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Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Haywood Regional projects positive financial picture

Haywood Regional Medical Center was in better financial shape than expected as it embarked on an affiliation with neighboring hospitals under WestCare and entered a management contract with Carolinas Healthcare System this month. The latest financial report for Haywood Regional…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Plastic bottle ban tough to police, but getting results

It may be illegal to throw away plastic bottles in North Carolina these days, but don’t expect a landfill patrol to start picking through your trash any time soon. The state is still trying to divine how exactly to enforce…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Canton Mill pursues new pollution permit

Evergreen Packaging, a large paper mill in Canton, is seeking a new water pollution permit for the Pigeon River. The paper mill sucks roughly 29 million gallons a day out of the river and uses it in myriad aspects of…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Attorney admits forging judges’ signatures to help clients

A 31-year-old attorney in Jackson County pleaded guilty this week to forging judges’ signatures and creating phony court documents. John Lewis faked the signatures on limited privilege driver’s licenses for at least three clients in Swain County who had their…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Finding a WNC solution for ‘aging in place’

With so many unknowns ahead, it’s comforting there are proven solutions to one big challenge — the aging of the population. From research, and experience, experts have identified factors for remaining independent, resilient and happy as we grow older. Key…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Striking a balance between religion and religous freedom

Religion and its place in local government have once again arisen as issues in North Carolina. This means that many Christians — especially those holding elected office — are having to search for a balance between their personal prayer practices…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Ice carvers set to compete at Haywood County’s innaugural Fire & Ice festival

Fellow ice carvers Jeff Pennypacker and Cary Shackelford are ever ready to etch out any sculpture that will satisfy their client’s whimsy. The recently departed holiday season means Pennypacker has carved heaps of reindeers, snowflakes, New Year’s signs, champagne bottles…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Suspenseful guest drives novel

For some 30 years now, Bernard Cornwell has been one of the most prolific writers in the western hemisphere. With over 40 books to his credit, he has settled comfortably into the “historic fiction” genre and has become famous for…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

A snowflake by any other name

It was one of those rare winter mornings when Haywood County Schools were on a two-hour delay. Izzy, my second-grader, and I dropped her sister, Maddy, at First Methodist’s outstanding daycare center, blasted by Smoky Mountain Coffee Roasters, grabbed a…
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:12

Masters of the night sky

The New Year has arrived and the great horned owls have commenced their annual “singing” along the dark ridges. These birds don’t sing, of course, in the manner of true songbirds like warblers and orioles — but the quick cadence…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Latest prayer case rekindles controversy

A federal magistrate’s recommendation that limits prayer before government meetings in Forsyth County has touched off a fiery debate across the state over the long-entrenched practice. In early November, Magistrate Judge Trevor Sharp determined that Forsyth County commissioners failed to…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Christians cling to one of last vestiges of prayer in public life

They haven’t gone quietly, and they haven’t gone quickly, but Christians are losing the battle over prayer in public life. Courts have banned public displays of the Ten Commandments in a religious context. School prayer has been demoted to a…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

More than population stats hinge on accurate census

The census has been part of government since Roman times and it has the baggage to prove it. As the U.S. Census Bureau kicks off its 2010 effort, the federal agency is enlisting the help of local organizations to help…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Undaunted, elected leaders vow to keep praying as they please

Threat of a federal lawsuit won’t be enough to stop some county commissioners in Western North Carolina from praying in the name of Jesus Christ before their meetings. “I wouldn’t go out and deliberately break a law, but if there…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Database breach raises concerns over Web security

In August a computer hacker broke into a North Carolina Community College System server and potentially gained access to the personal information of 51,000 library users across the state. The cyber break-in was deemed harmless by investigators in the wake…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Jackson airport to get repairs, new level of attention

The Jackson County commissioners have breathed new life into the county’s airport authority by taking it over. After appointing themselves to five of the six seats on the airport board last month, the commissioners met in their new capacity for…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Foreclosure barrels down on Balsam Mountain Preserve

