Moratorium will preserve building industry, not destroy it
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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?
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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 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
 

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
 

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
 

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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