Rowing and paddling aren’t synonymous
 

Rowing and paddling aren’t synonymous

To the Editor: As usual, your paper continues to cover important issues of our area that others largely ignore, but…
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Muirhead piece lost its focus
 

Muirhead piece lost its focus

To the Editor: The title of Scott Muirhead’s op-ed on Frog Level (“A place where two worlds collide,” The Smoky…
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Hate by any name is still hate
 

Hate by any name is still hate

Back in the day, say the late 1980s through about 2000, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate map featured Western…
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Vindication for HEP, a little satisfaction here
 

Vindication for HEP, a little satisfaction here

This is a very odd business, the telling of the news. It’s even more odd as part of an independent…
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Green Energy Park recommendations now on the table
 

Green Energy Park recommendations now on the table

The Green Energy Park would stand on its own financially within five years if Jackson County adopts recommendations made last…
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‘The Last Flapper’ stops off in Waynesville
 

‘The Last Flapper’ stops off in Waynesville

The one-woman show “The Last Flapper” comes to Waynesville’s HART Studio this month, portraying the life of Zelda Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald,…
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HART to hold auditions
 

HART to hold auditions

Auditions will be held for “Shipwrecked,” the latest production of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday…
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Guild to offer up knitting know-how
 

Guild to offer up knitting know-how

Free knitting classes for both children and adults are ramping up at the Waynesville Public Library, courtesy of the Smoky…
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Community Chorus practices Poulenc
 

Community Chorus practices Poulenc

The Western Carolina Community Chorus will begin rehearsals of Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria” from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb.…
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Winter Market dresses up for Valentine’s
 

Winter Market dresses up for Valentine’s

A special Valentine’s Market will be held by the Jackson County Winter Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.…
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Actress finds intersection of art, life and cancer in one-woman show
 

Actress finds intersection of art, life and cancer in one-woman show

Local actress Barbara Bates Smith will bring her one-woman show “The C-Word: A Life-Meets-Art Cancer Story” to St. David’s Episcopal…
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Valentine’s brings baking to Frog Level
 

Valentine’s brings baking to Frog Level

Valentine’s treats will be cooked up in Frog Level through a community baking event sponsored by the Daydreamz Project and…
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Calling all kids to Valentine’s Storytime
 

Calling all kids to Valentine’s Storytime

Children’s storytime takes on a Valentine’s theme at the Jackson County Library this month with Valentine stories and a party.…
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Taste of Chocolate seeks volunteers
 

Taste of Chocolate seeks volunteers

The 12th annual Taste of Chocolate is coming to Waynesville and the Haywood-Jackson Volunteer Center is seeking volunteers. They’re seeking…
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Quintet to perform original composition at library christening
 

Quintet to perform original composition at library christening

When Jackson County opens its new library, it will be with a little more than just the usual fanfare. Thanks…
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Past blunders cost hospital in ER lawsuit
 

Past blunders cost hospital in ER lawsuit

A group of emergency room doctors has been awarded $1.6 million in a lawsuit against Haywood Regional Medical Center. Haywood…
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Needmore Road paving proposal once again draws a crowd
 

Needmore Road paving proposal once again draws a crowd

The second and final public hearing on whether the N.C. Department of Transportation should widen and pave Needmore Road took…
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Library countdown: Volunteers help ready books for the move
 

Library countdown: Volunteers help ready books for the move

Good things come to those who wait. It’s an adage Jackson County library users will need to bear in mind…
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Cashing in: Tribe teaches teens to get smart with casino windfall
 

Cashing in: Tribe teaches teens to get smart with casino windfall

This year in Cherokee, a major change will quietly work its way into law, causing little fanfare but marking a…
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Maggie ABC stores face questions amid losses
 

Maggie ABC stores face questions amid losses

Maggie Valley’s liquor stores lost money in 2010 for the second year in a row, prompting some aldermen to question…
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Maggie alderman Colin Edwards resigns
 

Maggie alderman Colin Edwards resigns

Maggie Valley Alderman Colin Edwards resigned last week, prompting a special called meeting where barely-concealed animosity among the remaining board…
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New real estate values due out soon in Haywood
 

New real estate values due out soon in Haywood

Property owners in Haywood County will soon learn how their home and land values weathered the recession. Every home, lot…
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State budget timing critical to local governments
 

State budget timing critical to local governments

Local boards are finding themselves on the wrong end of the dog when it comes to putting together budgets for…
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Landfill methane to heat Haywood school bus garage: County lands $1 million grant for the project
 

Landfill methane to heat Haywood school bus garage: County lands $1 million grant for the project

Haywood County has landed a $1 million grant to turn the methane pouring off a no-longer-used landfill into energy. The…
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GEP does produce private-sector jobs
 

