Archived (29061)
Children categories
Recommended diversions
Nature Deficit Disorder Sometimes, you read an interview and it hits home, hard. Last month’s issue of The Sun, a…
Read More
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.
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
Recommended diversions
Battlestar Galactica Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a Battlestar fanatic. A few weekends ago, my wife and I glued ourselves…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
New Macon library to become Fontana system’s showcase
It’s no small task moving a library.
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Fire on the mountain
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A forest fire burned nearly 40 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
Read More
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.
Read More
Simple living: Up from grassroots
By Kathleen Lamont There are lots of examples today of what a few determined and focused people can do.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Chocolate sensation
By Michael Beadle Come March 24, sink your teeth into blueberry truffles, fudge cookies, and mocha cheesecake.
Read More
Food of the Gods
By Michael Beadle Call it a Kiss. A sweet treat. A bonbon. A decadent delight.
Read More
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…
Read More
Recommended diversions
Lucinda Williams, West If you don’t already know her, go back to the beginning and catch up, because you’ve missed…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
What commissioners said
Chairman Brian McMahan, lone “no” vote “I’ve thought long and hard about this process. I thought about what will the…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Two studies, two takes on moratorium’s effects
When County Commissioner Will Shelton gave up time on his farm and with his four young children to run for…
Read More
Tradition of the cockfight
As most everyone knows, a cockfight is a match between two specially trained roosters traditionally held in a ring called…
Read More
Upper Chattooga River will suffer from boating
By James Costa • Guest Columnist There has been much discussion in recent weeks regarding the notion of opening the…
Read More
High time for a new morning ritual
I don’t wear a watch. Why should I? Everywhere I look, I see the time of day. In fact, no…
Read More
Protecting the best of mountain culture
“The highest form of morality is not to feel at home in one’s own home.” “What has become alien to…
Read More
A new approach to smart growth
“What we’re trying to do here is reduce the impact of development. That’s really what conservation is, the wise use…
Read More
Why the Easter bunny brings eggs
Did you ever wonder why this big, furry, long-eared mammal was hoping around with eggs in its basket?
Read More
Consultant will lead public planning process for library
What would you like to see in your new library?
Read More
Franklin may move administrative offices to other end of Main Street
Franklin’s elected leaders will review how much it would cost to replace the siding on a town-owned building in downtown…
Read More
