By Chris Cooper

I first heard Johnny Irion years ago at a little venue in Charlotte. He was performing with his then quite pregnant wife Sarah Lee Guthrie, and the two of them exemplified everything that’s good about smart, latter day country/rock songwriting. With a collective family tree that includes names like Steinbeck and, well, Guthrie for Pete’s sake, that’s not really a surprise.

By Kathryn Sherrard • Contributing Writer

Do you like to visit a state or national park? Why? For thousands of us, it is the chance to see wildlife. People flock to see bears, elk, moose, deer, wild turkeys, foxes, coyotes, bison and alligators. Other animals that are often spotted include raccoons, reptiles and amphibians.

By Angela Faye Martin

My husband is unwittingly celebrating my month-long, albeit relative, independence from Chinese goods. He sits across from me at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Sylva. Realizing that we chose Chinese, I remark, “you know, this marks the end of a whole month of having purchased nothing MADE IN CHINA, and it wasn’t all that hard.”

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

A mammogram costs $200 out of pocket. A round of radiation is close to $40,000. And so far, this bill doesn’t include chemotherapy, a mastectomy, or hospital stays.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Spence Campbell, chair of the Henderson County Republican Club, declared his intentions two weeks ago to run for the 11th Congressional District seat against Rep. Heath Shuler.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Last week, John Armor, a Highlands attorney, became the third candidate to declare his bid for the 11th District Congressional seat.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

The removal of an anonymous opinion column in the Cherokee One Feather has sparked a heated freedom of speech debate among Cherokee leaders.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Bright yellow sunflowers ring the edges of Skipper Russell’s Cold Mountain Corn Maize in Canton, a memorial to his wife, Frances, who lost her battle with renal cell and thyroid cancer this February.

By David Curtis

Does time go by faster the older you get, or do we just have a better way to gauge its passing?

The dean of Western Carolina University’s Honors College hopes to replicate a successful fundraiser from a decade ago when he begins a three-day bicycle ride to Mount Mitchell to raise scholarship money for the college’s students.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

Now that a site has been chosen for the new Jackson County library, the Friends of the Library have a huge undertaking — raising up to $1 million for furnishing the interior of the building.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

A property transfer tax that could potentially bring nearly a million dollars a year to county coffers is meeting fierce opposition in two Western North Carolina counties where the tax will appear on the November ballot.

Rock On: An Office Power Ballad

Written by Dan Kennedy, this venture into life in the corporate music business isn’t available to the general public until Feb. 12, 2008. But that’s OK. That just means that you can go ahead and mark it down as a Valentine’s Day gift for the cynic and/or music lover in your life. Perhaps Todd Hanson, editor of The Onion: America’s Finest News Sources, says it best, “A delirious evocation of the love/hate relationship virtually my whole generation has had with the music industry. The rest of may have dreamed it, but Dan Kennedy actually lived it out in the trenches. The results aren’t pretty, but luckily for him, and us, they are hilarious.” Rock On is an easy read and a must for fans of Augusten Burroughs, Douglas Coupland and Sarah Vowell. (And if you haven’t read their stuff, just go ahead and pick it up too while you’re at it.)

Mangoes in Lemongrass Syrup

Found a Thai cookbook on the clearance rack at City Lights Bookstore one day and have greatly enjoyed working my way through it. This super easy dessert is alive with flavor and goes great over vanilla frozen yogurt. You’ll need two large ripe mangoes, one lime, one lemongrass stem bruised and roughly chopped and three tablespoons of sugar. (Note: I can’t seem to find lemongrass west of Asheville, but they do have it at EarthFare and from what I’ve found you can freeze it and it will maintain relatively well.) Halve the mangoes, remove the pits and peel off the skins. This is somewhat slippery business, so do take care. Slice or cube the mango. Zest a bit of the lime rind for decoration, then cut and squeeze the juice into a small pan with the lemongrass and sugar. Heat gently until sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool. Strain mixture from pan over mango and gently stir. Sprinkle with lime zest and chill before serving.

This American Life, Episode #218

In this episode of the classic radio storytelling production, This American Life finds that “Hamlet” endures, as evidenced by a dozen performances of the play by various theater companies in just one month’s time. However, the most notable performance is that by a group of inmates at a high-security prison who bring to life the story — one about murder and its consequences — performed by murderers living out the consequences. This is one of the best episodes of This American Life on record in my book, one that has been the topic of conversations with various people at various times, each of whom have been touched by the bitter irony and amazing lessons learned as Shakespeare connects with these inmates on the closest level. Find it, download it to your iPod, listen. English teachers of any level — take it to your classrooms, I promise your students will remember the story this go around.

