Words of warning, words of wisdom
 

Words of warning, words of wisdom

At a time when weather and the environment is making all the news headlines and is rendering hundreds of thousands,…
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Environment in 2005
 

Environment in 2005

Outdoor recreation and the environment go hand in hand. Paddlers like clean rivers, hikers prefer old-growth forests over those that…
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Parks in 2005
 

Parks in 2005

Nature’s lessons A $105,000 grant from North Carolina’s GlaxoSmithKline Foundation to Friends of the Smokies will connect several hundred teachers…
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Outdoor rec
 

Outdoor rec

The world of outdoor recreation had several milestones this year, especially in the whitewater arena.
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Eureka! Dilemma dissolved
 

Eureka! Dilemma dissolved

I can’t understand how imminent ornithologists, in particular, and biologists, scientists and researchers in general have overlooked the obvious truth…
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2005
 

2005

For the past two years the Smoky Mountain News has culled Top 10 Albums of the Year lists from avid…
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Gypsy Bandwagon plays true to the Appalachian tradition
 

Gypsy Bandwagon plays true to the Appalachian tradition

By Joe Hooten Throughout the 1700s, immigrants from European nations began pouring into the 13 colonies with dreams that were…
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Recommended Diversions – Best Albums of 2005 Edition
 

Recommended Diversions – Best Albums of 2005 Edition

1) The Hold Steady, Separation Sunday If lead singer Craig Finn weren’t fronting this band, he’d be writing short stories…
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Hail, hail the gang’s still here
 

Hail, hail the gang’s still here

I’ve recently been seeing lots of posts like these on Carolina Birders’ FaceBook page: “… My pine siskins have departed,…
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AT lay-over, Fontana Dam knighted as official trail town
 

AT lay-over, Fontana Dam knighted as official trail town

Hiker Haze Weekend will welcome the season’s first Appalachian Trail thru-hikers at Fontana Village Resort March 25-26, along with a…
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WNC air quality to be unpacked
 

WNC air quality to be unpacked

The Annual Ozone Season Kickoff will unveil the state of Western North Carolina’s air quality in 2014 with a program…
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Family Nature Summit comes to Lake J
 

Family Nature Summit comes to Lake J

Each year, the Family Nature Summit is held in some part of the country known for its special beauty and…
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Nature for the whole family
 

Nature for the whole family

By Danny Bernstein • Guest columnist When I first thought about taking my granddaughter, Hannah, on an outdoor experience, I looked…
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Nation’s best paddlers to compete at NOC
 

Nation’s best paddlers to compete at NOC

The Nantahala Racing Club’s Whitewater U.S. Open will keep the river churning at Nantahala Outdoor Center March 27-29.
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Prescribed burn planned for Cataloochee
 

Prescribed burn planned for Cataloochee

A 550-acre prescribed burn will start soon near Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Blazing a trail: Work starts on first Bartram Trail addition since the 1990s
 

Blazing a trail: Work starts on first Bartram Trail addition since the 1990s

It’s been nearly 20 years since Burt Kornegay first started looking into land along Hickory Knoll Road in Macon County,…
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Is Sen. Tom Tillis some kind of traitor?
 

Is Sen. Tom Tillis some kind of traitor?

To the Editor: Sen. Tom Tillis, R-N.C., is probably not a traitor, but he surely is an embarrassment to the…
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Waynesville smoking ban just a bad idea
 

Waynesville smoking ban just a bad idea

To the Editor: For years I have promoted downtown. I tell my friends to shop locally, eat at our local…
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It just couldn’t get any better for young Hornets fan
 

It just couldn’t get any better for young Hornets fan

Over the past few months, my 10-year-old son, Jack, has developed an insatiable appetite for all things basketball. We spend…
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Below ‘the line,’ it’s a world unto itself
 

Below ‘the line,’ it’s a world unto itself

I spent a week reading this novel, and each time I laid it down, I expected to find a damp…
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Trademark dispute heats up between local, national breweries
 

Trademark dispute heats up between local, national breweries

Nicole Dexter and Chip Owen haven’t been able to sleep well lately. “I think all I’ve been feeling the last…
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HCC participates in American Craft Council show
 

HCC participates in American Craft Council show

Haywood Community College’s Creative Arts Professional Crafts and Continuing Education departments recently participated in the American Craft Council show March…
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Rash book turned film to make WNC screen debut
 

Rash book turned film to make WNC screen debut

The film adaptation of the Ron Rash novel The World Made Straight will make its Western North Carolina big-screen premiere…
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Diffie brings country hits to Franklin
 

Diffie brings country hits to Franklin

Country star Joe Diffie will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing…
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Rollergirls season opener is March 21
 

Rollergirls season opener is March 21

The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls and their junior league The Lil’ Nemesisters will open the 2015 home season with a doubleheader…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Great people. Beautiful music. Endless outdoors. Delicious beer. Simply put, those are the exact reasons I moved to Western North…
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Overnight tourism spending strong in Haywood
 

