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Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Mountain Heart serves up musical surprise

By Chris Cooper To say that Mountain Heart isn’t exactly your “average” bluegrass band is more than a slight understatement. In fact, somewhere around the middle of Wide Open’s first track, “Traveler’s Prayer,” the band breaks it down with a…

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

The Fine Art of Being Wrong (sort of...)

I spend a considerable amount of time being disappointed by music. It’s sad, because I also happen to love music, and have for as long as I can recall. But when the Grammys were just around the corner, and I…

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Locked away

Coventry by Joseph Bathanti. Novello Festival Press, 2006. 261 pages. When 30-year-old Calvin Gaddy finds himself working as a guard in Coventry Prison, he is plagued by the memory of the promise he had made to his mother: that he…

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Election controversy plagues Swain

When Commissioner Glenn Jones pulled into the Stillhouse Branch trailer park in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Swain County last October, he’d strayed far from the campaign path of most candidates.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Ghost Town deal with state should expedite May opening

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The owner of Ghost Town in the Sky and the North Carolina Department of Labor have signed a unique agreement that aims to ensure that the historic Maggie Valley amusement park opens on time.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Haywood leaders say tax hike a possibility to meet needs

Haywood County commissioners suggested they could be amenable to a slight property tax increase this year if there is something really important they want the money for.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Opponents lining up to challenge Chief Hicks

Even before filing opens March 1, four candidates have emerged to challenge Principal Chief Michell Hicks for the top leadership position of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Plug pulled on downtown Sylva taxing district

The Downtown Sylva Association has dropped the idea of a special downtown property tax due to a lack of support among merchants.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Swain seats new planning board

One Swain County resident expressed concern last week that developers and speculators will rush to break ground on mountainside subdivisions in the next few months to beat out development regulations coming down the pipe.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Old remedies for the toothache

As noted previously in several Back Then columns, the Cherokees and later on the white settlers here in the Blue Ridge lived close to the natural world. In many ways that lifestyle must have been exceptionally rewarding.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Ask not what your county can do for you

Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their county. Ask not what your county can do for you, but what you can do for your county.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Common goal is the same – a thriving downtown

Downtown Sylva is a special place. The events of the last couple of months only reinforce that fact, and so the momentum to create a better, closer and more unified business community should continue.

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

Tribe, unlike Google and others, isn’t asking for a handout

By David Redman • Guest Columnist There is absolutely no doubt about the economic impact the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and its Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel operation have in Western North Carolina.Over the past 10 years the facility…

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

The realities of being green

The Western Carolina Forest Sustainability Initiative (WCFSI) under the direction of Pete Bates, associate professor of Natural Resources Management at WCU, grew out of the Little Tennessee Sustainable Forestry Initiative that was created in 2002. The LTSFI was a collaboration…

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 00:00

On the mark: Cullowhee base-camp raises profile in wilderness emergency training

Landmark Learning, a Cullowhee-based wilderness training center for the outdoor industry, has forged a new partnership with the National Outdoor Leadership School’s Wilderness Medicine Institute.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:49

First of the Floppy Disc: Almond School

I wrote first by hand and then with a manual typewriter. Starting about 1990, I moved “up” to a Tandy writing machine generated by an IBM “Writing Assistant” program diskette that stored information on floppy discs. No hard drive. During…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:45

Outdoor gear store in Franklin celebrates expansion

Franklin’s downtown outdoor gear store just got bigger.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:43

Canoe series starts this weekend in the gorge

June kicks off the first of a three-part event at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, near Bryson City, called the Canoe Club Challenge.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:43

Eat to support the Blue Ridge Parkway

Eateries in Western North Carolina have agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and its work in supporting the parkway. Plates for the Parkway will include three restaurants in the area that have…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:42

Learn to co-exist with mountain black bears

Mountain visitors and residents can learn more about their black bear neighbors at an upcoming seminar. A program called “Understanding Our Black Bears” and a dinner will be held Monday, June 1, at the Sapphire Valley Resort’s Community Center. The…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:42

Predator birds come to Waynesville

Get ready for live talons, Waynesville. Doris Mager, better known as “The Eagle Lady,” will appear with her birds of prey at 10:30 a.m. June 12 at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Library. Mager’s program about raptors is…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:40

Book details the fall and the rise of elk in the East

A new book has been published detailing the story of the grand, four-legged keepers of the Great Smoky Mountains Park: the elk.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:38

From slaughterhouse to garden sanctuary

The Macon County Master Gardener Association is hosting an open house from 1 until 4 p.m. June 15 at the county’s Environmental Resource Center.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:37

Like a good neighbor

The folks in the mountains of Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee share more than a common boundary, they share a deep appreciation for the wild, sometimes rugged, but always beautiful landscape they call home.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:33

