Jackson leaders take a bold – and wise – step
 

Jackson leaders take a bold – and wise – step

Jackson County took the first step this week to ban new subdivisions until it can write an ordinance to control…
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Finding the essence of the Smokies
 

Finding the essence of the Smokies

Micah McClure, a graphic designer in Waynesville, faced a daunting task when asked to redesign the Friends of the Smokies…
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Bear your support
 

Bear your support

When George Ivey broached the idea of a new specialty license plate design for Friends of the Smokies, feedback on…
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Stairway to heaven
 

Stairway to heaven

In 1885 Jerome B. Freeman built a stairway to the top of a 535-million-year-old granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge.
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What Price Sweetness
 

What Price Sweetness

By Kathleen Lamont In the late 1970’s, Dr. Robert Atkins had a clinic in Santa Monica, Calif., where people went…
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Stamey named new Haywood EMS director
 

Stamey named new Haywood EMS director

Canton native Marty Stamey has been named the new director of Haywood County’s Emergency Medical Services program.
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Swain makes appointments to first planning board
 

Swain makes appointments to first planning board

Swain County leaders took the first step toward regulating unchecked growth and development this week by appointing the county’s first-ever…
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Sylva leaders to discuss proposed downtown tax
 

Sylva leaders to discuss proposed downtown tax

Controversy among downtown Sylva merchants and property owners could either escalate or come to a close this week, depending on…
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A chip off the ole mauler block
 

A chip off the ole mauler block

Just after Christmas, my wife, Elizabeth, and I were driving south in the San Luis Valley of Colorado headed for…
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Greenwood’s slow exit gives Macon leaders rare chance
 

Greenwood’s slow exit gives Macon leaders rare chance

When Macon County Manager Sam Greenwood retires at the end of this year, he’ll take with him more than three…
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A real-life love story – sort of
 

A real-life love story – sort of

It’s an old story, the only one worth telling, really, especially here on Valentine’s Day. It’s a love story, the…
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Harrah’s success should prompt state to allow live dealers
 

Harrah’s success should prompt state to allow live dealers

Gambling at the Harrah’s casino in Cherokee is wildly successful. That success — and the state’s own actions — makes…
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Technology can help us beat global warming
 

Technology can help us beat global warming

By Doug Wingier • Guest Columnist We American consumers are richer than most in the world, and as voters more…
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Tipping one back with Baby
 

Tipping one back with Baby

By Carl Iobst Gee, what’ll they think of next. In Olympia, the capital of Washington state, there’s a state representative…
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Catamount Conservation: Eco-CATS challenge WCU community to take on more environmental responsibility
 

Catamount Conservation: Eco-CATS challenge WCU community to take on more environmental responsibility

By Michael Beadle The cost of college can get pretty expensive, especially when it comes to paying the monthly electric…
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Ivey wins conservation award
 

Ivey wins conservation award

George Ivey, a well-known leader in conservation efforts in Haywood County, received the Pigeon River Award for 2006 from Haywood…
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No excuses
 

No excuses

Now here’s a way to bird from your kitchen table, in your pajamas and slippers, with a steaming hot cup…
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American Whitwater withdraws lawsuit on Chattooga paddling
 

American Whitwater withdraws lawsuit on Chattooga paddling

American Whitewater has withdrawn its lawsuit challenging a paddling ban on the upper Chattooga River outside Cashiers.
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DSA drops special tax proposal
 

DSA drops special tax proposal

The Downtown Sylva Association has dropped the idea of a special downtown property tax due to a lack of support…
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Peaceful sounds: Bryson City woman organizes local musicians for a cause
 

Peaceful sounds: Bryson City woman organizes local musicians for a cause

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Downtown Sylva will host a non-partisan stand for peace on Saturday, Feb. 17, with…
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As her craft evolves, Jones’ spirit remains true
 

As her craft evolves, Jones’ spirit remains true

By Chris Cooper When Norah Jones swept the 2003 Grammies, it was more than just a victory for a new…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

“The Painted Veil” Kitty (Naomi Watts), a bored London socialite, marries Walter Fane (Edward Norton), a doctor and student of…
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Two outta three ain’t bad
 

Two outta three ain’t bad

Snow and falling temperatures — we’ve had little of the former this winter, and some of the latter — provide…
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Twenty questions
 

Twenty questions

Jackson County commissioners have called for a public hearing on a proposed moratorium on new subdivision development while the planning…
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Development industry opposes subdivision moratorium
 

Development industry opposes subdivision moratorium

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A group of about 20 angry Realtors and developers showed up uninvited at a…
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Haywood organizations honored for their environmental efforts
 

