Holland, Jenkins to face off in November for sheriff
 

Holland, Jenkins to face off in November for sheriff

Former North Carolina Highway Patrolman C.D. Jenkins emerged from a field of three Democrats to win the Macon County Sheriff’s…
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Incumbents hold ground in Swain commissioner race
 

Incumbents hold ground in Swain commissioner race

Despite a slate of challengers campaigning for change in the Swain County commissioners race, all but one incumbent running for…
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Sylva voters pass liquor by the drink
 

Sylva voters pass liquor by the drink

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Sylva residents have decided — it’s time for a good stiff drink. Voters approved…
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Newcomer, incumbent win in Macon
 

Newcomer, incumbent win in Macon

Political newcomer Ronnie Beale and incumbent Bob Simpson beat two other Democrats in Tuesday’s primary and will move on to…
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Pro-planning group wins in Jackson
 

Pro-planning group wins in Jackson

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County will usher in a new board of commissioners committed to addressing the…
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Swanger upset; Kirkpatrick, Curtis top vote getters
 

Swanger upset; Kirkpatrick, Curtis top vote getters

By Michael Beadle Incumbent Kirk Kirkpatrick and newcomers Charles “Skeeter” Curtis and Bill Upton have won the top three slots…
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Tips for B&B guests
 

Tips for B&B guests

• Costs — Before you book a reservation at a B&B, be sure you check the fine print and know…
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A Quiet Industry: The quaint charm of Victorian bed and breakfast inns have captivated generations of tourists
 

A Quiet Industry: The quaint charm of Victorian bed and breakfast inns have captivated generations of tourists

By Michael Beadle Western North Carolina prides itself as a tourist destination — the mountain getaway where you can hike…
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Hepatica — a thing of beauty and lore
 

Hepatica — a thing of beauty and lore

Nothing is fairer, if as fair, as the first flower, the hepatica. I find I have never admired this little…
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The past, present and future on Alarka
 

The past, present and future on Alarka

By Dawn Gilchrist-Young (Editor’s note: Writer Dawn Gilchrist-Young is conducting a series of interviews with mountain natives to gauge their reaction…
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The Bard is in: Atlanta Shakespeare Company wraps up week-long residency at Cherokee High School
 

The Bard is in: Atlanta Shakespeare Company wraps up week-long residency at Cherokee High School

By Michael Beadle Last week, Cherokee students found themselves stretching, swooning, thrusting imaginary swords and spouting 400-year-old Elizabethan English. All…
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The media is the muse: Jackson County potter will set up studios at Green Energy Park
 

The media is the muse: Jackson County potter will set up studios at Green Energy Park

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer From behind the waist-high counter that divides his studio and gallery in half, potter…
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Five CDs that deserve a spin
 

Five CDs that deserve a spin

I’m going to take a brief detour from the regular album/show review format and present five CDs that I feel…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Spring One diversion in my life this past month was the weather. Surely this spring is among the most gorgeous…
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Love sex print: Two different treatments of this oh-so-important ritual
 

Love sex print: Two different treatments of this oh-so-important ritual

Well, it’s spring — a beautiful spring indeed this year — and that time on the calendar when a young…
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Art auction brings in record amount
 

Art auction brings in record amount

Quick Draw in the Mountains raised a record amount of money this year off a live and silent auction that…
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A good cause brings together local artists
 

A good cause brings together local artists

As artist Ann Vasilik was nearing the home stretch in Quick Draw — an annual event in Waynesville where artists…
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Macon man honored for paper recycling efforts
 

Macon man honored for paper recycling efforts

The American Forest and Paper Association recently announced that Macon County resident Joel Ostroff has received the 2006 Ed Hurley…
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Peeping tom caugh in Ingles’ restroom
 

Peeping tom caugh in Ingles’ restroom

Kim Pettit and her husband were on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains from Minnesota two weeks ago and had…
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Where to from here? Graduates wishing to stay in the region find themselves facing career, lifestyle compromises
 

Where to from here? Graduates wishing to stay in the region find themselves facing career, lifestyle compromises

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Turn to the classified pages in any Western North Carolina newspaper and the employment…
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The honest little bird
 

The honest little bird

On one level, the natural history of a region consists of its terrain, habitats, plants, animals and how they interrelate.…
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Reflections on May 2 – what’s really going on?
 

Reflections on May 2 – what’s really going on?

