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The Naturalist's Corner
Birds of a feather Yep, they’ll be flocking June 25 at 10 a.m. at the North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick…
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Terms of Duke’s offer made public
The terms of Duke Energy’s counter-offer to Jackson County and the town of Franklin in exchange for dropping their opposition…
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Woman turns passion into beneficial career
When Suzanne Wilson’s job was eliminated last December, she quickly found a new career, one that would allow her to…
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Families sacrifice land for creation of the park
Gudger Palmer has never forgotten the fond memories of growing up in Cataloochee Valley. At 100 years old, one memory…
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Macon budget avoids tax increase, layoffs
If you’re a county commissioner in Western North Carolina, it’s hard not to feel envious of Macon County’s budget. While…
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Haywood passes budget that includes tax hike
After months of struggling to solve a $7 million budget shortfall, Haywood County commissioners voted 3 to 2 Monday night…
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Duke begins prepping for dam removal
Despite the looming threat by Jackson County to win control of the Dillsboro Dam using eminent domain, Duke Energy announced…
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Education cuts deal harsh blow to public schools
By John Sanderson • Guest Columnist It was great to learn recently about the effort the Haywood County Schools Foundation…
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Culture and history to take rightful place in new visitor center
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held this week for a new visitor center at the main North Carolina entrance to the…
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Snippets from a poet’s life
Fall of Frost by Brian Hall. Penguin Group, 2008. 352 pages Since his death in 1963, Robert Frost has come…
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Jackson uses eminent domain to take dam
Jackson County played the ultimate trump card in the drawn-out fight against Duke Energy over the Dillsboro dam this week.…
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Recreating the past with nostalgic
Remembering Henderson County by Louise Bailey. History Press, 2005. 144 pages. In Louise Bailey’s Remembering Henderson County, the author recreates…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Goodbye to a native son A light has dimmed in the universe. It was a light that shone with gracious…
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Caught in the spider’s alluring web
Spiders are one of the most interesting — and sometimes disconcerting — critters to observe. Especially fascinating, to me, are…
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Haywood commissioners exhaust search for budget cuts, tax increase looms
A proposed tax increase that Haywood residents have fought hard against could likely be avoided if residents would just pay…
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Commissioners' viewpoints
Chairman Brian McMahan “I believe that river belongs to the people of the United States of America. That’s our river.…
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Frequently asked questions
Why does Duke want to tear down the dam? Dam removal is tied to the larger issue of mitigation for…
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Former Mountaineer publisher puts together Aleutian book
Photographer Ken Wilson of Waynesville recently published his first book, The Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Living on the Edge. The…
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Cherokee casino to be dry no more
When Beverly Easton came to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino for the first time and realized there was no drinking, she wondered…
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A race against time
While it’s hard to imagine as one gazes at the vast wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, more…
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Jackson takes on Duke Energy
Jackson County’s decision to take the Dillsboro dam through eminent domain is a bold next step in the relicensing saga…
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Parents turn out to support Swain principal
A group of nearly 45 parents and friends came out to show their support for embattled Swain County West Elementary…
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Ghost Town CEO preaches cohesive marketing
Ghost Town CEO Steve Shiver told players in the Haywood County tourism community they need to pull together if they…
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Tribe votes in favor of lease agreement with Wal-Mart
At long last, Wal-Mart will be coming to Cherokee. A move to bring a 120,000-square-foot superstore to the Eastern Band…
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Doing the public’s business in the open
By Avram Friedman Receiving public input is not a discretionary part of the decision-making process for elected public officials in…
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Save the kids – and me – from the madness
When people say that Jim Carrey can’t act and that his movies are terrible, I always point to “The Truman…
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Artists’ renderings of Smokies benefit National Park
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The misty mountaintops and bubbling creeks of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have…
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The unique ways of the kingfisher
Belted kingfishers are one of my favorite birds. A pair fishes along the small creek on our property during the…
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Gorge outfitters debate direction
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A year ago, a group of more than 40 rafting outfitters gathered to discuss…
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New model for mountain living
Mixed-use developments where residents live, work, shop and dine within a few block radius are popping up in cities around…
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Deal over Dillsboro dam could be afoot
Five years into a bitter fight over the fate of the Dillsboro Dam, Duke Energy showed its first sign of…
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Questions mount over popular Swain principal’s sudden departure
Parents at West Elementary School in Swain County are questioning the circumstances surrounding the departure of a popular principal. In…
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Time to go all in at Harrah’s
It’s time for Harrah’s Cherokee Casino to offer alcohol to patrons, especially since the Tribe is counting on receipts from…
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Ivy covered walls
By Jim Janke When our house was being built it became obvious that we needed to hide two 40 feet…
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Patriot’s story is unflinching, honest
American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day by Robert Coram. Little, Brown and Company, 2007. Robert Coram’s…
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Creation of the park was marked by triumph and tragedy
The creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75 years ago was nothing short of a miracle. The pitfalls…
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New landfill proves money pit for Haywood
Haywood County commissioners grappling with the $4.4 million price tag of a landfill expansion briefly eyed the steep engineering costs…
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Creating the park: the early years
1900s Logging and lumber companies built railroads, camp towns and timber camps, slashing across the landscape while fueling an economic…
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Study shows Gorge economic impact significant
The Nantahala Gorge contributes $85 million to the local economy each year, and is the primary reason many tourists make…
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Restoration blends function with history
After more than two years, the Haywood County historic courthouse has finally been returned to its original grandeur. The painstaking…
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Haywood residents protest property tax hike during bad economy
Scores of Haywood County taxpayers criticized the county’s proposed budget at a public hearing Monday (June 1) saying commissioners had…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Stop and smell the flowers Sure, we all hear it and we all think, “I’m gonna do just that as…
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New hospital structure could dilute autonomy
Although the board of Haywood Regional Medical Center could lose much of its control following its affiliation with WestCare, it…
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You can’t stash true wealth in a bank
By John Beckman • Guest Columnist The concept of wealth has been sideswiped over the last few decades. It seems…
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Pennington recreates scenes of the Smokies
As a little girl, Teresa Pennington of Waynesville looked forward to Sundays all week. After church, her family would venture…
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Rates jump prior to signing of library loan
Hints of an up tick in the economy are good news to say the least, but a resulting rise in…
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The alluring calls of song birds
In the opaque early-morning light outside our bedroom windows, the birds that reside in our woods — or do we…
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Research outpost engages scientists and students under backdrop of the Smokies
There are few places where scientists probing the mysteries of the natural world would rather be. The sweeping vistas of…
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Maggie grapples with best way to recruit new festivals
The town of Maggie Valley fired its part-time festival director after he failed to produce results a few months into…
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A funeral story of necessity and pragmatism
By Dawn Gilchrist-Young This is an Appalachian story because it is about resourceful people taking care of their own with…
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