Archived (29061)
Children categories
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Swain tourism board faces changes
Swain County commissioners are moving forward with a plan to reshape the county’s tourism board despite some opposition.
Read More
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.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Still on the table
Jackson County planning board meetings likely will get even more interesting as members move on to the nuts and bolts…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Figuratively speaking
By Sarah Kucharski Entering figurative sculptor Wesley Wofford’s studio one is struck by the sheer size of his works.
Read More
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…
Read More
Recommended diversions
Well, let’s just consider this a collection of things I would NOT recommend. But maybe reading this will constitute a…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Recommended diversions
Guests of the Ayatollah and Kite Runner Trying to understand the Middle East? Here are two books — one non-fiction…
Read More
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…
Read More
Adding it up
A traffic study was conducted to assess the traffic impacts of a new Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot complex coming…
Read More
Crowded field seek seats in Cherokee
Seven people have plunked down the necessary $500 filing fee required to campaign for principal chief of the Eastern Band…
Read More
What the new road will look like
About $1.5 million in roadwork is planned to accommodate the increased traffic on South Main Street and Hyatt Creek Roads…
Read More
Haywood commissioners still split on Mountain Projects deal
Haywood County commissioners continue to disagree on what kind of deal to give Mountain Projects on a tract of county…
Read More
What should a new library look like?
The Sylva library is favorite destination for Kim Mathis and her four children. There’s just one problem. “The library has…
Read More
Despite delays, Macon SCC campus almost ready
Southwestern Community College officials anticipate holding classes this fall at a new satellite campus in Macon County, more than a…
Read More
Traffic footprint of Super Wal-Mart could reach far and wide
Brace yourself, West Waynesville: a new Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot complex due to open next summer will bring an…
Read More
Guyot’s Smokies
Paul Fink and Myron H. Avery were two of the foremost explorers of the Southern Appalachians — especially the Great…
Read More
Recommended diversions
National Poetry Month In honor of National Poetry Month this April, here are some recommendations for poetry lovers and those…
Read More
Livingroom predators
Relentless Enemies: Lions and Buffalo by Dereck and Beverly Joubert. National Geographic, 2006. 176 pages. Four years ago, my family…
Read More
