(USA TODAY Near MOUNT PISGAH, N.C.) — A day after preparing to close for the rest of the season, workers at the Pisgah Inn were back on the job, and the inn’s owner claimed victory in his showdown over the federal shutdown.

Inn owner Bruce O’Connell said Wednesday the Interior Department of Interior agreed to let him reopen his lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in exchange for dropping a legal complaint he had filed.

The government owns the building and land. O’Connell leases it, and his family has run the inn at milepost 408.6 about 25 miles southwest of Asheville, N.C., since 1978.

Park Service rangers had blocked the 51-room inn’s driveways since Friday when O’Connell defied the shutdown order that has left other park concessionaires closed across the USA. The parkway itself remains open to travelers. Rangers turned customers away at the inn’s entrances.

O’Connell said he has heard from thousands of people since making his stand. His story

Article source: http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/2013/10/10/blue-ridge-parkway-inn-reopens-with-federal-blessing/2957649/ If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

Photo by Saul Young // Buy this photo

The shores of Norris Lake are seen during a fall color boat tour in a previous year. Norris Dam State Park is hosting Fall Color Boat Trips from Oct. 14 through Oct. 27.

FALL COLOR BOAT RIDES

Norris Dam State Park will hold its annual Fall Color Boat Trips at 11 a.m., 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m. daily from Monday, Oct. 14, until Sunday, Oct. 27. Participants must call the park office, 865-426-7461, to sign up for a trip.

Join us as we venture along the shores of Norris Lake via pontoon boat and view the beautiful autumn display of nature’s artistry. Each boat ride will last approximately one hour and will depart from the Norris Dam Marina. Park Rangers will narrate the trip with tree identification and park history.

Cost is $7 for adults and $5 for children under 6. Each boat trip is limited to 10 people.

Article source: http://www.knoxville.com/news/2013/oct/09/do-knoxville-take-a-boat-ride-or-a-hike-plant-a/ If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

Real Deals

Flip, shop and save on specials from your favorite retailers in Asheville, NC 28802

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Article source: http://www.citizen-times.com/usatoday/article/2953197 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

Near MOUNT PISGAH, N.C. — A day after preparing to close for the rest of the season, workers at the Pisgah Inn were back on the job, and the inn’s owner claimed victory in his showdown over the federal shutdown.

Inn owner Bruce O’Connell said Wednesday the Interior Department of Interior agreed to let him reopen his lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in exchange for dropping a legal complaint he had filed.

STORY: Workers weigh options as shutdown lingers
STORY: Inn’s act of defiance lasts about 2 hours

The government owns the building and land. O’Connell leases it,

Article source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/09/blue-ridge-parkway-pisgah-inn/2955043/ If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

Silk Road drug busts: 8 more arrested

Authorities in Britain, Sweden, and the United States have arrested eight more people following last week’s closure of Silk Road, a notorious black market website which helped dealers to sell drugs

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Article source: http://www.citizen-times.com/usatoday/article/2946925 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

ASHEVILLE — The Blue Ridge Parkway is not having the best year.

A road failure forced the closure Monday of a popular commuter stretch between Brevard and Hendersonville roads, parkway officials said.

Engineers planned to get a closer look today of erosion damage at the south end of a bridge carrying the parkway over Interstate 26, Parkway Ranger Steve Stinnett said.

“There was already a plan to go forward with some repairs,” Stinnett said. “The road is undercut there, about a quarter of the way under the southbound lane.”

Work to repair that damage should take about two weeks, he said, and will be done by Federal Highway Administration. The agency is considered essential personnel and is still on the job despite the shutdown, Stinnett said

The four-mile closure is unrelated to the federal government shutdown, and the rest of the Blue Ridge Parkway is still open to motor vehicle traffic.

A giant crack that was first noticed July 12 running down the center line of the parkway north of Asheville near Tanbark Ridge Tunnel caused a 20-mile closure for a couple of months between Asheville and Mount Mitchell State

Article source: http://www.blackmountainnews.com/article/20131008/NEWS01/310080034/ If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

Near MOUNT PISGAH, N.C. — Marc Robinson spent part of Tuesday throwing his hard work in the garbage.

As executive chef at the Pisgah Inn, forced to shut down because of the budget impasse in Congress, he’s responsible for prepping all the food guests would normally eat during the busy fall season.

STORY: Inn’s act of defiance lasts about 2 hours
STORY: Blue Ridge lodge caves on shutdown order

But

Article source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/08/blue-ridge-parkway-pisgah-inn/2946407/ If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com