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Home Depot scraps Waynesville plans
 

Home Depot scraps Waynesville plans

Home Depot has officially yanked plans to build a store in Waynesville next to the town’s new Super Wal-Mart. The…
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HCC serves up student-grown produce
 

HCC serves up student-grown produce

This spring, the greens served in Haywood Community College’s cafeteria couldn’t have been more local — they were grown just…
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There ain’t no shelter here
 

There ain’t no shelter here

There aren’t many options for those without a home in Western North Carolina. Sleeping outside is one, but winter nights…
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Trapping rainwater could solve airport slope problems
 

Trapping rainwater could solve airport slope problems

Although Jackson County and the Airport Authority prevailed in a lawsuit this month blaming them for slope failure at the…
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Ye Olde Christmas CD roundup ...
 

Ye Olde Christmas CD roundup ...

By Chris Cooper I guess it’s a kind of Christmas tradition. Every year around this time I go on the…
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No guns, no bikes, and no dogs
 

No guns, no bikes, and no dogs

By Danny Bernstein • Guest Columnist Our national parks have been assaulted by new rulings in the closing days of…
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Macon may be out of money for K-4 school
 

Macon may be out of money for K-4 school

There may not be enough money to build a new K-4 school in Macon County because of the economic downturn,…
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Taking a likin’ to the lichen
 

Taking a likin’ to the lichen

On a winter walk you will encounter numerous evergreen plants. None is more mysterious or delightful to behold than the…
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Lending a hand
 

Lending a hand

Recently, more than 50 members of the Haywood County community gathered in a church fellowship hall to brainstorm ways to…
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A word with the musicians
 

A word with the musicians

Mark W. Winchester (MW) and Milan Miller (MM) answer questions about the collaboration of “Songs From Haywood County.” SMN: How…
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Cherokee petition closes in on alcohol vote
 

Cherokee petition closes in on alcohol vote

Organizers of a petition drive in Cherokee believe they have enough signatures to force a referendum by voters on whether…
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The economic downturn hits home — hard
 

The economic downturn hits home — hard

The trickle down effect from the national economic downturn is starting to feel more like a flood to agencies in…
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 	Officials stay away from private DOT meeting, stay within bounds of law
 

Officials stay away from private DOT meeting, stay within bounds of law

It appears local government officials obeyed the Open Meetings Law when they attended a private N.C. Department of Transportation meeting…
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About Nance Dude
 

About Nance Dude

A brief synopsis of “Nance Dude,” which is one of three dramatic monologues in “Land’s End” written by Gary Carden:…
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National parks to lift ban on gun-packing visitors
 

National parks to lift ban on gun-packing visitors

Visitors could soon be toting loaded, concealed guns in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A long-standing ban on loaded…
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Schools give money back, Big Three ready to take it
 

Schools give money back, Big Three ready to take it

As the economic picture gets more and more bleak, the ironies loom larger and larger. Public school systems, community colleges…
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DOT gets earful from public on Southern Loop
 

DOT gets earful from public on Southern Loop

Jackson County resident Susan Leveille opposes the construction of a N.C. 107 bypass. “I am very hopeful DOT and all…
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Smokies plate helps Friends help the park
 

Smokies plate helps Friends help the park

The new specialty license plate for Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, sporting a black bear against a mountain…
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Traffic simulations for 2035 takes leap of faith
 

Traffic simulations for 2035 takes leap of faith

As the debate over the Southern Loop rages on, a faceless cadre of number crunchers have been assigned a seemingly…
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Don’t jump up and do anything
 

Don’t jump up and do anything

With Clayton Cathey On a weekday afternoon the Walker Service Station in Waynesville is busy with a steady stream of…
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Tough times strike dealerships
 

Tough times strike dealerships

Scott Rodes’ first job in the automobile industry was 30 years ago washing and selling cars for his grandfather in…
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Swain hunts for inmates to fill overbuilt jail
 

Swain hunts for inmates to fill overbuilt jail

When 400 people poured in to Swain County’s jail one day in late September, Sheriff Curtis Cochran was thrilled. And…
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Commissioners make extra meetings official
 

Commissioners make extra meetings official

The Macon County commissioners on Monday voted to start having two regularly scheduled meetings a month, rather than just one…
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Slow to start, Waynesville moves on land use plan review
 

Slow to start, Waynesville moves on land use plan review

The town of Waynesville has done little to jumpstart a promised review of its land use plan, and critics say…
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Task force seeks answers to water shortages
 

Task force seeks answers to water shortages

The newly formed Jackson County Water Study Task Force met for the first time Thursday (Dec. 4) to begin discussing…
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Not a fan of bailouts, Shuler drives a hard bargain
 

