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Rebel Records Roundup, Part 2
By Chris Cooper Rebel Records, that esteemed purveyor of all that is and has been high and lonesome for the…
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The magic of myth: HART opens main stage season with ‘Metamorphoses’
A king named Midas wishes for riches and ends up with a wealth that kills. A singer named Orpheus descends…
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Recommended diversions
Good Friday & Easter Easter, of course, is more than dyed eggs, plastic straw, and strange bunnies.
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WCU reels in Half Frame Film Fest
Western Carolina University will launch the Half Frame Film Festival, a daylong celebration of documentary filmmaking, on Monday, April 9,…
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Stories from the dead
In the small Southern community where she lives, Finch Nobles, the narrator of A Gracious Plenty, easily qualifies as a…
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Brochure highlights militia’s march against Cherokee
A military expedition against Cherokee villages at the onset of the Revolutionary War has been documented with the publication of…
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A how-to crash course in smart growth
Ginny Faust, a professional planning consultant, posed a tough question to members of the Sylva Town Board and planning board…
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Grants aim to preserve and promote Cherokee culture
Cherokee Preservation Foundation has awarded 29 grants totaling $3.6 million during its spring cycle.
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New director wants to grow Swain chamber
Lucretia Stargell, the new director of the Swain County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said her goals include…
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Planning a new future for Jackson’s business growth
The town of Sylva is embarking on a smart growth plan that could reshape some of the town’s more unsightly…
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River island project raises concerns
The possibility that a 40-acre island in the Little Tennessee River might be developed has sparked outrage among conservationists and…
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Small town success: Retiring DWA Director Ron Huelster talks about his days on Capitol Hill, the scourge of malls, and his vision for small town America
By Michael Beadle When Waynesville Town Manager Lee Galloway meets fellow town managers from across the state, he inevitably hears…
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Swain tourism board faces changes
Swain County commissioners are moving forward with a plan to reshape the county’s tourism board despite some opposition.
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Ash bats and the boys of summer
Some essays get to their point or points right away. Others are discursive, beating around the bush before getting there.…
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Katie Couric can get help from local reporter
By John Armor Who are these people? Katie Couric used to be on the Today Show, then she fell off…
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There’s no acceptable reason not to recycle glass
He’s on record, and we for one will hold him to it: Haywood County’s new solid waste director says anything…
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Beetles being raised to save hemlocks
A new lab has opened at the University of Georgia to raise predator beetles aimed at countering the deadly hemlock…
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Road to Nowhere: Getting dimmer by the day
Those opposed to building a $600 million, 30-mile road through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got welcome news last…
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The Northshore Road: What they say
Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville “As a Swain County native, I have a deep, personal understanding of the issues and emotions…
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New market ignites biofuel expansion
Less than six months after cranking out their first batch of biodiesel, Alan Begley and Sam Gray have sealed the…
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Old roots, new focus for soil and water district
For decades, soil experts like Duane Vanhook have been showing farmers how a crop of winter wheat can recharge soil…
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Service providers: As housing costs escalate, regional hospitality businesses look for ways to cushion the blow for the working class
When the well heeled are in need of a pampered retreat in Western North Carolina, they often look toward the…
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Still on the table
Jackson County planning board meetings likely will get even more interesting as members move on to the nuts and bolts…
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The Tsali legend
Since the mid-1980s, I’ve been researching and writing about events surrounding the Cherokee removal of 1838, especially those pertaining to…
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Cousin Eugene fights the train
By Carl Iobst Ed Stephens of Dillsboro recently had a problem with the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. According to the…
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Some people — all the time
Some people complain all the time, about everything. They complain about the weather, the price of gasoline, their neglectful friends,…
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Landing jobs should be part of the mix
By Becky Anderson This is the time for members of the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly to follow their hearts…
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May the North Shore Road rest in peace
Swain County native Heath Shuler is doing his home county a favor by putting together a powerful congressional coalition to…
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Hiking to build a better world
By Michael Beadle Jon Brown and Scott Cochran want to help a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina rebuild after…
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Judge strikes blow for property rights advocates
A federal judge in San Francisco told the Bush administration on March 30 that it didn’t have the right to…
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Figuratively speaking
By Sarah Kucharski Entering figurative sculptor Wesley Wofford’s studio one is struck by the sheer size of his works.
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Cowboy Junkies reflect on the family dynamic
The Cowboy Junkies have this thing that only they can do, and as easy as it is to recognize that…
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Recommended diversions
Well, let’s just consider this a collection of things I would NOT recommend. But maybe reading this will constitute a…
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Today’s writing smacks of sameness
The 1920s were a golden age for American fiction and poetry. F. Scott Fizgerald helped give the decade its name…
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Clean and renewable, biodiesel takes off in WNC
When Greg Kidd saw his odometer hit 250,000 miles last spring, he knew he would reluctantly be catapulted into the…
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Ghost Town has a deluge of job applicants
When Ghost Town in the Sky recently held auditions to fill its entertainment needs, about 40 potential cowboys competed for…
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Jackson planners consider open space for new developments
Developers in Jackson County could be asked to designate 25 percent of new developments as conserved open space under a…
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Reasons for closing Jobs Corps still unclear
Three weeks after federal officials rolled into town and abruptly shut down the Oconaluftee Jobs Corps Center in Swain County,…
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Legality of Job Corps votes questioned
When Mike Clampitt was making get out the vote calls during his campaign for Swain County commissioner last fall, he…
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Let’s stop the hypocrisy
Thank goodness for Don Imus. After 25 years of gutteral lyrics in the name of entertainment, none of which was…
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I know just what you’re thinking ...
Call me a little superstitious, but I defend my right to harbor a few fears. That’s why, after breaking my…
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WNC is at the forefront of the green revolution
The expansion announced last week by Smoky Mountain Biofuels and Mountain Energy will help place Western North Carolina at the…
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Franklin trail network to offer new rides for bikers
For years, Jack Lansford and his mountain biking buddies in Franklin would have to load up their bikes and hit…
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Navy still at war with NC
You have to admire the tenacity of America’s armed forces. We can all take pride in the heroism, courage and…
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Nature Center unveiled: Balsam Mountain Preserve opens Southern Appalachian exhibit to the public
Walking into the new nature center at the Balsam Mountain Preserve in Jackson County is like walking into a replica…
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Carving his niche: Dennis Ruane’s career flows like his artwork
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Sitting at a workbench in the back of his gallery on Main Street in…
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Todd Snider looks at life, Nashville with a songwriter’s eye view
By Chris Cooper See, the primary difference between Todd Snider and Ryan Adams is that Snider didn’t get so caught…
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Recommended diversions
Guests of the Ayatollah and Kite Runner Trying to understand the Middle East? Here are two books — one non-fiction…
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Heir to the King
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. William Morrow, 2007. 376 pages Although both the publisher and the author of Heart-Shaped Box…
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Adding it up
A traffic study was conducted to assess the traffic impacts of a new Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot complex coming…
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