By Lee Shelton Those who stated that Haywood County Commission Chairman Mark Swanger, who lost in last week’s primary election,…
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Gas prices, HCC’s needs and Sylva’s liquor dilemma
 

Gas prices, HCC’s needs and Sylva’s liquor dilemma

Around the region and throughout the world, there’s a lot going on right now. My “column ideas” folder runneth over,…
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Half a big day
 

Half a big day

What some masochistic birders do for fun is called a “Big Day.” It’s when birders set out to spend the…
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Have you seen this fish? Researchers probe new species called the sicklefin redhorse
 

Have you seen this fish? Researchers probe new species called the sicklefin redhorse

When Dr. Robert Jenkins proclaimed in 1992 that he had discovered a new fish species in the Hiwasee and Little…
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Building a better life
 

Building a better life

By Michael Beadle Norma Brown knows how hard it is to get legal citizenship in the United States.
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Divided Franklin board OKs vote on alcohol sales
 

Divided Franklin board OKs vote on alcohol sales

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer This summer residents of Franklin will vote on whether to allow restaurants to sell…
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Learning the language
 

Learning the language

By Michael Beadle When Lori McLeod first started teaching English as a Second Language at Tuscola High School in Haywood…
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New Waynesville recreation director has marketing expertise
 

New Waynesville recreation director has marketing expertise

Rhett Langston with the Buncombe County Parks and Recreation Department has been selected from a pool of 63 applicants to…
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Pesticide contaminants found in subdivision
 

Pesticide contaminants found in subdivision

The Haywood County Health Department has asked for state assistance to conduct tests in two subdivisions after soil samples from…
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Everything old is new again
 

Everything old is new again

The inter-related geologic and geographic heritage of the Blue Ridge Province is a complex but fascinating and rewarding subject to…
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Swain election protest appealed to state
 

Swain election protest appealed to state

An election protest in Swain County over alleged irregularities in the May 2 primary was dismissed in a 2 to…
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Railroad right of way claim could stall business expansion
 

Railroad right of way claim could stall business expansion

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A Dillsboro business owner’s recent attempt to purchase and develop land near the Great…
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Becoming one with the multi-taskers
 

Becoming one with the multi-taskers

By Stephanie Wampler • Guest Columnist Multi-tasking? Not me. Or so I’ve always thought.
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Leadership is all about good ideas
 

Leadership is all about good ideas

Ideas. Those who have them become leaders and gravitate to places where they can implement them. All of the counties…
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Osteoporosis is real – get tested
 

Osteoporosis is real – get tested

By Darcia Bondurant I would like to think of myself as a healthy, 46-year-old woman. My weight, blood pressure, blood…
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Tammy deserved better
 

Tammy deserved better

Mother’s Day was probably not everything Tammy had hoped for. She may have had visions of sleeping in until 9…
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Finding the forest less logged
 

Finding the forest less logged

For three years, Josh Kelly has been stalking forests in the Southern Appalachians in search of unmapped old-growth forests and…
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Horse outfitters apply for Panthertown permits
 

Horse outfitters apply for Panthertown permits

The U.S. Forest Service has been working on a master recreation plan for Panthertown Valley for more than two years…
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Of valleys and lilies
 

Of valleys and lilies

I was leading a program for the Theosophical Society at Lake Junaluska on May 6. We were touring the Corneille…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Ebay Egad, it’s more addictive than heroin. My family always had a penchant for what some might refer to as…
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Child’s Play: Swain youth is champion picker
 

Child’s Play: Swain youth is champion picker

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer At age 12, Seth Taylor is a quiet, tanned, tow-headed boy. He seems well…
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IN Review
 

IN Review

By Chris Cooper The Wilders: Throw Down Reading about bandleader Ike Sheldon’s love/hate relationship with old-time music is almost as…
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A Melange of murder and myth
 

A Melange of murder and myth

If you have a TV, you probably know that the film version of Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel is scheduled for…
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Blue Ridge banking on cool cartons
 

Blue Ridge banking on cool cartons

The war on soft drink vending machines in schools has found an unexpected ally in Haywood County. Blue Ridge Paper…
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Achtung Elf! Lessons in learning a foreign language
 

Achtung Elf! Lessons in learning a foreign language

By Michael Beadle One thing that paralyzes American tourists about visiting foreign countries is the language barrier.
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Crafty, curious Codetalkers
 

Crafty, curious Codetalkers

By Chris Cooper To say that Col. Bruce Hampton has carved a colorful swath through the music industry is likely…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

A+ arts schools Call me biased, but Central Elementary School in downtown Waynesville is a great place. All three of…
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The Swiss experience
 

The Swiss experience

By Michael Beadle Editor’s note: Smoky Mountain News Writer Michael Beadle recently traveled to Europe. The following is the first…
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