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Jackson public asked to envision a greenway
For nearly a decade, a group of Jackson County residents have envisioned a greenway that would meander for miles from…
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Local farmers markets
Haywood Waynesville Tailgate Market 8 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and Saturdays at American Legion parking lot near downtown Waynesville. Haywood…
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Erosion laws put to the test
Haywood County’s sediment and erosion control policies are the subject of a bitter legal battle poised to set statewide precedent.…
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Do you have a gardening question?
By Jim Janke The purpose of Master Gardener programs is to increase the knowledge of horticulture among home gardeners. Master…
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Street vendors, store owners reach compromise
A potential clash between downtown Franklin merchants and street vendors was headed off the pass this week. For years, street…
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Swain jail keys found in get-away truck
The Swain County Sheriff’s Department got a welcome piece of news recently when it learned the escape of an inmate…
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Haywood County nixes old Wal-Mart purchase
It looks like the Department of Social Services in Haywood County won’t be getting a new home after all. Haywood…
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The Naturalist's Corner
What’s that buzzin? “Daddy, daddy, there’s a yellowjacket in the bedroom!” cried Izzy. And somehow, the dusty old synapses fired…
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Slowed housing market poses challenges for Swain property revaluation
The burst of the nation’s housing bubble has caused real estate markets to tank — everywhere, it seems, but in…
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The story of the fiddlehead
Fiddleheads are emerging from the leaf litter in our forests. Almost everyone, even those not especially interested in plants, has…
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A haven of nectar and beauty
The irises my wife, Elizabeth, cultivates in our yard are coming into full bloom as I write this. Their shapes…
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School serves as model for dealing with runoff
Innovative techniques for dispersing runoff and protecting neighboring streams will be highlighted during a program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May…
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Kephart proved to be a key figure in shepherding idea of a national park
With massive logging operations running full tilt in the Smokies in the 1920s, the sanctity of what once seemed like…
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Carden’s views on Kephart have softened
As a struggling albeit brilliant writer, Gary Carden never turns down money. So when an out-of-town man in a rental…
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Finding distinction in literature
The Genius by Jesse Kellerman. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2008. 384 pages Sixty years ago, Graham Greene, one of the great…
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Ellison came to WNC as a ‘Kephart pilgrim’
While George and Elizabeth Ellison are fixtures in Bryson City today — Elizabeth as a renowned artist and George as…
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Miss California takes on gay marriage
I cannot remember the last time I watched a minute of a beauty pageant. I never had much of an…
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You, too, can bike to work
Whether it’s for fitness, for fun or to save the planet, there’s plenty of reasons to bike to work. There’s…
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Gate goes up, Gorge community blocked out
By Julia Merchant • Staff writer One day last October, Bud Dills, a longtime Nantahala Gorge resident, headed down to…
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Ghost Town files financial statements with bankruptcy court
Ghost Town in the Sky owners paid themselves nearly $25,000 over two weeks in March despite the company being in…
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Jackson reluctant to turn over Duke dredging permits
An attorney for Duke Energy gave Jackson County commissioners a “friendly reminder” this week to stop dragging their feet on…
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Paying homage to the early park supporters
“When I first came into the Smokies the whole region was one of superb primeval forest. My sylvan studio spread…
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New bypass alone can’t fix N.C. 107 traffic
A fix for impending traffic congestion on N.C. 107 in Sylva doesn’t lie solely with a new bypass but will…
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Spot land-use plan to mark first forray into zoning
Jackson County leaders have finished the first draft of a planning ordinance they hope will transform the U.S. 441 corridor…
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CSA programs bring together consumers and the hands that feed them
Walk among the rows and rows of hydroponic butter leaf lettuce growing in William Shelton’s greenhouse, and you’ll notice a…
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Library bids come in well under budget
The bad economy has finally reaped some dividends for Jackson County taxpayers. Construction of the new Jackson County library and…
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The Naturalist's Corner
A decade of Birding for the Arts This past Saturday morning (May 2) more than 20 arts patrons and bird…
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Ghost Town and alderman at loggerheads
Ghost Town CEO Steve Shiver threatened to sue Maggie Valley Alderman Colin Edwards during a town meeting this week. Edwards…
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Celebrating 75 years
More than 200 state and local dignitaries gathered for a ceremony atop Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Smokies prepare for bat-decimating disease
In response to a growing concern about a new malady that has killed an estimated 400,000 bats north of here…
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Judging Kephart: Legacy of author, outdoorsman still debated
George Ellison never knows when a Horace Kephart pilgrim will come calling. But invariably, they will come — creaking up…
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New program aims to bring abusers to justice
Victims of domestic violence in Western North Carolina recently received a powerful new voice to help bring them justice. A…
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Entertainment options abound in Maggie Valley
Maggie Valley has a year-round of population of only 607, and its main drag contains dozens of 1960s-era mom and…
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HRMC board chair steps down
The board of Haywood Regional Medical Center bid farewell to chairman Glenn White April 24. White had served on the…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Hats off to Avram and the activist spirit Avram Friedman, executive director of the Canary Coalition, is not afraid to…
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Survey sheds light on WCU student vision for Cullowhee
What’s a college without a college town? It’s an almost unimaginable scenario to those who love the unique, quirky places…
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A chat with Carolinas Healthcare president
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The Smoky Mountain News caught up with Carolinas Healthcare System Chief Operating Officer and…
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All things wild and wonderful
By Karen Dill It is in April that the wild things emerge. Bears crawl from their dens; baby wolves are…
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When to celebrate
Depending on how you slice it, the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park could be celebrated on…
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Maggie to hold public hearing on Ghost Town loan
Officials at Ghost Town in the Sky continued to pressure Maggie Valley leaders this week to pony up a $200,000…
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HCC student finishes second at lumberjack event
A Haywood Community College wildlife student brought home a second-place finish in the STIHL Timbersports Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge this month.…
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Dispatches from the kinky South
Surreal South: an Anthology of Short Fiction and Poetry edited by Laura Benedict & Pinckney Benedict. Winston-Salem: Press 53 $19.95…
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Perdue’s no-show was a missed opportunity
“Gov. Beverly Perdue probably didn’t set out to give Western North Carolina a slap in the face Wednesday. “But we…
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Wild mountain boars
Numerous non-native plants have been introduced into the southern mountains during the last century or so. Many of these are…
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Fighting the fear that comes at night
I don’t really know when nightmares begin. I guess it is possible that babies have nightmares, shaken awake in the…
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TDA debates where to draw line for events that may not benefit entire county
Should a private business receive taxpayer money to stage an event? That was the question of the hour at two…
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Annexation gets more scrutiny as liquor issue comes into play
Business owners hoping to be annexed by Waynesville in order to serve alcohol be out of luck. At a meeting…
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The Naturalist's Corner
A picture is worth a thousand words When the 1968 Apollo astronauts rounded the moon for the first time the…
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Green Initiative a great fit for Haywood County
The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce’s Green Initiative is one of those projects that is good on many different levels,…
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Ghost Town didn’t withhold sales tax
Among Ghost Town’s debts is $136,000 in back sales taxes owed to the state of North Carolina. It was previously…
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