By Chris Cooper

Two very different artists and albums, but similar in the pursuit of uniqueness and mastery in their respective genres: the enigmatic Andrew Bird and Dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Culinary connoisseurs will have a chance to sample the skills of a dozen local restaurant chefs at the third annual Mélange of the Mountains to be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 29, at the Balsam Mountain Inn.

Slam Poetry

Poetry need not be lame. Two Tuesdays ago Western Carolina University’s Lectures, Concerts and Exhibitions series and Last Minute Productions brought Saul Williams to the Fine and Performing Arts Center stage for one of the most well student-attended shows I’ve seen held on the WCU campus.

A coordinator has been selected for the visual arts program of the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts (OICA), a joint venture among Southwestern Community College, the Eastern Band of Cherokee and Western Carolina University.

Blue Ridge Paper Products might have found a buyer — a New Zealand-based paper company called The Rank Group that has recently moved into the United States paper market.

By Bruce Hare • Guest Columnist

I would like to respond to Mr. James Costa’s letter (March 14, The Smoky Mountain News) expressing his concern about kayaking and canoeing on the headwaters of the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River.

By Jim Joyce

My great- grandparents, on my mother’s side, “Bestafahr” and “Bestamour” (Nelson and Christiana Wurtz) emigrated from Denmark to the United States in 1867. The newlyweds traveled by boat to New York City and by train to Chicago where they scouted around for a place to settle down and begin farming.

By Dick and Sandy Michener

Are you a serious competitor or a weekend athlete? Are you an accomplished artist or a hobbyist? Regardless of your abilities and goals, you have a place in the 2007 Haywood County Senior Games (and the Senior Games in all the counties in Western North Carolina for that matter).

It’s not clear what Swain County commissioners are hoping to accomplish by turning over to the District Attorney’s office the investigation into the way the sheriff’s office handled excess meal money, but there’s evidence that a long list of people could be implicated if this probe is taken seriously.

By Joe Yarkovich

Spring is upon us and with the days beginning to lengthen, signs of the season can be seen within the elk of Cataloochee as well.

By Kathleen Lamont

I’ve got two cents to add to the honeybee dilemma. There are approximately 20,000 species of bees roaming around, out of which approximately 300 pollinate, and of those 300 most people can identify two — the bumblebee and the honeybee.

By Chris Cooper

Rebel Records, that esteemed purveyor of all that is and has been high and lonesome for the past 40 odd years, has just released (in some cases re-released) a slew of fine discs in the past month or so. Up for review is a new release by the legendary Larry Sparks, an important bit of history from the catalog of J.D. Crowe, and a fantastic collection from bluegrass innovators The Seldom Scene.

A king named Midas wishes for riches and ends up with a wealth that kills. A singer named Orpheus descends into Hades to win back his love, but curiosity causes him to lose her forever. Narcissus falls in love with his beautiful reflection and drowns in his own vanity.

Good Friday & Easter

Easter, of course, is more than dyed eggs, plastic straw, and strange bunnies.

Western Carolina University will launch the Half Frame Film Festival, a daylong celebration of documentary filmmaking, on Monday, April 9, featuring Laura Poitras, director of the Academy Award-nominated “My Country, My Country.”

Cherokee Preservation Foundation has awarded 29 grants totaling $3.6 million during its spring cycle.

By Michael Beadle

When Waynesville Town Manager Lee Galloway meets fellow town managers from across the state, he inevitably hears his counterparts say, “Your town looks great. What’s your secret?”Without a beat, Galloway replies, “Let me give you a phone number and a name.”

By John Armor

Who are these people? Katie Couric used to be on the Today Show, then she fell off the map. You’ve never heard of Becky Johnson? Allow me to help.

He’s on record, and we for one will hold him to it: Haywood County’s new solid waste director says anything that “can be recycled should be.”

A new lab has opened at the University of Georgia to raise predator beetles aimed at countering the deadly hemlock woolly adelgid infestation killing native hemlocks.

Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville

“As a Swain County native, I have a deep, personal understanding of the issues and emotions surrounding the Road to Nowhere. The people of Swain County have

By Carl Iobst

Ed Stephens of Dillsboro recently had a problem with the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. According to the Sylva Herald, Stephens said the railroad is abandoning old train cars on his property. Stephens “called them and asked them to remove the cars.”

By Becky Anderson

This is the time for members of the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly to follow their hearts and love for this state and approve a significant increase in funding for land and water conservation in our state as proposed by the Land for Tomorrow organization.

Swain County native Heath Shuler is doing his home county a favor by putting together a powerful congressional coalition to support a cash settlement in lieu of building the controversial North Shore Road. Truthfully, there’s little chance that this road was ever going to get built, so taking a $52 million payout seems a much smarter option than holding out hope that a decades-old promise would ever be kept.

By Michael Beadle

Jon Brown and Scott Cochran want to help a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina rebuild after a bitter ethnic war, but to get there, they’ll need to raise about $30,000.

By Sarah Kucharski

Entering figurative sculptor Wesley Wofford’s studio one is struck by the sheer size of his works.

The Cowboy Junkies have this thing that only they can do, and as easy as it is to recognize that thing when you hear it, exactly what it is remains uncertain.

Well, let’s just consider this a collection of things I would NOT recommend. But maybe reading this will constitute a “diversion” of some sort, so here goes...

Thank goodness for Don Imus.

After 25 years of gutteral lyrics in the name of entertainment, none of which was protested, banned, boycotted or demonstrated against by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, the Imus faux pas has finally brought trash music to a level of national outrage where it should have been long ago.

The expansion announced last week by Smoky Mountain Biofuels and Mountain Energy will help place Western North Carolina at the forefront of a homegrown energy industry that holds great promise for the region and the country.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Sitting at a workbench in the back of his gallery on Main Street in Waynesville, wood worker Dennis Ruane meticulously carves a tiny bearded man into the handle of a spoon. The spoon is a replica of one of his early pieces, being made for a collector up North who saw the work on the cover of Ruane’s novel Wooden Spoons.

By Chris Cooper

See, the primary difference between Todd Snider and Ryan Adams is that Snider didn’t get so caught up in transforming himself into a freakish “just this side of Gen-X” version of Neil Young that he lost sight of what his gig really is: consistently writing great material that doesn’t eventually disintegrate and dilute itself into self-obsessed nattering and contemplation of one’s navel.

Guests of the Ayatollah and Kite Runner

Trying to understand the Middle East? Here are two books — one non-fiction and the other a wonderfully rich novel — that will open some doors for you.

Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America’s War with Militant Islam, by reporter Mark Bowden, recounts the 1979 takeover of this country’s Iranian embassy in Tehran by Muslim students. The book gives interesting insights into the struggle in Iran almost 30 years ago between moderate nationalists and Muslim fundamentalists. It’s a storyline that is playing out throughout the Middle East today. Incidentally, Bowden says Iran’s current president — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — was one of the students who figures prominently in the takeover.

Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, and the first novel published in English by an author from Afghanistan. It is a wonderful story about the relationship between two boys from different classes, but an important part of the story is the backdrop. It is set amidst Afghanistan’s tumultuous recent history, including the fall of the monarchy, the Soviet invasion, and the utter hypocrisy and capriciousness of the Taliban.

Now I’m searching for a good read on Iraq. Suggestions anyone?

Family camping

As I’ve gotten older, life has boiled itself down to a few essentials: family, work, and everything else. For Lori and I, family camping remains a favorite way to spend time with our kids. We’re just back from a great trip to Florida’s gulf coast where we swam, biked, canoed, walked, and took part in all kinds of other fun together. By my estimation there is no better way to spend time with children who haven’t graduated from high school.

Jackie Robinson and Don Imus

When Jackie Robinson walked out onto the field on April 13, 1947, to play Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was a milestone for race relations in this country. African-Americans couldn’t eat in the same restaurants or stay in the same hotels as whites, couldn’t vote in many states, and were treated as second-class citizens. Robinson didn’t change much by himself, but as major league sports evolved so did the country. While shock jock Don Imus apologizes and tries to save his career after making a stupid racist remark, we — African-Americans and whites — should remember Robinson and countless others who showed by example the right way. It took courage to stand out there on his own, enduring threats on his life along with racial taunts. Too few follow that model these days.

