Shuler didn’t fumble this time — Pelosi challenge sets the table for political prominence
 

Shuler didn’t fumble this time — Pelosi challenge sets the table for political prominence

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler took a calculated loss when he challenged Rep. Nancy Pelosi for the position of House minority…
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Baking classes set for next month
 

Baking classes set for next month

Southwestern Community College is offering two holiday baking project classes in early December at its Jackson Campus. Learn to make…
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Public to hear about proposed changes to Waynesville land-use ordinance
 

Public to hear about proposed changes to Waynesville land-use ordinance

A proposed update of Waynesville’s progressive land-use ordinance that has been several years in the making is close to becoming…
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Workshop offers college tuition tips
 

Workshop offers college tuition tips

Learn what you need to know now about paying for college during a free workshop scheduled 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec.…
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Angelou to speak at women’s expo May 21
 

Angelou to speak at women’s expo May 21

Area women will have a chance to learn more about health issues, while growing in mind, body and spirit during…
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Holiday roundup
 

Holiday roundup

It’s that time of year. Now that Thanksgiving has arrived, so have holiday events — lots of them. If you…
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Middle class needs the tax break
 

Middle class needs the tax break

To the Editor: Regarding the Nov. 14 Associated Press article in the Asheville Citizen-Times, “GOP lawmakers stand tall for all…
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Honor Bob Zahner with a real wilderness area
 

Honor Bob Zahner with a real wilderness area

To the Editor: The proposal to make the Overlook Area in Blue Valley a wilderness area in honor of Bob Zahner…
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Kephart, transplants and the debate over legitimacy
 

Kephart, transplants and the debate over legitimacy

You can be excused for perhaps having overlooked the recent fireworks, but a minor war has erupted over one of…
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Ridding schools of bullying will require changing culture
 

Ridding schools of bullying will require changing culture

By Raymond Turpin • Guest Columnist Bullying, unfortunately, has always existed in the American school systems and it continues to…
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Find the perfect gift at your local bookshop
 

Find the perfect gift at your local bookshop

For many people, Thanksgiving is a holiday that delivers on its promises. The table sags beneath platters of ham and…
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Macon County natives release book
 

Macon County natives release book

Two Macon County natives, Gail Shepherd Diederich and Gail Kelly Lester, recently released a new book, Tales of Two Gails.…
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Trying to preserve a national treasure
 

Trying to preserve a national treasure

The U.S. Forest Service spent the first two weeks of November felling approximately 150 dead and/or dying eastern hemlocks in…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Hey, can a squirrel get a lift around here?
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Hey, can a squirrel get a lift around here?

The answer is, in the case of the federally endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel, a resounding yes. The North Carolina…
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Mountain grown Fraser fir Christmas trees
 

Mountain grown Fraser fir Christmas trees

There’s nothing quite like a real Fraser fir Christmas tree. In recent years, the value and quality of locally produced…
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Hybrids hike park’s environmentally sensitive fleet
 

Hybrids hike park’s environmentally sensitive fleet

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently took delivery of seven Ford Escape Hybrid vehicles that were purchased using a…
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Park photo contest open until Dec. 31
 

Park photo contest open until Dec. 31

The National Park Service is accepting entries in the Share the Experience photo contest through Dec. 31. The photo taken…
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Clay County trail routed off private land
 

Clay County trail routed off private land

The U.S. Forest Service has rerouted a portion of the Rim Trail Clay County. The Rim Trail is a 26-mile…
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Take precautions while out hunting
 

Take precautions while out hunting

During the holiday season, when family and friends gather, many go on traditional hunting trips. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission…
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A story about darkness, light and the red bird
 

A story about darkness, light and the red bird

Ho down down … Ho down dee Red bird dancin in custody Way down in New Orleans. Ho down down…
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David Holt to play Dec. 2 at WCU
 

David Holt to play Dec. 2 at WCU

The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Session Series at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will continue Thursday, Dec.…
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Jazz trumpeter to perform Nov. 30
 

Jazz trumpeter to perform Nov. 30

Trumpet player Scott Harrell will be the featured soloist at a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, at the…
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Chance to sing with NewSong up for grabs
 

Chance to sing with NewSong up for grabs

A singing contest will be held in Franklin to choose a male youth from 9 to 14 to appear onstage…
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Smoky Mountain Center presents gospel Dec. 3
 

Smoky Mountain Center presents gospel Dec. 3

Archie Watkins and Smoky Mountain Reunion will perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. on…
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Winter Wonderland is Dec. 3 in Franklin
 

Winter Wonderland is Dec. 3 in Franklin

Franklin’s Winter Wonderland holiday celebration will be held one night only this year from 5 to 9 p.m. on Dec.…
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Hard Candy Craft Show returns Nov. 26-27
 

Hard Candy Craft Show returns Nov. 26-27

The 23rd Hard Candy Christmas Arts and Crafts show that will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on…
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Dillsboro lights up December nights
 

Dillsboro lights up December nights

One of the more traditional holiday experiences in Western North Carolina takes place in Dillsboro the first two weekends of…
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Silvia Williams to demo at Leapin’ Frog Gallery
 