Foreclosure against Balsam Mountain Preserve could happen by month’s end barring a last-ditch financing deal by developers in the next couple of weeks. A court order gave lenders the go-ahead to move forward with foreclosure at a hearing last week.…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Macon residents still waiting on McCoy Bridge plan

A year ago, state officials promised a group of Macon County residents that they would get a cost estimate for what it would take to rehabilitate the McCoy Bridge, a single lane truss bridge that dates from the 1930s. That…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

What to take from 2009? How about some positive signs for the year ahead

What to say about 2009? How about this: it ended on a high note for the overall economy, and that is good for the citizens of this country and this region. Here’s a sampling of the business news that bodes…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

My year-end list obsessions won’t go away

I have an irresistible urge to make a list. Apparently, it is what people must do at year’s end, especially if the end of the year is also the end of the decade. In the past few weeks, I have…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Bluegrass legend to record live DVD at Franklin concert

Area music fans will have a unique opportunity to help make history as a bluegrass/gospel music legend celebrates the 30th anniversary of his solo career with a live DVD recording session and concert at the Smoky Mountain Center for the…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

New generation takes over at City Lights Books

What is a bookstore? The question was unimaginable when Joyce Moore bought City Lights Books in Sylva from Gary Carden in 1986. But as Moore calls time on her career, e-books and online booksellers have challenged bricks and mortar bookstores…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Characters mirror SMN readers

Rain Gods by James Lee Burke. Simon and Schuster, 2009. 448 pages. Readers of this column know that some authors turn up here regular as church bells, reviewed with each new book. Ann Tyler, Carol Goodman, Pat Conroy: these and…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Bankrupt development conserved for future state park

A failed megadevelopment in the Lake Lure area around Chimney Rock has been conserved at a fire sale price, but a state budget crunch is leaving a local land trust with a big fundraising goal to pay for the conservation…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

The Naturalist's Corner

Birrrrrding the big chill The annual Balsam Christmas Bird Count was scheduled for last Saturday (Jan. 2). However, scary weather conditions — snow, high winds and temperatures in the low teens — especially in the northern count area, caused the…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Elk could be booted from state species of special concern list

Elk could lose their status as a species of special concern under a new rule change proposed by the N.C. Wildlife Commission. A public hearing on proposed changes to state hunting and fishing rules will be held at 7 p.m.…
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:43

Aspects of life from a rural cove

This marks my tenth year of writing a weekly Back Then column for The Smoky Mountain News. In all that time I have belabored neither editors nor readers with my poetry. Brace yourselves. The time has come. It is winter…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

Nonprofits struggle in adverse fundraising climate

It has been a difficult year for environmental nonprofits. State budget cuts have meant fewer grants and philanthropic endowments have suffered with the stock market. Meanwhile, the focus of giving has shifted towards social issues, like providing food, housing and…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

Decision pending soon in Jackson’s last chance to save the Dillsboro dam

After years of battling Duke Energy in nearly every legal arena it could scout out, Jackson County was dealt a major blow last week when the U.S. Court of Appeals denied its plea for federal intervention. Jackson County is trying…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

Folkmoot, Evergreen Packaging form multiyear partnership

Folkmoot USA, North Carolina’s Official International Festival, has locked down its first presenting sponsor. Evergreen Packaging has partnered with the Festival as its presenting sponsor for 2010 through 2013, becoming the first international corporation to develop a multiyear relationship with…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

2009: Looking back at the newsmakers

The Smoky Mountain News is paying homage this week to some of the newsmakers of 2009 by dishing out our annual awards. Few would chalk up 2009 as a year they want to remember, given the generally gloomy pall cast…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

New festival director seeks a larger audience for Maggie Valley

The hunt for a festival director for Maggie Valley is officially over. Beating out 22 other applicants, Audrey Hager took over the position in mid-December. With Hager at the helm of the town’s struggling festival grounds, Maggie Valley is hoping…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