— By Sarah Kucharski

On a political talk show recently, a well-known Republican political consultant spent a lot of time attacking public schools in North Carolina and the people who run them. No surprise there.

By Chris Cooper

Sharon Jones and her amazing band of funk/soul revivalists were responsible for one of the happiest musical misunderstandings I’ve ever experienced. Having seen her previous CD filed in the blues section of the local record shop, with its wholly authentic late 60’s packaging style, grainy, off center cover photo and altogether goofy back cover notes (including a visual diagram to help you learn the latest dance move that’s ‘taking the nation by storm,’ the Dap Dip) I could do nothing but feel safe in the assumption that it was a reissue of some obscure soul gem from back in the day.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

An issue that caused a firestorm of controversy for Waynesville’s current town board is rearing its head in this election cycle — and may prove to be a defining factor in how voters cast their ballots.

Our story last week about a fund that helps women pay for breast cancer testing and treatment pointed out cracks in the health care system. It’s not surprising that this situation exists, and while we hope the funding issues for this cancer program are solved, we hope — more importantly — that the health care debate that takes place every presidential election cycle will gain some traction this time.

The N.C. Department of Transportation is mulling four options for a new road in Macon County that would facilitate future development, but some members of the community wonder why a fifth option — simply improving the existing road — isn’t on the list.

Pumpkin Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon each salt and baking soda

1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon each baking powder, browned allspice and cloves

1/2 cup of softened butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 16-ounce can of pumpkin

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Butter and flour 2 small or 1 large loaf pan

2. In one bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

3. In another bowl, mix all wet ingredients.

4. Mix with electric mixer, very well.

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients.

6. Pour in prepared pans.

7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour to 75 minutes

8. When toothpick comes out dry when poked in middle of pan, it’s done.

Source: Nina Mertens, Franklin, winner of 2006 Franklin Pumpkin Cooking Contest

Pumpkin Pie

1 cup pumpkin

1 can condensed milk (fat-free optional)

1 egg

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

Directions

Blend and pour into a pie shell. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 35 minutes.

Source: Sheila Wilkerson, Waynesville

The benefits to private development of the Siler Road project in Macon County figured prominently in early planning documents and meetings, but were later toned down. Here’s a time line.

By Michael Beadle

Carve ‘em. Cook ‘em. Turn ‘em into glowing faces. There’s plenty you can do with this year’s bounty of pumpkins.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

A complaint filed against the Macon County School Board over questionable campaign actions has the school district in hot water with the North Carolina Board of Elections.

“Away From Her”

Based on the great short story “The Bear Came Over The Mountain” by the ever-amazing Alice Munro, “Away From Her,” adapted for the screen and directed by 28-year-old Sarah Polley, chronicles the devastation of Alzheimer’s without flinching or resorting to TV Movie Of The Week melodrama. Julie Christie is almost a cinch for an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the protagonist, Fiona Anderson, a brilliant, complicated woman who, when the movie begins, still has it together more or less, but has also reached a point where she must label which drawers contain which kitchen utensils. We stand with her husband there in that kitchen, helplessly watching her put a frying pan in the freezer. Of course, it gets worse from there, much worse, but the movie is never for a moment sentimental and does not gloss over the weaknesses of its characters or the fissures in the marriage between Fiona and Grant, played with startling subtlety and restraint by Gordon Pinsent, an actor with whom I was not previously familiar. For anyone who has ever lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s, the movie is going to ring dead true. There are few experiences I can imagine quite so frustrating and painful as watching someone you know so well and love so much crumble inside themselves, falling away from you even as their bodies remain, hollowed out, frightened, uncomprehending. “Away From Her” gets all of this exactly right. Polley is a young writer and director to watch for, and “Away From Her” is one of the year’s best movies.

Magic, Bruce Springsteen

Although I do not consider myself one of the Springsteen faithful, I do like him and consider Born In the USA and Nebraska great albums. When I read rumblings that his latest was another great album, I had to hear it for myself, and while at first I was put off a little by the very grungy mix, after one or two days of constant play as I made my commute to work, the songs really began to sink in. Now, I can hardly wait to get back in the car and drive somewhere just to here it again. Can’t say yet whether it will measure up to his best albums, but I can certainly recommend it as more than a diversion.