Not a fan of bailouts, Shuler drives a hard bargain

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, said he is unsure if he will support a bailout of the auto industry. The…
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Nance Dude: Legend, murderer, victim
 

Nance Dude: Legend, murderer, victim

By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer Stoned by children, considered a witch by some and a complete outcast by others,…
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Open yourself to the simple pleasures of the season
 

Open yourself to the simple pleasures of the season

By Linda McFarland • Guest Columnist Here we are in the holidays, the most sacred and profane time of year.…
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Town settles disagreement over pilfered stone
 

Town settles disagreement over pilfered stone

The town of Franklin has settled a disagreement with a man who took slate and doors that belonged to the…
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Come rain, snow or cold, holiday lights go up
 

Come rain, snow or cold, holiday lights go up

By David Curtis If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it…
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Gear crazy: Outfitters brainstorm on holiday gift solutions
 

Gear crazy: Outfitters brainstorm on holiday gift solutions

With only a couple weeks left for holiday shopping, local outfitters are stocked with solutions for the outdoor aficionados on…
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A night of music with a purpose
 

A night of music with a purpose

By Chris Cooper My participation in the Play For Peace project has been, honestly, primarily for purely selfish reasons. The…
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There are ways to reduce chance of getting the flu
 

There are ways to reduce chance of getting the flu

By Dr. Allan Zacher, M.D. Flu season is here. You and your family and friends have not gotten it yet,…
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Vintage King
 

Vintage King

Just After Sunset by Stephen King. Scribner and Sons, 2008. 367 pages. Unlike the majority of his peers, Stephen King…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

Bees do it and die Honeybees are not native to the States. But these prolific pollinators arrived with the earliest…
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Sales down, service up: Mechanics in demand to keep old cars running
 

Sales down, service up: Mechanics in demand to keep old cars running

While sales of new vehicles have plummeted, the service side of the automotive industry is holding steady as people opt…
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Here come the seed catalogs
 

Here come the seed catalogs

By Jim Janke Editor’s note: This is a regular feature on gardening by the Haywood County master gardeners. Look for…
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Prime time pushes trend in crime forensics
 

Prime time pushes trend in crime forensics

Waynesville defense attorney Don Patten has noticed an interesting trend among jurors in recent years. They are hungry for hard…
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Unsung guitar hero’s latest keeps it lively
 

Unsung guitar hero’s latest keeps it lively

By Chris Cooper It’s in the phrasing; the careful sculpting of each and every note. It’s something about the intent,…
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Twin path productions: Two friends, one dream
 

Twin path productions: Two friends, one dream

By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer Wearing white sneakers with a buzz haircut, Tighe Wachacha enters the Burger King in…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Bad moon ‘risin
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Bad moon ‘risin

When we headed for the car after a glorious Thanksgiving dinner, the skies above Jonathan Creek were dark and clear,…
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Biodiverse: WNC’s unique environment a major topic at multi-state economic development conference
 

Biodiverse: WNC’s unique environment a major topic at multi-state economic development conference

The idea of using the region’s readily accessible natural resources in daily life is nothing new in the mountains, a…
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Commissioners select Haywood’s top leader
 

Commissioners select Haywood’s top leader

Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick took the helm as the new chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners this week. Every…
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Haywood proud winner of 22 acres, but what now?
 

Haywood proud winner of 22 acres, but what now?

After a 15-month legal battle, Haywood County can finally claim ownership free and clear over a 22-acre tract in the…
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Senior center left in lurch as grant pipeline runs dry
 

Senior center left in lurch as grant pipeline runs dry

Construction of a new center for seniors in Swain County has ground to a halt because the project has run…
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Duke accuses Jackson of illegally withholding dam permits
 

Duke accuses Jackson of illegally withholding dam permits

A lawyer for Duke Energy told the Jackson County commissioners on Monday that if the county continues to hold up…
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New Folkmoot director takes helm
 

New Folkmoot director takes helm

The new executive director of Folkmoot USA, Haywood County’s famed international dance festival, is perfectly poised to help the event’s…
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My birding through the warbler
 

My birding through the warbler

It wasn’t until the late 1970s that my wife, Elizabeth, and I first started birding in a systematic fashion. That…
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A reminder to keep the public in mind
 

A reminder to keep the public in mind

“’Official meeting’ means a meeting, assembly, or gathering together at any time or place ... of a majority of the…
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Bragg explores fatherhood by looking at his dad’s past
 

Bragg explores fatherhood by looking at his dad’s past

The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg. Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. 272 pages. Biography affords the reader a rare chance…
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