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One foot in the past, one in the future, Junaluskans weigh  the worth of their identity
 

One foot in the past, one in the future, Junaluskans weigh the worth of their identity

When Ken Zulla hung up his IRS badge and retired to the well-groomed mountain hamlet of Lake Junaluska more than a decade ago, monthly sojourns to the local feed-and-seed store weren’t on the radar for his Golden Years. SEE ALSO:…
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Jackson salutes its new flag
 

Jackson salutes its new flag

Jackson County is no longer a banner-less government. County commissioners selected an official county flag this week from a pool…
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Sparring or fighting? Swain high schoolers suspended  for unsanctioned “fight club”
 

Sparring or fighting? Swain high schoolers suspended for unsanctioned “fight club”

Swain County School administrators began an internal investigation Friday after videos surfaced of a “fight club” among ninth grade boys…
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So long, courthouse maples
 

So long, courthouse maples

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners voted to cut down the stately maples trees that grace the grounds of the…
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New defibrillators carry big price tag in Macon
 

New defibrillators carry big price tag in Macon

Macon County emergency vehicles will soon be equipped with new state-of-the-art cardiac defibrillators. Commissioners voted 3 to 2 this week…
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In celebration of spring, dead leaves, and an ornery epitaph
 

In celebration of spring, dead leaves, and an ornery epitaph

About once a year or less, I work up the nerve to publish poems in this space. Head for cover.…
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Wild game on the grill at wildlife club dinner
 

Wild game on the grill at wildlife club dinner

The Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College is hosting a wild game dinner at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at…
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Parkway chief to retire
 

Parkway chief to retire

Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis has announced that he will retire on April 1 after 41 years in the National Park…
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Cataloochee road closed due to wash out
 

Cataloochee road closed due to wash out

The gravel road leading into Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was washed out by recent heavy…
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Vandals hit park with paint and profanity
 

Vandals hit park with paint and profanity

Vandals hit an area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known as “the Sinks” — a popular roadside waterfall…
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Great count in your backyard
 

Great count in your backyard

Of course, you’re no longer confined to your backyard like you were back in 1997 when the Great Backyard Bird…
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More trail talk…
 

More trail talk…

A regional trails map showing hiking trails, greenways, public lands, rivers and other outdoor recreation landmarks in the seven western…
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Trail triage? Tough choices ahead as forest service weighs 1,600 miles in trail plan
 

Trail triage? Tough choices ahead as forest service weighs 1,600 miles in trail plan

For the past year, the National Forest Service has been taking inventory, collecting public input and meeting with outdoor interest…
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To be (born) or not to be
 

To be (born) or not to be

Since reading Ben Wattenberg’s The Birth Dearth 25 years ago, the subject of demography has fascinated me. This past week…
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All Cherokee bear zoos should be shut down
 

All Cherokee bear zoos should be shut down

To the Editor: It’s about time that the USDA finally suspended operations at Chief Saunooke’s antiquated concrete pit in Cherokee.…
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Lake J property owners need more information
 

Lake J property owners need more information

To the Editor: The article about the upcoming decision regarding possible annexation of Lake Junaluska by Waynesville in the Feb.…
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Gov. McCrory needs to put up or shut up
 

Gov. McCrory needs to put up or shut up

To the Editor: Thanks for standing up to the governor in your column about our state universities (“Majoring in philosophy?…
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This diplomacy stuff just isn’t that hard
 

This diplomacy stuff just isn’t that hard

By Stephanie Wampler • Guest Columnist Well, it seems that John Kerry is our new secretary of state, ready to…
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Two Waynesville sweepstake parlors charged as industry guns for a court fight
 

Two Waynesville sweepstake parlors charged as industry guns for a court fight

A Waynesville sweepstakes operator was charged with a criminal misdemeanor last weekend when she refused to shut down her machines,…
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Haywood wants to hike tourist tax to fund ballparks
 

Haywood wants to hike tourist tax to fund ballparks

Haywood County tourism leaders want to increase the tax on overnight lodging to fund special tourism-related capital projects, including a…
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Brewery trademark battle may have bittersweet ending
 

Brewery trademark battle may have bittersweet ending

Two breweries that nearly found themselves pitted against each other in a trademark lawsuit may soon make amends in the…
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Swain County hits the jackpot with Golden LEAF grants
 

Swain County hits the jackpot with Golden LEAF grants

Swain County could receive as much as $2 million in , one-time grant funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation for…
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Cherokee ups the ante for early landslide repairs to Smokies road
 

Cherokee ups the ante for early landslide repairs to Smokies road

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the National Park Service are offering up to a $500,000 incentive for early…
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WCU hastens Millennial build-out
 

WCU hastens Millennial build-out

In an effort to speed development of its Millennial Campus, Western Carolina University plans to lease the 344-acre tract to…
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Growth prompts call for Cullowhee land-use plan
 

Growth prompts call for Cullowhee land-use plan

Cullowhee community members have been making their case for nearly a year now that this pseudo-college town needs land-use planning…
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River park could catapult Old Cullowhee revitalization
 