Scrabulous

As if we need reasons to spend MORE time on the computer, here is online Scrabble waiting for us, with literally thousands of players from around the world waiting in one of the enchantingly named virtual rooms, places called “Cloud Nine” or “The Oasis” or “Auntie’s Corner.” Brew up a pot of tea, log in, and match wits with a nice elderly lady from South Africa or a college kid from London. But be fairly warned before you venture in: After a couple of hours, this will cease to be a diversion and will begin to resemble an obsession, as you rack your brain for words that contain a “Q” but no “U.” Have fun, but do be careful, or we may wind up meeting each other at 4:30 a.m. in the “Addicts’ Attic” room.

— By Chris Cox

By Stephanie Wampler

I walked across the floor, the crowds cheering, the woman smiling as she handed me an award. Then the crowd fell utterly silent. I turned towards the camera man, smiled, and held up my plaque. It was a timeless moment, and I could think only one thing: How did I get here? No, really, how did I get here?

Brian Regan Live!

Whether you purchase this CD or simply Google Brian Regan on your computer, you will find yourself listening to one of the funniest comedians to arrive on the scene in years. Brian Regan performs riffs on everything from boarding an airplane to a cholesterol report from his doctor. Recently I ate supper with some friends whose television screen was the size of one of my large bookshelves. The computer was tied into the television, and we were soon watching Brian Regan and laughing ourselves to the brink of tears.

By David Curtis

If you are driving west along U.S. 23/74 and nearing exit 102, the Waynesville exit, you will see growing along side the road, a tree radiating a brilliant red. Chances are, you will also say something like, “Wow! That’s a nice one.”

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

After several years of trying to secure funding for school improvements, Swain County officials say that money generated by a land transfer tax may be the answer they’ve been looking for.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

It’s lunchtime in downtown Hazelwood, and the small area’s only parking lot of roughly 30 spaces is jam-packed. People jump out of their cars to grab a bite to eat, a haircut, medications, or a cup of coffee from the various businesses in this section of Waynesville.

By Michael Beadle

Indulge in a seven-course meal that includes roasted pheasant, foie gras and braised wild boar. Sip award-winning wines from Tuscany. Savor sushi, soft-shell crab and sake. Tempt your tongue with rich chocolates.

In his younger, more naïve hiking days, Joel Zachary found himself watching in slow motion as a bear charged toward him.

There’s a connection between being a musician and Halloween that goes beyond the obvious skulls/pumpkins/fake blood/heavy metal stereotype, at least for me. It’s a holiday where you can be as nutty as you want; roll yourself in tinfoil and carry a samurai sword around all day? Great! I had some friends in Charlotte that decided to make themselves into “human fruit baskets” one year. Let’s just say that the costume involved a huge amount of Saran wrap, some strategically placed apples and bananas, and nothing more. Eeek.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

Tuckasegee community members will learn next week if a rock quarry gets state approval to be placed in their neighborhood.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

The possibility of relocating Franklin’s town hall has been a topic of debate among town board members and residents for some time now.

A major road is in the planning stages, and neighbors and others in the community feel like it’s more of a runaway train that will help developers, encourage sprawl, and subsequently change their future forever rather than a consensus-building project to provide taxpaying citizens with an answer to their transportation woes.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

It’s a typical neighborhood with houses, trees, bikes in the yard, a basketball goal and — an animal shelter?

By Michael Beadle

The tired diatribes of partisan politics may continue to capture the headlines in the coming campaign months, but there is one issue President Bush, Republicans, Democrats, student activists, Hollywood actors and most world governments are all agreeing on — Burma’s long-running military regime must end its repressive campaign against its own people.

