Hanneke Ware: Making a home in the mountains

wib chaletBack in 1990, Hanneke and George Ware’s odds for success were long. A pair of non-locals living in what was then an even more remote corner of the state than it is now, they’d just purchased a 23-acre property between Dillsboro and Whittier with the hope of creating a sought-after bed and breakfast destination.

A passion for paper: Slusser’s spent her career in a male-dominated industry

wib slusserMost people don’t kick off their retirement by becoming president of a company, but Nicki Slusser is not most people.

Jackson water and sewer enterprise looks to encourage economic growth

jacksonFrom permit fees to lease agreements to equipment purchases, many costs accompany the launch of a new business. And while a rookie entrepreneur might not calculate water and sewer fees among them, in Jackson County businesses can find themselves forking over thousands of dollars to hook in.

Jackson tourism group tightens up granting requirements

jacksonWhen the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority sat down this spring to review applications for its advertising grants, it wound up facing a slew of existential questions: What is the grants’ purpose? Should the money go toward long-standing events or only start-ups? If the money’s reserved for advertising, what precisely is the definition of “advertising?”

Smart action on cell towers in Jackson

jacksonBy Craig Pendergrast • Guest Columnist

I am writing to applaud the Jackson County commissioners for recently completing a difficult re-write of the county’s cell tower code. Along with other interested property owners, I was an active participant in that process, having gained much experience and information about the way cell tower companies and their contractors operate.

Security screening on the way at Jackson courthouse

fr courthouseStarting Sept. 28, employees and visitors to the Jackson County Justice and Administration Building will no longer have their choice of doors through which to reach their destination. Instead, the building will become a one-entrance-only building, with a security guard and metal detector stationed at the door.

Jackson businessman floats alternative fate for vacant Whittier factory

fr drexelIts future has been envisioned as an agricultural center, a recreation facility, a Cherokee cultural site, a farming co-op and an empty field. Now there’s a new twist in the plot toward settling the future of a defunct county-owned factory building in Whittier.

Savannah community could get its first park

jacksonIf the details work out, Jackson County’s Savannah community could soon have a park to call its own. 

Climbing the Mountain: Following ‘America’s Got Talent’ appearance, Mountain Faith looks to the future

art frStanding behind the counter of High Country Tire, Summer McMahan is a long way from the bright lights of New York City.

Outside the shop and convenience store, cars zip and zoom by nonstop down U.S. 441, either coming from Dillsboro to the north or Franklin to the south. And though the 22-year-old is busy ringing up purchases or talking up the locals who make a stop to High Country as part of their daily routine, McMahan thoughts keep drifting back to the Big Apple, back to Radio City Music Hall where she recently took the stage to perform on the NBC hit show “America’s Got Talent.”

Yellow Mountain residents complain of shooting range

jacksonSome residents of the Yellow Mountain area near Lake Glenville are hoping Jackson County commissioners will step in to address the impacts of a shooting range that’s sprung up in the sparsely populated mountain neighborhood.

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