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Oconaluftee Institute chooses Queen as program coordinator
Joel Queen has been named the new program coordinator and instructor at the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts in Cherokee.…
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Public art and community involvement
When Wayne Trapp made his proposal to the WPAC last April, he suggested that rather then depict actual countries in…
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A memoir about misguided parents
Lies My Mother Never Told Me by Kaylie Jones. William Morrow, 2009. 284 pages Memoirs by children of famous people…
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Photographer George Schober returns to Gallery 86 with collection of nature photography
The Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 will host the exhibit, “Natural Perspectives,” featuring the photographic work of Vietnam veteran…
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BMP’s problems not apparent
At first glance, it is hard to see why Balsam Mountain Preserve has been unable to satisfy the lenders behind…
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Swain auditor warns that drastic measures needed
An auditor for Swain County had a clear-cut message to pass on to commissioners this week: make drastic cutbacks in…
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Saving Judaculla Rock: Preservation work begins on local artifact
By Julia Merchant • Contributing writer Priceless artifacts often end up tucked safely away behind the protective glass cases of…
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Downtown Waynesville prepares for a new arrival
The Waynesville Public Art Commission will celebrate the installation of “Celebrating Folkmoot,” their third commissioned public art piece, on Nov.…
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Treadway, Reidmiller run unopposed
This year’s elections in Bryson City will be a cinch for Alderwoman Stephanie Treadway and Alderman Tom Reidmiller. Both are…
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Most like plans for Russ Avenue makeover
A proposed redesign of Russ Avenue, the main commercial thoroughfare in Waynesville, received strong public support among those who attended…
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Waynesville welcomes Apple Harvest Festival
The 21st annual Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17,…
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Kephart’s fast friendship with the Barnetts
I have nothing to add to Gary Carden’s perceptive review of Horace Kephart’s posthumous novel Smoky Mountain Magic (Great Smoky…
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New and improved appraisal method aims to better calibrate property values
An analysis of property values in Haywood County aims to reduce disparities between the value listed on the county’s tax…
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Amid tough times, DSS director denied raise
After much deliberation, Swain County commissioners voted 3-2 against an $8,800 pay raise for the Department of Social Services director…
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Collins, Scott battle for mayor’s post in Franklin
Tensions are rife as Franklin Alderman Bob Scott and Mayor Joe Collins butt heads over the prize of a mayor…
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One of area’s first mega developments in trouble
Balsam Mountain Preserve, a mega development on 4,400 acres in Jackson County, has defaulted on the terms of a $19.8…
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New plan aims to corral chaotic thoroughfare
A plan to redesign Russ Avenue would dramatically alter the appearance and traffic flow along the frenzied main commercial artery…
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Maggie pins hopes on director to turn corner on festival grounds
The Town of Maggie Valley is moving closer toward hiring a festival director to market its struggling festival grounds. Aldermen…
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Libraries see increased usage as recession lingers
Local libraries report that more people are streaming through their doors as a direct result of the recession. Area residents…
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Angel Medical continues to stand alone
While neighboring hospitals count down the days until an affiliation is finalized, Angel Medical Center in Franklin continues to stand…
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Angel CEO says hospital investing in its future
When Tim Hubbs stepped down as the CEO of Drake Software, a Franklin firm that writes accounting software, he thought…
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Hazelwood clings to its post office under threat of closure
Hazelwood seems to be getting the short end of the stick these days. Once an independent blue-collar town boasting a…
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Price tag on land a deal killer for Jackson greenway
Despite their conceptual support for a greenway along the Tuckasegee River, Jackson County commissioners expressed hesitation about purchasing land to…
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Loss of transparency likely for Haywood under new hospital joint venture
Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare are in the final stages of forming a partnership, with plans to launch a…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Just leisure time in good company So much of our time in this soured economy is spent paying homage to…
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Duke’s rate hike request is poorly timed, not needed
The state should turn down Duke Energy’s request for a nearly 13 percent hike in utility rates and instead encourage…
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A little hometown appreciation
Country music recording artist Matt Stillwell will return to his roots Thursday, Oct. 15, for a hometown Homecoming week concert…
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A sanctuary for scientists: Smokies’ slopes seen as frontier in global warming research
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most studied national parks in the country. It consistently ranks…
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Costa’s eye for unique insect details
Western Carolina University biologist Jim Costa traces his interest in insect societies to studies of social interactions of caterpillars made…
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Kephart’s novel a time capsule from bygone era
Among the varied “revelations” brought to light during the celebrations attending the 75th Anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Task force wants final crack at honing road list
Dueling solutions for relieving traffic on N.C. 107 in Sylva are poised to make the final cut in the long-awaited…
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Lorraine Conard to unveil ‘Riding on Your Wings’ at Colonial Theater Oct. 17
Local singer-songwriter Lorraine Conard celebrates the release of her new CD, “Riding on Your Wings,” with a release party to…
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Bridging the divide: Maggie struggles to find new identity among tourists, second-home owners and year-round residents
Home to 3,000 motel rooms yet only 1,610 year-round residents, Maggie Valley can’t exactly escape the term “tourist town.” Anyone…
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Maggie chases festivals as ticket to tourism
When the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen purchased land for a town festival ground in 2002, it had high hopes…
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Storytelling traditions live on
Naturalist, herbalist, lecturer, writer, adventure trip leader, folklorist and prize-winning harmonica player Doug Elliott has a new book. Titled Swarm…
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Rebellion reigns in historical novel
Devil’s Brood: The Last Days of the Tempestuous Marriage of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine by Sharon Kay Penman.…
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Graham and Swain part ways over Deal’s Gap debate
Graham County delivered yet another jolt to the three-month debate over who should provide emergency services to Deal’s Gap, a…
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Cat lovers quietly care for wild colonies
Move over rabbits, it’s cats that multiply like crazy in Haywood County. According to the Haywood Animal Welfare Association, there…
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Swain at last makes foray into animal control
Swain County Manager Kevin King has an ambitious idea for finally addressing the years-old issue of animal control, or lack…
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Citizen groups from all 50 states call for swift action on climate change
By Brent Martin • Guest Columnist With the long August recess now behind them, Senators have returned to Washington, D.C.,…
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What’s in a name? Tourism web site succumbs to proper spelling
The Haywood Tourism Development Authority announced some good news last week for all those miffed by the incorrect spelling of…
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Shortchanged again, WNC demands highway dollars back
Western North Carolina has steadily lost out on tens of millions in federal highway dollars over the past decade, despite…
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Task force declared finished as draft plan advances for public review
Some members of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force feel like the list of road projects bearing their name has…
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September in the Mountains: Homecoming, Watergate Salad, and the possibility of change
September in the mountains is an emotionally poignant time as it signals the end of summer and the beginning of…
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Working to bring back the American chestnut
By Julie Ball • Correspondent As a boy, Gene Gibson remembers his parents heading to some of Western North Carolina’s…
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Duke faces stiff opposition to proposed rate hike
Duke Energy’s rate hike request met strong opposition at a public hearing before members of the N.C. Utilities Commission in…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Dancin' on the dunes “Look at the butterflies!” I said. “I know, I’ve been counting them – 27, 28, 29,…
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It’s time to go, but the cord won’t cut so easily
I have lived in a lot of places in my life — countless apartments, dorm rooms, and houses, some of…
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Lasting precedent doubtful as county closes books on erosion suit
Developers looking for shortcuts around erosion laws won’t find amnesty in a recent court case between a landowner and Haywood…
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Local illustrator part of upcoming Open Studios Tour
James Lyle is an internationally renowned illustrator and artist whose work appears in comic books, in campaigns for major corporations,…
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