River park could catapult Old Cullowhee revitalization

Champions of Cullowhee revitalization are chipping away at a lofty plan to create a vibrant college downtown centered on the…
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Waynesville resident celebrates life after transplant
 

Waynesville resident celebrates life after transplant

Life Share of the Carolina’s and a local organ donation recipient are hosting a Transplant Party to celebrate the lives…
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Stellar lumberjack team carves out a niche at HCC
 

Stellar lumberjack team carves out a niche at HCC

Haywood Community College leaders are collecting donations to give its lumberjack club a facility worthy of its prestige.
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A mixed bag of home building signals hope for 2013
 

A mixed bag of home building signals hope for 2013

It may still be too soon to declare an economic rebound, but recent construction data may point toward a housing…
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HCC unveils new Professional Arts and Crafts center
 

HCC unveils new Professional Arts and Crafts center

With her hands fluttering like a hummingbird, Dana Claire loops skeins of colored yarn around a large pegboard. Claire has…
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Exhibit focusing on artists as critics, curators and writers
 

Exhibit focusing on artists as critics, curators and writers

The Fine Art Museum will host a “Third Thursday” reception for a new exhibit, “Critology,” at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb.…
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Mardis Gras king and queen contest raises funds for Haywood School Foundation
 

Mardis Gras king and queen contest raises funds for Haywood School Foundation

The fundraising race is on among several business and civic leaders in Haywood County who are competing for the title…
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‘Rashomon’ brings Japanese tale and sword fighting to stage
 

‘Rashomon’ brings Japanese tale and sword fighting to stage

Stage and screen students from Western Carolina University will perform the classic drama “Rashomon” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20,…
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HART greets Valentine’s Day with marriage musical
 

HART greets Valentine’s Day with marriage musical

The Broadway Musical “I Do, I Do” is coming to the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville at 7:30 p.m.…
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It’s all, really, about the tadpoles
 

It’s all, really, about the tadpoles

The kids are doing their best to amuse themselves there at the water’s edge, but they are past restless. Something…
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Ushering in a new era in Maggie Valley
 

Ushering in a new era in Maggie Valley

A whole lot of residents and business owners are excited — and that’s putting it mildly — about Ghost Town’s…
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The lamentable loss of Appalachian yard junk
 

The lamentable loss of Appalachian yard junk

By Brent Martin The most popular subject of conversation in mountain communities today deals with the hollows and ridge tops…
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Trail head earns accolades
 

Trail head earns accolades

Who is he: Tobias Miller, who lives near Sylva, was honored this month as the 2006 employee of the year…
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From dogwood to blackberry winter
 

From dogwood to blackberry winter

Frost warnings and advisories across the Blue Ridge tonight (May 18) officially announce this year’s “blackberry winter.” It is coming…
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Tag helps nonprofit reach $1 million mark
 

Tag helps nonprofit reach $1 million mark

Motorists sporting Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park license plates have helped the organization top the $1 million fund-raising…
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Moratorium opponents suffer setback
 

Moratorium opponents suffer setback

A group of Realtors and developers challenging the legality of Jackson County’s five-month moratorium on new subdivisions lost the first…
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Jackson planners propose exempting existing lots from steep slope rules
 

Jackson planners propose exempting existing lots from steep slope rules

For the second week in a row, the Jackson County planning board watered down proposed development regulations following rounds of…
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Ressurecting the Ghost of Maggie past
 

Ressurecting the Ghost of Maggie past

Bob Cordier likes a challenge. So, when the 25-year veteran of the amusement park industry decided he was bored with…
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Sky-high hopes: Maggie Valley’s theme park destination looks to the future with an eye on the past
 

Sky-high hopes: Maggie Valley’s theme park destination looks to the future with an eye on the past

After they opened Joey’s Pancake House in 1966, Brenda O’Keefe and her late husband would calculate how much pancake batter…
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A new park opens
 

A new park opens

“Ghost Town is one of the biggest things that has happened to the western end of North Carolina in many…
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Election probe likely to swing on interpretation
 

Election probe likely to swing on interpretation

A state election investigator is trying to determine whether a Swain County voting drive targeting the poor and elderly crossed…
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A hard day’s work
 

A hard day’s work

On Earth’s Furrowed Brow: The Appalachian Farm in Photographs by Tim Barnwell. W. W. Norton, 2007. 224 pages. For a…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

A Homecoming, Of Sorts (whilst never leaving Main Street) I’ve lived in WNC for nearly four years now. I’ve written…
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Taking steps in the right direction
 

Taking steps in the right direction

By Chris Cooper If a band stays together long enough, it’ll probably morph into something a little beyond its starting…
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Dazzle of Light: John Phillips’ new Fire and Light Glass Studio and Gallery in Otto offers artwork, classes and glass art supplies
 

Dazzle of Light: John Phillips’ new Fire and Light Glass Studio and Gallery in Otto offers artwork, classes and glass art supplies

By Michael Beadle There’s a dance of light in a work of glass. Move around the piece and it changes…
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