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The curious habits of birds
The curious lifestyles and distinctive habits one can observe in the bird world are continually fascinating. Some things you can…
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Swain leaders divided on contentious fire station plan
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Two Swain County commissioners are having second thoughts about a move to end contracted…
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Board members confused about McDevitt contract
Questions continue to follow former Smoky Mountain Center for Mental Health director Tom McDevitt — who resigned amid scrutiny last…
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Dillsboro ups the ante as a green town
Two electric vehicles will soon be tooling around the town of Dillsboro thanks to a state grant aimed at reducing…
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Celebrating Southern filmmakers: Flicks for thought
By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer Spotlighting filmmakers from Georgia, Louisiana and Florida, Haywood County Arts Council presents the 2nd…
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State could pull contribution to Duke for dam removal
The $400,000 that Duke Energy was expecting to get from the state to help tear down the Dillsboro dam may…
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Give your vegetable garden a head start
By Jim Janke The last frost date is many weeks away, but everyone is anxious to get vegetable seeds and…
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Climbers asked to relinquish cliffs for peregrine falcons
Wildlife biologists are asking rock climbers to avoid known nesting habitats of the peregrine falcon as breeding and nesting season…
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Conservatism with a small “c”
Ain’t My America: The Long, Noble History of Antiwar Conservatism and Middle-American Ant-Imperialism by Bill Kauffman. Metropolitan Books, 2008. 304…
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Popeyed pleasures
Many people who spend some time walking the woodland stream banks and other wet areas here in the Smokies region…
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Swain pushes Bryson fire department aside in turf war
Prominently displayed in the window of the Bryson City Fire Department last week were several signs with the same defiant…
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Physicians, HRMC may partner on surgery center
The prospect of an outpatient surgery center in Haywood County has drawn support from 14 doctors willing to pitch in…
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Press awards recognize ‘dogged commitment’
The Smoky Mountain News won four awards for its news coverage in the recent North Carolina Press Association News and…
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Churches pool to offer refuge for homeless in Sylva, Waynesville
A homeless shelter has opened in Sylva to provide an escape from the frigid nights. The shelter, located at Lifeway…
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Flood Relief Funds: What really happened
By Denise A. Mathis • Guest Column One of the most publicized criminal cases in Haywood County history centered around…
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Waynesville mourns passing of long-time alderman
Waynesville Alderman Kenneth Moore passed away Monday (March 2) after a heart attack. He was 74. Moore was the former…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Peregrine pads protected Rock climbing trails across the Carolina mountains near known peregrine falcon nest sites have once again been…
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Tough year for HRMC teaches hard lessons
It’s a cultural tradition in nearly every society, the firm belief that people and institutions become stronger once they’ve been…
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Canton town manager search drags on
There are just two candidates left in the bid to be Canton’s next town manager, but Mayor Pat Smathers said…
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Franklin man banned from bringing knife to church
A member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Franklin is prohibited from bringing his hunting knife to church after another…
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Canton stuck in bidding quagmire
A flawed bidding process for a demolition job that left a local company out of the loop is causing a…
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New park visitor center to showcase stored artifacts
A design has been finalized for a new $3 million visitor center at the North Carolina entrance to the Great…
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The stories of everyday people: NPR’s StoryCorps coming to Asheville
By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer Capturing a grandmother’s story of survival, a fiancé’s sigh, or a best friend’s joke…
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Airport runway battle heats up in Macon: Cherokee fight to save artifacts from destruction
Emotions are sizzling over a plan to extend the Macon County Airport runway over Cherokee burial grounds and artifacts. At…
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Smokies keeps status as most visited national park
The economy and high gas prices last summer led to slightly fewer visitors in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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New polling place to end Cherokee voters’ commute to Bryson
People in Cherokee will no longer have to drive or hitch rides into Bryson City to cast ballots during early…
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Angry residents call nuisance ordinance ‘a bunch of garbage’
A proposed Haywood County ordinance that prohibits various kinds of waste and junk was harshly criticized by speaker after speaker…
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HRMC: A timeline
Oct. 2006-Feb. 2008 — HRMC has several problems with federal inspectors, culminating in the threat to revoke its ability to…
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Purported mega-development disappears from radar
Cataloochee Wilderness Resort, a 4,500-acre proposed development in Haywood County’s Jonathan Creek community, appears to have fallen off the map.…
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Cowbirds a favorite to despise
Some folks can’t stand house sparrows (a native of north Africa and Eurasia) while others detest starlings (a native of…
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The new watchdogs: After crisis, hospital board renews emphasis on oversight
Today at HRMC, 10 sets of eyes peer over the shoulders of the hospital administration, ready and willing to question…
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Jackson library deserving of community support
Deduction would tell us that in the information age libraries would be accorded great respect, but somehow that isn’t universally…
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In tough times, local company looks to expand
In yet another piece of positive economic news, Waynesville-based Haywood Vocational Opportunities announced a proposed expansion that would create at…
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Child still in critical condition after dog mauling in Sylva
A 7-year-old Jackson County boy is fighting for his life after being mauled by a dog last week, according to…
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Shuler said he’ll fight for stimulus funds
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, spoke to a crowd of about 200 town and county government officials from Western North…
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Pop Music Icon Chubby checker swings through Cherokee Feb. 28
By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer Chubby Checker clears his throat and states with pomp, “I plan on tearing the…
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Haywood extends token to Canton solar farm
FLS Solar Energy wants a tax break from Haywood County in exchange for an $8 million solar farm the company…
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For young illegals, a coming-of-age quandary
Irene is not just a good student. She is one of the very best at her school, near the top…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Black oil sunflower seed is king
One thing became clear during my little bird feeding experiment. If you’re looking for one birdseed that will attract just…
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Brooding obsessions
Dying Light by Donald Hays. MacAdam/Cage, 2006. 261 pages In recent years, I’m sure that the average reader feels intimidated…
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Poore a ‘breath of fresh air’: CEO’s congenial personality and industry knowledge impress community
As Mike Poore waited for an elevator between floors at Haywood Regional Medical Center Monday morning, he gazed out the…
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Back from the brink: A year later, turn around for HRMC is on the horizon
Last February, a crisis landed on the doorstep of Haywood Regional Medical Center. After failing federal inspections, the hospital lost…
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Sylva board rift heats up
Split votes are becoming increasingly common on the Sylva town board, throwing into question whether the board can meet its…
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Free clinic plugs mental health holes
By Marth Teater • Guest Columnist The Good Samaritan Clinic of Haywood County has served the medical needs of our…
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Could hops be one of WNC’s new cash crops?
Tobacco is no longer the cash crop it once was in North Carolina, but its partner in crime — hops…
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Carden’s insights and answers to Appalachian 101
What would surprise someone the most about the Appalachian culture? Well, assuming that they are not Appalachian, it would probably…
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The Naturalist's Corner: 4TH Annual Hendershot Birdapalooza
The results are in and the fourth annual Hendershot Birdapalooza at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe, Louisiana…
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Loss of Hazelwood prison likely just a matter of time
Local legislators are preparing to fight yet another attempt by the state to close the only minimum security prison west…
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Spare me some spears
By Sandi Simons-Crawford Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is one of very few perennial vegetables. A properly managed bed will produce for…
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A ray of hope in the mental health crisis
When it comes to caring for the mentally ill in North Carolina, there’s been very little good news over the…
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