the marketing efforts of the Greater Cherokee Tourism Council, the third phase of a streetscape project, the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts, the hiring of an energy program manager, the Cherokee High School’s basket-making and pottery programs, the development of a new Haywood County Youth Council, and the identification and mapping of ancient Cherokee trails.
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Mountain Medical Associates, an established multi-specialty healthcare practice in Clyde, is joining the MedWest Physician Network on Dec. 1.
The addition of Mountain Medical Associates brings the total number of practices in the MedWest Physician Network to 17, employing approximately 90 providers in Haywood, Jackson, Swain and Macon counties.
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MedWest Urgent Care Center in Sylva will be open on Sundays starting Dec. 4.
Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. seven days a week at the Center, located at 176 Walmart Plaza in Sylva. The center, which opened in August, provides walk-in examinations to patients with non-emergency illnesses or injuries.
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Through this year’s Halloween-themed Diva Night, Diamond Brand raised $1,000 for Mission Hospital Ladies Night Out Breast Cancer Awareness program. Barbeque dinners and Columbia winter hats were sold to benefit this far-reaching cause.
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The family friendly Livingston’s Bar and Grill is bringing a taste of paradise in the mountains.
The casual dining restaurant, located at 201 Highlands Road in Franklin, serves appetizers, sandwiches and burgers, soups, salads and desserts. It is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Livingston’s is also a drop off location for Toys for Tots. Receive 10 percent off an entreé or sandwich when you drop off a new toy for this Christmas Holiday.
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Jackson County Clerk of Court Ann Melton swore in Gary M. Shields as the newest member of the Southwestern Community College Board of Trustees.
Recommended by the Macon County Board of Commissioners, Shields, a Macon County native, was appointed by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. He is a retired educator and Vietnam veteran.
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An event was held at the Spring Ridge Creamery, a local dairy in Macon County that makes butter, cheese and ice cream, to raise funds for the Judy Moore Memorial Scholarship Endowment – an affiliate of the NC Community Foundation.
The event raised over $1,200 for the endowment. A raffle was included in the activities with Judy Hughes of Franklin winning the handmade quilt and Connery Elliott of Gainsville, Ga., winning a chainsaw.
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The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees welcomed a new member who was appointed earlier this year by Gov. Beverly Perdue.
Grace Battle, of Marietta, Ga., will serve a four-term on the board. A second appointee to the WCU board by the governor’s office is pending.
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Western Carolina University’s second doctoral-level academic program got under way this fall semester when 32 students began course work toward receiving their doctor of physical therapy degree.
A total of 386 prospective students applied for the 32 slots available to start the program this semester.
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Altrusa International of Waynesville became a member of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce in November.
Altrusa International of Waynesville was founded in 1980 and serves the community with academic scholarships for local vocational students supported by fundraising including their Annual Soup and Cornbread event, which is next slated for Jan. 24.
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Mission Health is partnering with Cancer Care of Western North Carolina to bring even greater quality and better patient outcomes to Mission’s newly opened SECU Cancer Center.
Cancer Care of Western North Carolina is an outpatient cancer treatment center that offers innovative and effective treatment options for people fighting cancer and blood disorders. It is one of the largest medical oncology practices in the region with offices in Asheville, Franklin, Brevard, Spruce Pine and Sylva.
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MedWest-Harris in Sylva has been recognized by the Premier healthcare performance improvement alliance and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
MedWest-Harris received two awards for its Surgical Care Improvement Project. The awards are in the attainment and improvement categories, for meeting or exceeding quality scores from the prior two years, and for ranking in the top 20 percent of hospitals with the largest percentage of quality improvements.
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What could be more fun than a weekend of fellowship and great birding? Maybe setting a new record for total number of species recorded during the annual Great Smoky Mountains Birding Expedition? 
