Archived (29806)
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Chinese teacher adapts and thrives in Swain County
After making the journey to Western North Carolina from China, Niu Jun discovered Bryson City was nothing like she imagined.…
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Harrah’s Cherokee Casino building for big future
With the rest of the region’s construction economy at a standstill, Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino is in the midst…
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How to fix a mountainside
In the first days following the rockslide on Interstate 40 last October, Jody Kuhne had the unenviable job of rappelling…
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Balsam Mountain Preserve foreclosure now official
Balsam Mountain Preserve, a mega-development in Jackson County, was sold to the highest bidder on the courthouse steps Monday (Jan.…
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Struggling cattle farmers await new auction house
If all goes according to plan, a new regional livestock market will open in Canton by late May to more…
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All about tea
Editor’s Note: Since January is National Tea Month, The Smoky Mountain News talked to some of the tea connoisseurs in…
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Not for the faint of heart
The highly technical and extremely dangerous work to stabilize the rockslide is being carried out by Janod, a Canadian company.…
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It’s a bum deal ... I resent the hell out of it
By Joe Cowan • Guest Columnist Editor’s note: Jackson County Commissioner Joe Cowan made the following comments following a vote…
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A different take on a legend
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell. Saint Martin’s Press, 1997. I was probably 10 years old when I discovered King…
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Virtual fieldtrip brings park into classrooms
Three Cherokee Middle School students starred in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park live field broadcast via the web to…
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The Naturalist's Corner
And the dam - came tumblin’ tumblin’ The Dillsboro Dam story is as twisted and convoluted as the Tuck itself.…
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Davis was a poetic nature writer
The professional career of biologist Millard C. (“Bill”) Davis — who was born in 1930 in Utica, N.Y., and now…
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Rule change will consolidate mental health in WNC
The state agency in charge of implementing new mental health rules this year says those changes will save money and…
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Canton leaders hope to unlock potential for commercial development around interstate
Canton aldermen are embarking on an ambitious quest to identify long-term goals and strategies that will shape the town in…
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Canton joins trend of imposing steep fees on video sweepstakes outlets
The Town of Canton has begun clamping down on video sweepstakes machines with a new ordinance last week, but some…
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Wal-Mart no more
Haywood County commissioners are joining a burgeoning nationwide movement that is making use of abandoned Wal-Marts and foresaken strip malls…
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Duke prevails over Jackson
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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Swain plods toward fund balance recovery
Despite cutting corners across the board, Swain County still isn’t sure it has achieved a healthy level of savings. Nevertheless,…
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Haywood to buy old Wal-Mart to replace aging DSS, Health Department buildings
Year after year, Haywood County commissioners recognized the social service and health department buildings were falling apart. Yet they passed…
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I, Church Mouse: The Day and Life of a Church Mouse
NOTE: Gracie Mayer won the Building Small Essay Contest held in conjunction with the N.C. Arboretum's Building Small exhibit and…
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Close-up of a crumbling facility
Fire code violations, compromised client confidentiality, leaking roofs, freezing pipes, lack of energy efficiency, severely limited space, windows that won’t…
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Kimmel bankruptcy threatens construction management donation to WCU
The bankruptcy of one of Western Carolina University’s largest supporters will hurt the school’s fast growing construction management program. In…
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Elk delisting draws ire of protectors
“Elk don’t know how many feet a horse has.” That’s the advice Bear Claw Chris Lapp gave Jeremiah Johnson as…
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If you reform a reform, is it still reform?
Michael Watson, assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, contends the state’s overhaul of its behavioral health…
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National Guard soldiers deserve better
The Smoky Mountain News cover story last week about the troubles faced by returning National Guard soldiers after deployments in…
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Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver record DVD live in Franklin
Audience members knew from the start that this concert would be different. Instead of beginning the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver…
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A tale of both despair and hope
Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Elizabeth and Michael Norman. Farrar,…
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Smokies not pleased with Wildlife Commission stance on elk
The North Carolina Wildlife Commission is at odds with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the status of the…
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New club nurtures growing interest in bees
A beekeepers association has formed in Haywood County. The club meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month…
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The Naturalist's Corner
And then there were none Atlee Yoder’s purple martin houses are in storage, out of the raw Ohio weather, awaiting…
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A look at John Preston Arthur
One of my favorite accounts of this region’s varied history is provided by John Preston Arthur, who published his 659-page…
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Jackson loses critical court case over Dillsboro dam
Duke Energy could start tearing down the Dillsboro Dam any day after Jackson County lost a final and critical legal…
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Congregation backs leaders’ stand on prayer
Responding to a Smoky Mountain News article covering the debate over prayer at public meetings, a group of Macon County…
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Lawyer’s actions aroused suspicion among clients, law enforcement community
An attorney that forged judges’ signatures was caught thanks to the sharp eyes of a law enforcement officer, a fellow…
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Soldiers face a second battle at home
Citizen soldiers. The National Guard’s moniker evokes the best of American values and hearkens back to a Greek ideal. The…
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Commissioners commit to former Wal-Mart site
After a marathon five hours of discussion on Wednesday (Jan. 13), Haywood County commissioners voted unanimously to buy the abandoned…
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Antenna users left in the lurch
Television viewers in Jackson and Macon counties who get their reception the old-fashioned way — with an antenna — have…
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Three new developments move forward in Waynesville
At a time when Waynesville’s appearance standards are under scrutiny for being too strict, three proposed developments cruised past the…
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License plates take off during Smokies 75th anniversary
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park received a record $385,000 from drivers sporting the special “black bear” license plate…
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Video gambling industry undeterred by steep fees for “sweepstakes” machines
The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently upheld a state law that bans video gambling everywhere but the casino in…
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DOD-funded programs support local counseling initiatives
For the first time in history, the government, the military and private healthcare providers are working together to deliver the…
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Haywood County poised to buy abandoned Wal-Mart
Haywood County Commissioners are expected to vote this week to buy the abandoned Wal-Mart shopping center near Lake Junaluska and…
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Golf club to restore Upper Cullasaja
The Upper Cullasaja Watershed Association and the Cullasaja Club are pursuing state funding to restore the headwaters of the Cullasaja…
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Training effort bolsters enforcement of elder abuse
Elder abuse takes many forms and, thanks to a national grant program, law enforcement officers in Western North Carolina now…
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Haywood Regional projects positive financial picture
Haywood Regional Medical Center was in better financial shape than expected as it embarked on an affiliation with neighboring hospitals…
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Plastic bottle ban tough to police, but getting results
It may be illegal to throw away plastic bottles in North Carolina these days, but don’t expect a landfill patrol…
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Canton Mill pursues new pollution permit
Evergreen Packaging, a large paper mill in Canton, is seeking a new water pollution permit for the Pigeon River. The…
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Attorney admits forging judges’ signatures to help clients
A 31-year-old attorney in Jackson County pleaded guilty this week to forging judges’ signatures and creating phony court documents. John…
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Finding a WNC solution for ‘aging in place’
With so many unknowns ahead, it’s comforting there are proven solutions to one big challenge — the aging of the…
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Striking a balance between religion and religous freedom
Religion and its place in local government have once again arisen as issues in North Carolina. This means that many…
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