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Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

New WCU business dean has academic, business experience

Ronald A. Johnson, who holds the JP Morgan Chase Chair in Finance in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University, is the next dean of the College of Business at Western Carolina University.

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

Persecution of the dandelion

It seems that every lawn care commercial on TV or radio these days is aimed at touting a product which eradicates that obnoxious “weed” known as dandelion. What’s wrong with a few dandelions? Does everyone want a yard that looks…

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

Fluffy turns out to be a greaser

By Stephanie Wampler My fluffy white dog was no longer white — his snout was grey with grease, the hair slicked back from his nose. My cheerful dog was not so cheerful — he was sprawled across the couch, stomach…

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

Re-thinking transportation is a must

Dark clouds were rolling in on Saturday as I sat in our Sylva office while Western North Carolina’s original environmental festival — Greening Up the Mountains — was in full swing on the streets below. With me were two idealists,…

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

Bog bet succeeds

When Gary Wein came on board as the executive director of the Highlands Cashiers Land Trust a year ago, he had no idea his first major conservation success could be full of so much drama.

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

Unique bog protected

Botanists are cheering the recent acquisition of a 38-acre tract that’s home to a mountain bog near Cashiers thanks to a grant from the state Natural Heritage Trust Fund.

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

They’re baaaaccckkk!

In late March there was a lot of talk on the Carolina birders’ listserv about early migration as Neotropical migrants began showing up. By April 1 we had already recorded blue-headed vireo, northern rough-winged swallow, blue-grey gnatcatcher and black-throated green…

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

Artisans Bread Bakers Festival is community at its best

By Kathleen Lamont It was Saturday, March 24, and I was walking through the Greenlife Grocery parking lot in Asheville where the fourth annual Asheville Artisans Bread Bakers Festival was in full swing.

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 00:00

Wilderness Society comes to WNC: National environmental organization opens office in Franklin

The Wilderness Society has signaled a strong interest in the future of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests with the opening of an office in Franklin.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Road standards would help rescue vehicles

When a roaring forest fire whipped through a mountainside development in Swain County two months ago — burning nine homes to the ground — the narrow, steep road leading to the community stymied efforts of firefighters.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Studio 33 wins $10,000 start-up award from Haywood Chamber

Custom jewelry business Studio 33 and its owner Diannah Beauregard won the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce Business Start-up Competition and a $10,000 prize last week.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Swain leaders tout river access, horse ring upgrades

Not that many years ago, anglers and boaters wanting to gain access to the Tuckasegee River in Swain County essentially had to bushwhack their way to the water.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Flame on

Flame azalea is one of our most magnificent common shrubs here in the Smokies region. From late spring into early summer its flowers are produced in profusion on low growing, twiggy shrubs that are often as wide as they are…

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Bush’s obstinance is a rare opportunity

With President Bush’s veto of the Democrats’ bill to set a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, the stage is now set for a showdown. Lacking the votes for an override, will the Democrats now roll over…

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

A distant memory of child’s play

By Kathryn Stripling Byer Soon school will be over for the year. Students will leave their classrooms and bound out into a summer day, feeling free, at least for a little while. But free to do what?

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Nurses deserve support for speaking up

By Michael Rey I would like to offer some words of support for those Emergency Department Nurses at Haywood Regional Medical Center who were brave enough to contribute to the debate over recent changes there (I am referring to the…

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Letter to Haywood Regional Medical Center

Dr. Michael Ray, who worked for Haywood Emergency Physicians before quitting in summer 2006, wrote this letter to the Haywood Regional Medical Center Board after his resignation.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

The right choices for healthier air

Roughly 45 percent of people (more than 2.9 million) in North Carolina lives in an area with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution .... — The American Lung Association Last week was Air Quality Awareness Week, and surprisingly, there is…

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

A peek at the watershed

One hundred and twenty people or so took advantage of Waynesville’s first Watershed Appreciation Month to see and learn more about the town’s 8,600-acre watershed. The program ran the last three Saturdays in April and included hikes and presentations in…

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Take a Hike: New hiking book offers tips, maps and history on local mountain trails

Danny Bernstein still remembers her first tough hike — a three-day journey in 1969 up Mount Marcy, the highest peak in New York.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

A serendipitious selection of CDs

By Chris Cooper Ah ... the joys of moving. Once you’ve got everything boxed up and ready to go, there’s usually about 2 metric tons of junk left over that you just don’t recall collecting over the years.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

All that jazz: New York City saxophonist Jed Levy teams up with Asheville jazz musicians for May 19 concert at Performing Arts Center in Waynesville

By Michael Beadle New York City has long enjoyed a reputation as a melting pot of music — especially when it comes to the jazz scene.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Pied Piper stages at Smoky Mountain Community Theatre

By Michael Beadle An old German town has a very serious rat problem. Luckily, a stranger arrives with just the right solution. But how much will it cost the town?

