WCU awaits state budget, bemoans staff retention
 

WCU awaits state budget, bemoans staff retention

Western Carolina University is sweating out the North Carolina General Assembly’s budgetary process, but perhaps not as much as some…
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Tribal board eliminates Murphy construction management position
 

Tribal board eliminates Murphy construction management position

Two months after a management shake-up in which the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise removed construction manager Sneed, Robertson and Associates…
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The good ole days: Former Macon commissioners draw lessons from the past
 

The good ole days: Former Macon commissioners draw lessons from the past

A group of past Macon County Commissioners spent an hour reminiscing about their triumphs and reflecting on lessons learned in…
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Franklin passes property tax hike
 

Franklin passes property tax hike

Franklin residents will be paying a bit more on their property taxes next year following a unanimous decision by the…
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Front row seat to history
 

Front row seat to history

Randall E. Murff remembers the guns shooting at him. “The Germans really could shoot those guns, they were good,” he…
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Waynesville’s slow march to a better South Main
 

Waynesville’s slow march to a better South Main

A group of vacant, ramshackle buildings at an anchor intersection on South Main Street in Waynesville has been purchased, signaling…
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One for the books: Steep slope hearing encapsulated in print
 

One for the books: Steep slope hearing encapsulated in print

The public hearing on Jackson County’s steep slope regulations struck Dave Waldrop as special.  “It was so unbelievable,” Waldrop said.
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Alaska’s dream: Ghost Town in the Sky opens for the season
 

Alaska’s dream: Ghost Town in the Sky opens for the season

“See that up there?” asked Alaska Presley as she piloted her Mercedes up a back road to the top of…
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Petition drive steers toward education funding
 

Petition drive steers toward education funding

Advocates calling for increased state education funding made a stop in Haywood County Monday as part of a statewide tour…
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PlottFest returns to Maggie
 

PlottFest returns to Maggie

A benefit for Head Start of Haywood and Jackson counties, PlottFest will be held June 21-22 at the Maggie Valley…
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‘Oklahoma!’ rolls into Franklin
 

‘Oklahoma!’ rolls into Franklin

“Oklahoma!,” the first musical written by the dynamic duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. June…
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Cabaret show at The Classic Wineseller
 

Cabaret show at The Classic Wineseller

Singer-songwriter James Hammel will present a cabaret story through song in “Celebrating a Collage of Life — a Journey Through…
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HCC to offer classes in the Appalachian Music Program
 

HCC to offer classes in the Appalachian Music Program

Haywood Community College’s Appalachian Music Program will be offering a handful of classes funded by a generous grant from the…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Time sure does fly, eh? It hit me this week that my column recently crossed over the one-year anniversary threshold. How…
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New state tax hits entertainment venues
 

New state tax hits entertainment venues

When the clock struck midnight this past New Year’s Eve, a new North Carolina state tax took effect. “This isn’t…
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Festival funding models vary among WNC counties
 

Festival funding models vary among WNC counties

As Haywood struggles with the best use of room tax money collected from tourists to fund tourism promotion, one area…
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Tourism board divided over festival funding
 

Tourism board divided over festival funding

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is split over a budget for the coming fiscal year that would reduce funding…
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Battered berries
 

Battered berries

Those who’ve participated in my natural history workshops know that that I’m not a very good source for information regarding…
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Paddlers will not do damage to the Chattooga
 

Paddlers will not do damage to the Chattooga

By Bruce Hare • Guest Columnist In response to your article (“Tug of War over the Chattooga River,” May 31…
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So how far have we come?
 

So how far have we come?

Each year as summer dawns, when children begin counting the days until shoes become something they just have to keep…
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Mythbusters: Tree hunters scout Wildes Knob for hidden old-growth forest
 

Mythbusters: Tree hunters scout Wildes Knob for hidden old-growth forest

Josh Kelly looked up from his topo map, took a step back and eyed the steep bank in front of…
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When paddle comes to shove
 

When paddle comes to shove

The only thing rippling more than the water through the rocky headwaters of the Chattooga is the controversy regarding the…
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History and wildflowers
 

History and wildflowers

By Ed Kelley The burning sensation on the back of my heels made me wish I had packed some moleskin.…
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Telling a better story
 

Telling a better story

By Michael Beadle There’s a heavy heat inside Mountainside Theatre’s rehearsal studio even with fans blowing and the lights turned…
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Sweet vinegar sounds
 

Sweet vinegar sounds

By Chris Cooper Claiming influences as far apart stylistically as Iron Maiden and Ravi Shankar, Mother Vinegar lean further toward…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Records As in old school phonograph records, not world records or dental records. After collecting thousands of CDs over the…
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Scenes of redemption: Gallery 86 in Waynesville features paintings by Luke Allsbrook
 

