Occupational reading
 

Occupational reading

Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers by Amy Stewart. Algonquin Books, 2006.…
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Bonfoey keeps seat in tight race against Forga
 

Bonfoey keeps seat in tight race against Forga

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Mike Bonfoey defeated Republican challenger Donna Forga 34,445 to 29,771 to retain his position…
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Democrats sweep commissioners race
 

Democrats sweep commissioners race

It was a tight race between two candidates running for Swain County commission chairman, but Chairman Glenn Jones hung on…
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Haire keeps 119th House seat
 

Haire keeps 119th House seat

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer District 119 incumbent Phil Haire, D-Sylva, has once against defeated Marge Carpenter, R-Waynesville, for…
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Kirkpatrick, Upton and Curtis in Haywood
 

Kirkpatrick, Upton and Curtis in Haywood

An unusually large margin separated Democratic and Republican candidates in the Haywood County commissioners race, suggesting that Republican candidates were…
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Help for those with mental illness: Waynesville couple helps start local NAMI chapter
 

Help for those with mental illness: Waynesville couple helps start local NAMI chapter

By Michael Beadle When John and Suzanne Gernandt’s son Matthew began showing signs of schizophrenia, it might have been misread…
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Jackson gets entirely Democratic Commissioner Board
 

Jackson gets entirely Democratic Commissioner Board

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Democrats swept the Jackson County Board of Commissioners as voters elected Cashiers’ Mark Jones…
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Lodging owners hold too much sway, say task force members
 

Lodging owners hold too much sway, say task force members

A county-appointed tourism task force charged with making recommendations to improve the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority agrees on one…
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Macon picks two new board members, new majority rule
 

Macon picks two new board members, new majority rule

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Ronnie Beale is the newest Macon County commissioner and will join incumbent Bob Simpson,…
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Queen retakes 47th District
 

Queen retakes 47th District

Overwhelming support from Haywood County voters will return Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, to the state Senate after a two-year hiatus…
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Shuler triumphs in upset over Taylor
 

Shuler triumphs in upset over Taylor

By Michael Beadle Call it a fourth-quarter, game-winning touchdown. A stunning upset over the perennial powerhouse. Pick your sports metaphor.
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Snow easily defeats newcomer McKim
 

Snow easily defeats newcomer McKim

Sen. John Snow, D-Murphy, handily won his second term in the North Carolina Senate, beating challenger Ken McKim 38,537 to…
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Upset in Swain sheriff race
 

Upset in Swain sheriff race

One of the biggest upsets in Tuesday’s election was the Swain County sheriff’s race, where Republican challenger Curtis Cochran beat…
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Tourism task force makes final proposals
 

Tourism task force makes final proposals

The tug-of-war over how best to spend tourism promotion dollars in Haywood County continues, but this time it appears it…
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Interrupting irruptives
 

Interrupting irruptives

Some winters there will be an influx of northern bird species into the southeastern United States. Here in the Smokies…
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Backpacking Fifth Avenue style in Hazel Creek
 

Backpacking Fifth Avenue style in Hazel Creek

By Al Smith • Guest Columnist Hazel Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is located in the…
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Front-row Kid dreams of riding once again
 

Front-row Kid dreams of riding once again

“Riding the range once more Toting my old 44 Where you sleep out every night Where the only law is…
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What the health care system needs now
 

What the health care system needs now

Do the rules of our health care system work anymore? That is the question posed in this column two weeks…
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The real work begins the day after the election
 

The real work begins the day after the election

By Rob Schofield This year, those who care about preserving and expanding the common good in North Carolina would do…
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The school board, economics and political insight
 

The school board, economics and political insight

By the time we hit the streets with this edition and this column is read, the election that has been…
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Bush tax cuts soaked the rich
 

Bush tax cuts soaked the rich

By Kirkwood Callahan • Guest Columnist Every election year there are always claims and counter claims over federal tax policy.…
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Foundation connects youth with national Park
 

Foundation connects youth with national Park

The non-profit Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation recently awarded a $98,000 grant for rangers to conduct educational outreach programs for students…
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Not so backcountry
 

Not so backcountry

When Al Smith arrived at the backcountry campsite in the Lake Fontana area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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Ray or the worm – the worm or Ray?
 

Ray or the worm – the worm or Ray?

