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WNC Fly Fishing Trail lures new anglers to Jackson streams
 

WNC Fly Fishing Trail lures new anglers to Jackson streams

Alex Bell can’t resist striking up a conversation with fellow fishermen he encounters on the Tuckasegee. But lately, he’s had…
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Clean energy future may be blowing in the wind
 

Clean energy future may be blowing in the wind

Will wind-generated power save the environment or sacrifice it? The answer depends on who you ask and it could have…
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Tunnel greenhouses fend off winter’s grip
 

Tunnel greenhouses fend off winter’s grip

A workshop on how to build a simple greenhouse will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 30, as part…
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Toole explores boxing from inside the ring
 

Toole explores boxing from inside the ring

Pound for Pound by F.X. Toole. HarperCollins, 2007. 416 pages. Million Dollar Baby by F.X. Toole. Harper Perennial 2005. 256…
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Thoroughly modern millipedes
 

Thoroughly modern millipedes

By Jim Janke Every summer one or two people bring samples of ugly little insects into the plant clinic and…
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Investor in Jonathan Creek project claims he was wronged
 

Investor in Jonathan Creek project claims he was wronged

A Tennessee man claims he was defrauded of $328,000 by the players behind Cataloochee Wilderness Resorts, a planned mega development…
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Townhomes one of few additions to Sylva housing in a decade
 

Townhomes one of few additions to Sylva housing in a decade

When Art Pohl moved to Jackson County from Florida 10 years ago, he imagined a golden retirement filled with lazy…
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A fine flower to start with
 

A fine flower to start with

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received in regard to learning wildflowers was to “concentrate on one…
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Graham proposes takeover of Swain land
 

Graham proposes takeover of Swain land

Swain and Graham counties are at odds over who should provide rescue service to the isolated Deals Gap territory, a…
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Hard-to-get taxonomists could make or break ATBI’s future
 

Hard-to-get taxonomists could make or break ATBI’s future

As the inventory of every living species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park trudges into its tenth year, it…
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Wildflowers peaking right now
 

Wildflowers peaking right now

Interesting wildflowers appear throughout Western North Carolina from late February into early November. Most wildflower identification and observation takes place…
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Region to get assisted living campus
 

Region to get assisted living campus

A groundbreaking was held last Thursday (July 16) at the site of a new assisted living complex being built in…
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Europe’s unrest lead to creation of Wellco
 

Europe’s unrest lead to creation of Wellco

When Heinz Rollman left behind the unrest of Europe and struck out for America in 1939, the fate of his…
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Ghost Town still honing bankruptcy comeback plan
 

Ghost Town still honing bankruptcy comeback plan

Ghost Town in the Sky wants more time to prepare its bankruptcy reorganization plan and is seeking an extension. The…
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Hard work takes place off Folkmoot stages
 

Hard work takes place off Folkmoot stages

By Andre A. Rodriguez Each morning of the Folkmoot festival, the members of Shalom Israel Ashdod spend at least one…
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New Swain jail fails to rake in overflow inmates
 

New Swain jail fails to rake in overflow inmates

When Swain County opened a new $10 million jail last fall with 109 beds — four times bigger than necessary…
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Veterans touch down in Washington for memorial visit
 

Veterans touch down in Washington for memorial visit

Two groups of Jackson County’s World War II veterans visited Washington, D.C.’s war memorial this year thanks to a project…
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Cataloochee Resort developer says retail component viable
 

Cataloochee Resort developer says retail component viable

Jimmy and Keith Leatherwood were always glad to see the developers of Cataloochee Wilderness Resorts walk in to their local…
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Waynesville’s South Main presents a vexing problem
 

Waynesville’s South Main presents a vexing problem

Sounds like Waynesville’s leaders heard just what they expected last week regarding South Main Street — many people feel many…
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Empty jail beds fuel feud between Swain sheriff, county
 

Empty jail beds fuel feud between Swain sheriff, county

The new Swain jail costs the county $610,000 a year more than the old jail: $450,000 in debt payments and…
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Life in the richest place on earth
 

Life in the richest place on earth

When Jim Lowe strikes out on his twice-monthly foray to check insect traps in the Smokies, he never knows just…
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Don West’s affinity for Appalachia
 

Don West’s affinity for Appalachia

A Hard Journey by James J. Lorence. University of Illinois Press, 2009. 344 pages. Once on a warm, summer afternoon…
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Loss of Hazelwood manufacturer marks the end of an era
 

Loss of Hazelwood manufacturer marks the end of an era

When Mary Ann Enloe was growing up in the blue-collar hub of Hazelwood, she didn’t know anyone with an alarm…
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HVO to purchase Wellco site
 