Great Smoky Mountains Association looks back

The Great Smoky Mountains Association has turned 60 years old, and although it has changed during the years, its mission has remained the same.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:29

Bridging the gap between young, old

With each passing day, the first-person accounts of what life was like in the Smokies before Google, iTunes or even black-and-white television slip away. So, Beth Bramhall, a seasonal education ranger with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, decided to recruit…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Morgan conjures the past with a poet skill

Robert Morgan has a rare and cunning gift: he can sift through the detritus of the past, pluck objects and images from his memory (especially his childhood) and elevate them to the point where they become — in the sense…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Cutting courthouse trees was a disgrace

To the Editor: I have returned to Waynesville for the summer. I drove past the courthouse and could not believe the destruction of those magnificent trees! Shame on the person or persons who ordered this, and shame, shame on the…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Rep. Meadows becomes Tea Party poster boy

To the Editor: Rep. Mark Meadows would like us to think of him as a “moderate or centrist Republican” (SMN, June 5, 2013) in spite of voting 97 percent of the time with his extremist party in the U.S. House.…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Let’s stop the senseless civilian deaths

To the Editor: At this Memorial Day time of year, we not only honor veterans but also mourn the recent tragic loss of life on American soil — at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Boston Marathon, the Texas plant explosion, the…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

GOP leadership wasting money, time and more

To the Editor: The 2013 legislation coming out of Raleigh is bad enough to cause sleepless nights and worried man blues over the future of fair elections in North Carolina. Starting in 2016, we will be required in defense of…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

GOP ‘progress’ takes this state backwards

To the Editor: Recently I saw Ralph Laughter, chairman of Macon County’s “Me Party.” We talked about his letter to the editor in several newspapers praising the work of North Carolina’s GOP legislators. “I heard their legislation is rather draconian,”…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Pay on, Jackson residents, pay on

To the Editor: It is true I have been accused of being a negative person concerning a few of the letters I have written to the editor. I don’t think pointing out the obvious is being negative, but what can…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Wilderness Society had key role in Hall Mountain

To the Editor: Thank you for your coverage of the historic return of Hall Mountain to the Cherokees (www.smokymountainnews.com/outdoors/item/10467). While the story was good and provided valuable perspectives on the event, it nonetheless failed to mention the role of The Wilderness…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Even in tight times, libraries deserve priority funding

By Doug Woodward • Guest Columnist What entity in our community serves the needs of every one of our citizens, whether that person is 3 years old or has been around for 90 years? And what place is this which can…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Waynesville proposes to hold line on taxes, hike water rates and licensing fees

Waynesville officials are looking under a different couch cushion for additional revenue after losing income from sweepstakes operations and its ABC store.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

A good year to work for Macon: New pay plan includes salary hikes for everyone

Nearly two months after a majority of Macon County commissioners approved a slew of salary raises for all county employees, the nitty-gritty details of the pay hikes have been released.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Police targeted by sweepstakes industry suits

For law enforcement, video gambling is like a bad case of poison ivy that keeps cropping back up all over the place, and now, it’s going after them.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Some downtown Sylva leaders oppose church move

A church is looking to bring a little more religion to downtown Sylva, but some local business owners, as well as elected officials, are skeptical of the move.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Swain revaluation bumps values up 16.5 percent

Four years after Swain County leaders trashed a skewed property reassessment, the county has completed a new revaluation.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Sylva dips into reserves to avoid tax hike

Sylva town leaders have chosen not to raise taxes next year and instead delay town expenditures, save money where they can and dip into reserve funds to shore up the budget.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Weaker planning regulations discussed June 17

Jackson County commissioners will discuss two sets of proposed planning regulations at an upcoming workshop at 2 p.m. on June 17 in the county’s Justice and Administration Building. One of the items being considered is a new ordinance that was…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Balsam Lake high and dry as tourist season hits full stride

Repairs to the dam at Balsam Lake in the Nantahala National Forest have been delayed because of high creek levels, leaving the popular lake drained as the Western North Carolina tourist season gets under way.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

County leaders to kick start discussions on Cullowhee planning district

The effort to introduce zoning laws in Cullowhee is being taken up by Jackson County Commissioners at an upcoming workshop at 2 p.m. June 17 at the county’s Administration and Justice Building near Sylva.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

From the backyard to your table

The “Buy Haywood” initiative is a work-in-progress example of how local businesses benefit by connecting with each other.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

Haywood soda company aims to change palettes

Haywood County just got a little sweeter. Specializing in “handcrafted, locally produced, artisan beverages,” Waynesville Soda Jerks is a new business that has opened at the Waynesville Historic Farmer’s Market. At the center of it all are founders Megan Brown…

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 00:00

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