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Macon fly-over shows what’s at stake
There’s no way to prevent landslides in the mountains, but there is a way to make their impact on humans…
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Swain jail may finally see return of federal prisoners to help offset costs
In rare good news for Swain County’s jail, a new agreement will soon usher federal prisoners into the often half-empty…
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Void of state and federal aid prompts community to step up in landslide disaster
The threat of another landslide isn’t stopping volunteers from facing the mudslide head-on and helping wherever they can. Local volunteers…
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Watching sleazy 80s movies late at night
“Don’t do it, Dan.” Michael Douglas is Dan Gallagher, and he is sitting across the table from Alex Forrest, played…
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Making sure Swain County gets its due
The cash settlement now signed and sealed for Swain County in lieu of building the North Shore Road is a…
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A book about beer, food, and Gnometown cooking
Cooking with wine is familiar. Cajun chef Justin Wilson, one of television’s first real food celebrities, liberally tipped Chablis into…
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An American original
Devil’s Dream by Madison Smartt Bell. Pantheon, 2009. 352 pages. Although several biographies of Nathan Bedford Forrest have found publishers…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Snow Day! Enough already with the “Enough already!” I know it’s snowing again. Yep school is closed again. I’ve got…
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Cataloochee grows racing tradition
No one expected Franco Rossi. The Italian, raised in Milan in the shadows of the mighty Dolomites, stepped off the…
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Topography and language
I enjoy using variants on the phrase “lay of the land.” One can “get the lay of the land” in…
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Local fishermen sad to see the dam go
The first day of demolition on the Dillsboro Dam attracted hundreds of spectators last Wednesday. A roadside pull-off overlooking the…
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A time for healing
The signing of a cash settlement deal for Swain County last week was a heartbreaking end to a lifelong struggle…
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Safeguards in place, but cracks remain
While buckling and cracks were readily visible in old retaining walls built out of railroad ties at Ghost Town in…
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What is Kituwah?
Kituwah is a concept much larger than the mound site proper, which is recorded with the state register of historic…
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Waynesville moves on skate park
Skateboard enthusiasts in Waynesville will be happy to hear the town has been busily preparing for a long-awaited skate park…
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No road in or out
On Friday night, a mudslide thundered across Rich Cove Road in Maggie Valley, taking out a section of a guardrail…
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Duke project threatens sacred character of Kituwah site
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians may pursue legal action against Duke Energy after learning about the utility company’s plans…
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After scare of slide wears off, residents want answers
Betty Miner was standing in her kitchen getting ready to fix supper last Friday when the pictures on her walls…
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Going, going, gone
When Duke first broached the idea of tearing down the Dillsboro dam eight years ago, Mark Singleton thought he would…
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Corridor K sent back to drawing board
A proposed four-lane highway through a mountainous region of Graham County has suffered a setback. The N.C. Department of Transportation…
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Messy lawsuits likely left in landslide’s wake
It could take months or even years for lawsuits over a massive landslide in Maggie Valley to be resolved, leaving…
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Cash settlement here at last
Swain County officially signed a cash settlement with the federal government in a moving and historic ceremony Saturday, ending a…
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Sylva teen club closes quietly
A Sylva teen club that sparked controversy two months ago by disseminating a flyer inviting high school students to “come…
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Rescue workers act fast in landslide disaster despite threat of more to fall
Chris Carver found himself in the unusual position of being both rescuer and evacuee when a massive mudslide struck Rich…
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‘Accidental note’ starts teen’s healing process
By Buffy Queen • Guest Columnist As the middle school girls trailed out of the classroom one morning last spring,…
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Rich Cove may be a portent of things to come
Writing about the weather is usually about as exciting as a yawn. For 12 months, though, we in the mountains…
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Recipes - Feb. 2
Chicken and Dumplings: 1 chicken, about 3 pounds 2 Quarts water 1 Teaspoon Salt 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper 2 Cup All-purpose…
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The Oak Tree and the Great Dumpling Debate
By Karen Dill The ancient oak tree is bare. It stands majestic in the yard of our old two-story farmhouse.…
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Drama about the founder of Methodism to premiere at WCU’s Fine and Performing Arts Center
What happens when a smart, talented young man desires to serve God, but is mostly driven by his fear of…
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Power struggle
Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell. Saint Martins Press, 1998. 397 pages Several years ago, when I was reading everything…
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Fatal disease for deer and elk detected in neighboring state
Chronic wasting disease, a deadly disease that affects deer, elk and other hoofed animals, has been detected in white-tailed deer…
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AT license plates fund mini trail grants
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy will hand out mini-grants for projects in the region that benefit the long-distance hiking trail. Grants…
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The Naturalist's Corner
The good; the bad and the ugly The good Ben Morrison, compiler of the Wilmot, Ohio, Christmas Bird Count, contacted…
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A taste of Appalachian poetry
This past weekend was given over to reorganizing the books in my home library. In the process, I relocated a…
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Haywood Waterways applauds water guardians
Haywood Waterways Association recently gave out 2009 stewardship awards to several people and organizations that have worked to protect and…
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Childcare openings fall far short of demand in Macon
Macon County Chairman Ronnie Beale knew the county had a problem when two young working mothers contacted him directly following…
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Sun power supplies a path to simplicity
Lydia Aydlett first moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina during the height of the back-to-the-land movement, and it’s…
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Quick facts
• The mill is operating within state pollution limits on most counts. The current permit allows a variance in two…
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Back to the old homestead
Sometimes you have to go away to come home again. Way up Coweeta Gap in south Macon County is a…
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SCC’s Cecil Groves to retire at end of year
Cecil Groves, president of Southwestern Community College since 1997, informed the board of trustees and college faculty and staff that…
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Jackson County board race to meter voter confidence
Jackson The Jackson County board consists of four commissioners and one chairman. This year, the two commissioner seats and chairman…
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Finances likely to dominate Haywood commissioner race
Haywood The Haywood County board has five commissioner seats. Three seats are up for election this year. A party primary…
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Dillsboro, WCU move forward with marketing relationship
Leaders of the town of Dillsboro and members of Western Carolina University’s faculty unveiled the framework for an ongoing partnership…
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Emotions run high at hearing on paper mill pollution
Two contrasting images of the Pigeon River emerged at a public hearing on a controversial new water pollution permit for…
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Road to Nowhere crusade over at last
A defining moment in the decades-long debate over the North Shore Road will play out in Swain County this week.…
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Two wide-open seats will define Swain race
Swain The Swain County board has four commissioner seats and one chairman. All five seats are up for election every…
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Where ideology meets environmental reality
The term “off-the-grid” means living in a self-sufficient manner without the services of a public utility. Wikipedia estimates that in…
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Court ruling bars county endorsement of Christian prayer
County commissioners in Western North Carolina face a fork in the road after a federal judge in Forsyth County made…
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All three incumbents to run again in Macon
Macon The Macon County board has four commissioners and one chairman. This year, the seats of two commissioners and the…
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Fur clumps, scratches and other musings on store cat Kea
By Chris Cooper Kea was a filthy, grease-covered little miscreant when she was found by In Your Ear Music Emporium…
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