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Recommended diversions

Afternoon Naps with the Windows Open A recent dental surgery has left me at home the past few days in recovery. And in that amount of time it’s been amazing to see the green appear outside my window.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Hootnoggers: History, definitely delightful

First, the tomatoes. Then the applause. Rob Neufeld’s Mountains, Heroes & Hootnoggers: A Popular History of Western North Carolina (The History Press, ISBN 978-1-59629-183-6, $19.95) is not, as its title suggests, a popular history of Western North Carolina, but is…

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Commissioners give HRMC board vote of confidence

All three Haywood Regional Medical Center board members were reappointed this week for another three years by the Haywood County commissioners.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Deadline nears for public input on steep slope ordinance

The Jackson County planning board is accepting written public comment through May 14 on the latest version of a draft steep slope ordinance.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Some highlights of the draft Jackson County steep slope ordinance

• The ordinance only applies to development on slopes greater than 30 percent. • Developers must file a hydrology report, geotechnical analysis and a tree survey and reforestation plan. They must also provide an assessment describing the impact of the…

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

History buffs urge Macon to protect landmarks

Members of a heritage task force in Macon County want town and county leaders to form a commission with regulatory powers to protect historical districts and landmarks.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Hospital response to story raises questions

An article that appeared in The Smoky Mountain News opinion section two weeks ago based on an anonymous interview with several nurses from the Haywood Regional Medical Center Emergency department prompted a rebuttal from hospital employees last week.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

Lawsuit seeks lifting of subdivision moratorium

A group of Realtors and developers filed a lawsuit against Jackson County this week over a subdivision moratorium imposed by the county in February.

Wednesday, 09 May 2007 00:00

No resolution yet on Head Start property

Mountain Projects director Patsy Dowling hit another wall this week in her attempt to lease land from the county for an intergenerational Head Start and senior day care center.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Kudzu goes barefoot

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Paul Bratter, a newlywed young lawyer, sits on the couch of his fifth-floor brownstone apartment after a long day at work.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

When ‘it’ is right in front of you

By Chris Cooper Sia: Lady Croissant To a degree, it seems like Zero 7 makes “electronic” music for people that normally wouldn’t really dig the style. Besides the brilliant mix of orchestral, traditional pop and soul elements evident in their…

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Recommended diversions

Tomato plants If there’s one food that always tastes better fresh from the garden than bought at the store, it is surely the humble tomato. An ingredient for everything from spaghetti sauce to salsa, tomatoes are to a gardener what…

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

The first lady of the South

First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis’s Civil War by Joan E. Cashin. Belknap Press, 2006. Civil wars are marked by a bitterness and a bloodlust that go beyond their conventional counterparts. The vicious fighting in Iraq serves as only…

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Cherokee contemplates Wal-Mart’s impact

Some residents on the Cherokee Indian Reservation are calling for a referendum vote on whether Wal-Mart Stores should be allowed to build there.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

The big drawdown

JD McCurry has seen his share of horror stories in his 20 plus years as a well driller. Take the homeowner in Highlands who struck out finding water after building a $1 million house on the property.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Impasse proves too much for Mountain Projects

A disagreement between Haywood County commissioners over an intergenerational Head Start and senior day care facility has come to an end.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Jackson planners take public advice, relax some proposals

Proposed development regulations in Jackson County were made later this week after dozens of written public comments flooded the planning office expressing concerns.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Planners already planning to revisit development rules

As public comments rolled in to the Jackson County planning office on a proposed steep slope ordinance, one provision that seemed to cause the most ire was already a moot point.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Survey studies public input in Macon County

As county planner in Macon County, Stacey Guffey knows a little bit about controversy and soliciting public opinion.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

State, local well regulators on the way

No one knows how many wells are planted in the mountainsides of Western North Carolina.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Real estate school for elected leaders

Money and politics. Right now in the mountains, we can add real estate to that equation.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Will we ever learn history’s lessons of war?

By Michael Beadle World wars, civil wars, the Crusades, wars of rebellion and independence. Why does humanity continue to go to war when the cost of destruction and loss of human life end up becoming more than we can possibly…

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Cherokee language and zoology

Doctoral dissertations don’t usually make for exciting reading. There are, however, exceptions.

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

The day Uncle Billy’s sheep got baptized

By Carl Iobst Down in the flatlands of Eastern North Carolina there’s an Apex man that’s got a powerful interest in sheep. Now just wait a minute ‘for you get the wrong idea ‘cause this ain’t one of them kinda…

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Swain takes encouraging step with road proposals

Swain County is drafting a set of road standards that will serve its citizens well on two levels. First, the proposed ordinances would require developers to build roads that emergency vehicles can access, thereby providing protection for property and lives;…

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Soggy birding

May 5 was a soggy morning. At 7:30 a.m. a light drizzle had engulfed Lake Junaluska. We sat in our cars and debated our plight. This was the date selected for the Haywood County Arts Council “Fun Party – Art…

Wednesday, 16 May 2007 00:00

Haywood TDA helps Parkway views

Drivers on the Blue Ridge Parkway will be able to catch a few more views from overlooks through the Haywood County stretch of the popular scenic drive.

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