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Hiking the AT: A journey of mind, body, spirit
 

Hiking the AT: A journey of mind, body, spirit

By Josh Mitchell • Staff Writer The bad economy may be good for business along the Appalachian Trail. The AT…
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Ghost Town appears in bankruptcy court
 

Ghost Town appears in bankruptcy court

Ghost Town in the Sky revealed last week that it was driven into bankruptcy by the threat of foreclosure from…
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Bradbury succeeds again with new novel
 

Bradbury succeeds again with new novel

We’ll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury. William Morrow, 2009. 224 pages Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Ill., —…
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Swain jailer, murder suspect captured in California
 

Swain jailer, murder suspect captured in California

A jailer and the murder suspect she allegedly freed from the Swain County Detention Center a month ago were apprehended…
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Group, angry with government, descends on Franklin
 

Group, angry with government, descends on Franklin

An angry crowd stormed downtown Franklin on tax day last week, protesting the federal government’s bailouts, high taxes and pork…
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Tourist industry lines up to tap TDA coffers
 

Tourist industry lines up to tap TDA coffers

Requests for Haywood Tourism Development Authority money this year ran the gamut from the predictable to events making their debut…
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Local activist arrested at Cliffside protest
 

Local activist arrested at Cliffside protest

Avram Friedman, leader of the Sylva-based air quality group the Canary Coalition, was arrested during a protest march in Charlotte…
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Art as a spectator sport
 

Art as a spectator sport

More than 40 artists will race against the clock this weekend, crafting a piece of art from scratch in just…
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When is it safe to plant?
 

When is it safe to plant?

By Jim Janke When is it safe to plant tender annuals and vegetables in Haywood County? The standard answer we…
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Ancient chemical warfare
 

Ancient chemical warfare

I’m sometimes asked if the prehistoric Cherokees used any sort of poisons on their blowgun darts. These darts (slivers of…
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Grandview Lodge
 

Grandview Lodge

When Terry Ferguson and his wife Nancy bought the Grandview Lodge in 2008, they knew they were taking on a…
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Maggie Valley revs up the action for Thunder in the Smokies
 

Maggie Valley revs up the action for Thunder in the Smokies

Maggie Valley will roll out the welcome mat next weekend for more than 3,500 motorcycle riders descending on the tiny…
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HRMC, WestCare to join forces with Carolinas HealthCare
 

HRMC, WestCare to join forces with Carolinas HealthCare

By Becky Johnson & Julia Merchant • Staff writer Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare announced plans to join forces…
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Haywood Chamber of Commerce helps businesses achieve green goals
 

Haywood Chamber of Commerce helps businesses achieve green goals

When most business owners cast their eyes about the office — noting the reams of white paper spilling off the…
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Smokies brace for disease known to decimate bat populations
 

Smokies brace for disease known to decimate bat populations

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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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

Canaries in the coalmine As I passed the kitchen windows last Friday (4/10), a brilliant red streak caught my eye.…
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Athletes aspire to pro ranks: Small university still packs big punch in spring sports
 

Athletes aspire to pro ranks: Small university still packs big punch in spring sports

Western Carolina University softball star Mollie Fowler painfully remembers the day her shin broke in half playing shortstop. She dove…
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Waynesville could finally see long-awaited make-over of South Main Street
 

Waynesville could finally see long-awaited make-over of South Main Street

Waynesville’s South Main Street — the two-lane thoroughfare that is the major artery between downtown and the new Super Wal-Mart…
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Swain’s tax base just got even smaller
 

Swain’s tax base just got even smaller

Swain County, 86 percent of which is already owned by the federal government, lost a little more land from its…
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Jackson Paper bucks manufacturing trend
 

Jackson Paper bucks manufacturing trend

Last week’s announcement that 61 new jobs are coming to Sylva with the expansion of Jackson Paper is relief for…
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Waynesville land use plan back on the drawing board
 

Waynesville land use plan back on the drawing board

Waynesville leaders will finally kick off the town’s much-anticipated review of its six-year-old land use plan on April 22. Town…
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Funding for festivals and visitor centers hinges on tourism board decisions
 

Funding for festivals and visitor centers hinges on tourism board decisions

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will weigh the merits of grant applications from tourism groups over the coming week.…
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Macon leaders question Georgia sewer headed their way
 

Macon leaders question Georgia sewer headed their way

Macon County commissioners voiced concern this week over a proposed sewer treatment plant that would discharge into the Little Tennessee…
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Cherokee tackles long-standing problems of housing and drugs
 

Cherokee tackles long-standing problems of housing and drugs

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has announced plans for an affordable housing development and substance abuse treatment center in…
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Everyone's mother
 

Everyone's mother

Mother Jones by Elliott J. Gorn. Hill and Wang, 2002. 408 pages. When Mother Jones celebrated her (allegedly) 100th birthday…
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Dogwoods in the mountains
 