Once again,science and scientists go head to head with the forces of nature to see who can best predict the…
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The honeymoon ends ... now
 

The honeymoon ends ... now

In the aftermath of last week’s election, we’ve seen a seemingly endless parade of politicians and pundits on both sides…
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Looking for ways to fix the health care system
 

Looking for ways to fix the health care system

By Mark Jaben Last time, we talked about EMTALA (the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act), managed care and…
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Bush continues to “Dance with the one that brung ‘ya”
 

Bush continues to “Dance with the one that brung ‘ya”

“Dance with the one that brung ‘ya” is an old Texas mantra, and Texas oilman George W. Bush has filled…
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Waiting to inhale: Environmentalists herald new Democratic Congress
 

Waiting to inhale: Environmentalists herald new Democratic Congress

Environmental activists across the country are heralding the Democratic sweep of Congress as a mandate for better stewardship of natural…
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So, what is there to do around here?
 

So, what is there to do around here?

By Chris Cooper Though Sylva might not qualify as a simmering hotbed of musical and cultural hipness, to a degree…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

The New Yorker Waynesville’s James Joyce is not only an excellent writer (as evidenced in his latest work Use Eagles…
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A ghost in the city of angels
 

A ghost in the city of angels

Ask the Dust by John Fante. Black Sparrow Press. $13 (paperback) — 165 pages. Back in Charles Bukowski’s youth (the…
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Farewell to familiar faces? Broadcast dispute could leave thousands without local TV news coverage
 

Farewell to familiar faces? Broadcast dispute could leave thousands without local TV news coverage

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Cable subscribers in Jackson and Macon counties are facing the possibility of losing local…
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Film explores Cherokee cultural identity issues
 

Film explores Cherokee cultural identity issues

A documentary film on Cherokee aired nationwide on public television stations last week. The 90-minute documentary, produced by an all-Native…
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Haywood TDA challenged with windfall
 

Haywood TDA challenged with windfall

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has an extra $90,000 to spend and everyone seems to have an idea of…
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Slippery timing: Developers may try to rush plans to beat ordinance
 

Slippery timing: Developers may try to rush plans to beat ordinance

Haywood County commissioners are poised to pass a slope development ordinance at their meeting next week, but a big question…
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Tribe, area colleges collaborate on art degrees
 

Tribe, area colleges collaborate on art degrees

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Officials with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on Monday unveiled plans for a…
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Entrepreneurs open wine stores in Bryson
 

Entrepreneurs open wine stores in Bryson

Swain County residents tired of the wine selection at the grocery store will soon have not one but two new…
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The natural order of things
 

The natural order of things

While observing your backyard bird feeder this winter, you may be startled by a blue flash that suddenly rockets into…
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Election procedures could use some fundamental fixing
 

Election procedures could use some fundamental fixing

It’s time to change the voting laws and procedures in North Carolina to reflect today’s reality and to help alleviate…
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Artists at work: Franklin downtown blooms with Art Quarter Gallery and Studios
 

Artists at work: Franklin downtown blooms with Art Quarter Gallery and Studios

By Michael Beadle Like artists inspired by the drama of their own lives, some art studios have their own back…
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Effortless extraction from the days of fusion
 

Effortless extraction from the days of fusion

By Chris Cooper Music, and the artists that make it, have no choice but to evolve as time goes by.…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

“Dexter” There is so much bad television that I’m usually way behind the curve on good new shows because I…
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Crucial issues facing America
 

Crucial issues facing America

Al Qaeda in Europe: The New Battleground of International Jihad by Lorenzo Vidino. Prometheus Books, 2005. 403 pages. The Democrats…
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Golf course on the rocks
 

Golf course on the rocks

An ongoing lawsuit against the owners of Smoky Mountain Golf Course alleges numerous problems with the course’s management under its…
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Ensley wants room tax money for recreation
 

Ensley wants room tax money for recreation

Recreation programs in Haywood County could get a huge boost from tourism dollars if commissioners follow through on a recommendation…
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Commissioners to send extra room tax to corridors
 

Commissioners to send extra room tax to corridors

Haywood County commissioners agreed on Monday (Nov. 20) to ask the General Assembly for an increase in the room tax…
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Smoky Mountain Golf Course’s ordeal: Drawn-out legal saga nears possible resolution
 

Smoky Mountain Golf Course’s ordeal: Drawn-out legal saga nears possible resolution

A three-year legal saga between the owners of Smoky Mountain Golf Course and the developers of Smoky Mountain Country Club…
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Group gathers to discuss growth in Jackson
 

Group gathers to discuss growth in Jackson

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer About 80 area residents gathered at the Jackson County Recreation Center Thursday night to…
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Haywood waters down slope ordinance
 

Haywood waters down slope ordinance

Haywood County commissioners made significant changes to a slope development ordinance created by the county planning board before passing it…
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Slope development ordinance: Key changes
 

Slope development ordinance: Key changes

Haywood County Commissioners made several changes to the slope development ordinance before passing it. The ordinance kicks in when a…
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