Swain County to air proposed zoning ordinance
 

Swain County to air proposed zoning ordinance

In March Swain County commissioners voted to enact a moratorium that put a halt to Duke Energy’s substation project on…
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 County power struggle surfaces in Finn v. Ashe trial
 

County power struggle surfaces in Finn v. Ashe trial

“Putting Mr. Finn out of business is not a duty of the Jackson County sheriff. Is that a fair statement?”…
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Linking farmers to restaurants not always easy
 

Linking farmers to restaurants not always easy

On one side are local farmers, toiling from dawn to dusk, trying to compete in an increasingly globalized economy. On…
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 New venture welcomed by downtown business community
 

New venture welcomed by downtown business community

Downtown Waynesville merchants hope a plan to remodel the old Strand theater as an entertainment venue, restaurant and microbrewery will…
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 Students take lettuce from greenhouse to cafeteria
 

Students take lettuce from greenhouse to cafeteria

It doesn’t get much fresher than this. Horticulture students at Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva are helping to feed…
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 From garden to table in Sylva
 

From garden to table in Sylva

In Sylva, the buy local mantra is being reinterpreted as grow your own. Volunteers at the Community Table, a nonprofit…
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 The answer’s still blowin; but the times may be a’changin’
 

The answer’s still blowin; but the times may be a’changin’

I was heartened recently by two op-eds I read in area newspapers regarding industrial-sized wind turbines in the mountains of…
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 Laughter abounds in ‘Falling In Like,’ an almost romantic comedy at HART
 

Laughter abounds in ‘Falling In Like,’ an almost romantic comedy at HART

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre kicks off summer with a hilarious backstage romp “Falling in Like” an “almost romantic comedy”…
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Men who built Blue Ridge Parkway recount hard work, dangerous conditions
 

Men who built Blue Ridge Parkway recount hard work, dangerous conditions

Lorin Shaw was barely 16 when he landed a job with a crew building the Blue Ridge Parkway in the…
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 Williams’ world is one of blues, ghouls and Budweiser
 

Williams’ world is one of blues, ghouls and Budweiser

By Brent MartinI went down to the water but he left me in the mud; I wanted me some wine…
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 Complaint filed over ballot counting before polls closed
 

Complaint filed over ballot counting before polls closed

An election watchdog in Swain County is protesting the tallying of early votes before the close of polls on Election…
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The butternut in the creek bend
 

The butternut in the creek bend

Like dimly-lit rhododendron tunnels or ancient sphagnum-layered bogs, creek bends are special places that invariably precipitate beauty. Sitting in the…
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Smokies’ ash trees at risk from deadly insect
 

Smokies’ ash trees at risk from deadly insect

Researchers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park need volunteers to help map stands of ash trees and look for…
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Tsali targeted for trail work
 

Tsali targeted for trail work

The famed mountain bike trails of Tsali will get a workover this fall thanks to federal stimulus funding. Vegetation will…
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Triathlon combines best of mountain sports
 

Triathlon combines best of mountain sports

The ultimate triathlon for outdoors adventure lovers — with the triple combo of paddling, trail running and mountain biking —…
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Franklin 5k for Clean Water in Africa
 

Franklin 5k for Clean Water in Africa

The Franklin Blue Planet 5K for Clean Water will be held Saturday, Sept. 4, along the Little Tennessee Greenway. The…
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Blue Ridge Parkway tract preserved near Waynesville
 

Blue Ridge Parkway tract preserved near Waynesville

A 110-acre tract along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesville has been protected thanks to the longtime landowner selling the…
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Chestnut festival to be held at Cataloochee Ranch
 

Chestnut festival to be held at Cataloochee Ranch

Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley is hosting a chestnut celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11. The…
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Jackson lakes lowered
 

Jackson lakes lowered

Boating at Tanasee Creek and Wolf Creek lakes will be reduced while Duke Energy repairs a hydroelectric generator below the…
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Fireman’s 5K blazes into Bryson City
 

Fireman’s 5K blazes into Bryson City

The Fireman’s Day 5K will be held in Bryson City Saturday, Sept. 4, in conjunction with the 29th annual Fireman’s…
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Greenhouses warmed by “green” heat up for rent
 

Greenhouses warmed by “green” heat up for rent

Growers looking for greenhouse space may find what they need at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, where…
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Won one for the piper
 

Won one for the piper

On Aug. 17, federal judge Royce C. Lambeth ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s designation of critical habitat…
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First Blue Ridge Breakaway a great success
 

First Blue Ridge Breakaway a great success

Barring relentless rain and a couple of mishaps, the inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway was a resounding success, according to ride…
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New “Blue Ridge” Anthology features local authors
 

New “Blue Ridge” Anthology features local authors

A reading and book signing for the new anthology Echoes Across the Blue Ridge will take place from 1 to…
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A fascinating murder story
 

