Blue Ridge Heritage grants total $340,000
 

Blue Ridge Heritage grants total $340,000

Dillsboro and Southwestern Community College’s Heritage Arts Institute in Swain County were among the 18 grant recipients from the Blue…
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Maggie alderman profits from land sale to town
 

Maggie alderman profits from land sale to town

An elected board member in Maggie Valley has collected $6,500 in commission from the town after acting as the town’s…
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Hike in early voters strains Swain election office
 

Hike in early voters strains Swain election office

The surge in early voting witnessed in the last election has prompted the Swain County election board to hunt for…
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Sylva downtown group to hire executive director
 

Sylva downtown group to hire executive director

Downtown Sylva Association members have voted unanimously to hire an executive director, setting the organization up to more actively advocate…
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Everybody wants on the TDA: Recent publicity and problems are likely catalysts
 

Everybody wants on the TDA: Recent publicity and problems are likely catalysts

A record number of applicants are seeking seats on the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, likely spurred by the ongoing…
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Voter testimony
 

Voter testimony

The following testimony was provided by Rhonda Bedsaul, 47, of Swain County. A similar account was provided by Bedsaul’s husband,…
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Voter intimidation alleged in Swain election
 

Voter intimidation alleged in Swain election

Two Swain County residents claim they were victims of illegal voter intimidation during the November election.
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We’re all special, according to Time
 

We’re all special, according to Time

When I saw that I had been named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” the first thing I felt like…
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Encountering my own inner goddess
 

Encountering my own inner goddess

By Stephanie Wampler I begin this article with a momentous announcement. This announcement will, I think, bring a general feeling of…
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Making the case for using tax money to buy open spaces
 

Making the case for using tax money to buy open spaces

Sometimes, change is for the good.
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Carrying on a tradition: New NOC president Sutton Bacon brings paddling, business savvy
 

Carrying on a tradition: New NOC president Sutton Bacon brings paddling, business savvy

By Michael Beadle Sutton Bacon once had dreams of becoming a surgeon.
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Canary Coalition reaches membership milestone in 2006
 

Canary Coalition reaches membership milestone in 2006

Canary Coalition, a regional air quality advocacy group based in Sylva, recently reached the 1,000 mark in members, showing a…
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Urban archery and tally ho!
 

Urban archery and tally ho!

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has decided that creating an urban bowhunting season would be a wonderful resource municipalities…
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Filling in the blanks ain’t always easy
 

Filling in the blanks ain’t always easy

When my nephew came walking in with a letter from one of our state’s universities, he handled it like something…
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Forest on fire: How much should we tamper with Mother Nature?
 

Forest on fire: How much should we tamper with Mother Nature?

By Michael Beadle For the longest time, forest fires were viewed as hazardous events to avoid at all costs. Remember…
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Deer dilemma
 

Deer dilemma

This week’s column is a follow-up to last week’s piece about urban archery seasons and deer/human conflicts within municipalities. Most…
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Listening to the stone
 

Listening to the stone

By Michael Beadle A goddess rises through ribbons of translucent alabaster. A pair of doves flutters from bronzed hands. An old,…
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Revenge rising
 

Revenge rising

Well, dear readers, modern pop fiction’s most famous killer, Hannibal the Cannibal, has quietly returned. For those of you who…
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Swain chairman accused of handling absentee ballots
 

Swain chairman accused of handling absentee ballots

Clerk talks: Dennis Stephenson, a clerk at the Bryson City post office, supplied the following statement in an affidavit taken…
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Haywood leaders mull prison recruitment: Minimum-security site reportedly needed in western part of state
 

Haywood leaders mull prison recruitment: Minimum-security site reportedly needed in western part of state

Haywood County commissioners are once again pondering the idea of recruiting a state prison.
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Macon joins other participants in drug discount program
 

Macon joins other participants in drug discount program

Sarah Kucharski • Staff writer A new prescription drug discount card soon will be available to Macon County residents.
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More questions raised in Maggie land deal
 

More questions raised in Maggie land deal

New developments have emerged involving the the purchase of a small piece of land in Maggie Valley by the town…
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The Pigeon flies again: Long-time fish advisory on fish consumption lifted
 

The Pigeon flies again: Long-time fish advisory on fish consumption lifted

Thanks to major environmental investments by Blue Ridge Paper Products in Canton, the last advisory against eating fish downstream of…
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The school of fish: Haywood students raise fish to re-introduce into a cleaner Pigeon River
 

The school of fish: Haywood students raise fish to re-introduce into a cleaner Pigeon River

Students in Haywood County are on the front lines of an ambitious effort to reintroduce a slew of native species…
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Haywood County prepares for slope ordinance by hiring engineer
 

