No road in or out
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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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Screenshot test
 

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
 

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
 

‘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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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 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
 

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 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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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 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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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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A cold winter’s hike reminds me of the value of wild places
 

A cold winter’s hike reminds me of the value of wild places

Back in early January, I found myself waking early to pack for a day-long excursion into the backwoods of Chunky…
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Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival lands in Haywood
 

Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival lands in Haywood

There’ll be a movie for every taste at the third annual Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival this year. The festival’s…
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Fitzgerald comes to life in Asheville
 

Fitzgerald comes to life in Asheville

The Fitzgerald Ruse by Mark De Castrique. Poisoned Pen Press, 2009. 250 pages. Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and magazines like…
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The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

On the road to recovery Friends of the Western North Carolina Nature Center unveils its New Winter Speaker Series on…
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Simple signs of the evergreen
 

Simple signs of the evergreen

You can almost smell the word “evergreen.” The word is at once one of the most aptly descriptive and highly…
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Ski, Worship and Grow with your friends and MYP at Lake Junaluska
 

Ski, Worship and Grow with your friends and MYP at Lake Junaluska

Get ready to hit the slopes and participate in meaningful worship at Lake Junaluska’s Ministries with Young People (MYP) annual…
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Small-time theft by travel agent a big-time violation of trust
 

Small-time theft by travel agent a big-time violation of trust

William Maney, owner of Fantasy Travel in Sylva, allegedly defrauded an elderly woman from Franklin out of $7,000 last year…
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Macon comprehensive plan stutters as work begins
 

Macon comprehensive plan stutters as work begins

Comprehensive planning is supposed to be, well, comprehensive. But as Macon County leaders are finding out, it’s not that easy…
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Life on the rock
 

Life on the rock

Workers on the rockslide slope are laboring around the clock. There’s a day crew and a night crew, ranging from…
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Family farm builds Brasstown Beef brand
 

Family farm builds Brasstown Beef brand

It’s a slogan even the slickest New York ad firm couldn’t top if it tried: “Real Beef. Raised Right. Around…
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Waynesville producer wins national award
 

Waynesville producer wins national award

Producer, editor and videographer John Kenyon of Waynesville has been selected to receive the Award of Excellence in the slide…
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Public art to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains National Park
 

Public art to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Waynesville Public Art Commission recently issued a Call for Artists for its fourth public art project. The proposed art…
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A new rockslide on I-40 over the weekend may take up to three weeks to clear
 

A new rockslide on I-40 over the weekend may take up to three weeks to clear

Another rockslide struck along the already closed section of Interstate 40 over the weekend. The new slide is nothing like…
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Historic Cherokee letterpress carries exciting potential for new art
 

Historic Cherokee letterpress carries exciting potential for new art

The newest addition to Southwestern Community College’s Oconaluftee Institute of Cultural Arts holds a piece of Cherokee history. OICA will…
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Jackson finally folds in long feud with Duke
 

Jackson finally folds in long feud with Duke

The seven-year battle between Jackson County commissioners and Duke Energy has come to a close. After losing a critical court…
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