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Sky-high hopes: Maggie Valley’s theme park destination looks to the future with an eye on the past
After they opened Joey’s Pancake House in 1966, Brenda O’Keefe and her late husband would calculate how much pancake batter…
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A new park opens
“Ghost Town is one of the biggest things that has happened to the western end of North Carolina in many…
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Election probe likely to swing on interpretation
A state election investigator is trying to determine whether a Swain County voting drive targeting the poor and elderly crossed…
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A hard day’s work
On Earth’s Furrowed Brow: The Appalachian Farm in Photographs by Tim Barnwell. W. W. Norton, 2007. 224 pages. For a…
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Recommended diversions
A Homecoming, Of Sorts (whilst never leaving Main Street) I’ve lived in WNC for nearly four years now. I’ve written…
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Taking steps in the right direction
By Chris Cooper If a band stays together long enough, it’ll probably morph into something a little beyond its starting…
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Dazzle of Light: John Phillips’ new Fire and Light Glass Studio and Gallery in Otto offers artwork, classes and glass art supplies
By Michael Beadle There’s a dance of light in a work of glass. Move around the piece and it changes…
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Open space requirement set at 25 percent
How much open space should be required in new developments? That question has caused the most contention among Jackson County…
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Proposed election law change follows Swain nursing home irregularities
The General Assembly is considering a bill that could solve a Catch 22 in election law: how to legitimately help…
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Ghost Town re-opens
After being closed for five years, a North Carolina icon, Ghost Town In The Sky, is re-opening on May 25.
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Fun Facts about Ghost Town
• Ghost Town in the Sky first opened its doors to the public in June 1961. Construction began in September…
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History of Ghost Town in the Sky
Businessman R. B. Coburn, who was inspired to build a park with a western theme after visiting several ghost towns…
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Ghost Town goes silver screen
Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town “The Movie” will premiere at the Eaglenest Entertainment Center in Maggie Valley at 7 p.m. on…
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The mountain rhodo show
Rhododendrons are a part of the heath family (Ericaceae), which includes such diverse members in regard to size and habitat…
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Pedaling my America: Jackson County native A.J. Rowell prepares for 10,000-mile summer cycling ride from Arctic Alaska to Cullowhee
By Michael Beadle Before you ask the most obvious question – why? – remember, it’s not a race or a…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Fuel for thought
Biofuels have been getting a lot of media and blogosphere attention lately, and with the price of gas at $3…
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A surprising reminder of a common bond
By Stephanie Wampler One morning in early spring, I woke up before anyone else and went out on my porch.…
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Park Service opinion could seal road’s fate
The road, it appears, stops here. Now, elected leaders and citizens must demand a timetable for the $52 million settlement…
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I’m sorry for all the impotence ads
By John Armor • Guest Columnist There are certain categories of ads on TV which offend me, and no doubt…
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Just looking around
I’m rediscovering that it’s good to just slip out of the office and amble around town for a few minutes.…
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What they’re saying
“It’s well past time to bury this boondoggle and resolve the issue in this positive way for the park and…
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Judge rules Realtors’ loss is not irreparable
A group of Realtors and developers challenging the legality of Jackson County’s five-month moratorium on new subdivisions lost the first…
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The end of the road? Park Service recommends cash instead of road
The National Park Service has finally chosen sides in the long-standing debate over whether to build a 30-mile road through…
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Cherokee dedicates first section of downtown greenway
A long-range plan to make Cherokee a friendlier place to walk, visit and shop moved forward last week with the…
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Another look at Wolfe
Thomas Wolfe: An Illustrated Biography by Ted Mitchell. Pegasus Books, 2007. 341 pages. Thirty-three years ago this month, at the…
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Recommended diversions
Memorial Day with a soldier He’s just a kid, 23 year old I think, dating one of my young cousins.…
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Good music for nice people
By Chris Cooper John Prine and Mac Wiseman: Standard Songs For Average People John Prine just sounds like a nice…
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Dance of the people: Women use traditional art form for fun and exercise
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer With vigorous hip pops and shimmies, members of the Sidra bellydancing group are sending…
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Taking God out of schools was mistake
To the Editor: Just over five weeks ago a mentally disturbed 19-year-old young man went into a school in Connecticut…
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Jackson should not sell out to developers
To the Editor: Thank you for your excellent reporting on the consideration to a change in the development rules in…
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Majoring in philosophy? More power to you
Republican Gov. Pat McCrory is trying to temper disparaging remarks he made early last week about the value of a…
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Zombie lore, one bite at a time
If you are literate and moderately aware of what passes for entertainment in film, popular novels and comics, then you…
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Oil lamps have long history of lighting the way
Surprisingly, a recent column about wood-burning cookstoves attracted as much attention as anything I’ve written for years. Folks who live…
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Local fisherman lands silver at championships
Angler and Sylva native Josh Stephens recently earned a silver medal in team competition during the National Fly Fishing Championship…
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Donation will go to Smokies priorities
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was recently awarded $2,000 from Sustainability for Generations to Come, a Western North…
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Farmers get a helping hand with diversification grants
28 Western North Carolina farmers received nearly $150,000 total in grants to help diversify their farm businesses. The money was…
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Fees proposed for forest service recreation sites
The U.S. Forest Service may increase, or begin charging, fees at seven recreation sites within the national forests in North…
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Hops finds a home in WNC soil and economy
A free program on “The Business of Growing Hops” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.…
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The Rainbow to Nowhere?
What happens when you finally get to the end of the rainbow and there’s no gold in the pot? Perusing…
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Dark skies — and the stars that go with them — slowly disappearing
Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a protected expanse of land, all types of contamination — from air…
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Jackson County asks towns to dissolve economic development commission
Before a crowded room of town officials this week, Jackson County Commissioner Jack Debnam announced, in so many words, what…
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State torn on driver’s licenses for children of illegal immigrants
It’s a right of passage for teens, the Holy Grail of high school, an iconic symbol of young adulthood freedom…
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Paddlers hit the river in wake of torrential downpours
The recurring deluge of heavy rains has brought paddlers out of hibernation and onto Western North Carolina rivers over the…
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HCC plans Entrepreneurship Week activities
Haywood Community College will celebrate National Entrepreneurship Week Feb. 16-23 with a week-long schedule of events. The events will allow…
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Cherokee bear zoo fined and suspended over violations
Federal regulators temporarily suspended operations at Cherokee bear zoo and fined its owners $5,000 for repeated animal welfare violations.
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Batter up: Macon weighs costs and benefits of proposed recreation complex
A Macon County commissioner, who prides himself on fiscal conservatism, has been staking out his positions lately. After questioning the…
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Sylva teacher wins statewide teaching award
Deanne Oppermann, a chemistry instructor at Southwestern Community College in Sylva, is the recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Excellence in…
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Blue Ridge Heritage signage to make its debut
Ten years after the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area won federal designation, themed signs tying together 65 attractions throughout the…
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Cherokee leaders make their case for a indoor adventure park
A $93 million family adventure park in Cherokee would likely turn a profit during its first year of operation, according…
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More money allocated to help the hungry in Jackson
Increased demand for Meals on Wheels services and daily meals for low-income seniors in Jackson County have led to a…
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