HVO to purchase Wellco site

Although Wellco shoe plant in Waynesville is closing, the community will be spared the blight of another vacant industrial site.…
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Heliker & Lahotan Foundation’s WNC connection keeps the creative vision alive
 

Heliker & Lahotan Foundation’s WNC connection keeps the creative vision alive

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Gaily colored petals of long-stemmed Cosmos flowers lilt along on the sea-swept winds that…
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Folkmoot experience shared across generations of performers
 

Folkmoot experience shared across generations of performers

By Andre A. Rodriguez Twenty-five years after their father represented the Netherlands at the first Folkmoot festival, a second generation…
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Volunteers keep the Smokies ticking
 

Volunteers keep the Smokies ticking

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts more volunteers than nearly any other park. Last year, 2,780 volunteers logged a…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

Up in the air Western North Carolina senators Joe Sam Queen, Martin Nesbitt and John Snow might be wishing they…
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Can Duke supporters sleep at night?
 

Can Duke supporters sleep at night?

By Carl Iobst • Guest Columnist Over the past few weeks several individuals and one media outlet have provided Jackson…
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Change of signage overdue, according to brand’s owner
 

Change of signage overdue, according to brand’s owner

A regular guest at the Dillsboro Holiday Inn Express upset by phone and Internet outages at the hotel discovered it…
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NC residents state concerns at hearing on Rabun sewage permit
 

NC residents state concerns at hearing on Rabun sewage permit

Macon County residents fearful that a proposed sewage treatment plant in Georgia will harm the Little Tennessee River turned out…
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‘Skeleton’ of a plan
 

‘Skeleton’ of a plan

Derek Roland’s presentation about the effort to create a comprehensive planning document for Macon County suggested that a progressive document…
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Jackson Paper proud of its successes
 

Jackson Paper proud of its successes

By Tim Campbell • Guest Columnist Jackson Paper Manufacturing Company has been a proud part of Sylva and Jackson County…
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Macon to create broad plan — again
 

Macon to create broad plan — again

At a forum on Macon County’s move to begin working on a comprehensive plan to address future growth, the presenter…
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A door opens and the light shines for Irene
 

A door opens and the light shines for Irene

Irene has been in this country for only four years. When she came, she could not speak a word of…
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Pawpaw is unique among fruits
 

Pawpaw is unique among fruits

(Editors Note: George Ellison is on leave this week. But he says that his pawpaw trees have even more fruit…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

PETA - Cherokee bears part deaux I have been watching the story in Smoky Mountain News regarding PETA and the…
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Big developer in foreclosure as lenders call their loans
 

Big developer in foreclosure as lenders call their loans

A mega developer in Jackson County has landed in foreclosure due to sluggish lot sales in the down real estate…
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New medical office building coming to Harris Regional
 

New medical office building coming to Harris Regional

Construction will soon begin on a medical office building on the Harris Regional Hospital campus in Sylva. The new 45,000-square-foot,…
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Harrah’s Cherokee Casino builds the future
 

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino builds the future

The Cherokee Nation and Harrah’s pulled out all the stops to mark start of construction on a third hotel tower…
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Threats on all fronts
 

Threats on all fronts

Only the most farsighted and intuitive of those who labored for the creation of the Smokies could have foreseen the…
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Developer’s plight mixed blessing for community
 

Developer’s plight mixed blessing for community

Legasus developers have been attracting attention from Jackson County residents for almost two years. When news of the plans got…
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Chick-lit at its finest
 

Chick-lit at its finest

Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo. Guideposts, 2009. 288 pages Art and literary whodunits are so plentiful these…
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Folkmoot expands into three new counties
 

Folkmoot expands into three new counties

Last year Cindy Gilbert took her Polk County band students to China to perform. This year she is bringing the…
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Director says community values festival
 

Director says community values festival

By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell Forget Europe. Haywood County is where the action is for Karen Babcock this summer, and she…
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Public split on South Main’s future
 

Public split on South Main’s future

In the heyday of curbside service, Jim Caldwell had a special talent for dressing hot dogs. He could balance 10…
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Public art showcases Folkmoot USA
 

Public art showcases Folkmoot USA

Folkmoot will be the subject of a public art piece commissioned by the Waynesville Public Art Commission (WPAC).Artist Wayne Trapp…
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Cherokee youth re-enact ancient fishing practice
 

Cherokee youth re-enact ancient fishing practice

As 10-year-old Dayini Lossie stood on the shore eyeing the wide shallow waters of the Tuckasegee River last week listening…
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South Main redesign could ‘raze’ the bar
 

South Main redesign could ‘raze’ the bar

South Main Street in Waynesville is headed for a major roadway redesign, one that could take out rows of long-time…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

A note of interest The US Fish & Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period on its John H.…
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