First-ever Southeast Indian Writers Gathering lined up
 

First-ever Southeast Indian Writers Gathering lined up

Native American writers from the Southeast are invited to participate in the first-ever Southeast Indian Writers Gathering, to be held…
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First annual “Celebration of Books” in Highlands
 

First annual “Celebration of Books” in Highlands

Twenty-eight Carolina authors will be selling and signing their books at the Celebration of Books from 9 a.m. to 3…
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Meet Lin Stepp, author of the Smoky Mountain series of novels
 

Meet Lin Stepp, author of the Smoky Mountain series of novels

Lin Stepp will sign copies of Tell Me About Orchard Hollow from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18,…
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Putting the spotlight on Whittier
 

Putting the spotlight on Whittier

My Mountain Granny by Matthew Link Baker. Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Inc., 2010. In the opening pages of My…
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Go behind the scenes of historic canning house
 

Go behind the scenes of historic canning house

“Women’s Work Preserving the Past, Educating the Future,” will exhibit from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11,…
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Southeastern tribes share cultural traditions
 

Southeastern tribes share cultural traditions

The 6th annual Southeastern Tribes Cultural Arts Celebration will bring together master dancers, craftsmen, artists and athletes from the five…
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Motorcycle stunts and more at Rally in the Valley
 

Motorcycle stunts and more at Rally in the Valley

The Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association’s 10th Annual Rally in the Valley will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.…
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Lynyrd Skynyrd member appears at Thunder in the Smokies
 

Lynyrd Skynyrd member appears at Thunder in the Smokies

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006 Inductee Artimus Pyle from Lynyrd Skynyrd is coming to Maggie Valley on Saturday,…
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HCC Professional Crafts students awarded at International Woodworking Fair
 

HCC Professional Crafts students awarded at International Woodworking Fair

Two Haywood Community College Professional Crafts—Wood students brought home awards recently from the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta. Joshua Janis…
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Sylva concert series concludes with gospel acts
 

Sylva concert series concludes with gospel acts

An all-star lineup of regional gospel performers will take the stage from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, at…
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Classical concert features Bach, Mozart and Grieg
 

Classical concert features Bach, Mozart and Grieg

Pianist Bruce Murray and violinist Jason Posnock will play a program of classical music at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept.…
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Cinematography professor wins Telly Award for ‘Wesley’
 

Cinematography professor wins Telly Award for ‘Wesley’

Arledge Armenaki, Western Carolina University associate professor of cinematography, is recipient of a Telly Award for his work as director…
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Audition for next HART play, ‘The Little Foxes’
 

Audition for next HART play, ‘The Little Foxes’

Auditions for the fall production of the classic Broadway play, “The Little Foxes,” by Lillian Hellman will be held at…
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Star in HCC’s next film
 

Star in HCC’s next film

Local acting talent is being sought for Haywood Community College’s fall semester short film project called, “The Pond.” Casting takes…
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Bold art featured in ‘Fire and Heat by Three’
 

Bold art featured in ‘Fire and Heat by Three’

Gunpowder, furnaces and kilns are used by three featured artists in the “Fire and Heat by Three” exhibit, which opens…
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Bold art featured in ‘Fire and Heat by Three’
 

Bold art featured in ‘Fire and Heat by Three’

Gunpowder, furnaces and kilns are used by three featured artists in the “Fire and Heat by Three” exhibit, which opens…
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WNC sees boom in performance venues
 

WNC sees boom in performance venues

The days of driving hours away from Western North Carolina to see your favorite acts may well be over. In…
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Tiny town of Forest Hills  holds fate of Cullowhee  revitalization in its hands
 

Tiny town of Forest Hills holds fate of Cullowhee revitalization in its hands

Being the top leader of the Village of Forest Hills isn’t as serene as it once was. Admittedly, Irene Hooper,…
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Exploring the legacy of Ayn Rand
 

Exploring the legacy of Ayn Rand

In Ayn Rand and the World She Made (ISBN 978-0-385-51399-9, Doubleday, 568 pages, $35), Anne C. Heller has given readers…
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HCC not taking no as an answer
 

HCC not taking no as an answer

Haywood Community College remains hopeful that the county will increase funding to the college, despite reluctance by the county commissioners…
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U.S. Open brings paddlers to Nantahala gorge
 

U.S. Open brings paddlers to Nantahala gorge

The best of USA Canoe/Kayak’s whitewater team will descend on the Nantahala River this weekend intent on making a clear…
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Federal, state taxpayers to fund Maggie slide cleanup
 

Federal, state taxpayers to fund Maggie slide cleanup

Everything has fallen into place for a government-sponsored cleanup of the Rich Cove mudslide in Maggie Valley, an undertaking pegged…
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How we found the Wondermutt
 

How we found the Wondermutt

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a news story about how animal rescue organizations are being inundated with unwanted…
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Imagining a one-book library
 

Imagining a one-book library

The feedback (mostly email) from readers to recent columns regarding books in general, book shelving strategies, and bookplates has been…
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Pregnancy support workers find their calling helping women
 

