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Video gambling industry undeterred by steep fees for “sweepstakes” machines
The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently upheld a state law that bans video gambling everywhere but the casino in…
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DOD-funded programs support local counseling initiatives
For the first time in history, the government, the military and private healthcare providers are working together to deliver the…
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Haywood County poised to buy abandoned Wal-Mart
Haywood County Commissioners are expected to vote this week to buy the abandoned Wal-Mart shopping center near Lake Junaluska and…
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Golf club to restore Upper Cullasaja
The Upper Cullasaja Watershed Association and the Cullasaja Club are pursuing state funding to restore the headwaters of the Cullasaja…
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Training effort bolsters enforcement of elder abuse
Elder abuse takes many forms and, thanks to a national grant program, law enforcement officers in Western North Carolina now…
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Haywood Regional projects positive financial picture
Haywood Regional Medical Center was in better financial shape than expected as it embarked on an affiliation with neighboring hospitals…
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Plastic bottle ban tough to police, but getting results
It may be illegal to throw away plastic bottles in North Carolina these days, but don’t expect a landfill patrol…
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Canton Mill pursues new pollution permit
Evergreen Packaging, a large paper mill in Canton, is seeking a new water pollution permit for the Pigeon River. The…
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Attorney admits forging judges’ signatures to help clients
A 31-year-old attorney in Jackson County pleaded guilty this week to forging judges’ signatures and creating phony court documents. John…
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Finding a WNC solution for ‘aging in place’
With so many unknowns ahead, it’s comforting there are proven solutions to one big challenge — the aging of the…
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Striking a balance between religion and religous freedom
Religion and its place in local government have once again arisen as issues in North Carolina. This means that many…
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Ice carvers set to compete at Haywood County’s innaugural Fire & Ice festival
Fellow ice carvers Jeff Pennypacker and Cary Shackelford are ever ready to etch out any sculpture that will satisfy their…
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Suspenseful guest drives novel
For some 30 years now, Bernard Cornwell has been one of the most prolific writers in the western hemisphere. With…
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A snowflake by any other name
It was one of those rare winter mornings when Haywood County Schools were on a two-hour delay. Izzy, my second-grader,…
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Masters of the night sky
The New Year has arrived and the great horned owls have commenced their annual “singing” along the dark ridges. These…
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Latest prayer case rekindles controversy
A federal magistrate’s recommendation that limits prayer before government meetings in Forsyth County has touched off a fiery debate across…
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Christians cling to one of last vestiges of prayer in public life
They haven’t gone quietly, and they haven’t gone quickly, but Christians are losing the battle over prayer in public life.…
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More than population stats hinge on accurate census
The census has been part of government since Roman times and it has the baggage to prove it. As the…
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Undaunted, elected leaders vow to keep praying as they please
Threat of a federal lawsuit won’t be enough to stop some county commissioners in Western North Carolina from praying in…
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Database breach raises concerns over Web security
In August a computer hacker broke into a North Carolina Community College System server and potentially gained access to the…
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Jackson airport to get repairs, new level of attention
The Jackson County commissioners have breathed new life into the county’s airport authority by taking it over. After appointing themselves…
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Foreclosure barrels down on Balsam Mountain Preserve
Foreclosure against Balsam Mountain Preserve could happen by month’s end barring a last-ditch financing deal by developers in the next…
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Macon residents still waiting on McCoy Bridge plan
A year ago, state officials promised a group of Macon County residents that they would get a cost estimate for…
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What to take from 2009? How about some positive signs for the year ahead
What to say about 2009? How about this: it ended on a high note for the overall economy, and that…
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My year-end list obsessions won’t go away
I have an irresistible urge to make a list. Apparently, it is what people must do at year’s end, especially…
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Bluegrass legend to record live DVD at Franklin concert
Area music fans will have a unique opportunity to help make history as a bluegrass/gospel music legend celebrates the 30th…
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New generation takes over at City Lights Books
What is a bookstore? The question was unimaginable when Joyce Moore bought City Lights Books in Sylva from Gary Carden…
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Characters mirror SMN readers
Rain Gods by James Lee Burke. Simon and Schuster, 2009. 448 pages. Readers of this column know that some authors…
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Bankrupt development conserved for future state park
A failed megadevelopment in the Lake Lure area around Chimney Rock has been conserved at a fire sale price, but…
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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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