Haywood County prepares for slope ordinance by hiring engineer

Slope development regulations will go into effect in Haywood County on March 1.
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Sylva may decrease size of proposed taxing district
 

Sylva may decrease size of proposed taxing district

Leaders of a downtown Sylva movement are considering downsizing a proposed special taxing district to encompass only the core downtown…
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Town leaders say property owner opinions will be deciding factor in downtown tax
 

Town leaders say property owner opinions will be deciding factor in downtown tax

Leaders of the Downtown Sylva Association are drumming up support for a special taxing district that would raise money to…
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Medicinal plants of the Southern Appalachians
 

Medicinal plants of the Southern Appalachians

Back in November at the Great Smoky Mountains Book Fair in Sylva I met Patricia Kyritsi Howell and purchased a…
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Elana James: A fiery violinist takes it solo
 

Elana James: A fiery violinist takes it solo

By Chris Cooper Swing can take many forms. It can bop and bounce like Calloway and Ellington, or it can…
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Recommended Diversions
 

Recommended Diversions

As you probably know by now, we are on the verge of another “revolution in technology.” Specifically, your current DVD…
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Remembering the spirit of Saide Luck
 

Remembering the spirit of Saide Luck

I grew up thinking that libraries had a lot in common with churches. I guess I need to explain that.
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Local lo-fi gets a high five
 

Local lo-fi gets a high five

By Chris Cooper Morning Missed: Broken Cords Of Rotten Wood
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

The Grey Eagle Over the last four years I have had the great opportunity to work with David Holt in…
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History 2 - Food 1
 

History 2 - Food 1

The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days that Changed the Nation by Howard Means. Harcourt, 2006.…
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Downtown Sylva Association weighs the benefits of a taxing district
 

Downtown Sylva Association weighs the benefits of a taxing district

When Howard Alligood heard about a group of Sylva merchants lobbying for a special downtown tax, he got a little…
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Economic commission overhaul stalls over board make-up
 

Economic commission overhaul stalls over board make-up

An overhaul of economic development strategy in Jackson County has temporarily stalled over who will be in charge.
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Franklin declines to help shopping center owner keep Wal-Mart
 

Franklin declines to help shopping center owner keep Wal-Mart

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Franklin town officials have turned down a request made by the owners of the…
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Meal deal at Swain jail worth as much as $100,000 annually, new sheriff says
 

Meal deal at Swain jail worth as much as $100,000 annually, new sheriff says

Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran has estimated how much his predecessor might have made under the table feeding jail inmates:…
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Swain election investigation could be  two months away
 

Swain election investigation could be two months away

The North Carolina Election Board says it could be another month or two before someone can make the trip from…
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TDA has equal parts Maggie Valley, Waynesville
 

TDA has equal parts Maggie Valley, Waynesville

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners have appointed two new members to the Tourism Development Authority board: Deborah Reed, a…
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WCU buys on-campus commercial buildings
 

WCU buys on-campus commercial buildings

Western Carolina University is now the proud owner of the strip of commercial property known locally as the downtown Cullowhee…
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Recounting natural history
 

Recounting natural history

For me, no pursuit is truly worthwhile unless it has an associated body of literature one can consult from time…
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A better future for the Pigeon
 

A better future for the Pigeon

Few rivers have been the focus of as much controversy over the last century as the Pigeon, a fact that…
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A.T. license plates raise dollars for conservancy
 

A.T. license plates raise dollars for conservancy

Drivers with Appalachian Trail license plates raised $55,000 last year to support the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in North Carolina.
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Bold & Cold: Icycle Mountain Bike Race at Fontana Village promises thrills and chills
 

Bold & Cold: Icycle Mountain Bike Race at Fontana Village promises thrills and chills

By Michael Beadle If you’re a mountain biker looking for a challenging course that’s as cold as it is fun,…
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Peanut butter log is the bomb
 

Peanut butter log is the bomb

This past summer I stopped feeding birds, except for the hummers. The squirrels had become too brazen and were chewing…
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Green gas heavy metal: Jackson’s County’s Green Energy Park offers methane-fired blacksmith forge
 

Green gas heavy metal: Jackson’s County’s Green Energy Park offers methane-fired blacksmith forge

By Anna Fariello • Guest Writer William Rogers has been a professional metalsmith for more than 25 years, but nothing…
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The world according to glass
 

The world according to glass

By Michael Beadle Glass dazzles. It bears no secrets. It illuminates the world around itself.
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Stone Black aims high with a familiar formula
 

Stone Black aims high with a familiar formula

Expectations are tricky things. You can crack open a CD with basically one of two mindsets: “This is going to…
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