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The Naturalist's Corner
Birrrrrding the big chill The annual Balsam Christmas Bird Count was scheduled for last Saturday (Jan. 2). However, scary weather…
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Elk could be booted from state species of special concern list
Elk could lose their status as a species of special concern under a new rule change proposed by the N.C.…
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Aspects of life from a rural cove
This marks my tenth year of writing a weekly Back Then column for The Smoky Mountain News. In all that…
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Nonprofits struggle in adverse fundraising climate
It has been a difficult year for environmental nonprofits. State budget cuts have meant fewer grants and philanthropic endowments have…
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Decision pending soon in Jackson’s last chance to save the Dillsboro dam
After years of battling Duke Energy in nearly every legal arena it could scout out, Jackson County was dealt a…
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Folkmoot, Evergreen Packaging form multiyear partnership
Folkmoot USA, North Carolina’s Official International Festival, has locked down its first presenting sponsor. Evergreen Packaging has partnered with the…
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2009: Looking back at the newsmakers
The Smoky Mountain News is paying homage this week to some of the newsmakers of 2009 by dishing out our…
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New festival director seeks a larger audience for Maggie Valley
The hunt for a festival director for Maggie Valley is officially over. Beating out 22 other applicants, Audrey Hager took…
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Fund for Haywood County announces $16,000 in grants for recession relief
The Fund for Haywood County recently handed out $16,000 in grants to county nonprofits providing services for recession relief. The…
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We need good journalism; for now that means newspapers
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist I’ve spent most of my life minding my own business. I was raised by…
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WNC experts share the music, movies and books they loved in 2009
It’s the end of another year, and everyone knows what that means — a deluge of countdowns featuring the year’s…
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Dickens’ backstabbing best friend explores London’s underworld
Drood by Dan Simmons. Little, Brown & Company, 2009. 775 pages. I must admit, I’ve never been much of a…
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The Naturalist's Corner
2010-to be continued Will 150-foot long fiberglass wands magically spin electricity from mountaintop zephyrs across Western North Carolina in the…
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Worthy of support
Western North Carolina has a plethora of environmental groups, making it easy to find the one that best matches up…
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The colors of winter
For my wife, Elizabeth, and me, winter doesn’t arrive until the first of each year. From now until spring is…
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Outrage erupts over Sylva teen club
A little-known teen club shook the Town of Sylva out of a slumber last week and shone a bright light…
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Jackson commissioners take over airport authority
Facing a moribund governing body and a facility once again in need of expensive repairs, the Jackson County board of…
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Striking while the iron’s hot
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has found a silver lining in the Interstate 40 closure following a massive rockslide…
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Safeguarding the settlement
A cash settlement with the federal government in lieu of the long-promised North Shore Road will reap annual dividends for…
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EDC audit out of reach due to spotty records
Jackson County commissioners closed the book on a painful chapter in the county’s history on Monday, announcing they would give…
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Sylva bypass makes the cut
Jackson County commissioners were split over whether to endorse the construction of a controversial new highway outside of Sylva when…
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Haywood tourism leaders critical of state’s response to rockslide
State officials have not turned a blind eye to the economic pain caused by the rockslide in Western North Carolina,…
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Snowstorm puts damper on critical shopping weekend
Business owners in Western North Carolina are wrapping up an absurdly challenging year. On top of dealing with a lingering…
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Tuscola produces two division I quarterbacks in five years
In the space of five years Tuscola High School’s football program has produced two big-time college quarterback prospects. While Friday…
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Locals do what it takes for fresh tracks
For seasoned Smoky Mountain outdoor enthusiasts, snow in the forecast means the chance to indulge suppressed fantasies. Whether its getting…
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Tourism turnaround set back by rockslide
After a slight increase in overnight visitors this fall following a dismal summer, Haywood County tourism officials are dreading November…
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Shuler scores millions for Swain in North Shore Road debate
Claude Douthit has spent half his life fighting the federal government over the North Shore Road. The decades-old debate dates…
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Slump in construction leads Maggie to can building inspector
The Town of Maggie Valley decided Monday to lay off its building inspector after already trimming 10 hours off his…
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Yeah right, sure it’s gonna snow
“Winter Storm Warning, Haywood County.” That’s what it said on television Thursday night, up in the top right corner of…
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Fix the flaws, stay the course
Waynesville’s land-use plan is an ambitious set of ideas adopted during a booming economic era and thus full of the…
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Accomplished musician will head Junaluska Singers
Melodie G. Galloway will take over as the new musical director for the Lake Junaluska Singers starting Jan. 1. “Directing…
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New book takes closer look at baskets and their makers
Anna Fariello believes that artifacts — somewhat like windows — can act as passageways to a culture’s soul. “Material culture…
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Love and sonnets meet in Shakespeare’s Italy
The Sonnet Lover by Carol Goodman. Ballantine Books, 2007. 368 pages. In The Sonnet Lover (Ballantine Books, ISBN 978-0-345-47957-0, $24.95),…
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Skiing the Blue Ridge: A newcomer’s tale
So the snow is coming down in sheets Friday, and Bethany says, “Do you think it’s going to be real…
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Naturalist's Corner
One less whooper Cayuga, Ind. – Wildlife Officials announce arrest. Enforcement agents for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and…
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Mistletoe and sycamore ring in winter
Each season has characteristic features that signal its arrival. Winter is no exception. Two of my winter favorites: mistletoe and…
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Road failures cast uncertainty on Wildflower’s future
In 2005, two investment partners from Atlanta broke ground on a massive project on the slopes of Cowee Mountain in…
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Health care facilities to create new jobs
After successfully enlisting the help of local government, Haywood Regional Medical Center and Maggie Valley Health Investors are chasing state…
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Waynesville gets on board rail movement for passengers and freight
Last week, Waynesville’s town board linked up with a growing grassroots movement that is calling for increased rail capacity. The…
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State snuffs out smoking in bars and restaurants
Promptly after ringing in the new year, North Carolina will usher in a smoking ban in restaurant and bars on…
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Towns use fees, restrictions to push back against video gambling look alike
Local governments have begun the process of regulating cyber sweepstakes machines, which are multiplying rapidly across Western North Carolina. The…
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Campaign reminds shoppers to spend where they live
When store owners pack up their holiday decorations next month, there’s one thing Karen Wilmot hopes they will leave up…
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Franklin could reap windfall from sale of property
Franklin’s leaders are trying to decide what to do about a valuable piece of property on the outskirts of downtown,…
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Sylva borrows mantra of national buy local movement
As the holiday shopping season nears its final frenzy, Sylva’s business community is stressing the importance of buying local. The…
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One dollar reaps rewards seven times over
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business Directory. With the final throes…
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Waynesville panel may recommend rolling back rear parking mandate
A movement is afoot to roll back some of the smart growth principles of Waynesville’s land-use plan by loosening commercial…
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Swain settles lawsuit over sewer line cost overruns
Swain County commissioners have settled a ten-month long lawsuit with Buckeye Construction for $30,000, far less than the $127,000 originally…
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Round and round we go, where it ends, nobody knows
In the news business, the interplay between the Internet, mobile devices, television and print is at a precipitous crossroads where…
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Christmas gifts from the heart
According to the government standards defining poverty in the 1950’s, I was poor. My father did not hold a regular…
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Recipes, 12/16/09
My Mother’s Chicken Pot Pie • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves—cubed • 1 cup sliced carrots • 1…
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