A fascinating murder story

On a hot July night in 1935, a young Wise County, Virginia, school teacher named Edith Maxwell came home late.…
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It’s past time to fill extension director’s post in Jackson-Swain
 

It’s past time to fill extension director’s post in Jackson-Swain

I admit to being slightly irked when I initially thought about writing this column. It has been about a year…
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HCC building vetted and dissected; it’s time to build
 

HCC building vetted and dissected; it’s time to build

“Do I want to dictate what the college does? That is not my job. As county commissioners, it is my…
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HCC has very little risk on green energy venture, say experts
 

HCC has very little risk on green energy venture, say experts

Alternative energy has emerged as a sticking point in the debate over a proposed $10 million creative arts building at…
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Spine Center coming to Angel Medical
 

Spine Center coming to Angel Medical

Spine care for residents of Macon and adjoining counties will be available in Franklin beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7 with the…
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HCC offers business planning course
 

HCC offers business planning course

Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays from Sept. 14…
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Scenic highway designation extended along Little Tennessee River
 

Scenic highway designation extended along Little Tennessee River

The historic significance of the Cowee Valley corridor received a national boost this month following the designation of N.C. 28…
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Foreclosure threatened against Ghost Town amusement park
 

Foreclosure threatened against Ghost Town amusement park

Ghost Town in the Sky is staring down the barrel of foreclosure. BB&T has filed for foreclosure against the amusement…
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Blue Ridge Hall opens its doors
 

Blue Ridge Hall opens its doors

Of the 1,450 Western Carolina University freshmen set to move in Aug. 20, about 375 will score a room in…
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Free hand screening to be held at Harris
 

Free hand screening to be held at Harris

Dr. Paul Cutting, an orthopedic doctor at Western Carolina Orthopedic Specialists who specializes in hand and upper extremity surgery, will…
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Children and youth provide leadership at Peace Celebration
 

Children and youth provide leadership at Peace Celebration

Lake Junaluska Assembly invites youth and children to become peacemakers at the 2010 Lake Junaluska Peace Celebration: Mosaic of Hope,…
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Contractor heads to court over unpaid grading work
 

Contractor heads to court over unpaid grading work

A Jackson County grading company was left holding the bag on more than $200,000 in site work after the developer…
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Jackson Child Support enforcement best in the state
 

Jackson Child Support enforcement best in the state

For the second time in three years, the Jackson County Child Support Enforcement Program has achieved the ranking of No.…
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Rabies shots likely in store for dozens
 

Rabies shots likely in store for dozens

More than 40 people in Haywood County might have been exposed to rabies after a baby raccoon a family was…
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New policy at Tuscola touches off student dissent
 

New policy at Tuscola touches off student dissent

In the 1970s, blue jeans and boys with shaggy hair were as scandalous in Western North Carolina schools as miniskirts…
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Decrepit Swain jail to be bulldozed for extra downtown parking
 

Decrepit Swain jail to be bulldozed for extra downtown parking

Bryson City merchants can expect some relief from the downtown parking crunch once the old Swain County Jail is torn…
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Bar passes on recommending judge for vacant seat
 

Bar passes on recommending judge for vacant seat

Attorneys in the state’s seven westernmost counties sent a message to the governor this week that they don’t want a…
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Manager’s push for outside help raises concerns
 

Manager’s push for outside help raises concerns

Finding a new police chief for Sylva might take more time than anticipated after some of the town’s board members…
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Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam to benefit local scholarships
 

Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam to benefit local scholarships

Get ready for two evenings of bluegrass music and wholesome family fun on Friday, Aug. 27, and Saturday, Aug. 28,…
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The Farewell Drifters come to Stecoah
 

The Farewell Drifters come to Stecoah

The 2010 “An Appalachian Evening” season comes to an end on Saturday, Aug. 28, with one of Nashville’s most exciting…
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HART presents the Southern comedy ‘Catfish Moon’
 

HART presents the Southern comedy ‘Catfish Moon’

The Haywood Arts Regional Theater’s next play never played Broadway, or even New York, but it is one of the…
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Songwriters series continues in Balsam
 

Songwriters series continues in Balsam

Grammy Award winner Leslie Ellis and Grammy Award nominee Casey Kelly will share their creative talents starting 7:30 p.m. on…
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32 Reasons to play free concert for students Aug. 27
 

32 Reasons to play free concert for students Aug. 27

A back to school celebration with local band 32 Reasons will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27,…
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Old-time musicians and their descendants sought
 

Old-time musicians and their descendants sought

A CD containing 34 1930s-era recordings of music performed by Smoky Mountain musicians will be released in October by the…
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Sign up for watercolor workshops
 

Sign up for watercolor workshops

Registration is going on now for the 2010 calendar of workshops and Art Academy at The Bascom in Highlands. Pat…
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Cartoonists group  presents ‘Shop Talk II’
 

Cartoonists group presents ‘Shop Talk II’

The WNC group of the Southeast Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society will be presenting a day of “Shop Talk”…
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