Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

The Grey Eagle Over the last four years I have had the great opportunity to work with David Holt in…
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History 2 - Food 1
 

History 2 - Food 1

The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days that Changed the Nation by Howard Means. Harcourt, 2006.…
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Downtown Sylva Association weighs the benefits of a taxing district
 

Downtown Sylva Association weighs the benefits of a taxing district

When Howard Alligood heard about a group of Sylva merchants lobbying for a special downtown tax, he got a little…
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Economic commission overhaul stalls over board make-up
 

Economic commission overhaul stalls over board make-up

An overhaul of economic development strategy in Jackson County has temporarily stalled over who will be in charge.
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Franklin declines to help shopping center owner keep Wal-Mart
 

Franklin declines to help shopping center owner keep Wal-Mart

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Franklin town officials have turned down a request made by the owners of the…
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Meal deal at Swain jail worth as much as $100,000 annually, new sheriff says
 

Meal deal at Swain jail worth as much as $100,000 annually, new sheriff says

Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran has estimated how much his predecessor might have made under the table feeding jail inmates:…
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Swain election investigation could be  two months away
 

Swain election investigation could be two months away

The North Carolina Election Board says it could be another month or two before someone can make the trip from…
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TDA has equal parts Maggie Valley, Waynesville
 

TDA has equal parts Maggie Valley, Waynesville

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners have appointed two new members to the Tourism Development Authority board: Deborah Reed, a…
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WCU buys on-campus commercial buildings
 

WCU buys on-campus commercial buildings

Western Carolina University is now the proud owner of the strip of commercial property known locally as the downtown Cullowhee…
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Recounting natural history
 

Recounting natural history

For me, no pursuit is truly worthwhile unless it has an associated body of literature one can consult from time…
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A better future for the Pigeon
 

A better future for the Pigeon

Few rivers have been the focus of as much controversy over the last century as the Pigeon, a fact that…
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A.T. license plates raise dollars for conservancy
 

A.T. license plates raise dollars for conservancy

Drivers with Appalachian Trail license plates raised $55,000 last year to support the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in North Carolina.
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Bold & Cold: Icycle Mountain Bike Race at Fontana Village promises thrills and chills
 

Bold & Cold: Icycle Mountain Bike Race at Fontana Village promises thrills and chills

By Michael Beadle If you’re a mountain biker looking for a challenging course that’s as cold as it is fun,…
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Peanut butter log is the bomb
 

Peanut butter log is the bomb

This past summer I stopped feeding birds, except for the hummers. The squirrels had become too brazen and were chewing…
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Green gas heavy metal: Jackson’s County’s Green Energy Park offers methane-fired blacksmith forge
 

Green gas heavy metal: Jackson’s County’s Green Energy Park offers methane-fired blacksmith forge

By Anna Fariello • Guest Writer William Rogers has been a professional metalsmith for more than 25 years, but nothing…
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The world according to glass
 

The world according to glass

By Michael Beadle Glass dazzles. It bears no secrets. It illuminates the world around itself.
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Stone Black aims high with a familiar formula
 

Stone Black aims high with a familiar formula

Expectations are tricky things. You can crack open a CD with basically one of two mindsets: “This is going to…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Honeymoon Edition So my husband and I celebrated our three-month anniversary by finally going on our honeymoon this January. We…
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The Stone Raft: Surreal of so real
 

The Stone Raft: Surreal of so real

If you remember those wonderful fairy tales in which the hero acquires the aid of “helpers” in their journey to…
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Upping the ante
 

Upping the ante

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is placing a $650 million bet that visitors…
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Betting on the future
 

Betting on the future

In a suite on the 16th floor of Harrah’s Cherokee hotel and casino, Cherokee leaders happily milled about as an…
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Emergency room group sues HRMC
 

Emergency room group sues HRMC

A long-time group of emergency room doctors in Haywood County filed a lawsuit against Haywood Regional Medical Center this week.
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Time to get in on Haywood 2008 bicentennial
 

Time to get in on Haywood 2008 bicentennial

It’s still 11 months away, but organizers of a year-long Haywood County bicentennial celebration in 2008 are already counting down…
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Jackson may put temporary stop to growth
 

Jackson may put temporary stop to growth

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County commissioners have taken the first step toward temporarily stopping new subdivision development,…
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Rural growth prompts ambulance response time debate
 

Rural growth prompts ambulance response time debate

As the population in the rural areas of Haywood County grows, leaders are being faced with the question of whether…
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A harrowing tale of bear encounters
 

A harrowing tale of bear encounters

In the natural world there are certain experiences that rivet our attention and remain stored in our memory banks. Through…
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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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