Archived (29061)
Children categories
Railroad right of way claim could stall business expansion
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A Dillsboro business owner’s recent attempt to purchase and develop land near the Great…
Read More
Becoming one with the multi-taskers
By Stephanie Wampler • Guest Columnist Multi-tasking? Not me. Or so I’ve always thought.
Read More
Leadership is all about good ideas
Ideas. Those who have them become leaders and gravitate to places where they can implement them. All of the counties…
Read More
Osteoporosis is real – get tested
By Darcia Bondurant I would like to think of myself as a healthy, 46-year-old woman. My weight, blood pressure, blood…
Read More
Tammy deserved better
Mother’s Day was probably not everything Tammy had hoped for. She may have had visions of sleeping in until 9…
Read More
Finding the forest less logged
For three years, Josh Kelly has been stalking forests in the Southern Appalachians in search of unmapped old-growth forests and…
Read More
Horse outfitters apply for Panthertown permits
The U.S. Forest Service has been working on a master recreation plan for Panthertown Valley for more than two years…
Read More
Of valleys and lilies
I was leading a program for the Theosophical Society at Lake Junaluska on May 6. We were touring the Corneille…
Read More
Recommended diversions
Ebay Egad, it’s more addictive than heroin. My family always had a penchant for what some might refer to as…
Read More
Child’s Play: Swain youth is champion picker
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer At age 12, Seth Taylor is a quiet, tanned, tow-headed boy. He seems well…
Read More
A Melange of murder and myth
If you have a TV, you probably know that the film version of Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel is scheduled for…
Read More
Blue Ridge banking on cool cartons
The war on soft drink vending machines in schools has found an unexpected ally in Haywood County. Blue Ridge Paper…
Read More
Achtung Elf! Lessons in learning a foreign language
By Michael Beadle One thing that paralyzes American tourists about visiting foreign countries is the language barrier.
Read More
Crafty, curious Codetalkers
By Chris Cooper To say that Col. Bruce Hampton has carved a colorful swath through the music industry is likely…
Read More
Recommended diversions
A+ arts schools Call me biased, but Central Elementary School in downtown Waynesville is a great place. All three of…
Read More
The Swiss experience
By Michael Beadle Editor’s note: Smoky Mountain News Writer Michael Beadle recently traveled to Europe. The following is the first…
Read More
Discovering the dawn
In April I began working a few weekend hours in a bookshop in Asheville. Having operated my own bookstore for…
Read More
Celebrating 10 years as an A+ school
By Michael Beadle Central Elementary School capped its 10-year anniversary as an A+ school Friday, May 19, with students, parents,…
Read More
‘Not guilty’: Michelle Gibson freed after jury rejects second-degree murder, manslaughter charges
Michelle Gibson, a single mother charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 8-year-old son, Devin, was found not…
Read More
One mother’s struggle: Gibson hits dead-end in quest to balance childcare and work
When Michelle Gibson showed up at her son’s second-grade classroom with balloons, ice cream and a decorated birthday cake signed…
Read More
An outpouring of support
When Rose Smith read about the tragic death of an 8-year-old boy left in a car in the parking lot…
Read More
Swain teacher fills vital role for Latino students
By Michael Beadle Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series on some of the issues faced by…
Read More
The ridge named blue
Last week, we reviewed current theories concerning the uplift of the Appalachian Mountains about 250 million years ago. And we…
Read More
An encore for mama
By Joanne Meyer • Guest Columnist A soft, spring breeze wafted through the open window, sending a sheer, cafe curtain…
Read More
Selling the library out for all the wrong reasons
Back last fall, about the time the Jackson County Library controversy mutated into an issue with all of the appeal…
Read More
The test, and nothing but the test
I don’t bash public schools. My wife’s a teacher, my children have gotten a great education at these schools, and…
Read More
Remembering the Mother Town
By Michael Beadle Kituhwa. To the Cherokee, it represents one of the most sacred sites in the world, the first…
Read More
The phoenix has crashed
In 2005 the ivory-billed woodpecker rose from the ashes of extinction on the merits of an announcement from the Cornell…
Read More
Recycling gets a boost in the Smokies
Thanks to a new recycling trailer, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closer to its goal of diverting half…
Read More
Trout Unlimited: Brook trout need help
A report by Trout Unlimited documenting the continued decline of brook trout has given rise to concerns over water quality…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner — Thunderstorm
The other evening with toddler and infant asleep, my wife and I found ourselves alone as a thunderstorm rolled over…
Read More
A gem from Charlotte’s crown
By Chris Cooper Some songwriters have the gift of saying volumes with very little. They don’t need to spell it…
Read More
Quilting art: The Shady Ladies bring a new spin to an ancient craft with upcoming show
By Sarah Kucharski The Shady Ladies, a diverse group of quilters based in Haywood County, are gearing up for their…
Read More
Recommended diversions
Mental Floss For those who love collecting trivia in bite-sized tidbits, look no further than Mental Floss magazine, the sugar-coated…
Read More
Life in the (really) fast lane
By Michael Beadle Welcome to the Autobahn: land of the speedy, home of the brave. You have to be brave…
Read More
Zeitgeist of Germany, circa 2006
By Michael Beadle Editor’s note: Smoky Mountain News Writer Michael Beadle recently traveled to Europe. The following is the second…
Read More
Hard times and happy days
On March 4, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office. Frank C. Davis, the author of My C.C.C. Days, says…
Read More
Critics say FERC not tough enough on Duke
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Since the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s draft environmental assessment recommending removal of the Dillsboro…
Read More
Macon superintendent departs amid harassment suit
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Macon County schools personnel director Tamra Tisdale has filed a sexual harassment suit against…
Read More
Momentum builds to challenge TDA
Dissatisfaction among the Haywood County tourism industry with the way tourism tax dollars are spent has long been a constant…
Read More
Sylva residents rate quality of life high
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer “Overall, citizens seem fairly satisfied with the quality of life in the town of…
Read More
Doin’ the TDA shuffle: Haywood, Maggie Valley tourism entities ponder merger
A tug-of-war over the $600,000 in tourism tax money in Haywood County and how it is used to lure travelers…
Read More
A world without end
Two weeks ago, we reviewed current theories about the uplift of the Appalachian Mountains about 250 million years ago, as…
Read More
The art of the graduation speech
A few years ago, I was asked to give the keynote speech for an area high school’s graduation ceremony. At…
Read More
Personal heart therapy with Homer Harris
I have found that not being able to hear in a crowded room is a constant frustration. Usually, when people…
Read More
Making Jennings Randolph proud
Jennings Randolph does not leap from the pages of history. Perhaps he should. His likeness is not found on any…
Read More
Gibson case highlights larger problems
When the jury came back with a not guilty verdict in the case against Michelle Gibson, many across the country…
Read More