Warren Haynes’ 19th Annual Christmas Jam — mostly
 

Warren Haynes’ 19th Annual Christmas Jam — mostly

By Chris Cooper Before getting started, let me say that I completely missed Grace Potter’s performance at the Christmas Jam.…
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Maggie Valley gets new police station: It’s the town’s first new public building since incorporation in 1974
 

Maggie Valley gets new police station: It’s the town’s first new public building since incorporation in 1974

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer As captain of the Maggie Valley police department, Jason Moody normally keeps his emotions…
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Gifts that keep giving
 

Gifts that keep giving

Looking for a Christmas present? Western North Carolina is home to many outdoors organizations, conservation groups, outing clubs, nature societies…
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Home again: ‘Emissaries of Peace’ returns to Cherokee after a Smithsonian excursion
 

Home again: ‘Emissaries of Peace’ returns to Cherokee after a Smithsonian excursion

After a successful five-month run at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the “Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee…
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TWASA waits for capacity expansion go-ahead
 

TWASA waits for capacity expansion go-ahead

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Officials at Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority are waiting for the go-ahead from the…
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2007
 

2007

It marked the end of an era for North Shore Road supporters and Blue Ridge Paper Products, and ushered a…
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Mountain protections gained wide support in 2007
 

Mountain protections gained wide support in 2007

For those of us who have been beating the drum about the need for mountain communities to get serious about…
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A Christmas Day playlist
 

A Christmas Day playlist

By Chris Cooper Years ago I read an article in one of the many music and entertainment publications out there…
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Pinnacle Park's future
 

Pinnacle Park's future

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Sylva Town Board members are brainstorming for ways to manage Pinnacle Park, 1,100 acres…
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2007: A year for development news
 

2007: A year for development news

This year marked a turning point across Western North Carolina when it comes to political will and the development industry.
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Blessed be the tin-eared hymn singer
 

Blessed be the tin-eared hymn singer

By David Curtis “Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new born King.”
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Fed OKs $6 million for North Shore Road payment
 

Fed OKs $6 million for North Shore Road payment

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer After 64 years, it looks like the battle over the North Shore Road in…
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Hike to Pinnacle Peak
 

Hike to Pinnacle Peak

There are two ways to hike to Pinnacle Peak, which is renowned for its 360-degree views from the Plott Balsams.
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The honesty of a cat’s purr opens my eyes
 

The honesty of a cat’s purr opens my eyes

By John Armour We have two cats: Weasel, a grey female calico, and Orion, a male orange and white tabby.…
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A Christmas gift
 

A Christmas gift

Citizens of Washington County, hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl and Navy pilots who would have been put in harm’s…
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WCU trustees OK fee increases
 

WCU trustees OK fee increases

Western Carolina University’s board of trustees unanimously approved proposed tuition and fees for the 2008-09 academic year, including increases to…
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Mining company appeals decision; quarry’s future remains uncertain
 

Mining company appeals decision; quarry’s future remains uncertain

A Franklin-based mining company has filed an appeal against the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources decision denying…
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A plant’s purpose
 

A plant’s purpose

There are more than 300,000 plant species in the world. Some are edible, some can be used for their medicinal…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Christmas Eve dinner Not the particular food, per se, but the tradition. In our home it’s Lori’s homemade lasagna, and…
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In WNC, voters showing support for Edwards, Huckabee
 

In WNC, voters showing support for Edwards, Huckabee

By Tom Jensen • Guest Columnist John Edwards and Mike Huckabee are the most popular Presidential candidates in their own…
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Why he rode: Continental cyclist A.J. Rowell returns home to Sylva after nearly 10,000 miles on the road
 

Why he rode: Continental cyclist A.J. Rowell returns home to Sylva after nearly 10,000 miles on the road

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer On June 1, 2007, A.J. Rowell left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and began pedaling a…
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Parkway views from Waynesville overlook protected
 

Parkway views from Waynesville overlook protected

A ridgeline tract adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway overlooking Waynesville has been saved from development, thanks to the acquisition…
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When Florida was wild
 

When Florida was wild

Crackers in the Glade: Life and Times in the Old Everglades edited Betty Savidge Briggs. University of Georgia Press, 2007.…
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On Cataloochee Wilderness: Project spokesman Frank Singleton talks about fitting into the community and facing possible opposition
 

On Cataloochee Wilderness: Project spokesman Frank Singleton talks about fitting into the community and facing possible opposition

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Frank Singleton, the spokesman for the 4,500-acre proposed Cataloochee Wilderness Resort in Haywood County,…
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A little moss, hopefully, is forever
 