Dogwoods in the mountains

In the Smokies region, there are three species of dogwood. Everyone is familiar with flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), which is…
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Nuisance debate both crass and credible
 

Nuisance debate both crass and credible

Every now and then a government proposal takes on such a vigorous life of its own that its intent gets…
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New library complex will honor courthouse heritage
 

New library complex will honor courthouse heritage

In Massachusetts, a vacant textile mill is now an art museum. An old city hall became a restaurant. In California,…
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Cherokee parents protest losses in children’s trust fund
 

Cherokee parents protest losses in children’s trust fund

A throng of about 150 angry members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians turned out to the Birdtown Community…
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Noisy and determined opponents get their way with nuisance ordinance
 

Noisy and determined opponents get their way with nuisance ordinance

Take note — members of the public with an agenda to push could learn a thing or two from the…
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Lake Junaluska Duathlon: Athletes give rave reviews to new race
 

Lake Junaluska Duathlon: Athletes give rave reviews to new race

Between blue skies and blue water, the inaugural Lake Junaluska Duathlon won over dozens of runners and bikers this weekend.…
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Multi-family unit OK’d by judge, but court rules against proposed expansion
 

Multi-family unit OK’d by judge, but court rules against proposed expansion

The neighborhood covenants of a Maggie Valley homeowners association were put to the test in court recently. A developer sued…
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Affordable senior condos spark opposition among downtown Waynesville neighbors
 

Affordable senior condos spark opposition among downtown Waynesville neighbors

Residents of a downtown Waynesville neighborhood are up in arms about a proposed three-story, 64-unit condo development that would provide…
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Ghost Town partners establish own credit line
 

Ghost Town partners establish own credit line

Owners of Ghost Town in the Sky hope to funnel up to $500,000 into the amusement park in order to…
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Macon airport lands more money for artifact surveys
 

Macon airport lands more money for artifact surveys

Opposition to the airport runway extension in Macon County continues to mount, with a standing-room-only crowd attending last week’s Airport…
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Vacated library could become new home for Sylva police
 

Vacated library could become new home for Sylva police

The Sylva Police Department may find a new home in the Jackson County Public Library on Main Street once the…
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From South America to the Appalachians
 

From South America to the Appalachians

Alpacas herald from South America, but are increasingly being found on farms in the Southern Appalachians. Alpacas are in the…
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New Swain jail continues to rack up costs
 

New Swain jail continues to rack up costs

Weeks following an escape at the brand-new Swain County jail, county commissioners agreed to an emergency appropriation of $139,000 at…
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Weavers bring finest of craft to WNC
 

Weavers bring finest of craft to WNC

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer This April, nearly 100 professional weavers and spinners will converge at Lake Junaluska in…
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Jackson ordered to relinquish permits that pave way for dam removal
 

Jackson ordered to relinquish permits that pave way for dam removal

Despite losing yet another court battle over the Dillsboro dam, the majority of Jackson County commissioners have vowed to continue…
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Jackson Paper adding 61 jobs in Sylva
 

Jackson Paper adding 61 jobs in Sylva

Stonewall Packaging LLC, a joint venture of Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co., announced today that it will invest more than $17…
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Anne Rice’s spiritual journey
 

Anne Rice’s spiritual journey

Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession by Anne Rice. Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. 256 pages. The books are piling…
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Park starts lengthy reorganization process
 

Park starts lengthy reorganization process

Despite the daunting hurdles faced by Ghost Town in the Sky to get the Maggie Valley amusement park open by…
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State wants assurances before approving loan for Sylva fire department
 

State wants assurances before approving loan for Sylva fire department

The town of Sylva continues to be plagued by a financial mistake made last year in which $2 million in…
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Get ready for life in the fast lane
 

Get ready for life in the fast lane

It seems impossible that my niece is going to have a baby. She is 20 years old, which is about…
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Local couple recognized for land stewardship
 

Local couple recognized for land stewardship

John and Jane Young of Haywood County have been recognized by the North Carolina Forest Stewardship Program for their commitment…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

Watershed dreaming Last Saturday (April 4) was another sojourn into the town of Waynesville’s 8,500-acre plus watershed. The town initiated…
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Alpacas: Furry, friendly and in 23 colors
 

Alpacas: Furry, friendly and in 23 colors

The group that Joe Moore hangs out with most days is an eclectic one, with names like Jack Straw, Reuben,…
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Ghost Town’s struggles challenge community
 

Ghost Town’s struggles challenge community

As Ghost Town continues to struggle, many are finally coming to grips with the reality that the Old West theme…
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All airport documents requested in lead up to runway lawsuit
 

All airport documents requested in lead up to runway lawsuit

An environmental group out of Asheville plans to sue the Macon County Airport Authority and other parties involved in the…
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