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Open space requirement set at 25 percent
 

Open space requirement set at 25 percent

How much open space should be required in new developments? That question has caused the most contention among Jackson County…
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Proposed election law change follows Swain nursing home irregularities
 

Proposed election law change follows Swain nursing home irregularities

The General Assembly is considering a bill that could solve a Catch 22 in election law: how to legitimately help…
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Ghost Town re-opens
 

Ghost Town re-opens

After being closed for five years, a North Carolina icon, Ghost Town In The Sky, is re-opening on May 25.
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Fun Facts about Ghost Town
 

Fun Facts about Ghost Town

• Ghost Town in the Sky first opened its doors to the public in June 1961. Construction began in September…
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History of Ghost Town in the Sky
 

History of Ghost Town in the Sky

Businessman R. B. Coburn, who was inspired to build a park with a western theme after visiting several ghost towns…
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Ghost Town goes silver screen
 

Ghost Town goes silver screen

Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town “The Movie” will premiere at the Eaglenest Entertainment Center in Maggie Valley at 7 p.m. on…
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The mountain rhodo show
 

The mountain rhodo show

Rhododendrons are a part of the heath family (Ericaceae), which includes such diverse members in regard to size and habitat…
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Pedaling my America: Jackson County native A.J. Rowell prepares for 10,000-mile summer cycling ride from Arctic Alaska to Cullowhee
 

Pedaling my America: Jackson County native A.J. Rowell prepares for 10,000-mile summer cycling ride from Arctic Alaska to Cullowhee

By Michael Beadle Before you ask the most obvious question – why? – remember, it’s not a race or a…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Fuel for thought
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Fuel for thought

Biofuels have been getting a lot of media and blogosphere attention lately, and with the price of gas at $3…
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A surprising reminder of a common bond
 

A surprising reminder of a common bond

By Stephanie Wampler One morning in early spring, I woke up before anyone else and went out on my porch.…
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Park Service opinion could seal road’s fate
 

Park Service opinion could seal road’s fate

The road, it appears, stops here. Now, elected leaders and citizens must demand a timetable for the $52 million settlement…
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I’m sorry for all the impotence ads
 

I’m sorry for all the impotence ads

By John Armor • Guest Columnist There are certain categories of ads on TV which offend me, and no doubt…
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Just looking around
 

Just looking around

I’m rediscovering that it’s good to just slip out of the office and amble around town for a few minutes.…
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What they’re saying
 

What they’re saying

“It’s well past time to bury this boondoggle and resolve the issue in this positive way for the park and…
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Judge rules Realtors’ loss is not irreparable
 

Judge rules Realtors’ loss is not irreparable

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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The end of the road? Park Service recommends cash instead of road
 

The end of the road? Park Service recommends cash instead of road

The National Park Service has finally chosen sides in the long-standing debate over whether to build a 30-mile road through…
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Cherokee dedicates first section of downtown greenway
 

Cherokee dedicates first section of downtown greenway

A long-range plan to make Cherokee a friendlier place to walk, visit and shop moved forward last week with the…
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Another look at Wolfe
 

Another look at Wolfe

Thomas Wolfe: An Illustrated Biography by Ted Mitchell. Pegasus Books, 2007. 341 pages. Thirty-three years ago this month, at the…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Memorial Day with a soldier He’s just a kid, 23 year old I think, dating one of my young cousins.…
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Good music for nice people
 

Good music for nice people

By Chris Cooper John Prine and Mac Wiseman: Standard Songs For Average People John Prine just sounds like a nice…
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Dance of the people: Women use traditional art form for fun and exercise
 

Dance of the people: Women use traditional art form for fun and exercise

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer With vigorous hip pops and shimmies, members of the Sidra bellydancing group are sending…
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Taking God out of schools was mistake
 

Taking God out of schools was mistake

To the Editor: Just over five weeks ago a mentally disturbed 19-year-old young man went into a school in Connecticut…
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Jackson should not sell out to developers
 

Jackson should not sell out to developers

To the Editor: Thank you for your excellent reporting on the consideration to a change in the development rules in…
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Majoring in philosophy? More power to you
 

Majoring in philosophy? More power to you

Republican Gov. Pat McCrory is trying to temper disparaging remarks he made early last week about the value of a…
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Zombie lore, one bite at a time
 

Zombie lore, one bite at a time

If you are literate and moderately aware of what passes for entertainment in film, popular novels and comics, then you…
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Oil lamps have long history of lighting the way
 

Oil lamps have long history of lighting the way

Surprisingly, a recent column about wood-burning cookstoves attracted as much attention as anything I’ve written for years. Folks who live…
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Local fisherman lands silver at championships
 

Local fisherman lands silver at championships

Angler and Sylva native Josh Stephens recently earned a silver medal in team competition during the National Fly Fishing Championship…
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Donation will go to Smokies priorities
 