Fund for Haywood County announces $16,000 in grants for recession relief

The Fund for Haywood County recently handed out $16,000 in grants to county nonprofits providing services for recession relief. The Fund for Haywood County, an affiliate of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, was established in 1994 by a…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

We need good journalism; for now that means newspapers

By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist I’ve spent most of my life minding my own business. I was raised by people who were reticent; reticent in their demeanor and in their culture. My grandfather didn’t have much education, only through…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

WNC experts share the music, movies and books they loved in 2009

It’s the end of another year, and everyone knows what that means — a deluge of countdowns featuring the year’s best releases, of course. While every expert in the world pieces together a list of the best books, movies and…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

Dickens’ backstabbing best friend explores London’s underworld

Drood by Dan Simmons. Little, Brown & Company, 2009. 775 pages. I must admit, I’ve never been much of a Charles Dickens fan. Other than watching those wonderful film adaptations (“Oliver” and “A Christmas Carol”), I have only read A…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

The Naturalist's Corner

2010-to be continued Will 150-foot long fiberglass wands magically spin electricity from mountaintop zephyrs across Western North Carolina in the near future? The issue of industrial-sized wind turbines along the ridgetops of Western North Carolina is sure to blow up…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

Worthy of support

Western North Carolina has a plethora of environmental groups, making it easy to find the one that best matches up with your own passion. Many groups rely on memberships not only for financial support. More members also give an organization…
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 15:54

The colors of winter

For my wife, Elizabeth, and me, winter doesn’t arrive until the first of each year. From now until spring is our finest season. She doesn’t have to keep her gallery-studio on the town square in Bryson City open all the…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Outrage erupts over Sylva teen club

A little-known teen club shook the Town of Sylva out of a slumber last week and shone a bright light on the private lives of young adults. Concerned parents brought 500 signatures to a town board meeting demanding that it…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Jackson commissioners take over airport authority

Facing a moribund governing body and a facility once again in need of expensive repairs, the Jackson County board of commissioners did what it’s been unwilling to do in the past –– assume management of the airport. The commissioners totally…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Striking while the iron’s hot

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has found a silver lining in the Interstate 40 closure following a massive rockslide in late October near the Tennessee line. It is taking advantage of the months-long shut down by fast-tracking maintenance work…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Safeguarding the settlement

A cash settlement with the federal government in lieu of the long-promised North Shore Road will reap annual dividends for Swain County for years to come. The county will put the money in a lockbox and only use the interest…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

EDC audit out of reach due to spotty records

Jackson County commissioners closed the book on a painful chapter in the county’s history on Monday, announcing they would give up their quest for an audit of the economic development commission. The commissioners had hoped to present an audit of…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Sylva bypass makes the cut

Jackson County commissioners were split over whether to endorse the construction of a controversial new highway outside of Sylva when the issue came up for a vote at a county meeting Monday. The highway was included on a wishlist being…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Haywood tourism leaders critical of state’s response to rockslide

State officials have not turned a blind eye to the economic pain caused by the rockslide in Western North Carolina, but Haywood Tourism Development Authority officials say their strategy is off the mark. First off, the state’s tourism division is…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Snowstorm puts damper on critical shopping weekend

Business owners in Western North Carolina are wrapping up an absurdly challenging year. On top of dealing with a lingering recession and a rockslide that has shut down a major section of Interstate 40 for months, they faced a major…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Tuscola produces two division I quarterbacks in five years

In the space of five years Tuscola High School’s football program has produced two big-time college quarterback prospects. While Friday night lights are a huge draw in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the relatively small pool of athletes makes…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Locals do what it takes for fresh tracks

For seasoned Smoky Mountain outdoor enthusiasts, snow in the forecast means the chance to indulge suppressed fantasies. Whether its getting fresh tracks on some obscure slope they see on the road to work or heading up to the blocked-off Blue…
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:45

Tourism turnaround set back by rockslide

After a slight increase in overnight visitors this fall following a dismal summer, Haywood County tourism officials are dreading November reports.“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Lynn Collins, executive director of Haywood County Tourism Development Authority,…
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