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Landslide damages financially-strapped Jackson development
A landslide at the Waterdance development in the Tuckasegee area of Jackson County washed out a road and dumped a…
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Macon slope committee hands off proposed building regulations
After months of hard work, Macon County’s steep slope committee shared its recommendations with the county’s planning board last week.Now…
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Swain starts to budge on Deal’s Gap debate
Despite Graham County pledging to end all emergency services to Deal’s Gap starting Jan. 1, its EMS director has already…
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The nuts and bolts of the bench
The starting salary for a judge is $109,000, but can climb much higher for judges with a long tenure thanks…
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Judicial candidates
There are three district court judge seats up for election this year. Candidates must designate which seat they are running…
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Bench holds tradition of balanced temperament
Steve Bryant was fresh out of law school and just learning his way around the courtroom when the judge hearing…
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Free wireless in downtown Waynesville a hit or miss affair
There’s free wireless up for grabs to anyone ambling down Main Street in Waynesville, but it’s so obscure that even…
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‘Judge not,’ or so my mom always taught me
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and…
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Angela Faye martin delivers another kind of Mountain Music
Forget Asheville. Forget cities altogether. Angela Faye Martin’s impressive first full-length album “Pictures from Home” could only have materialized deep…
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One fateful night
The Turnaround by George Pelecanos. Little, Brown and Company, 2009. 320 pages On a sweltering summer night in 1972, three…
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Federal bill aims to save Parkway views at risk from development
A bill before Congress could help save views along the Blue Ridge Parkway by setting aside $75 million over five…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Bird’s the word North Carolina’s state parks and Audubon North Carolina have joined together to celebrate the “Year of the…
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Gun ban in national parks lifted
Loaded guns are now legal in national parks. The new rule is two years in the making. Previously, guns had…
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Take a gander along the Smokies Scenic byway
The stunning beauty that surrounds U.S. 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park outside Cherokee draws thousands of tourists…
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Perfecting the art of shelving books
Some readers might recall that three weeks ago — in a column about relocating my long lost inscribed copy of…
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Duke Energy president agrees to meet with Cherokee chief
A disagreement over Duke Energy’s placement of a power substation near Cherokee’s most significant cultural site has instigated a meeting…
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Haywood acquires fiberoptic line
Haywood County recently dropped a lawsuit against Wynncom, after the telecommunications company agreed to hand over its fiberoptic network to…
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Ghost Town pays liability insurance bill after slide
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park was behind on its general liability insurance payments in the months leading up…
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Jackson sheriff sparks controversy, policy change with expenditures
Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe may not have done anything illegal, but he’s stepped into the middle of a controversy…
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Nuts and bolts of landslide mapping
Macon County was the first to be targeted under a statewide initiative launched in 2006 to map areas prone to…
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Geologists: Maggie landslide still unstable
While residents wait for answers and 16,000 tons of debris hangs precariously over the Rich Cove community, an army of…
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Creditors to vote on whether Ghost Town reorganizes or liquidates
Dozens of local businesses owed money by Ghost Town are mulling over ballots this week that will ultimately decide the…
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Haywood commissioners urged to stick by Christian prayers despite court ruling
A group of Christians paid a visit to Haywood County commissioners Monday night to urge them to pray to Jesus…
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Macon fly-over shows what’s at stake
There’s no way to prevent landslides in the mountains, but there is a way to make their impact on humans…
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Swain jail may finally see return of federal prisoners to help offset costs
In rare good news for Swain County’s jail, a new agreement will soon usher federal prisoners into the often half-empty…
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Void of state and federal aid prompts community to step up in landslide disaster
The threat of another landslide isn’t stopping volunteers from facing the mudslide head-on and helping wherever they can. Local volunteers…
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Watching sleazy 80s movies late at night
“Don’t do it, Dan.” Michael Douglas is Dan Gallagher, and he is sitting across the table from Alex Forrest, played…
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Making sure Swain County gets its due
The cash settlement now signed and sealed for Swain County in lieu of building the North Shore Road is a…
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A book about beer, food, and Gnometown cooking
Cooking with wine is familiar. Cajun chef Justin Wilson, one of television’s first real food celebrities, liberally tipped Chablis into…
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An American original
Devil’s Dream by Madison Smartt Bell. Pantheon, 2009. 352 pages. Although several biographies of Nathan Bedford Forrest have found publishers…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Snow Day! Enough already with the “Enough already!” I know it’s snowing again. Yep school is closed again. I’ve got…
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Cataloochee grows racing tradition
No one expected Franco Rossi. The Italian, raised in Milan in the shadows of the mighty Dolomites, stepped off the…
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Topography and language
I enjoy using variants on the phrase “lay of the land.” One can “get the lay of the land” in…
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Local fishermen sad to see the dam go
The first day of demolition on the Dillsboro Dam attracted hundreds of spectators last Wednesday. A roadside pull-off overlooking the…
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A time for healing
The signing of a cash settlement deal for Swain County last week was a heartbreaking end to a lifelong struggle…
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Safeguards in place, but cracks remain
While buckling and cracks were readily visible in old retaining walls built out of railroad ties at Ghost Town in…
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What is Kituwah?
Kituwah is a concept much larger than the mound site proper, which is recorded with the state register of historic…
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Waynesville moves on skate park
Skateboard enthusiasts in Waynesville will be happy to hear the town has been busily preparing for a long-awaited skate park…
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No road in or out
On Friday night, a mudslide thundered across Rich Cove Road in Maggie Valley, taking out a section of a guardrail…
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Duke project threatens sacred character of Kituwah site
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians may pursue legal action against Duke Energy after learning about the utility company’s plans…
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After scare of slide wears off, residents want answers
Betty Miner was standing in her kitchen getting ready to fix supper last Friday when the pictures on her walls…
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Going, going, gone
When Duke first broached the idea of tearing down the Dillsboro dam eight years ago, Mark Singleton thought he would…
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Corridor K sent back to drawing board
A proposed four-lane highway through a mountainous region of Graham County has suffered a setback. The N.C. Department of Transportation…
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Messy lawsuits likely left in landslide’s wake
It could take months or even years for lawsuits over a massive landslide in Maggie Valley to be resolved, leaving…
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Cash settlement here at last
Swain County officially signed a cash settlement with the federal government in a moving and historic ceremony Saturday, ending a…
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Sylva teen club closes quietly
A Sylva teen club that sparked controversy two months ago by disseminating a flyer inviting high school students to “come…
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Rescue workers act fast in landslide disaster despite threat of more to fall
Chris Carver found himself in the unusual position of being both rescuer and evacuee when a massive mudslide struck Rich…
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‘Accidental note’ starts teen’s healing process
By Buffy Queen • Guest Columnist As the middle school girls trailed out of the classroom one morning last spring,…
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Rich Cove may be a portent of things to come
Writing about the weather is usually about as exciting as a yawn. For 12 months, though, we in the mountains…
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Recipes - Feb. 2
Chicken and Dumplings: 1 chicken, about 3 pounds 2 Quarts water 1 Teaspoon Salt 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper 2 Cup All-purpose…
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