Silvia Williams to demo at Leapin’ Frog Gallery

Leapin’ Frog Gallery will host local artist Silvia Williams for a one-hour art talk and demonstration on “Experimental Painting” beginning…
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New works by Craig Forrest on display at It’s By Nature
 

New works by Craig Forrest on display at It’s By Nature

It’s by Nature Gallery of Sylva is pleased to announce that the gallery will be hosting a one-man-show during the month…
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Putting a rose in his cap: Bob Buckner’s final    season as WCU marching band director ends with trip to Parade of Roses
 

Putting a rose in his cap: Bob Buckner’s final season as WCU marching band director ends with trip to Parade of Roses

By Brittney Burns • SMN Intern While preparing Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains marching band for their debut…
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A father’s influence
 

A father’s influence

Horace Kephart (1862-1931) was the author of Our Southern Highlanders, Camp Cookery, Sporting Firearms, Camping and Woodcraft, Smoky Mountain Magic,…
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Anglers compete for prizes at Cherokee fly-fishing tournament
 

Anglers compete for prizes at Cherokee fly-fishing tournament

More than $2,000 is cash and $5,000 in prizes were won by anglers participating in the Rumble in the Rhododendron…
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Henson wins Service to Forestry award
 

Henson wins Service to Forestry award

Steve Henson, the executive director of the Clyde-based Southern Appalachian Multiple Use Council, has been awarded the N.C. Forestry Association’s…
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Students hike Siler Bald with AT speed hiker
 

Students hike Siler Bald with AT speed hiker

Three Macon County school teachers (Joan Lansford and Jae Crawford, of Franklin High School, and Shelley Marshall of Union Academy)…
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Plants suck up toxins
 

Plants suck up toxins

Some common air pollutants found in cities can be absorbed by plants at far greater rates than ever suspected. The…
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Redheads, rustys and hairys – oh dear
 

Redheads, rustys and hairys – oh dear

A beautiful morning and Lake Junaluska was calling again. I approached the lake along Golf Course Road on the side…
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Live owls, presentation at Asheville store
 

Live owls, presentation at Asheville store

Steve Longenecker and his live owls will be at the Asheville Wild Birds Unlimited store presenting programs at 1 and…
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Bat fatalities at wind energy turbines offer new insight into bat migration
 

Bat fatalities at wind energy turbines offer new insight into bat migration

New data suggest that bats, like birds, may follow specifically defined routes when migrating rather than simply migrating in a…
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White nose syndrome decimating bat populations
 

White nose syndrome decimating bat populations

It’s only a matter of time before the fungal infection white nose syndrome (WNS) appears in North Carolina, say wildlife…
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Zafón back… but not, this time, in Barcelona
 

Zafón back… but not, this time, in Barcelona

For millions of readers, Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind proved to be one of the most captivating…
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Poetry, storytelling and music at City Light
 

Poetry, storytelling and music at City Light

City Lights Bookstore in Sylva will host Karen Holmes for the bookstore’s monthly Coffee with the Poet gathering at 10:30…
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Rabun Gap Dancers present ‘Nutcracker’ at Rearden Theater
 

Rabun Gap Dancers present ‘Nutcracker’ at Rearden Theater

“The Nutcracker,” Peter Tchaikovsky’s famous and beloved ballet, is being presented again this year by Betsy’s School of Dance and…
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Visit with Santa in Cashiers Nov. 27
 

Visit with Santa in Cashiers Nov. 27

The Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association is bringing Santa to the Village Green from 1 to 4 p.m. on Nov.…
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WCU students ring in the holidays Rockettes style
 

WCU students ring in the holidays Rockettes style

Karyn Tomczak, director of Western Carolina University’s dance program and a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, helps WCU dance…
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Celtic band to perform Nov. 20 in Bryson City
 

Celtic band to perform Nov. 20 in Bryson City

The Celtic band Bean Sidhe (ban shee) will perform a concert of traditional Irish and Scottish music at 7 p.m.…
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Hard Candy Christmas returns to WCU Nov. 26-27
 

Hard Candy Christmas returns to WCU Nov. 26-27

A popular post-Thanksgiving arts and crafts tradition will once again fill Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center for two days of…
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Harrell to share holiday stories and songs Nov. 27
 

Harrell to share holiday stories and songs Nov. 27

Songwriter and storyteller Michael Reno Harrell will make what is becoming an annual holiday appearance at Ridge Runner Naturals on…
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Making art at ArtSpace
 

Making art at ArtSpace

All ages of children at the ArtSpace Charter School in Swannanoa learned about art during a recent two-week artist residency. …
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Christmas Tree auction to benefit KARE
 

Christmas Tree auction to benefit KARE

The Kids Advocacy Resource Effort (KARE) will hold its first Festival of Trees fundraising event at 6 p.m. on Nov.…
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Honoring a lost art
 

Honoring a lost art

By Kristen Davis • Contributing Writer The newest piece of public art in downtown Waynesville — a metal railing that…
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