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A gem of a novel
The Missing by Tim Gautreaux. Knopf Double Publishing Group, 2009. 384 pages. This is a novel that seems to vibrate…
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Ghost Town faces huge challenges as it tries to restructure debt, open park
The business partners behind Ghost Town in the Sky are facing significant logistical and financial challenges as they pursue their…
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Shuler proving his independence
Openly conservative Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, is blazing his own path in Congress. That characteristic is easy to admire,…
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Debts mount at theme park
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park in Maggie Valley has left a wake of unpaid bills with local companies…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Caving moratorium sought Three weeks ago (Naturalist’s Corner 3/11) I wrote about a mysterious malady dubbed White Nose Syndrome (WNS)…
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Ghost Town responds
The following comment was provided by Steve Shiver, Ghost Town CEO and president, in response to questions about the challenges…
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New face on Waynesville board: Funeral home director fills Kenneth Moore’s seat
One would be be hard-pressed to find someone uttering anything but praise for new Waynesville Alderman Wells Greeley. The 6-foot,…
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Tight budget forces libraries to trim hours
In the latest tangible consequence of countywide budget cuts, the Haywood County Library system is scaling back hours at each…
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Finding a home for fresh water mussels
Barrels of mussels being bred at the state’s fish hatcheries are awaiting release into the region’s rivers, helping to restore…
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Do not plant Bradford Pear
By Jim Janke We moved here from Chicago, where there are only two seasons: winter and road-under-construction.* By comparison, the…
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Pondering the future of newspapers
Much as I dislike posing the question, here it is: can you imagine a future without newspapers? Would it be…
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Mountain beauty is an asset we all own
To the Editor: We appreciate The Smoky Mountain News coverage on the steep slope issues in Macon County and would…
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Homecoming on the Pigeon River
After decades of paper mill pollution, the Pigeon River is coming back to life — literally. Aquatic biologists embarked on…
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Teaching photography at the old Whittier school
By Josh Mitchell • Staff Writer J.R. vanLienden grew up in a frame shop and used to promise himself he…
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Haywood tourism board debates ‘Smokies’ slogan
Haywood County is having a bit of an identity crisis. The Tourism Development Authority touts the county as a place…
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Bluebirds continue to fascinate
My oh my what a wonderful day Plenty of sunshine in my way Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Zip-a-dee-eh Mr Bluebird’s on my shoulder…
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Guns in parks? Court says not so fast
The ban on guns in national parks will continue to remain in place for the time being, despite a move…
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Job hunt gets harder under double digit unemployment
Sitting in the Job Link site in Sylva looking for jobs on a computer database, Kathleen Codon of Cullowhee hit…
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Swain residents lock and load in wake of escaped murder suspect
Swain County residents are locking their doors and loading their guns after a suspect in a double homicide escaped from…
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Cherokee voters to decide on alcohol sales at casino
After years of grappling with the controversial issue of alcohol sales on tribal land, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians…
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Grants benefit Cherokee arts
Cherokee Preservation Foundation recently awarded 25 new grants totaling nearly $3.2 million. Here are a few targeting the arts: •…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Going to Grandfather Mountain and back
By Izzy Hendershot (age 7) • Notes in italics by Dad We hopped in the car and started off. The…
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Civil suit following toddler’s death blames DSS for failing to intervene
A lawsuit filed against the Haywood County Department of Social Services charging the agency could have prevented the death of…
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Heath Shuler: Too conservative for his party or right on the money?
He was endorsed by the Family Research Council for his pro-life stance and by the NRA for his support of…
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Ghost Town coaster opening faces big hurdles
Ghost Town investors are banking on finally getting the park’s Cliffhanger rollercoaster up and running in order to attract visitors…
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Uncle Fat and Cabbage-head
By Karen Dill The climatic temperaments in the month of March have been likened to gentle lambs or irascible lions.…
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Cause of quarry slide undetermined
Federal investigators with the Mine Safety and Health Administration have still not determined the cause of a slide last week…
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New Sylva town manager brings planning background to the table
The Sylva Town Board on Friday voted 3-2 to hire a new town manager with a background in planning. The…
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Heritage you can taste: Cherokee savor apples of their ancestors
Preserving Cherokee heritage goes beyond baskets, blow guns and pow-wows to the very foods and crops once grown and savored…
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Making friends with an injured crow
According to the current Ornithological Union listing, the appropriate non-scientific name for a crow is “common crow.” How apt! Like…
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Recipes, 3/25/09
Cabbage Rolls Stuffed with Corned Beef with Spicy Creole Sauce • 1 large head green cabbage • 1 small onion,…
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Macon eyes steep slope ordinance
The Macon County Planning Board is in the beginning stages of developing an ordinance that would regulate development on steep…
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Precarious boulder prompts creative action by DOT
There’s a big problem looming over a rural Swain County road — literally — and exactly how to solve it…
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Peace Jam provides unique opportunity for students
By Linda McFarland • Guest Columnist Imagine you are an eighth-grade student intent on learning all you can about social…
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Around here, March madness is a religion
March Madness is upon us, and if you or anyone in your house has ever played basketball or perhaps even…
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Water task force gives a glimpse of the future
Sometimes what at first seems utterly ridiculous turns out to be a foreshadowing. It’s happening with water use in this…
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Frank is always provocative and thought-provoking
Criminal Justice in America by Marshall Frank. AuthorHouse, 2008. 276 pages. In Criminal Injustice in America: Essays by a Career…
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Macon runway likely to clear hurdle of cash shortfall
It appears an $853,000 shortfall facing the Macon County airport runway extension may be covered with additional state and federal…
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Landslide highlights, once again, need for new laws
Another landslide occurred a little over a week ago, this one leaving a home teetering on the edge of a…
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Recapturing the magic of Disney‘s “Beauty and the Beast”
By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer Dressed in flip flops and shorts with an aroma of teen spirit in the…
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A complex legacy
William Dudley Pelley by Scott Beckman. Syracuse University Press. 269 pages. The first time I heard the name William Dudley…
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Hiking every last trail in the Smokies, and then some
By Danny Bernstein For the past year, I’ve kept a trail map of the Smokies and the trusted manual Hiking…
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Airport officials hold private meeting about runway
Local, state and federal officials involved in the controversial Macon County Airport runway extension held a private meeting last week.…
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Basil: king of herbs
By Jim Janke Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an incredible herb. Essential for tomato sauces, basil has plenty of other…
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Duke Energy, Jackson argue cases in court
Duke Energy and Jackson County appeared in court Monday (March 16) to argue over permits related to the removal of…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Cornell knows birds – and I don’t
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a citizen-science venture conducted under the auspices of Cornell Lab of Ornithology and…
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WCU announces faculty layoffs
Under a budget cut scenario announced last Friday (March 13), 31.75 employees will be laid off from Western Carolina University…
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Uplifted by the flight of birds
Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about birds. I guess I have them on my mind, in part, because the…
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Agencies, departments reeling from county budget cuts
Non-profit agencies and county departments in Haywood County are still reeling from massive budget cuts announced by commissioners last week.…
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Troubled park hopes to get back on feet
The dire state of finances at Maggie Valley Ghost Town in the Sky led the amusement park to file for…
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