GEP does produce private-sector jobs

To the Editor: I thoroughly agree that it is past time to wake up, get Jackson County moving.” For too…
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Dogs that make our lives whole
 

Dogs that make our lives whole

If you don’t like dogs, come back next week. Dogs have been an integral part of my life since I…
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Agrarians: Learn to write a business plan
 

Agrarians: Learn to write a business plan

Mountain Bizworks wants to help farmers and would-be farmers looking to turn an idea into a practical business plan. The…
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State slashes power bill
 

State slashes power bill

A mandate to cut electricity use in state government buildings has saved North Carolina tax payers $55.3 million last fiscal…
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Soccer for big kids
 

Soccer for big kids

Co-ed soccer for adults will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday nights starting Jan. 26 at the Old…
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Reel basics class set for Pisgah Center
 

Reel basics class set for Pisgah Center

Learn the ins and outs of the fly fishing rod and reel from 10 a.m. until noon Jan. 29 at…
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Podcast spreads the word about threat to Smokies’ bats
 

Podcast spreads the word about threat to Smokies’ bats

A podcast released by Great Smoky Mountains National Park outlines efforts to save bats from White-nose syndrome, a potentially fatal…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Godzilla meets Barbi
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Godzilla meets Barbi

Pandemonium had engulfed Shoal Creek by the time authorities arrived. One fisherman sat, dazed, on a boulder, rocking back and…
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Jockeying for space on the Nantahala: Outfitters and summer camps spar over control of river traffic
 

Jockeying for space on the Nantahala: Outfitters and summer camps spar over control of river traffic

Rafting outfitters in the Nantahala Gorge have arrived at a compromise with summer camps and colleges vying for the chance…
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WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels
 

WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels

A book co-authored by Western Carolina University professor Rob Young about the global threat to coastal communities posed by rising…
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Cancer survivor to talk at Jackson Library
 

Cancer survivor to talk at Jackson Library

In May 2008, Jane SpottedBird was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Her doctor gave her 6 to 12 months to…
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A grisly war novel that stands apart
 

A grisly war novel that stands apart

“It took Karl Marlantes 30 years to write his thunderous, brutally granular account of scorched-earth combat in Vietnam. Matterhorn was…
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Thanks for making Fire and Ice a success
 

Thanks for making Fire and Ice a success

To the Editor: On behalf of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, I would like to thank The Smoky Mountain…
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Motocross track would violate our rights
 

Motocross track would violate our rights

To the Editor: Clarks Chapel is a delightful and quiet area that in recent years has attracted many people, including…
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A few hopeful signs of spring
 

A few hopeful signs of spring

I detect signs of spring. Whether this is fantasy or reality, that’s for you to decide, but I choose to…
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This epiphany is shiny, new and has all-wheel drive
 

This epiphany is shiny, new and has all-wheel drive

My epiphany occurred on a bitter cold Sunday afternoon, the snow having momentarily given way to a stray and fleeting…
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Winter youth art classes offered at the Bascom
 

Winter youth art classes offered at the Bascom

The Bascom is offering winter art classes for kids from pre-school to high school that will keep them busy and…
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Juggling comedian to send unlikely props airborn
 

Juggling comedian to send unlikely props airborn

Juggler Mark Nizer will bring a blend of comedy, juggling, music and technology to Western Carolina University at 7:30 p.m.…
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Classes focus on stylish dance
 

Classes focus on stylish dance

A new series of dance classes will be held Monday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. starting Feb. 7 at…
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Father-daughter Valentine Dance returns to Sylva
 

Father-daughter Valentine Dance returns to Sylva

The annual Father-Daughter Semi-formal Dance will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, at the First United…
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A sweet way to show library support
 

A sweet way to show library support

The 4th-annual Chocolate Cook-Off will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, in Bryson City to raise…
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Freight Hoppers featured at WCU’s Thursday night Jam
 

Freight Hoppers featured at WCU’s Thursday night Jam

The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Session Series at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will continue Thursday, Feb.…
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Gallery 86 opens 2011 with exhibition of student art
 

Gallery 86 opens 2011 with exhibition of student art

Student art is on display by the Haywood County Arts Council at Waynesville’s Gallery 86 through January 29. The exhibit…
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Inspired Art Ministry offers classes
 

Inspired Art Ministry offers classes

Inspired Art Ministry in Waynesville has opened their doors for the winter term, offering drawing and painting classes for all…
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Art and love collide at SweetheART Gallery Show
 

Art and love collide at SweetheART Gallery Show

Celebrate art and love during the Haywood County Arts Council’s February “SweetheART” Show featuring artist couples from Haywood County. The…
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Gateway Club turns up the heat at Fire & Ice Star Chef competition
 

Gateway Club turns up the heat at Fire & Ice Star Chef competition

Culinary talent throughout Western North Carolina gathered to compete in a single-elimination culinary skills recipe and preparation contest during the…
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