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Franklin enjoys symbiotic relationship with AT hikers
For years, Appalachian Trail thru-hikers have been stopping in Franklin for supplies, rest, and Internet access, but last week the…
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Meet the thru-hikers
It’s a sure sign of spring for Southern Appalachian communities along the Appalachian Trail: hikers loaded down with backpacks hitchhiking…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Pug catcher Early last week, we were inundated with small gray moths. You couldn’t open a door without two or…
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The art of choosing the next book
Of late, we’ve been considering books. The feedback (mostly email) from readers to recent columns regarding books in general, book…
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Maggie debates how steep is too steep for cyber sweepstakes fees
Business owners with cyber sweepstakes machines in Maggie Valley received both good and bad news last week. Luckily for them,…
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Sylva market changes local foodscape
Armed with an e-newsletter and an indefatigable entrepreneurial spirit, Eric Hendrix is determined to bring the fruits of the ocean…
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Rare confluence of events sets the stage for courtroom shake up
It’s a watershed year for the legal community in Western North Carolina as attorneys gear up for a hotly contested…
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County and architect cross wires on library fee
Last week a confused set of Jackson County commissioners learned their new library may cost more money than they thought,…
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Trash down, recycling up
The recession has been good news for landfills. Due to the economic downturn, less trash was thrown in landfills in…
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Landfills hustle to catch tainted rain water before it seeps away
When it comes to landfills, rain isn’t just inconvenient — it’s dangerous. In 2009, the White Oak landfill in Haywood…
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Duke, Cherokee meeting opens dialogue over Kituwah site
After a day of discussions between the leadership of Duke Energy and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the dispute…
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Report shows Duke considered impact on Kituwah
In the wake of the controversy surrounding the company’s proposed substation, Duke Energy representatives claimed they were unaware of the…
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Landslide damages financially-strapped Jackson development
A landslide at the Waterdance development in the Tuckasegee area of Jackson County washed out a road and dumped a…
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Macon slope committee hands off proposed building regulations
After months of hard work, Macon County’s steep slope committee shared its recommendations with the county’s planning board last week.Now…
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Swain starts to budge on Deal’s Gap debate
Despite Graham County pledging to end all emergency services to Deal’s Gap starting Jan. 1, its EMS director has already…
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The nuts and bolts of the bench
The starting salary for a judge is $109,000, but can climb much higher for judges with a long tenure thanks…
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Judicial candidates
There are three district court judge seats up for election this year. Candidates must designate which seat they are running…
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Bench holds tradition of balanced temperament
Steve Bryant was fresh out of law school and just learning his way around the courtroom when the judge hearing…
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Free wireless in downtown Waynesville a hit or miss affair
There’s free wireless up for grabs to anyone ambling down Main Street in Waynesville, but it’s so obscure that even…
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‘Judge not,’ or so my mom always taught me
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and…
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Angela Faye martin delivers another kind of Mountain Music
Forget Asheville. Forget cities altogether. Angela Faye Martin’s impressive first full-length album “Pictures from Home” could only have materialized deep…
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One fateful night
The Turnaround by George Pelecanos. Little, Brown and Company, 2009. 320 pages On a sweltering summer night in 1972, three…
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Federal bill aims to save Parkway views at risk from development
A bill before Congress could help save views along the Blue Ridge Parkway by setting aside $75 million over five…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Bird’s the word North Carolina’s state parks and Audubon North Carolina have joined together to celebrate the “Year of the…
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Gun ban in national parks lifted
Loaded guns are now legal in national parks. The new rule is two years in the making. Previously, guns had…
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Take a gander along the Smokies Scenic byway
The stunning beauty that surrounds U.S. 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park outside Cherokee draws thousands of tourists…
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Perfecting the art of shelving books
Some readers might recall that three weeks ago — in a column about relocating my long lost inscribed copy of…
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Duke Energy president agrees to meet with Cherokee chief
A disagreement over Duke Energy’s placement of a power substation near Cherokee’s most significant cultural site has instigated a meeting…
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Haywood acquires fiberoptic line
Haywood County recently dropped a lawsuit against Wynncom, after the telecommunications company agreed to hand over its fiberoptic network to…
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Ghost Town pays liability insurance bill after slide
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park was behind on its general liability insurance payments in the months leading up…
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Jackson sheriff sparks controversy, policy change with expenditures
Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe may not have done anything illegal, but he’s stepped into the middle of a controversy…
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Nuts and bolts of landslide mapping
Macon County was the first to be targeted under a statewide initiative launched in 2006 to map areas prone to…
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Geologists: Maggie landslide still unstable
While residents wait for answers and 16,000 tons of debris hangs precariously over the Rich Cove community, an army of…
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Creditors to vote on whether Ghost Town reorganizes or liquidates
Dozens of local businesses owed money by Ghost Town are mulling over ballots this week that will ultimately decide the…
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Haywood commissioners urged to stick by Christian prayers despite court ruling
A group of Christians paid a visit to Haywood County commissioners Monday night to urge them to pray to Jesus…
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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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