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The unique ways of the kingfisher
Belted kingfishers are one of my favorite birds. A pair fishes along the small creek on our property during the…
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Gorge outfitters debate direction
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A year ago, a group of more than 40 rafting outfitters gathered to discuss…
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New model for mountain living
Mixed-use developments where residents live, work, shop and dine within a few block radius are popping up in cities around…
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Deal over Dillsboro dam could be afoot
Five years into a bitter fight over the fate of the Dillsboro Dam, Duke Energy showed its first sign of…
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Questions mount over popular Swain principal’s sudden departure
Parents at West Elementary School in Swain County are questioning the circumstances surrounding the departure of a popular principal. In…
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Time to go all in at Harrah’s
It’s time for Harrah’s Cherokee Casino to offer alcohol to patrons, especially since the Tribe is counting on receipts from…
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Ivy covered walls
By Jim Janke When our house was being built it became obvious that we needed to hide two 40 feet…
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Patriot’s story is unflinching, honest
American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day by Robert Coram. Little, Brown and Company, 2007. Robert Coram’s…
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Creation of the park was marked by triumph and tragedy
The creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75 years ago was nothing short of a miracle. The pitfalls…
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New landfill proves money pit for Haywood
Haywood County commissioners grappling with the $4.4 million price tag of a landfill expansion briefly eyed the steep engineering costs…
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Creating the park: the early years
1900s Logging and lumber companies built railroads, camp towns and timber camps, slashing across the landscape while fueling an economic…
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Study shows Gorge economic impact significant
The Nantahala Gorge contributes $85 million to the local economy each year, and is the primary reason many tourists make…
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Restoration blends function with history
After more than two years, the Haywood County historic courthouse has finally been returned to its original grandeur. The painstaking…
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Haywood residents protest property tax hike during bad economy
Scores of Haywood County taxpayers criticized the county’s proposed budget at a public hearing Monday (June 1) saying commissioners had…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Stop and smell the flowers Sure, we all hear it and we all think, “I’m gonna do just that as…
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New hospital structure could dilute autonomy
Although the board of Haywood Regional Medical Center could lose much of its control following its affiliation with WestCare, it…
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You can’t stash true wealth in a bank
By John Beckman • Guest Columnist The concept of wealth has been sideswiped over the last few decades. It seems…
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Pennington recreates scenes of the Smokies
As a little girl, Teresa Pennington of Waynesville looked forward to Sundays all week. After church, her family would venture…
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Rates jump prior to signing of library loan
Hints of an up tick in the economy are good news to say the least, but a resulting rise in…
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The alluring calls of song birds
In the opaque early-morning light outside our bedroom windows, the birds that reside in our woods — or do we…
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Research outpost engages scientists and students under backdrop of the Smokies
There are few places where scientists probing the mysteries of the natural world would rather be. The sweeping vistas of…
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Maggie grapples with best way to recruit new festivals
The town of Maggie Valley fired its part-time festival director after he failed to produce results a few months into…
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A funeral story of necessity and pragmatism
By Dawn Gilchrist-Young This is an Appalachian story because it is about resourceful people taking care of their own with…
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Hiking and heritage converge in new trail guide
A new hiking book on Western North Carolina puts the regions trails in a new perspective. It weaves together the…
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A Peacock Came to Dinner: A matter of pride, cooking with herbs and gifts from Percy
By Karen Dill Author’s note: This article is dedicated to our dear friend and neighbor, Louise Bedford, who passed away…
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Death in the arctic
The Terror by Dan Simmons. Little, Brown and Company. 2007. 769 pages. Dear readers, let’s begin by establishing two contrary…
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Recipes, 5/27/09
Grilled Lemon Tarragon Chicken An intense lemon and garlic-flavored grilled chicken, the addition of the dill-like herb, tarragon, adds a…
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Cherokee art institute gets new home
Several years ago, an idea was planted to establish an institution of higher education on the Qualla Boundary that would…
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River park concept centers on dam, throws Duke for a loop
Jackson County commissioners got their first look last week at a master plan for a Dillsboro river park — a…
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Performing arts center to open in Franklin
When Phil Drake puts his mind to something, there’s little he can’t achieve. Drake’s company, Drake Enterprises, is one of…
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Cherokee face historic vote on alcohol
On June 4, members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will go to the polls to cast their vote…
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NOC to launch major new presence in Gatlinburg
Nantahala Outdoor Center is planning a major new outfitters store in Gatlinburg, tapping into the hub of one of the…
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Ghost Town makes opening deadline; roller coaster still not working
Ghost Town in the Sky drew around 2,500 people over Memorial Day weekend, despite the daunting challenges of getting the…
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Yaupon and the ‘Black Drink’
For some years now — when walking the woodlands around ancient Cherokee settlements — I have been on the lookout…
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Long-held dream becomes reality
It’s a project that’s been years in the making, and on Saturday the scores of Jackson County residents who gathered…
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The many rewards of home improvement
Lately, the days whiz by faster than usual. Now that we have finally decided to put our house up for…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Crepuscular by nature The sun knows the secret. Beginning and end Are the beautiful times. The soft warm And sensual…
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Ghost Town withdraws loan request
By Becky Johnson & Julia Merchant A surprising turn of events caused the Maggie Valley town board to call off…
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Haywood considers cutting jobs, raising taxes
Tight times in Haywood County have forced commissioners to consider significant job cuts and a tax increase in an attempt…
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Event kicks off initiative linking artists with nonprofits
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Haywood County jeweler Diannah Beauregard believes that art can change the world. With that…
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Macon, Rabun leaders eye future of water
Would a water-starved Atlanta ever come after the Little Tennessee River? While it may be a long shot, the prospect…
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Project will restore courthouse’s grandeur
While the feeling of stately grandeur evoked by Jackson’s historic courthouse has remained over the years, many of the original…
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Under siege: Saving the sequoias of the East
Jesse Webster consulted his GPS and eyed the tangle of rhododendrons stretching out of sight up the mountainside. Somewhere beyond…
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Swain jail escapees returned to NC
A murder suspect and the guard who allegedly helped him escape from the Swain County jail have been returned to…
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Cutbacks could be less severe in Swain budget
Though the Swain County government hasn’t escaped the recession completely, the blow dealt by the economy has been softer there…
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The new frugality is an old idea
There’s talk all over about America’s newfound love affair with frugality. What Time magazine has dubbed the Great Recession is…
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Remembering Popcorn
To tell you the truth, when I read that some woman claiming to be Popcorn Sutton’s daughter was publishing a…
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A two-horse town
A rift that splintered the town’s longtime farmers market in downtown Waynesville into two opposing groups of vendors continues to…
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Smokies relies on outside support to maintain what makes it special
When Steve Woody and Barney Coulter got a mysterious call from Smokies Superintendent Randall Pope in the early 1990s asking…
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Persistent WCU grads find work in tough economy
It’s slim pickin’s out there, as Western Carolina University students are finding out. This past weekend, more than 1,100 graduates…
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