Going to the movies

Every now a then a great batch of movies is released, calling me to the movie theater to spend too much on an overpriced ticket, popcorn and a soda. This month you can refer to your film selection not by name, but by the A-list actors and actresses from among whom you must choose — George Clooney (“Michael Clayton’), Morgan Freeman (“Gone Baby Gone”), Denzel Washington (“American Gangster”), Russell Crowe (“American Gangster”), Robert Redford (“Lions for Lambs”). The second string, of more niche films out now, offers Cate Blanchett (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody (“The Darjeeling Limited”) and Tim Burton’s absolute classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas” re-released in 3-D. You’ll note that absent from this list are Steve Carrell’s “Dan in Real Life,” which unfortunately has been panned as overly sentimental, John Cusack’s “Martian Child,” which may fall prey to the same criticism, Brad Pitt’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” which I’ve been told is as epic in length as its name and doesn’t hold one’s attention span, and Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie,” which has gotten great reviews, but I just won’t be seeing. With such a great selection out there though, it’s mandatory that you get out there and soak some of it in — perhaps at the matinee, when tickets are cheaper.

Pie

I love pie. There’s a great little scene in the film “Michael” during which Andie MacDowell sings a country tune she’s penned about loving pie while sitting with friends at a table covered with a piece of every kind of pie the restaurant has — I can only aspire. I’m well known for my Pumpkin Pie, which I have to say is pretty gosh darn good. Too many folks get shy about the spices or use that blasted “Pumpkin Pie Spice.” Just tried a new recipe for a fresh cranberry and dried cherry pie that I fiddled with a bit and wound up with a sweet-tart creation perfect for Thanskgiving. And then there’s the Coconut Cream Pie from the Thomas Family Cookbook that’s just fabulously sinful — though I do double the coconut used. Anyone out there with family recipes is welcomed and encouraged to share.

The Sarut Group

Alan Ceppos and Frederic Rambaud have assembled a fun and interesting collection of gifts that “inspire, educate and entertain.” Rambaud was born and raised in West Africa and educated in Europe, and Ceppos spent 10 years in France, giving the company a global influence. Everything from the French designed passport covers to the sleeping kitty tape dispenser is bent on being funky and colorful. Go explore at www.thesarutgroup.com and get an early start on your holiday shopping.

— Sarah Kucharski

By Michael Beadle

A few days before Halloween, strange sounds were coming from room 451 in the Coulter Building on the campus of Western Carolina University.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

In their fight to stop progress to the proposed Southern Loop, members of the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance filed a public records request last week with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to obtain all written material pertaining to the road.

By Jennifer Garlesky •Staff Writer

The raging Class II rapids of the Cacapon River, which flows along the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, hooked Doug Woodward on whitewater paddling.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

Last week Eastern Band of Cherokee officials made the decision to remove The Cherokee One Feather Editor Joe Martin from his newspaper position.

By Kathleen Lamont

This month’s column was a tossup. I was encouraged by a recent article on the Haywood County landfill to carry on my persistent campaign for backyard composting and was going to shelve the rainwater collection idea. That was until I ran into my next-door neighbor on her way to shower at her daughter’s house.

By Chris Cooper

Mountain Heart released a fantastic album last year with Wide Open, demonstrating a remarkable ability to make modern, crossover friendly bluegrass without sacrificing one bit of musicality and soul.

Macon County Schools superintendent Dan Brigman, school board attorney John Henning Jr. and the school board as a whole did not do itself any favors in its handling of the very important bond referendum that citizens voted on Tuesday. In fact, the system made some serious mistakes, and as a whole the administration should have been more informed first and, after mistakes happened, more upfront about its mistakes. Finally, the schools system should have been more forthright to parents and voters.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Convicted sex offenders don’t have many advocates, but a recent rush of laws banning them from public parks has called into question just how many civil liberties these people should have to give up.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

Building a strong downtown district will be a top priority of the new Sylva Town Board of Commissioners.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Former alderman Gavin Brown is now the new mayor of Waynesville, unseating 16-year incumbent Henry Foy.

The two candidates were aligned on almost all issues but one — Brown has promised to make a liquor by the drink referendum one of his first priorities in office. Foy was opposed to bringing liquor to Waynesville.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

Jackson County commissioners have decided to invest money in the county’s airport.

Commissioners voted 4-1 on Monday (Nov. 5) to award $65,000 to the airport authority to conduct a feasibility study of the mountaintop airport. Commissioners Tom Massie, Mark Jones, William Shelton, and Brain McMahan voted in favor of the award. Commissioner Joe Cowan opposed the vote.

Voters in Swain and Macon counties soundly defeated land-transfer tax ballot initiatives Tuesday, dashing hopes that the newly approved measures would provide a new revenue source.

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer

Franklin town leaders are in the process of fixing some of the sewage spills throughout town, Franklin Town Manager Mike Decker said.