Haywood organizations honored for their environmental efforts

The Commission for a Clean County has announced the first place and honorable mention winners of its 2006 Haywood County…
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New golf course owner promises major upgrades
 

New golf course owner promises major upgrades

Following several years of decline and neglect, Smoky Mountain Golf Course in Whittier has been wrested away from its out-of-state…
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Broadway comes to Cullowhee
 

Broadway comes to Cullowhee

By Michael Beadle He’s been a Beast. An alien bounty hunter. A Rum Tum Tugger and Inspector Javert. And now…
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Mountain Heart serves up musical surprise
 

Mountain Heart serves up musical surprise

By Chris Cooper To say that Mountain Heart isn’t exactly your “average” bluegrass band is more than a slight understatement.…
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The Fine Art of Being Wrong (sort of...)
 

The Fine Art of Being Wrong (sort of...)

I spend a considerable amount of time being disappointed by music. It’s sad, because I also happen to love music,…
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Locked away
 

Locked away

Coventry by Joseph Bathanti. Novello Festival Press, 2006. 261 pages. When 30-year-old Calvin Gaddy finds himself working as a guard…
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Election controversy plagues Swain
 

Election controversy plagues Swain

When Commissioner Glenn Jones pulled into the Stillhouse Branch trailer park in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Swain County…
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Ghost Town deal with state should expedite May opening
 

Ghost Town deal with state should expedite May opening

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The owner of Ghost Town in the Sky and the North Carolina Department of…
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Haywood leaders say tax hike a possibility to meet needs
 

Haywood leaders say tax hike a possibility to meet needs

Haywood County commissioners suggested they could be amenable to a slight property tax increase this year if there is something…
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Opponents lining up to challenge Chief Hicks
 

Opponents lining up to challenge Chief Hicks

Even before filing opens March 1, four candidates have emerged to challenge Principal Chief Michell Hicks for the top leadership…
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Plug pulled on downtown Sylva taxing district
 

Plug pulled on downtown Sylva taxing district

The Downtown Sylva Association has dropped the idea of a special downtown property tax due to a lack of support…
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Swain seats new planning board
 

Swain seats new planning board

One Swain County resident expressed concern last week that developers and speculators will rush to break ground on mountainside subdivisions…
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Old remedies for the toothache
 

Old remedies for the toothache

As noted previously in several Back Then columns, the Cherokees and later on the white settlers here in the Blue…
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Ask not what your county can do for you
 

Ask not what your county can do for you

Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their county. Ask not…
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Common goal is the same – a thriving downtown
 

Common goal is the same – a thriving downtown

Downtown Sylva is a special place. The events of the last couple of months only reinforce that fact, and so…
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Tribe, unlike Google and others, isn’t asking for a handout
 

Tribe, unlike Google and others, isn’t asking for a handout

By David Redman • Guest Columnist There is absolutely no doubt about the economic impact the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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The realities of being green
 

The realities of being green

The Western Carolina Forest Sustainability Initiative (WCFSI) under the direction of Pete Bates, associate professor of Natural Resources Management at…
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On the mark: Cullowhee base-camp raises profile in wilderness emergency training
 

On the mark: Cullowhee base-camp raises profile in wilderness emergency training

Landmark Learning, a Cullowhee-based wilderness training center for the outdoor industry, has forged a new partnership with the National Outdoor…
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First of the Floppy Disc: Almond School
 

First of the Floppy Disc: Almond School

I wrote first by hand and then with a manual typewriter. Starting about 1990, I moved “up” to a Tandy…
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Outdoor gear store in Franklin celebrates expansion
 

Outdoor gear store in Franklin celebrates expansion

Franklin’s downtown outdoor gear store just got bigger.
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Canoe series starts this weekend in the gorge
 

Canoe series starts this weekend in the gorge

June kicks off the first of a three-part event at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, near Bryson City, called the Canoe…
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Eat to support the Blue Ridge Parkway
 

Eat to support the Blue Ridge Parkway

Eateries in Western North Carolina have agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation…
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Learn to co-exist with mountain black bears
 

Learn to co-exist with mountain black bears

Mountain visitors and residents can learn more about their black bear neighbors at an upcoming seminar. A program called “Understanding…
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Predator birds come to Waynesville
 

Predator birds come to Waynesville

Get ready for live talons, Waynesville. Doris Mager, better known as “The Eagle Lady,” will appear with her birds of…
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Book details the fall and the rise of elk in the East
 

Book details the fall and the rise of elk in the East

A new book has been published detailing the story of the grand, four-legged keepers of the Great Smoky Mountains Park:…
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