Donation will go to Smokies priorities

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was recently awarded $2,000 from Sustainability for Generations to Come, a Western North…
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Farmers get a helping hand with diversification grants
 

Farmers get a helping hand with diversification grants

28 Western North Carolina farmers received nearly $150,000 total in grants to help diversify their farm businesses. The money was…
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Fees proposed for forest service recreation sites
 

Fees proposed for forest service recreation sites

The U.S. Forest Service may increase, or begin charging, fees at seven recreation sites within the national forests in North…
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Hops finds a home in WNC soil and economy
 

Hops finds a home in WNC soil and economy

A free program on “The Business of Growing Hops” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.…
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The Rainbow to Nowhere?
 

The Rainbow to Nowhere?

What happens when you finally get to the end of the rainbow and there’s no gold in the pot? Perusing…
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Dark skies — and the stars  that go with them — slowly disappearing
 

Dark skies — and the stars that go with them — slowly disappearing

Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a protected expanse of land, all types of contamination — from air…
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Jackson County asks towns to dissolve economic development commission
 

Jackson County asks towns to dissolve economic development commission

Before a crowded room of town officials this week, Jackson County Commissioner Jack Debnam announced, in so many words, what…
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State torn on driver’s licenses for children of illegal immigrants
 

State torn on driver’s licenses for children of illegal immigrants

It’s a right of passage for teens, the Holy Grail of high school, an iconic symbol of young adulthood freedom…
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Paddlers hit the river in wake of torrential downpours
 

Paddlers hit the river in wake of torrential downpours

The recurring deluge of heavy rains has brought paddlers out of hibernation and onto Western North Carolina rivers over the…
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HCC plans Entrepreneurship Week activities
 

HCC plans Entrepreneurship Week activities

Haywood Community College will celebrate National Entrepreneurship Week Feb. 16-23 with a week-long schedule of events. The events will allow…
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Cherokee bear zoo fined and suspended over violations
 

Cherokee bear zoo fined and suspended over violations

Federal regulators temporarily suspended operations at Cherokee bear zoo and fined its owners $5,000 for repeated animal welfare violations.
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Batter up: Macon weighs costs and benefits of proposed recreation complex
 

Batter up: Macon weighs costs and benefits of proposed recreation complex

A Macon County commissioner, who prides himself on fiscal conservatism, has been staking out his positions lately. After questioning the…
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Sylva teacher wins statewide teaching award
 

Sylva teacher wins statewide teaching award

Deanne Oppermann, a chemistry instructor at Southwestern Community College in Sylva, is the recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Excellence in…
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Blue Ridge Heritage signage to make its debut
 

Blue Ridge Heritage signage to make its debut

Ten years after the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area won federal designation, themed signs tying together 65 attractions throughout the…
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Cherokee leaders make their case for a indoor adventure park
 

Cherokee leaders make their case for a indoor adventure park

A $93 million family adventure park in Cherokee would likely turn a profit during its first year of operation, according…
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More money allocated to help the hungry in Jackson
 

More money allocated to help the hungry in Jackson

Increased demand for Meals on Wheels services and daily meals for low-income seniors in Jackson County have led to a…
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Angel Medical eyes adjacent town property for memorial garden
 

Angel Medical eyes adjacent town property for memorial garden

Whether it’s a new dad catching a breather after his wife’s marathon labor or a grief-stricken daughter who just watched…
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Quaint new lampposts now grace Frog Level sidewalks
 

Quaint new lampposts now grace Frog Level sidewalks

Nightlife in Waynesville’s downtown Frog Level district is brighter thanks to the addition of new lampposts along its two main…
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Tourism branding to create slogan for Jackson County
 

Tourism branding to create slogan for Jackson County

The newly formed Jackson County Tourism Development Authority voted last week to enter into a $50,000 contract with a nationally…
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Haywood Public Transit on the move
 

Haywood Public Transit on the move

Haywood Public Transit will hold a ribbon cutting for a new transit shelter at 1 p.m. Feb. 12, in Clyde.…
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Haywood Democrats won’t consider Republican for sheriff replacement
 

Haywood Democrats won’t consider Republican for sheriff replacement

One of three candidates vying to be Haywood County’s next sheriff was eliminated from the competition in a preliminary round…
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Roughest, Toughest Brawl takes the ring in Haywood
 

Roughest, Toughest Brawl takes the ring in Haywood

Amateur boxers will square off at the Haywood County Fairgrounds to vie in the Roughest and Toughest Brawl this weekend,…
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Merger input sought in countdown to decision
 

Merger input sought in countdown to decision

Waynesville residents will get their first chance to weigh in on the possibility of adding Lake Junaluska to the town…
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