Pregnancy support workers find their calling helping women

For many low-income women, pregnancy can lead to more stress than excitement. Most of the expecting mothers who visit local…
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Buffer buyout launched along Pigeon River
 

Buffer buyout launched along Pigeon River

A trail alongside the Pigeon River may materialize between Canton and Clyde, but recreation will not be its primary purpose.…
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Community college building costs come under fire
 

Community college building costs come under fire

Haywood Community College leaders say county commissioners are unfairly accusing them of overspending on a new $10.2 million complex where…
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Planning board sends steep slope proposal to Macon commissioners
 

Planning board sends steep slope proposal to Macon commissioners

The Macon County Planning Board voted unanimously March 18 to forward the recommendations of its steep slope committee to the…
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Carden wrestles with storyteller legacy
 

Carden wrestles with storyteller legacy

There are two voices inside Sylva storyteller and playwright Gary Carden. One belongs to the mountain man of letters whom…
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Friends of the Smokies to unveil new office space
 

Friends of the Smokies to unveil new office space

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March…
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Slide sends powerful message to Macon planners
 

Slide sends powerful message to Macon planners

Over the past month a slow-moving landslide behind the Craftsmen Village development in Macon County has worsened, leaving one property…
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For the pregnant and poor, prenatal care can remain out of reach
 

For the pregnant and poor, prenatal care can remain out of reach

A pivotal moment arrives every time a pregnancy test turns positive at public health departments across the state. The new…
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Cashiers Historical Society receives family Bible from 1800s
 

Cashiers Historical Society receives family Bible from 1800s

William and Mary Alice Fryar presented the Cashiers Historical Society with the 19th century Zachary family bible earlier this month.…
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Engineers stumped on best way to shore up Maggie slide
 

Engineers stumped on best way to shore up Maggie slide

With federal and state grants in hand, work will soon get underway to stabilize the remnants of a massive landslide…
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Jackson candidates chose unconventional path to the November ballot
 

Jackson candidates chose unconventional path to the November ballot

Every so often a dissatisfied electorate injects a third current into the country’s two-party dialogue. It’s happening this year with…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

Scientist-science Paige Barlow is a University of Georgia PhD candidate working out of the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Otto, outside…
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Cherokee leaders take stock of sustainability goals
 

Cherokee leaders take stock of sustainability goals

Four years ago, Principal Chief Michell Hicks issued a proclamation intended to move the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians towards…
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Baseball and soccer battle for space at new Haywood rec park
 

Baseball and soccer battle for space at new Haywood rec park

Haywood County residents have another chance to steer plans for a park in Jonathan Creek at a public meeting at…
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Plans underway for second Waynesville ABC store
 

Plans underway for second Waynesville ABC store

Buying alcohol will become a lot more convenient for residents in Haywood County. For the first time in 43 years,…
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Book lovers and our new bookplates
 

Book lovers and our new bookplates

Several weeks ago, I devoted a column to the complicated science of book shelving. Not a few readers responded —…
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‘Mountain Traditions’ concert to benefit Shindig on the Green
 

‘Mountain Traditions’ concert to benefit Shindig on the Green

One of the region’s most beloved and authentic cultural traditions, Shindig on the Green, will present “A Celebration of Mountain…
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Sewer dispute could help redefine TWASA’s mission
 

Sewer dispute could help redefine TWASA’s mission

A Sylva sewer line that overflowed on a residential property last month has sparked a difference of opinion between the…
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Library friends reveal interior design plans
 

Library friends reveal interior design plans

The construction of the new Jackson County Main Library has been a community-driven project all along, and last week the…
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Iconoclast hiker conquers Mountains to Sea Trail
 

Iconoclast hiker conquers Mountains to Sea Trail

Scot Ward isn’t a missionary, but he does have a burning message. An experienced thru-hiker who carries a copy of…
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Maggie may get on board with county erosion control
 

Maggie may get on board with county erosion control

The Town of Maggie Valley recently transferred the responsibility for building inspections to Haywood County. Now, Maggie is considering handing…
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From searing to sautéing, the competition is hot at Mélange of the Mountains
 

From searing to sautéing, the competition is hot at Mélange of the Mountains

Foodies can have it all at the sixth annual Mélange of the Mountains culinary gala in Haywood County. Many of…
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Swain passes moratorium on utility projects
 

Swain passes moratorium on utility projects

The setting may have been humble –– a nondescript meeting room in a county administration building –– but the Swain…
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Recurring money problems pit HCC, county against each other
 

Recurring money problems pit HCC, county against each other

Haywood Community College leaders are at odds with county commissioners over funding for the college. The county slashed capital contributions…
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Smoky Mountain Center to offload psychiatric services
 

Smoky Mountain Center to offload psychiatric services

Smoky Mountain Center has begun the process of transferring its mental health services to private companies in a move that…
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Restaurant ‘ghost’ plays tricks on owners
 

Restaurant ‘ghost’ plays tricks on owners

Cindy Robertson never for a minute believed in ghosts — that is, until she moved into her new restaurant outside…
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