— By Scott McLeod

A traffic study was conducted to assess the traffic impacts of a new Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot complex coming to West Waynesville.

About $1.5 million in roadwork is planned to accommodate the increased traffic on South Main Street and Hyatt Creek Roads from the Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot development. There will be two entrances to the development: one off Hyatt Creek Road and one off South Main Street. Here’s a description of what the new road will look like:

U.S. 23-74 on-and-off ramps on the Anderson Auto side

• There will be a roundabout in the middle of Hyatt Creek Road. Drivers coming off the by-pass will go through the roundabout at the bottom of the exit ramp. The roundabout was chosen in lieu of a traffic light because it will move traffic more quickly. A traffic light would back up traffic all the way up the exit ramp and onto the bypass.

U.S. 23-74 on-and-off ramps on the development side

• There will be a dedicated right-turn lane coming from the development and leading up the on-ramp heading toward Asheville.

Entrance to the development on Hyatt Creek Road

• Hyatt Creek Road will be five lanes between the by-pass and the entrance to the development.

• Coming from the bypass toward the entrance there will be three lanes: two lanes are left-turn only into the development and one continues straight ahead on Hyatt Creek Rd.

• Leaving the development and going toward the by-pass, there will be two lanes: one is a dedicated right-turn lane to get on the bypass and one will be for going straight.

• Coming from South Main Street toward the entrance, there will be three lanes: one is a right-turn into the development or straight thru, one is straight-thru only and one is a left-turn only into the Huddle House.

• Leaving the development heading toward South Main Street, there will be two lanes: one left-turn only and one right-turn only.

• There will be a traffic light at the entrance.

Entrance to the development on South Main Street

• South Main Street will be three lanes around the entrance.

• Two lanes will be for straight-thru traffic, one in both directions.

• Approaching from town, there will an extra lane for right-turns only into the development.

• Approaching from the other way, the extra lane will be for left-turns only into the development.

• There will be a traffic light at the entrance.

National Poetry Month

In honor of National Poetry Month this April, here are some recommendations for poetry lovers and those seeking to learn more about the craft. First, a few books...

Access management deploys numerous design techniques to reduce congestion on clogged roads, five-lane drags being the primary candidate.

Representative Heath Shuler announced Monday that the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area has been allocated a federal appropriation of $748,955 for 2007. BRNHA’s appropriation was the third largest amount allocated to any of the 24 National Heritage areas that received federal funding this year.

Editor’s note: A group of nurses who work at the Haywood Regional Medical Center Emergency Room recently contacted The Smoky Mountain News. They said that during the controversy over the firing of Haywood Emergency Physicians, which took place last December, their opinions had never been sought by hospital administrators and never publicized in the media. A group of several nurses spoke to us about their concerns. Since their jobs could be jeopardized for speaking to us, we agreed to grant them anonymity. HRMC Administrator David Rice was asked to respond the allegations, but he said a pending lawsuit by fomer emergency room doctors prevented him from doing so. Since this story is presented from just nurse’s side, we are printing it in the opinions section.

Sitting around the kitchen table of a modest Haywood County home after a day on the job, the emergency room nurses said they just wanted their opinions on the matter heard. Throughout the controversy surrounding Haywood Emergency Physicians and Hospital Administrator David Rice, the nurses said no one had sought out their opinion.

By Dawn Gilchrist Young

“ ... and all day I turn over my own best thoughts,

each one as heavy and slow to flow

as a stone in a field full of wet and tossing flowers.”

— Mary Oliver

“Writing keeps me company living here by myself.”

— Zora Walker

What does a woman of 74 do with her spare time when her husband dies and her grown children all have lives of their own?

The Man in the Pickup Truck

You may be a man who drives a cadillac

and lives in a big house on a hill.

You may run a big corporation

and come and go as you will.

You may have a great big bank account

and think you have all the luck.

But the man who keeps the world going

is the man in the pickup truck.

He’s the man who built your big old house,

did the plumbing, electricity and all,

and if anything ever goes wrong around the place,

he’s always the man you call.