A little moss, hopefully, is forever

By Stephanie Wampler A thick, green sheet of moss is growing across my roof. When I first noticed it the…
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Rapp tries to round up support for  slope development bill
 

Rapp tries to round up support for slope development bill

When back-to-back tropical storms hit the mountains with heavy rains in 2004, the saturated soils triggered more than 140 landslides.…
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Cowee group fights to keep school community-owned
 

Cowee group fights to keep school community-owned

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer For more than 60 years, students have been learning at Cowee Elementary School. But…
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Restaurant owners scramble to comply with mandatory recycling law
 

Restaurant owners scramble to comply with mandatory recycling law

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Landfills in North Carolina should become a lot emptier due to a new law…
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Hits and misses
 

Hits and misses

The Carolina Field Birders (CFB) conducted their sixth annual Christmas Bird Count this past Saturday (12/29.) The annual CBC count…
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441 corridor planning teaches students about smart growth
 

441 corridor planning teaches students about smart growth

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Students at Smokey Mountain Elementary and Cherokee Indian Reservation schools will be learning an…
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What? Me read?
 

What? Me read?

Letters to My Son on the Love of Books by Roberto Coltroneo. Ecco Press, 1998. 151 pages. In the Dec.…
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An engineer’s take on N.C. 107
 

An engineer’s take on N.C. 107

Walter Kulash, a private traffic engineer, has been advising the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance on and off for four…
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Remember – every year is a new year
 

Remember – every year is a new year

So it’s the New Year. The ball has dropped, the parties are all over, your Kool and the Gang album…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Kinky Boots Start the year off on the right foot with this 2005 Brit flick starring Joel Edgerton as Charlie…
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A few notes on 2007
 

A few notes on 2007

By Chris Cooper Looking back on the albums and/or shows (be they local, regional or major label offerings) I’ve had…
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HART opens 2008 Studio Season with ‘Demons’
 

HART opens 2008 Studio Season with ‘Demons’

By Michael Beadle A lawyer battling personal demons returns to a small town near Pittsburgh where a sensational crime forces…
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A tough farming year
 

A tough farming year

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer “Overall, it’s been a really tough year for farming,” said Jackson County farmer William…
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2008 will be telling year for Cataloochee resort
 

2008 will be telling year for Cataloochee resort

The best news about the proposed Cataloochee Wilderness Resort is that it appears that from here on out, there will…
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Cherokee and their bird stories
 

Cherokee and their bird stories

The second soul, that of physiological life, is located in the liver, and is of primary importance in doctoring and…
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Competing road studies likely for N.C. 107
 

Competing road studies likely for N.C. 107

The next year could play out as a battle of the traffic studies between the Department of Transportation and opponents…
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State says foul on school bond referendum support
 

State says foul on school bond referendum support

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer After investigating the actions of the Macon County School Board for the past two…
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In living colour
 

In living colour

Cedar waxwings and American holly are with us year round. The waxwings wander around a lot in extended family groups,…
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An account of Haywood County
 

An account of Haywood County

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The crowning achievement of Haywood County’s bicentennial celebration is a 600-page, hardcover book that…
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Recycling requirement passes costs on to rightful party
 

Recycling requirement passes costs on to rightful party

One is a new law that just took effect Jan. 1, and the other is a hoped-for statute that we…
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At the helm: New director aims to complete the Mountains to Sea Trail
 

At the helm: New director aims to complete the Mountains to Sea Trail

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer The Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail hope its first-ever executive director will be able…
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Commissioners take a more aggressive stance in Dillsboro dam fight
 

Commissioners take a more aggressive stance in Dillsboro dam fight

Jackson County commissioners are contemplating drastic measures in their fight against Duke Energy to stop the Dillsboro dam from being…
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Parkway rangers work to save hemlocks
 

Parkway rangers work to save hemlocks

With a massive die-off of hemlock trees all but imminent in the mountains, Ranger Chris Ulrey is putting faith in…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Skinny Dip, Carl Hiaasen This 512-page novel is a fast read that unfolds like a movie, painting a vivid picture…
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Southern Comfort Food
 

Southern Comfort Food

By Michael Beadle Long before the days of microwaves and fast food meals, there was the slow-cooked stew, a Southern…
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‘Rainbows’ plays as Radiohead should
 

‘Rainbows’ plays as Radiohead should

There was an interesting coincidence on July 11, 2006. Thom Yorke released Eraser to mixed reviews, and the same day…
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