Thank you and adieu.

Well, that was short.

It’s astonishing how quickly time goes by when you’re working for a newspaper. It’s one of those jobs where every minute matters and each day means something different.

But deadlines, like employees, come and go.

I enjoy working with the Sentinel; I love the personalities, the opportunities, the innovation and, okay, the thrill.

So, to bury the lede, it is with sadness that I announce my departure this week.

I’ve accepted a job near Chattanooga and while I look forward to it with great excitement, I’ll greatly miss the unique Clay County coverage I’ve come to love.

So, please, enjoy it for me. Enjoy the mountains, the people, and the Sentinel.

Thanks for the memories,

Harrison Keely

And a Sentinel photo makes it in the Progress…

I was surprised to notice that my Sentinel photo from Licklog’s latest show “The Mousetrap” appeared in this week’s edition of the Clay County Progress, when I read the paper this week.

While I’m always honored to see my photography in use, it was a bit odd to see your shot in the competition’s product. However, to be fair, it’s likely that the Licklog Players downloaded the image from the Sentinel’s Facebook page and then submitted it to the Progress with a short press release.

To see a full gallery of shots from “The Mousetrap,” peruse the Sentinel’s photo gallery here.

Update: The person who submitted the photos to local papers received permission from the Sentinel’s publisher beforehand. This information came to light after I penned this post. To clarify, it’s not a one-sided happening. The Sentinel has mistakenly published photos from other news organizations in the past.

What should be on the front page?

If you were startled by the seemingly blank front page of the B section in the March 24 edition of the Sentinel, hopefully the message came across that our region’s Internet, like newspaper pages, should load without delay.

But the page “above the fold” also offers a unique opportunity.

Take a copy of the issue, and using crayons, markers, paint, pens or any other non-digital method, design the front page you’d like to see.

Drop your creation off at a Sentinel office or e-mail us (news@wncSentinel.net) a picture and we’ll post the best creations right here.

Get your creativity going and, who knows, you might even be hired…

Sentinel shot used in campaign literature

I must confess that one of the pictures I saw on a campaign flyer tonight caught me by surprise.

But only because it seemed so familiar.

When Pat Margo handed me a copy I instantly realized that the photograph on the bottom of the front side was one I had snapped just a few weeks prior.

You can see the shot in the Sentinel’s Facebook album of the county Republican meeting here.

And while the Sentinel is not endorsing any specific candidates or campaigns, I always marvel at where my photography ends up.

The Sentinel is blogging once more!

Looking for something beyond the ordinary newsprint?

What you’re looking for is the Sentinel’s editor’s blog.

Get updates and commentary that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s like sitting down with the editor of your local paper to find out the latest and discuss what’s going on.

Previous posts are carried over from the Sentinel’s earlier blogging efforts several years ago.

Have any thoughts, ideas, or contributions? Let us know in the comments!

Radio Shack is out of here…

Lending further proof to the notion that technology just can’t find a place in Clay County, Hayesville’s Radio Shack has gone out of business again.

The shack, which recently posted signs in its windows reading “NOTICE: THIS STORE IS CLOSED,” was the second try for the chain in the county. It seems that all businesses need to do to succeed here is become half-Mexican restaurant.

Wires and chips, such a great combination.

Paint is in the Air

It’s summer and it’s painting time. Two locations on the Square have received paint jobs: Cutworms and Phillips and Lloyd as well as Hayesville Mexican restaurant El Alazan. The locations plan to join the lobby of the Peacock Playhouse in their new coats for a fashionable evening.

Tele Mundo

There’s a new reason to go (or not to go) to Monte Alban Mexican Restaurant in Hayesville…. Television.

Three new flat-screen TVs have been put up throughout the restaurant enlivening the experience of eating or destroying precious family time by distracting the innocent.

The flat-screens echo the television setup in the Murphy, NC Monte Alban. Those televisions have been up for more than a year.

Licklog’s Lobby

It happened a few weeks ago, so you might have already noticed, but in case you haven’t…
The lobby in the Peacock Playhouse is much brighter! All thanks to a new coat of paint of course. Replacing the brown of the original wooden panel walls, the paint gives a whole new feel to the home of the Licklog Players.

A sign of what’s to come

Hayesville’s Ingles supermarket recently put the finishing touches on a brand new sign, menacing in size compared to the previous one. The new sign points to the renovation that the grocery store is currently undergoing to become big and brand new as well.