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Clean-up slow in wake of dam break: Patience runs thin with Balsam Mountain Preserve
Balsam Mountain Preserve has failed so far in its promise to make things right following a dam break that unleashed…
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A telling tale
“Gambling on a Ghost Bird” in the current issue of the journal Science (www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/5840/888/F1 - there’s a $10 fee) regarding…
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Dam escaped state permit threshold: Cause of failure stemmed from construction techniques
Balsam Mountain Preserve is off the hook on one front: it didn’t need a permit from the state dam safety…
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Muddy math plays into sediment calculations
Calculating the volume of mud that washed downstream with the collapse of a large earth dam at Balsam Mountain Preserve…
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Remarkable red cedar
I sometimes have occasion to drive Interstate 81 up the Great Valley of Tennessee and Virginia to Washington, D.C. As…
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Recommended diversions
In the Heart of the Sea: the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick If you want an adventure-tragedy…
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It’s always somebody’s fault, isn’t it
We are a nation of blamers. When something goes wrong, or something tragic happens we, as Americans, are quick to…
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Duke tries to get out of dredging behind dam
Duke Power does not want to dredge backlogged sediment from behind the Dillsboro dam before tearing it down despite both…
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New TDA make-up leaves questions unanswered
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer New legislation to restructure the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority calls for a drastic…
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Canton bridge project to cause delays
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Construction is slated to begin immediately on a structurally deficient bridge in downtown Canton,…
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Macon leaders finally address animal shelter crisis: Five years with no animal laws wore public thin
After years of debate over stray animals in Macon County — namely the lack of anywhere to take them —…
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County wins bidding war for Jonathan Creek land
Haywood County has emerged as the high bidder for 22-acre tract of land in Jonathan Creek that will become a…
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Put your money on Saratoga Fleshpot
Murdering Americans by Ruth Dudley Edwards. Poisoned Pen Press, 2007. 236 pages. Skewering the politically correct codes of our colleges…
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TDA changes ramrodded by county manager
By Scot Warf As past chairman of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), I feel compelled to share with…
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Republicans to Taylor: Make up your mind
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Ever since Democrat Heath Shuler’s upset of incumbent Charles Taylor in the 2006 election,…
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Shuler goes to Washington: WNC’s freshman House representative is already turning heads in congress
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Heath Shuler’s time so far in the House of Representatives is shorter than his…
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HRMC announces $16.5 million expansion
Haywood Regional Medical Center is planning a $16.5 million expansion including a surgery support wing, an endoscopy unit, a new…
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Hospital defends timing of expansion
Haywood Regional unveiled plans for a $16.5 million expansion two weeks ago on the heels of a workforce reduction designed…
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Mussel shoals: Researchers study endangered mussel in the Tuckasegee River
Families piling into rafts at the Dillsboro put-in on the Tuckasegee River last week cast a leery eye at what…
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Voting in North Carolina just got easier
The U.S. Justice Department gave final approval last week to a new North Carolina law allowing people to register and…
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Voter rolls in Swain get house cleaning
The Swain County Board of Elections last week purged 110 voters from its rolls who had listed their voting address…
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Burning down the house
An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke. Algonquin Books, 2007. 305 pages. Some writers come…
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All in a day’s work
One of the more interesting and entertaining early descriptive accounts of the southern mountains is contained in a diary kept…
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Recommended diversions
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Ah, the old TV cartoons from childhood...The Smurfs. The Super Friends. Scooby Dooby…
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Jackson cyclist continues on his journey across US
A.J. Rowell of Cullowhee is ticking off the miles on his transcontinental bike ride from the Arctic Ocean back home…
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Case between McClure, Jackson County rages on
A lawsuit against Jackson County for disbanding the Jackson County Airport Authority two-and-a-half years ago is headed for another round…
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Vick a poster child for depraved stars
Has any professional athlete ever made more a mess of his life than Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick? At the…
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On being Heath Shuler
The Smoky Mountain News caught up with Rep. Heath Shuler at his home in Haywood County. Here’s what he had…
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Truth is, Sloe Gin fizzed
By Chris Cooper Robben Ford: Truth Not many guitarists can meld the harmonic sensibilities of jazz with the visceral punch…
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Passion for pewter: Riverwood Pewter continues eight decades of family tradition
By Michael Beadle It’s been called the poor man’s silver, but its shine and durability have made it prized in…
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The perilous world of mussels
Decades ago, fresh water mussels littered the river bottoms of Western North Carolina. River otter and muskrats ate them, Cherokee…
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Keep me in the dark
Scott McLeod, my editor, tossed an Aug. 20, 2007, New Yorker on his desk and said there was a good…
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Deed faux pas gives animal shelter to airport
Jackson County accidentally gave away the county’s animal shelter to the Jackson County Airport Authority 10 years ago, and now…
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The ‘perfect’ hunter and fisherman — if I do say so myself
Samuel J. Hunnicutt was one of the original characters of the Smokies region before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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King Of The Smokies Triathlon set for Lake J on Sept. 1
The King of the Smokies sprint and international distance triathlons will be held at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center…
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Talk looks at learning outside the classroom
Dr. Karen Kandl, associate director at the Highlands Biological Station, will speak on “Biodiversity of the Southern Appalachians: Learning outside…
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Labor Day LakeAlooza party at Fontana Village
Fontana Village Resort will host a LakeAlooza party on Labor Day weekend. A full day of water activities at Fontana…
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Public television show focuses on environmental issues
This American Land, a new weekly half-hour series that delves into key environmental issues, is now airing on UNC-TV every…
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High school students complete WCU bike trek
Eleven high school students from Western North Carolina had an opportunity to learn about biology and ecology this summer as…
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Volunteer needed at Oconaluftee
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to help the park staff by roving the River Trail, Mountain…
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Photography classes turn the eye to nature in WNC
A field photography program that includes four Wednesday morning shoots, three evening group critiques and field discussions will be held…
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Aug. 16 telethon is great chance to help the Smokies
It’s amazing what can happen in just 60 minutes. Each year, the Friends Across the Mountains telethon showcases inspiring images…
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DuPont forest trip for seniors
The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a trip for seniors to DuPont State Forest near Brevard on Sept.…
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Interactive fishing map released
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission recently added a new interactive map to its website that identifies more than 500 public…
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Plant-insect symbiosis focus of hike
Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will lead a “Sweet Summer Nectar” hike to the meadow near Sams Knob beginning at 10…
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Stoked for storks
As we started over the bridge on the Isle of Palms Connector, I noticed a line of large black and…
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AT celebrates 75 years
As the legend goes, Earl Shaffer, the first man to hike the Appalachian Trail from end-to-end in 1948, used leather…
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Rare book harkens back to a different time
Ramblin’ in Rabun is a reprint of a delightful book that was written down in Clayton, Ga., some 40 years…
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Reading Room news briefs
Real-life mystery talks focus Margaret Dunbar Cutright, author of A Case for Soloman, will be at Blue Ridge Books in…
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Letter writers were simply off the mark
To the Editor: A pair of letters in this (last) week’s Smoky Mountain News made me check the calendar to…
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