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Sylva cleans up town one property at a time
For the past year or so, Sylva Mayor Maurice Moody has been focused on cleaning up his town. “We’ve been…
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Cochran hammers Dover in sheriff race
Despite widespread criticism of the job he’s done, Swain Sheriff Curtis Cochran proved unstoppable in this year’s Republican primary. Cochran…
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Republicans suit up for race against Shuler
Republicans faced a major decision in the primary election: who is the best man to go head to head with…
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Farm preservation tour a lesson in community conservation
North Carolina’s farmland is rapidly disappearing. The state has lost more than a million acres of it since 2007, and…
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Macon primary shows strength of incumbents
Going into the primary elections in Macon County, every candidate stressed the need for a fiscally conservative mindset as the…
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Low voter turnout in primary elections
Mid-term election primaries are normally characterized by poor voter turnout, and that held true this year as only 14 percent…
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$7 million investment rescues Ghost Town from bankruptcy
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park in Maggie Valley will emerge from bankruptcy under a new corporate structure. One…
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Ghost Town liability insurance lapsed prior to Feb. 5 mudslide
Ghost Town in the Sky failed to make timely payments on its liability insurance policy, and as a result it…
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Friedman fails to give Haire a green scare
Phil Haire is a fortress as a state candidate. The seven-time incumbent is head of the General Assembly’s appropriations committee,…
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Retired superintendent, former commissioner join Democratic incumbents in Swain
Though both commissioner candidates running for re-election in Swain County have safely landed a spot in November’s election, a newcomer…
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President and First Lady Obama get a taste of WNC’s locally-grown food scene
Just a month ago, no one here would believe that the President and First Lady of the United States would…
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Flying saucers hit the links
On a sunny Friday afternoon, I shanked my flick Hyzer into Copperhead Row in the company of the Doctor, Yoda,…
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Haywood arts council to exhibit ‘Haywood Heritage Trail: Quilts of Bygone Years’
Haywood Heritage Trail: Quilts of Bygone Years opening Wednesday, May 12, will feature traditional quilt squares for sale by area…
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Joel Queen draws on many sources for artistic inspiration
Many who walk into Joel Queen’s gallery mistakenly assume the artwork there solely represents Cherokee tradition. After all, Queen comes…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Murky waters – Louisiana in limbo The giant oil slick (reported to be the size of Puerto Rico) sliding around…
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Welsh TV crew visits Cherokee
Iolo Williams is one of the Wales’ most recognized TV personalities. “Wildlife” Williams, as he is known by some fans,…
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Quest for cost savings leads Haywood to outsource trash and recycling
Faced with a tall and growing stack of bills in the solid waste department, Haywood County commissioners are seriously considering…
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Cecil Groves leaves SCC with a legacy of regional growth
In 1970, Cecil Groves was the 30-year-old provost of Delgado College. The city of New Orleans was on fire, rent…
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Ghost Town saga reaches deeper into WNC
Western North Carolina is a patchwork of small communities, close-knit groups operating independently to make their own town or area…
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WNC’s economic stimulus lies in tourism
By David Huskins • Guest Columnist Much of the talk nationally, as well as locally, has been centered on how…
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Learning to play the Angel’s Game
The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Doubleday, 2009. 470 pages.A few days after completing The Shadow of the Wind,…
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Ghost Town owner Harper daunted but not deterred
As Al Harper watched the national recession undermine ticket sales at Ghost Town amusement park over the past two years,…
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Maggie slide victims still living in limbo
More than three months have come and gone since a major mudslide crashed through Maggie Valley’s Rich Cove community, and…
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Plan for family fun at 10th Annual Strawberry Jam
Enjoy plow demonstrations, food tasting, sack races, live music and more at the 10th Annual Strawberry Jam starting 10 a.m.…
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The cuckoo, both elusive and beautiful
This past weekend marked the 26th annual Great Smokies Birding Expedition, a gathering of onrnithologically-inclined friends. On Saturdays, to get…
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Tribe plans to expand gambling reach
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians plans to build a Class II gaming facility in Cherokee County, but the project…
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HCC building feud persists unresolved
Haywood Community College leaders have chipped away more than $430,000 worth of features from its proposed creative arts building, but…
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Haywood commissioners balk at state plan for secondary roads
Counties usually have no choice but to accept unfunded mandates from the state, but this time, Haywood County commissioners are…
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Using music to write history
Bluegrass recording artist Buddy Melton feels like he owes Jackson County. He had never played an instrument until he started…
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Tough times lead to tough choices
For its entire existence, this country’s leaders have wrestled with the slippery issue of power and how much is too…
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Self-help without the sugar
Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness by William Spiegelman. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2009. In Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary…
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New vote totals mean no runoff for Queen’s Republican challenger
An election night glitch in McDowell County led to some votes being counted two or even three times instead of…
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Farmers markets welcome the growing season
While the summer bounty of tomatoes, corn and green beans are still a couple of months away, there is still…
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Top two in Swain sheriff primary headed for a rematch
Candidate Mitchell Jenkins decided last week to revive arguably the most heated race in Swain County for one more round.…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Perks of Adult ADD The other morning I was in the wilds of the Cheoah Ranger District below the Cherohala…
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Sylva cardboard box venture collapses
Stonewall Packaging, a cardboard plant in Sylva, laid off 43 workers last week and shut down operations after coming on…
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Do you know where you live?
One of the handouts I use during natural history workshops is headed “Southern Blue Ridge Province: Geographic Location and Influences.”…
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Bear gets put down after close encounter with Smokies visitor
A visitor in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got nipped on the foot by a bear after getting too…
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Cherokee enrollment quandary leads to talk of DNA testing
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is talking about moving to DNA testing as a way of verifying the blood…
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Haywood commissioners take heat for planned overhaul of trash and recycling
Haywood County commissioners are fighting opposition on all fronts after a county task force recently recommended major changes to trash…
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Proposed road calls for bridge over N.C. 107 in Jackson
A new road that would traverse the campus of Southwestern Community College and provide a new link between two of…
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The EBCI enrollment audit at a glance
What is the enrollment audit? A review of the nearly 14,000 people on the tribe’s roll to determine whether they…
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New owners take long view on Balsam Mountain Preserve
As one development after another began to bite the dust two years ago, lenders who had bankrolled the mountain building…
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Cataloochee Ranch plants seed for mighty tree to thrive once more
A collaborative effort between The American Chestnut Foundation and the Coker family has put Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley on…
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Grant propels Waynesville skate park, but the price tag is still daunting
Ten-year-old Waynesville resident Zeb Powell has exclusive, 24-7 access to a skate park in town — it’s in his driveway.…
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Jackson County rides out budget storm unscathed
Jackson County Manager Ken Westmoreland said he would deliver a balanced budget with no cuts to services or staff and…
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Plans in hand, but money isn’t for Haywood park
$6,342,044. That’s approximately how much money needs to be raised before Haywood County residents can expect to see a recreation…
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America’s Favorite Journey
The Blue Ridge Parkway unravels gracefully across the landscape, at times suspended from high cliffs and etched into rocky crags,…
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The tannery and the Green Fly
During my first year at Western Carolina Teachers College (now Western Carolina University) in 1953, I managed to offend my…
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Graham to vacate spot on Sylva board, but not until casting vote for next year’s budget
Sylva Commissioner Sarah Graham will step down from the town board at the end of June because her family has…
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