WNC poised for economic growth, panelists say at Advantage West event

Touting the success of Harrah’s Casino and such improvements as a state-of-the-art school and a rural broadband network undertaken by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian, panelists at Advantage West’s annual Economic Summit — including Vice Chief Larry Blythe, pictured — said that Western North Carolina has the ingredients to thrive. (photos by Max Cooper)

TuckReader­: The Cherokee sense of place

“When I asked him about the Cherokee connection to the outdoors, [Tom Belt] started out by breaking down the constructs in the question,” says Giles Morris, co-publisher for TuckReader.com. “What is the outdoors, anyway? Is it nature? Outside? The Wilderness? ‘There is no Cherokee word for wilderness. We have no concept of that,’ Belt said. ‘What white people call wilderness is our home. We are a part of it and it is a part of us.’ …

A family affair

[Editor’s note: The historic gathering of the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Nation and Western North Carolina’s Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians April 16 to 18 unleashed a cascading array of images, memories and deep emotions. The following text and photos aim to convey something of the essence of the event.] Click here to view slideshow Music by […]