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Paying homage to the early park supporters
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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 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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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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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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