Two Plott hounds stick their heads out of travel crate. Donated photo
 

Plott-tober Fest to draw national competitors

Plott hound enthusiasts and their pups from across the United States will assemble to compete in bear bay and coon…
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The Cherokee Council House hosts Tribal Council’s  monthly meetings. File photo
 

Economic development efforts added to allowed uses for tribal levy

In a divided decision the Cherokee Tribal Council approved an ordinance amendment that will allow funding for the tribe’s cannabis…
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Ordinance expanding per capita payments withdrawn for further discussion
 

Ordinance expanding per capita payments withdrawn for further discussion

Debate about how to spend revenues from the tribe’s growing portfolio of out-of-state gambling businesses will continue into the next…
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Baker Perry’s team waves from Mount Everest. National Geographic photo
 

Haywood native to share science from the world’s highest summits

Hear the spectacular story of a Haywood County native’s expeditions to the world’s highest mountain peaks at 7 p.m. Friday,…
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An altar was created for the celebration that featured the different efforts PCMDC has to create peace in the community.  Mary McGlauflin photo
 

Peace Pole Dedicated at the Pigeon Center

Waynesville’s Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center celebrated the International Day of Peace last week by installing a peace pole.
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A panel discusses key policies to advancing the outdoor economy during a session Wednesday, Sept. 20.  David Huff photo
 

Ripple effects and recreation: Outdoor Economy Conference tackles range of complex issues

More than 600 people from across the nation converged in Cherokee last week for the fifth annual Outdoor Economy Conference,…
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Zebra mussels, a harmful invasive species, have been found in North Carolina. File photo
 

Zebra mussels found in N.C.

The zebra mussel, a harmful invasive aquatic species, has been confirmed in the wild for the first time in North…
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Support Full Spectrum Farms
 

Support Full Spectrum Farms

Starlight Night, the annual fundraiser for Full Spectrum Farms, will take place 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, on the farm.
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Betty Henderson displays her bronze medal. Donated photo
 

Canton native places in National Senior Games

Canton native Betty Y. Henderson earned a bronze medal at the National Senior Games held this summer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Woman dies in Blue Ridge Parkway fall
 

Woman dies in Blue Ridge Parkway fall

A South Carolina woman fell to her death from a steep cliff along the Blue Ridge Parkway Saturday, Sept. 23.
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A rainbow trout checks out a fly reel. Matt Canter photo
 

Delayed Harvest waters to close for trout harvest

Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations will go into effect in Western North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 1.
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Time to register for youth basketball
 

Time to register for youth basketball

Registration for youth basketball with the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department is open through Saturday, Sept. 30.
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Go to raft guide school
 

Go to raft guide school

Learn how to raft guide with a three-day clinic Friday, Oct. 6, through Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Nantahala Outdoor…
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Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper will play WNC Sept. 30. File photo
 

Mountain Heritage Day

A beloved long-time Western North Carolina tradition, the 49th annual Mountain Heritage Day will be held from 10 a.m. to…
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Darren Nicholson will play Franklin Sept. 23. File photo
 

Franklin welcomes bluegrass legend

Americana/bluegrass artist Darren Nicholson will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the gazebo in downtown Franklin.
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‘Good Ol’ Girls’ will be held on select dates at HART. Donated photo
 

HART presents ‘Good Ol’ Girls’

There will be a stage production of “Good Ol’ Girls” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22-23, 29-30, Oct. 5-7 and 2…
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Hurray For The Riff Raff will play Highlands Sept. 21. File photo
 

Highlander ‘Salon Series’

An intimate performance by renowned Americana/indie act Hurray For The Riff Raff will be part of the “Salon Series” at…
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A. Lee Edwards will play Maggie Valley Sept. 30. File photo
 

Edwards returns to Meadowlark

Americana/indie singer-songwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, in the Speakeasy Bar at the Meadowlark…
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Bryson City community jam
 

Bryson City community jam

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 
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Christina Bendo is a Waynesville potter. File photo
 

Haywood art studio tour

The Haywood County Arts Council’s annual “Haywood County Studio Tour” will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,…
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Waynesville native Fred Hall enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. Julia Hall Coffey photo
 

A hero comes home

America reckons with its legacy in Vietnam, one soldier at a time
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Cherokee Police Commission discusses cannabis change
 

Cherokee Police Commission discusses cannabis change

A week after Cherokee voters overwhelmingly voiced their support for legalizing cannabis on the Qualla Boundary, the Cherokee Police Commission spent 20…
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Multiple high-profile referenda required a certain number of voters to turn out to pass. File photo
 

Referendum votes meet turnout threshold

Voter turnout came in at 53.9% for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Sept. 7 election, according to numbers the…
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Safe Haven Baby Boxes allow for the anonymous surrender of an infant. Safe Haven photo
 

Sylva considers Safe Haven Boxes

The Sylva Board of Commissioners recently received a presentation on Safe Haven Boxes — a program that allows for the…
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Shining Rock Classical Academy. File photo
 

Data shows improvements for local charter schools

With accountability data released from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, all charter schools in the Smoky Mountain News’…
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Swain school board will revise policy to comply with new law
 

Swain school board will revise policy to comply with new law

After the Parents Bill of Rights passed the General Assembly in August, local boards of education are determining how to align…
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Defendants get prison time following trafficking investigation
 

