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Rooting out landslide prone slopes
As much as mountain dwellers take pride in the gnarled and weathered Rhododendron thickets that characterize Appalachian mountainsides, the signature…
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Duke countersues Jackson
Duke Energy has fired back at Jackson County’s attempt to seize the Dillsboro Dam with a counterclaim of its own.…
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Family time before deployment a mix of emotions
I do not much like having my photograph taken, but there is one picture of me I have always liked.…
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Judge refuses to dismiss Mathis slander case against Council on Aging board chair
Three years later, Denise Mathis, former director of the Haywood County Council on Aging, is still fighting to restore her…
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Sheriff, Swain point fingers over budget shortfall
The on-going tension between Swain County commissioners and the sheriff has surfaced yet again, this time over the root cause…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Surprises under fog I decided to take advantage of a few free hours last Friday morning to get a firsthand…
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WCU shoreline studies send out call to action
Western Carolina University professor Rob Young has co-authored a book titled The Rising Sea, which bears an “urgent message” for…
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Indigo mushrooms elicit eureka moment
When John Springstead went hiking through the forest behind his house outside Bryson City last week, he stumbled across a…
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Permit lapses for proposed Jackson County golf course
Plans for a 300-acre golf course on Cullowhee Mountain in Jackson County have been temporarily sidelined after developers failed to…
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Entering the mind of a terrorist
First up for review this week is Piers Paul Read’s The Death of a Pope (Ignatius Press, ISBN 978-1-58617-295-4), the…
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Sign snatching a futile effort to enforce ordinance without teeth
Illegal temporary signs are so commonplace in Waynesville that Byron Hickox — the town’s land use manager — does a…
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A gifted writer, a great naturalist
Those of you who enjoy reading books about the Smokies should make an effort to locate a copy of Hidden…
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Watershed assessment still underway
The team of experts conducting an ecological assessment of Waynesville’s 8,600-acre watershed has collected so much data that they have…
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Dam fight between Duke, Jackson goes to federal court
Jackson County’s lawsuit against Duke Energy to seize the Dillsboro Dam and surrounding river shore through eminent domain has been…
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HCC crafts students awarded fine arts scholarships
Four Haywood Community College Professional Crafts students, representing each field of study, were recently awarded Gateway to the Arts Scholarships.…
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Macon wades gingerly toward transportation plan
As the main coordinator of a comprehensive transportation plan for Macon County, Ryan Sherby faces a long road ahead of…
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Scholarship to fund WCU students at Highlands Biological Station
A scholarship fund to encourage biological research among students at Western Carolina University has been created as a tribute to…
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A seven-year vigil for peace
A quiet gathering of people stood outside Haywood County’s courthouse on a recent Wednesday afternoon holding colorful signs and flags…
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Quantifying solitude: Building a lockbox around the Chattooga River
The forest service has pledged to ensure a solitary wilderness experience on the upper Chattooga River, even if it means…
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Preserving craft and livelihood: Successful Quilt Trails of WNC coming soon to Haywood, Macon
By Julia Merchant • Contributing Writer Take a drive through the countryside of Western North Carolina, and you’ll likely notice…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Taking a swim through the air On long narrow graceful wings, the common nighthawk seems lighter than air as it…
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Emotional healthcare debate brings out both sides in Sylva
The battle over healthcare reform hit home in Sylva last week. A crowd of more than 50 people gathered on…
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Business expert to offer tips in three WNC downtowns
With an economy still recovering from a recession, local businesses are reaching for ways to keep customers coming. Downtown associations…
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Lake J seeks state help for dam, sediment
Lake Junaluska Assembly is asking Haywood County commissioners to help it land state grants for maintenance on the lake and…
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WCU to pass on electric rate hike
Those who buy their power from Western Carolina University have historically enjoyed cheaper electric bills than their neighbors, but that…
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Haywood gets rolling on methane project
Haywood County commissioners have taken the first step in constructing a more than $1 million methane collection system at two…
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Follow the yellow brick road
• The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina are collected in a travel-size book that leads visitors on eight…
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Grouse habitat dedicated to outdoor lover
A project to create prime ruffed grouse habitat in the Cold Mountain Game Lands has been dedicated as the Jerry…
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The dark side of the Romantics
The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hobbler. Little, Brown and Company. 374 pages.…
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Borrowing bikes a big hit at university
Ever since the launch of the Yellow Bike Project in late August, a new bike culture has quickly sprung up…
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Macon group takes aim at day care shortage
By Julie Ball • Correspondent Working parents in Macon County have few choices when it comes to child care for…
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Player death prompts sickle cell testing for Western Carolina student athletes
Western Carolina University has enacted mandatory testing for the sickle cell trait among all student athletes following the death of…
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NC’s tourist trails
An Internet search for tourism trails spawns a list of results including biking in Texas, rail travel in England, a…
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Casada releases premier fly-fishing book of the Smokies
Award-winning outdoor writer Jim Casada has just published what he describes as “my book of a lifetime.” Fly Fishing in…
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If not now, then health care reform may never pass
This country must pass health care reform that accomplishes two major objectives: providing coverage for everyone and controlling skyrocketing costs.…
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Zahner’s special affection for Highlands
Biologist and ecologist Robert Zahner (1923-2007) was born in Summerville, S.C., and grew up in Atlanta. But his adopted “spiritual…
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State workers group chastises Shuler for health care opposition
Health insurance reform has garnered a seemingly incongruous ally: the already well-insured workers of the State Employees Association of North…
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Vivid descriptions fail to save flawed book
South of Broad by Pat Conroy. Nan A. Talese, 2009. 528 pages. In his latest novel, South of Broad (ISBN…
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Free clinics feel recession’s pinch
Amy Street thought she could finally afford health insurance this year. But that was before Street’s employer slashed 25 hours…
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Florida’s loss likely means our gain – and challenge
It’s always a little embarrassing to look on another’s misfortune and discover that you may be the beneficiary of their…
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Spinning tales, weaving dreams: Storyteller hopes to preserve craft and WNC history under one roof
By Julia Merchant • Contributing writer As a professional storyteller, Tim Hall is no stranger to spinning yarns — but…
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Graham jerks the rug out from Swain County in Deal’s Gap
Graham County has thrown a curve ball in an ongoing debate with Swain County over ambulance service in Deal’s Gap,…
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Niche tourism strategy debuts ‘micro’ Web sites
Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is employing an ambitious new marketing strategy to lure tourists, and their dollars, to the…
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Methane collection system at landfill in the works
Haywood County officials are racing against the clock to get a methane collection system built at two landfills before the…
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Paddlers get restricted access to Chattooga
A long-standing ban on paddling on the Upper Chattooga River will be lifted this winter, but not without a host…
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Panthertown trail plan designates use
A new trail management plan designed to rein in heavy use by competing forms of recreation in Panthertown Valley will…
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Acclaimed fiber artist to exhibit, teach at The Bascom
An exhibition by critically acclaimed fiber artist Cat Chow opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept.…
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Pooches pose problem in Sylva
A debate has erupted in Sylva over whether dogs should be allowed in the town’s new Bridge Park, a small…
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A natural passion for history
Naturalist, photographer and writer Edwin Way Teale (1899-1980) was born in Joliet, Ill. American nature writing in descriptive prose inevitably…
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Cell company dashes hopes new tower will mimic pine tree
A new cell phone tower has been proposed on the south-facing side of Utah Mountain above Lake Junaluska. It would…
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