Scenes of redemption: Gallery 86 in Waynesville features paintings by Luke Allsbrook

By Michael Beadle Luke Allsbrook has a voice as soothing as his paintings. He explains his craft with the calm…
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The Second Act: ‘Unto These Hills’ opens with a new look that aims to draw big crowds and give a more authentic account of Cherokee history and culture
 

The Second Act: ‘Unto These Hills’ opens with a new look that aims to draw big crowds and give a more authentic account of Cherokee history and culture

By Michael Beadle It’s a story 10,000 years in the making. And now Cherokees and Native Americans from all over…
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Spill the beans
 

Spill the beans

Confession is good for the soul. As any practicing Catholic will tell you, that old tune still plays true. You…
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Elected officials meet to hear tourism complaints
 

Elected officials meet to hear tourism complaints

Elected town and county leaders will be dragged into the Haywood County tourism saga this week. They will be asked…
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Feelin’ festive: Local event planners examine festival trends
 

Feelin’ festive: Local event planners examine festival trends

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer June through October is known as festival season in the mountains, and its no…
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Becoming art smart: The 11th Annual Studio Gallery Open House and Walking Tour in Waynesville gives people a chance to create and learn more about art
 

Becoming art smart: The 11th Annual Studio Gallery Open House and Walking Tour in Waynesville gives people a chance to create and learn more about art

By Michael Beadle Waynesville art gallery owners don’t just want to sell art. They want people to ask lots of…
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Folkmoot photo ops: International festival revamps, ramps up for 2006 season
 

Folkmoot photo ops: International festival revamps, ramps up for 2006 season

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Folkmoot USA, the annual international dance festival with performances held throughout Western North Carolina,…
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Roman Candle’s ‘Wee Hours’ aims for a place in the heart
 

Roman Candle’s ‘Wee Hours’ aims for a place in the heart

By Chris Cooper The best rock album of the year is about to be released. No kidding. My first encounter…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Charles Bukowski So, you don’t like poetry? Well, maybe Charles W. Bukowski will ring your chimes. Talk about ugly? This…
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A Taste of Scotland
 

A Taste of Scotland

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Western North Carolina boasts more people of Scottish descent than Scotland itself — and…
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Amazing language found in a lost novel
 

Amazing language found in a lost novel

Recently, the New York Times set off a hotly contested literary skirmish by naming what their literary staff considered to…
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Buchner’s father/son account wins literary acclaim
 

Buchner’s father/son account wins literary acclaim

Craig Buchner and his father didn’t say much during their weekends in upstate New York checking spigots on sugar maples,…
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Bryson City developing first zoning plan
 

Bryson City developing first zoning plan

An influx of growth has prompted Bryson City leaders to address land-use planning with hopes of drafting the town’s first…
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Farmers increasingly feel forced off their own land
 

Farmers increasingly feel forced off their own land

Butch Deals’ day doesn’t fit the image of the simple farming life. Perched in the air-conditioned cab of a John…
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Geologists nearly finished with Macon landslide study
 

Geologists nearly finished with Macon landslide study

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer N.C. Geological Survey staff hopes to finish its survey of Macon County’s landslide prone…
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Haywood considers wider tourism study
 

Haywood considers wider tourism study

The town of Maggie Valley could be getting more than it bargained for when it called on fellow towns in…
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Hearing heated, but no surprises
 

Hearing heated, but no surprises

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s public hearing regarding the recently released draft environmental assessment…
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Heritage Area program will give out $350,000 in 2006
 

Heritage Area program will give out $350,000 in 2006

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area has announced its 2006 Heritage Grants Program, which will provide and leverage funding for…
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Land for Tomorrow: Will it pass the state legislature?
 

Land for Tomorrow: Will it pass the state legislature?

Land for Tomorrow is a statewide campaign to raise $1 billion in state funds to preserve farmland and forestland, create…
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TDA’s Reece injured in motorcycle accident
 

TDA’s Reece injured in motorcycle accident

Wade Reece, a member of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority and a Maggie Valley businessman, was in a motorcycle…
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Some question Rinehart’s TDA status after move to Asheville
 

Some question Rinehart’s TDA status after move to Asheville

Joetta Rinehart, a member of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority board, recently moved to Asheville, throwing into question her…
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Living inside the box
 

Living inside the box

Five turtle species reside in Western North Carolina: snapping, musk, and painted turtles are primarily found in streams, lakes, and…
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The principle is always important
 

The principle is always important

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,…
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Finding a father while keeping a Dad
 

Finding a father while keeping a Dad

By Marshall Frank Imagine having a fathers of all varieties. Step, biological and adopted? Here’s a story about such a…
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