He keeps the wheels on your cadillac rolling,

works on the road on which you drive.

If not for the man in the pickup truck,

this world just couldn’t survive.

Dear Little Pluto

We don’t understand

what it’s all about.

They are putting you aside

and kicking you out.

You are one of the “nine” –

you were always there,

not to have you around

just doesn’t seem fair.

No one should change

what has always been true.

If I get to choose,

I’m keeping you.

Imagine how this scenario could work, if it was a reality: a state Department of Transportation in lockstep with the wishes of the state’s citizenry, an organization that went to great lengths to work with towns, counties and other entities to try to help reduce congestion by managing traffic with an eye toward quality of life instead of simply moving more cars.

By Michael Beadle

Jay Blackburn never figured he’d be competing against the best axe-chopping, saw-cutting athletes in the country when he enrolled at Haywood Community College two years ago. Now he’s planning to pursue a career as a timber sports athlete.

By Michael Beadle

Along with death and taxes, one of the most predictable things in life seems to be political scandal, and for the past quarter century few comedy groups in America have done a better job of poking fun at our elected officials than the Capitol Steps.

By Chris Cooper

Fusing soaring gospel harmony with finely tuned bluegrass firepower, Doyle Lawson has forged an easily recognizable and smoothly accessible sound over all these years. On his most recent Rounder records release he and his band display an effortless command of the music, all the while sounding as fresh and vital as any of the many “up and coming” groups.

Bill Dyar has long been interested in Native American dances.

When he was 15 years old, he formed his first dance team growing up in Georgia, and his interest in the Cherokee developed even more having a mother-in-law on the Eastern Band of Cherokee tribal roll.

By Chris Cooper

First, if you don’t already know (I sure as heck didn’t) fire up Google and read about exactly what a “strangelet” is. Pretty interesting, eh?

“The Sopranos”

Down now to the last five episodes before creator David Chase closes down the series for good, the show that changed television forever continues to be one of the few good reasons to pay for cable. James Gandolfini will probably never escape the shadow of Tony Soprano as he moves on inevitably into big budget films, but that is more a testament to the incredible intensity of his performances, and the sympathy he has for a character that is, to say the least, a flawed protagonist, than it is a commentary on his limitations as an actor. He has been at it ten years, and the character remains as complex and compelling as he was in the series’ first season. He has created one of the great characters in television history. I am still not sure where the show is heading as far as a conclusion goes — will Tony be killed? Go to prison? Lose someone close to him (I am betting on his son — “the sins of the fathers” angle)? With each episode here in the final season, the suspense continues to build, the sense of impending doom coiling around Tony more and more. The show now feels more like one long movie, a great film noir, than a television show, and what a great movie it is.

The Ponys, Turn The Lights Out

The year is still young and already there have been a handful of albums I have really enjoyed, including stellar records from the Kings of Leon and Arcade Fire and pretty good ones from Lucinda Williams and the Greencards, but this is the album I love the most, a collection of great songs from a youngish Chicago band that at first blush sounds like a savvy selection of covers of classic garage-rock gems from the 1960s. If you have heard of the Nuggets box sets, you’ll know what I mean and need this in your collection immediately. If not, think fuzzy guitars with a lot of reverb, power chords, soaring harmonies, hooks you’ll be humming all day. Think rock and roll without the frills and slick production. Put it on and turn it up.

Pablo Neruda

My favorite poet after Walt Whitman is my go-to poet when I am trying to convince freshmen and sophomores that poetry is actually worth their time after all. Last week, as I finished reading one of my favorite Neruda poems that has this as the last line—”I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees”—I looked up and saw what every literature teacher hopes to see, a classroom cast under the spell of poetry, every student paying rapt attention. Read another one, a girl in the back said. I did. You do the same, and you’ll be the richer for it.

— By Chris Cox

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Cameron Farlow, an intern at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Oconaluftee Visitors Center, reaches down to pluck a meandering millipede from the moist, dirt bank along the side of the trail as we hike up the ridgeline.

Ronald A. Johnson, who holds the JP Morgan Chase Chair in Finance in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University, is the next dean of the College of Business at Western Carolina University.