Overnight tourism spending strong in Haywood

The Haywood tourism industry is on a winning streak.
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Lake Junaluska merger bill racks up endorsements
 

Lake Junaluska merger bill racks up endorsements

Elected government leaders in Haywood County have lined up behind a state bill to add Lake Junaluska to Waynesville’s town…
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Food truck trend traveling to Canton
 

Food truck trend traveling to Canton

Downtown Canton could have more food options if the town board approves allowing food trucks to set up shop. 
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Maggie calls on higher power to referee ridgetop cross proposal
 

Maggie calls on higher power to referee ridgetop cross proposal

A lofty vision to build a 220-foot cross on the mountaintop above Maggie Valley has been downwardly revised to 125…
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Tribe gains ability to prosecute non-Indians
 

Tribe gains ability to prosecute non-Indians

Proponents of domestic violence prevention are cheering following the launch of a federal law that will allow tribal courts to…
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New Haywood animal shelter on the fast track
 

New Haywood animal shelter on the fast track

The Haywood County Fairgrounds is being eyed as the possible site for a new county animal shelter. The fairgrounds was…
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Elections board threatens Swain with lawsuit
 

Elections board threatens Swain with lawsuit

“We’re not on trial here,” said Swain Commission Chairman Paul Carson.  But the commissioners’ meeting room did feel more like…
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Commissioners consider designated smoking area
 

Commissioners consider designated smoking area

Haywood County commissioners aren’t convinced a designated smoking area is needed after receiving little feedback on proposed changes to the…
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Franklin Main Street Program takes a break
 

Franklin Main Street Program takes a break

Without much warning, the Franklin Main Street Program board of directors decided last week to suspend the program. The board…
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Rescue squad volunteer charged with embezzlement
 

Rescue squad volunteer charged with embezzlement

After allegedly depositing money meant to purchase emergency rescue equipment in a personal account, Cullowhee resident Addam Carl Holdorf, 21,…
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WCU bucks national trend toward more part-time hires
 

WCU bucks national trend toward more part-time hires

Western Carolina University has held steady on its rate of tenured and tenure-track professors over the last decade, keeping numbers…
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Aging WCU faculty points to job satisfaction, university says
 

Aging WCU faculty points to job satisfaction, university says

When Bruce Henderson first came to Western Carolina University back in 1978, he was just happy to have a job.…
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For better or worse, a new day dawns for the embattled Haywood GOP
 

For better or worse, a new day dawns for the embattled Haywood GOP

A new guard sewed up its takeover of the Haywood County GOP at the party’s annual convention last weekend.
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Celebrating the odiferous ramp
 

Celebrating the odiferous ramp

Purple rhododendron is the most admired flowering plant in the Southern Appalachians. Ginseng is the most celebrated medicinal plant. And…
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Public greenhouse space up for grabs in Haywood
 

Public greenhouse space up for grabs in Haywood

Gardeners can get a head start on the growing season by renting greenhouse space for their seed trays at the…
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Celebrate the diversity of the Smokies
 

Celebrate the diversity of the Smokies

The public is invited to mingle with researchers from around the world March 19-21 during the annual conference of Discover…
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Jump on the solar train with Solarize WNC
 

Jump on the solar train with Solarize WNC

A campaign to introduce homeowners and businesses to the option of solar energy is underway in Jackson, Haywood, Macon and…
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Renowned nature photographer to talk in Sylva
 

Renowned nature photographer to talk in Sylva

Les Saucier, a professional nature photographer, will speak at the Sylva Photo Club at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at…
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Logging, prescribed burning aims to bolster wildlife habitat
 

Logging, prescribed burning aims to bolster wildlife habitat

A U.S. Forest Service project aiming to improve wildlife habitat and forest health will allow logging, fire, thinning and other…
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WNC gear builders to show their stuff
 

WNC gear builders to show their stuff

Outdoor lovers will get a chance to see some of the best locally made gear during Outdoor Gear Builders of…
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Brevard company recognized in international competition
 

Brevard company recognized in international competition

Brevard-based SylvanSport has been named a finalist in the internationally renowned Edison Awards for its product GO, a lightweight pull-behind…
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Waynesville pursues bike-friendly roads
 

Waynesville pursues bike-friendly roads

Big white stencils of helmeted bikers now adorn a growing number of streets throughout Waynesville.
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Bring on the bikes: Mountains to coast bike ride to kick off from Waynesville
 

Bring on the bikes: Mountains to coast bike ride to kick off from Waynesville

The plans are set: Waynesville’s getting invaded this fall, and the army will be 1,000 strong.  Semi trucks will haul…
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Raleigh does a job on senior citizens
 

Raleigh does a job on senior citizens

To the Editor: You're 83 years old, on a fixed income of out-of-state retirement and Social Security, living in Franklin.…
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