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2014: Newsworthy award winners
2014 is all but in the rearview mirror now, and all the stories reported over the last 12 months are…
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Canary Coalition works to help WNC
By Thomas Crowe • Guest Columnist In case you didn't know it, right here in our midst we have a gem…
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Somehow, I was meant to be right here
By Laura Amour • Guest Columnist “The mountains attract seekers.” That comment was made by a cherished friend that I have…
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Lonely this Christmas? Hire an old-time hermit
Serendipity: an aptitude for making significant discoveries by accident. I have always loved that word, and I have had numerous…
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All are welcome at Pigeon Center
To the Editor: An article in the Dec. 17-23 issue of The Smoky Mountain News states that the Pigeon Center…
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Real vs. fake facts, and knowing the difference
To the Editor: Denying facts because they conflict with a belief is a survival tactic for the human race. We…
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Board games – most of the time – are a fun holiday tradition
We’re all at home, on vacation at last. Ella Fitzgerald is wishing us a swinging Christmas, as she does every…
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Golden poster-bird
It seems like the golden-winged warbler (GWWA) has become the non-game poster bird for everything from clearcuts to shelterwood cuts…
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Sounds in the night
By Burt Kornegay • Contributing writer It was around 10:30 p.m., just as we were going to bed, when my wife…
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Nantahala Brewing supports the A.T.
Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City celebrated the Christmas season with a generous donation to Friends of the Great Smoky…
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Forest Service wins public engagement awards
U.S. Forest Service employees in North Carolina recently received a handful of awards for their work in 2014, including a…
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Women-only ski lessons launch in January
A six-session program aimed at female skiers and snowboarders will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Cataloochee Ski Area in…
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Land trust adds to wildlife corridor in Jackson County
A new conservation easement in Jackson County will provide a critical wildlife corridor, connecting three other easements and located less…
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Seasonal road closures begin in national forest
Seasonal road closures are starting to kick in for the U.S. Forest Service. In the Appalachian Ranger District of Pisgah…
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Christmas on the Chimney: Claus gears up for Christmas, spreads the joy of climbing
It was still a couple weeks till Christmas, but Santa Claus already had his boots shined and suit cleaned in…
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The best things come in the smallest packages
Looking up at the old chimney, William “Gene” Gibson still wonders how Santa Claus ever managed to fit in it.…
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A renewed appreciation for ‘The Great Gatsby’
In 1977 I fell in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. That was a year of deep reading…
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WCU assists with Cherokee documentary
Two Western Carolina University faculty members assisted on a recently released award-winning film that chronicles efforts to revitalize the Cherokee…
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Foxworthy to bring laughs to Harrah’s
Superstar comedian Jeff Foxworthy will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 3 at Harrah’s Cherokee. Foxworthy is one of…
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‘Mean Mary’ brings folk-rock to Waynesville
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist “Mean Mary” James will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at The Classic Wine Seller in…
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This must be the place
In a beloved mountain town already filled with great restaurants, cafes, breweries and independent businesses, Sylva recently became home to…
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Pisgah High students get inspired by real author
Dr. Donna Glee Williams, author and fellow at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching in Cullowhee, recently…
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Mom with deployed son leads card drive
A Christmas card drive on the campus of Western Carolina University netted more than 4,000 cards for soldiers stationed overseas.…
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Canton uses crowdsourcing to improve playground
With a focus on improving recreation options for residents with limited funding, the town of Canton is using crowdsourcing methods…
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Canton moves forward with pool project
The town of Canton is moving forward with plans to upgrade its public swimming pool after interviewing several design consultants…
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Macon requests funding for Cherokee gravesite memorial
Plans to memorialize a Cherokee gravesite found earlier this year in the midst of construction for a new baseball tournament…
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Cherokee cuts the ribbon on $26 million justice center, tribe’s first jail
It’s not every day that the scent of barbecue meatballs wafts through the open doors of a jail filled with…
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Planning board discusses noise ordinance for Macon
Two residents shared their horror story experiences dealing with nuisance neighbors during a Dec. 18 Macon County Planning Board meeting. …
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New animal shelter gains traction in Haywood
A movement to build a new animal shelter in Haywood County is in the early conceptual stages. Animal lovers say…
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Park officials consider banning outside firewood
In an effort to protect the Great Smoky Mountains National Park forest from disease-carrying pests, park officials have proposed a…
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Home helps women transition to independent life after prison, substance abuse
The future was looking increasingly frightening to 54-year-old Anita as she got to the end of her six-year prison sentence. …
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Council excludes media from tribal meeting
Though Cherokee Tribal Council meetings are broadcast live online and through tribal television — as well as recorded on DVDs…
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Questions continue about Cherokee council raises
Editor’s note: Cherokee Tribal Police would not allow Smoky Mountain News Staff Writer Holly Kays entry into the Cherokee Tribal…
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Shouldering the cost of Haywood’s old landfill contamination
Underground contamination leaching from an old, closed-down landfill in Haywood County will cost millions to clean up, a burden homeowners…
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Jackson considers renovations for service centers
The large, cavernous room at the heart of Jackson County’s Community Services Center doesn’t see much action these days. It’s…
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Mistletoe’s link to romance goes way back
The custom of decorating with mistletoe goes back to the ceremonials of the Druids. It is a reminder of the…
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Hunger initiative to build bridges with local agriculture
A $10,000 grant will go toward building up food banks in Western North Carolina in partnership with agribusiness. The award,…
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Permaculture school launches in Asheville
A 12-week permaculture school in Asheville will launch in 2015, teaching students how to create landscapes that maintain the health…
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Comment call for red wolf rules
A series of three public hearings in January will take public input on the future of protection for the reintroduced…
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Internships for Smokies fans
Five summer internship positions are available for undergraduates looking to get involved with Discover Life in America’s mission to learn…
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Alum Cave Trail restoration to close trail in 2015
Just after putting the final touches on the Chimney Tops Trail this month, the Trails Forever program in Great Smoky…
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Congressional act could expand National Parks
The National Parks System could see its largest expansion in decades after bipartisan legislation in Washington, D.C. was introduced proposing…
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Aquatic invaders found in Macon County
For the first time, gill lice have been found in brook trout in the Southern Appalachians. The parasitic crustaceans are…
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Smokies Association finishes $3.4 million investment in N.C.
The opening of the Swain County Visitor Center in downtown Bryson City this year represented the culmination of a $3.46…
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Hike against hunger: Whittier man hikes A.T. to celebrate 65th birthday, raise money for food pantry
Hiking the Appalachian Trail had been in the back of Andy Smith’s mind for a while, ever since a coworker…
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Country noir masterpiece gets its due — again
One of the things that I admire about the New York Review of Books is a special honor that they…
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Faster than thought: two book covers
By Steve Ellis • Guest Columnist As we leave this political season, which has been nasty, brutal and long, I’d…
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This is no time to devalue our wild heritage
By Bill McLarney • Guest Columnist We humans are highly skilled and devilishly clever. We can create ball fields, schools,…
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Commissioners get an earful about wilderness resolution
A roomful of hunters and hikers turned out at last week’s Macon County Commissioners meeting. It was the first meeting…
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Forest users debate pros and cons of potential wilderness recommendations
Out of the gate, the U.S. Forest Service’s first stab at listing potential wilderness areas in the Pisgah and Nantahala…
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