Defendants get prison time following trafficking investigation

Eight people charged in Haywood County with trafficking and possessing illegal drugs are now serving active time in state prison,…
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Champion Credit Union and Ecusta Credit Union Announce Merger
 

Champion Credit Union and Ecusta Credit Union Announce Merger

Champion Credit Union announced that Ecusta Credit Union, which has served Transylvania and Henderson counties since 1976, will formally merge…
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Hawthorn Heights home now locally owned
 

Hawthorn Heights home now locally owned

Hawthorn Heights WNC, a nonprofit founded in Bryson City, announced it has purchased its current facility from Children’s Hope Alliance.
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Seat belt use encouraged  during Child Passenger Safety Week
 

Seat belt use encouraged during Child Passenger Safety Week

State and local officials are reminding people during “Child Passenger Safety Week” to buckle up their youngest passengers because car crashes…
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Mike Wade, with SCC President, Don Tomas, left, and SCC Foundation Director Brett Woods, right, recently created a new $500,000 endowed fund with the Southwestern Community College Foundation. When complete, it will be the single largest cash commitment in SCC history. Donated photo
 

Mike Wade creates endowed fund at SCC

Roughly a decade ago, Mike Wade heard a quote from successful industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie: “I spent the first…
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The allure of gambling money
 

The allure of gambling money

What’s behind Republican leaders’ insistent push to legalize multiple forms of gambling – from online sports betting to casinos and…
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A tribute to Dr. Arnold, a true teacher
 

A tribute to Dr. Arnold, a true teacher

Sometimes, it feels like we’re just nowhere in this life. It was like that for me in the early 1980s.
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Rule of law proven a farce amid corruption
 

Rule of law proven a farce amid corruption

To the editor: Remember the saying from Vietnam days that we had to destroy the village in order to save…
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Buddy Cochran boosts his great-grandson Corbin Smith, 2, for a better look at the livestock show during the 2023 N.C. Mountain State Fair. Donated photo
 

‘It all ties together’: Waynesville couple inducted into Livestock Hall of Fame

Buddy and Janice Cochran are used to seeing things through. 
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A bumblebee drinks from a mountain mint plant.  Adam Bigelow photo
 

Notes from a plant nerd: Mountain-mint, a great pick for a pollinator garden

No matter where you are in the world, if you encounter a plant that has a square stem and opposite…
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A child holds a tagged monarch butterfly.  N.C. Arboretum photo
 

Celebrate monarchs at the arboretum

Monarch Butterfly Day will be filled with fun, informative activities for both kids and adults 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.…
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Beverly Collins is a professor emeritus  at Western Carolina University and the  school’s resident leaf expert. WCU photo
 

Color season expected to be earlier, less intense

Western Carolina University’s resident fall color expert is predicting that the start of leaf season will come earlier than usual…
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A park volunteer demonstrates apple pressing. NPS photo
 

Mountain Life Festival returns to the Smokies

Following a three-year absence, the Mountain Life Festival will return 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the…
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It’s almost fair time in Haywood
 

It’s almost fair time in Haywood

The Haywood County Fair will take over the Smoky Mountain Event Center — formerly known as the Haywood County Fairgrounds…
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A group of volunteers works during  an Aug. 31 cleanup. Donated photo
 

Clean up Fontana

Help “rewild” Fontana Lake campsites during a volunteer workday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at Tsali Boat…
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Red spruce greenhouse to break ground this fall
 

Red spruce greenhouse to break ground this fall

A $100,000 grant from the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority has put a $2 million project to build a red…
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Haywood native named new test farm superintendent
 

Haywood native named new test farm superintendent

Haywood County native Kyle Miller has moved into the top leadership position at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, after…
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The Smokies’ diversity of tree species and range of elevations makes for exceptionall fall color. Jaimie Matzko photo
 

Word from the Smokies: Fall glamping eco-adventure supports biodiversity nonprofit

By Hayley Benton Contributing Writer As the lush green hues of summer fade, yielding to the crisp crimson colors of…
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Barrett still serves on Maggie Valley's Zoning Board of Adjustment.
 

Barrett drops out of Maggie Valley race after residency challenge filed

The field of candidates for the two Maggie Valley alderman seats up for election this November just got a little…
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The corn maze is a popular activity in WNC. File photo
 

Can you escape the corn maze?

The annual corn maze and pumpkin patch will return through Oct. 31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City.
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The 2023 General Election was held Sept. 7. Holly Kays photo
 

Cherokee votes: Hicks wins fourth term as Cherokee chief

Cherokee looked back for its future in the Sept. 7 General Election, with an overwhelming majority of Eastern Band of…
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Members of the Klein family (from left) Holly, Luke, Abraham and Joe, pose for a photo at a school Valentine’s dance in February. Holly Klein photo
 

Trailblazer: Parents go the extra mile to protect transgender son

Luke Klein’s life in North Carolina hasn’t been much different than that of any other pre-teen boy.
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Dar Leaf, left, and Richard Mack, center, prepare to speak.  Kyle Perrotti photo
 

Constitutional sheriffs event brings few sheriffs

Group was met with energy and an award from congressman but few in uniform 
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A sign displayed outside Qualla Enterprises LLC headquarters  encourages voters to support legalizing recreational cannabis. Holly Kays photo
 

In landslide vote, EBCI says yes to cannabis

In a decision that received national attention, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum question endorsing legalized…
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