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Moratorium will preserve building industry, not destroy it
The Jackson County commissioners should move forward with their temporary subdivision moratorium, notwithstanding all the concerns that have been raised…
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The day Uncle Curtis’ rabbits did the town
By Carl Iobst Well if this don’t beat all. Over in eastern Germany where lederhosen, apple strudel, and skinheads are…
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N.C. side of Smokies goes biodiesel
About two dozen diesel vehicles used by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina side of the…
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LTLT preserves 850 acres in Cherokee County
A cattle farm in Cherokee County known as Ridgefield Farm has been preserved for future generations thanks to a conservation…
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Allons au Bayou Noire
I guess the real Bayou Noire would be in Houma or Sulphur or somewhere else across Acadiana, where the slow…
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One acre at a time: Paul Carlson helps set the standard among WNC land trusts
By Michael Beadle Paul Carlson has plenty of maps to show you. There are maps with stars. Color-coded maps of…
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Smokies National Park conducts 530-acre prescribed burn
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park conducted a prescribed burn on a 530-acre tract of forest in the Cataloochee Valley…
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Dial-A-Story: Marianna Black library revives popular kids’ program
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Christine Tyndall’s voice hits a high note as she reads from the Maurice Sendak…
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The Broken West nails vintage pop — in all the right ways
It’s the tambourine that gives it away. Those insistent eighth notes from the piano during the chorus, the sparkly harmonies…
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Recommended diversions
Nature Deficit Disorder Sometimes, you read an interview and it hits home, hard. Last month’s issue of The Sun, a…
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Thankfully, some books are short
Ludie’s Life by Cynthia Rylant. Harcourt Children's Books, 2006. 128 pages. Sometimes bad things come in small packages.
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River group considers car removal from Tuck
A fledgling effort now under way could lead to the cleanup of junked cars lining the banks of the Tuckasegee…
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Easley urges legislature to fix Medicaid woes
For years, county leaders have been lobbying law makers in Raleigh to stop packing off a portion of Medicaid costs…
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Emotions build in run-up to moratorium hearing
Frenzy surrounding a proposed moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson County reached a fever pitch in the run-up to a…
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Project will track growing number of lots
As Western North Carolina wrestles with growth issues, a project is under way to track where and how large mountain…
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This time, neighbors want Wal-Mart’s drawing power
With Wal-Mart’s future in Franklin in limbo, business owners near the existing big-box store continue to worry they’ll lose the…
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Downtown Waynesville wi-fi to go live by April
Since Suzanne Gernandt opened Textures in downtown Waynesville three years ago, she’s noticed one question in particular has been on…
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WCU launches ambitious $40 million campaign
Western Carolina University Chancellor John W. Bardo has officially launched the first comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university’s 118-year history,…
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Chapin channels something powerful in The Calling
In 1992 Mary Chapin Carpenter released Come On, Come On, and though it’s a little hazy as to how I…
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Recommended diversions
Battlestar Galactica Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a Battlestar fanatic. A few weekends ago, my wife and I glued ourselves…
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Y’all come back
By Michael Beadle The annual foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’, kick-up-your-heels music-and-dance show known as the Summit Country and Western Show at Tuscola…
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A debut reminiscent of other stirring westerns
Back in the 15th century, when Europe underwent a remarkable surge in creativity, the word “Renaissance” (meaning “rebirth”) was frequently…
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Plan to buy building with room tax hike meets opposition
A push to move the Swain County Chamber of Commerce into a vacant bank building is meeting resistance from some…
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Crowded, contentious hearing remains civil
More than 1,300 people crowded into the public hearing last week over a proposed moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson…
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Fontana library system has deep roots
The six libraries in Macon, Jackson and Swain counties are part of the Fontana Regional Library system, headquartered at Marianna…
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Moratorium debate reveals deep rift in Jackson
The debate over a proposed moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson County is divided into two main camps: those who…
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New Macon library to become Fontana system’s showcase
It’s no small task moving a library.
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Improving the science of development
When Bob Brannon saw a newspaper announcement last spring seeking developers to participate in a pilot mapping project, he already…
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Accounts of a horned serpent
I have on more than one occasion written about Uktenas, the giant horned serpents modeled on timber rattlesnakes that appear…
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Easley’s budget goes wrong way on lottery
Gov. Mike Easley’s proposed budget would decrease the portion of lottery proceeds going to education — before legislators have a…
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Tax policy can help save rural land
By Susan Ervin • Guest Columnist The recent tax revaluations in Macon County have many people worried — not just…
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Fire on the mountain
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A forest fire burned nearly 40 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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Getting jiggy at the vernal pool
It’s March 1, the night is black and soggy. It’s around 50 degrees and “pourin the rain” as natives say.
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Simple living: Up from grassroots
By Kathleen Lamont There are lots of examples today of what a few determined and focused people can do.…
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At the starting line: New running group gathers momentum in Haywood County
By Michael Beadle Running can be a lonely sport. It’s hard finding someone who has a similar pace, someone who…
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Newly formed Balsam Range features some of the finest
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Balsam Range, a newly formed group of all-star pickers, will play a free concert…
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Chocolate sensation
By Michael Beadle Come March 24, sink your teeth into blueberry truffles, fudge cookies, and mocha cheesecake.
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Food of the Gods
By Michael Beadle Call it a Kiss. A sweet treat. A bonbon. A decadent delight.
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Air skillfully paints a delicate soundscape
What exactly do you say about these guys? There’s certainly something nostalgic in just how painfully arty what they’re doing…
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Recommended diversions
Lucinda Williams, West If you don’t already know her, go back to the beginning and catch up, because you’ve missed…
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Fascinating as Lewis himself
Among Christians, C.S. Lewis has a reputation that runs in several directions. As the author of The Chronicles of Narnia,…
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So you want to be a beekeeper?
If you want to keep bees, the best thing you can do is join a local beekeeping club. Here you’ll…
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Keeping of the bees: The changing face of apiculture
Hugh Gibby knows a little something about honeybees. He’s kept them for 63 of his 78 years, following in the…
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What commissioners said
Chairman Brian McMahan, lone “no” vote “I’ve thought long and hard about this process. I thought about what will the…
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Compromise eases moratorium’s chill
Jackson County commissioners approved a five-month moratorium on new subdivisions in a 4 to 1 vote last week, but not…
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Countdown to killer bees
With the Africanized honeybee now established in Florida, experts say it is only a matter of time before the so-called…
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Ghost Town begins selling tickets on-line
Ghost Town amusement park in Maggie Valley — slated to re-open on May 25 after five years — began selling…
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Haywood likely to hike room tax, change tourism board make-up
A proposed 1-cent increase in Haywood County’s tax on overnight lodging and a completely new make-up of its tourism board…
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Planning office, advisory board to decide who keeps working
Jackson County planner Linda Cable has more than 60 applications on her desk from developers who hope the moratorium won’t…
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Swain tourism leaders want to kill tax hike request
Tourism leaders in Swain County want county commissioners to withdraw state legislation requesting a 1 percent increase in the room…
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