Axe & Awl honors past with modern twist

By Diana Conard • Contributing writer | Courtney and Spencer Tetrault established Axe & Awl Leatherworks six years ago as…
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As COVID rages, Canton Labor Day events debated

After the Canton Board of Aldermen/women spent nearly three hours on Aug. 9 going back and forth with Haywood County…
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Sylva man found guilty of ransacking ambulance

With admissions last week of stealing and breaking into motor vehicles, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said, a Sylva man…
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COVID-19 Outbreak at Haywood nursing home

The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a COVID-19 outbreak at Maggie Nursing & Rehabilitation in Maggie…
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Highway dedicated in honor of Beloved Cherokee man

Jerry Wolfe’s voice crackled across the speakers telling one more story.
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New CEO hired at Angel Medical Center

Mission Health has hired Clint Kendall to serve as the new Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at Angel…
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COVID-19 cluster found at Canton PD

Haywood County Health and Human Services have identified a COVID-19 cluster connected to the Canton Police Department. Six employees, at…
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Cherokee legalizes medical marijuana

The Cherokee Tribal Council today approved a 42-page ordinance that will establish a system to support legalized medical marijuana on…
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Highlands Road Safety Project Underway

FRANKLIN – A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation recently started a safety project along a stretch of Highlands Road…
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Cawthorn’s first Republican challenger appears

There’s been lots of speculation since very early in Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s tenure in Congress that he’d face a Republican…
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Another Democrat begins campaign for Madison Cawthorn’s seat

Army veteran and 2020 state House candidate Josh Remillard, of Mills River, has officially entered the race for North Carolina’s…
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Buncombe Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara wants Madison Cawthorn’s seat

Some people will say a gay woman who’s a Christian minister just can’t get elected in the South.
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Masks back at WCU

With case numbers surging, Western Carolina University has announced that it will ask members of the campus community to report…
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Tourism businesses engage in legal battle

Two of Swain County’s largest tourism brands — Nantahala Outdoor Center and Great Smoky Mountains Railroad — are engaged in a…
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UPDATED: Report reveals Cawthorn gun gaffe

Congressman Madison Cawthorn attempted to bring a firearm though airport security this past February, but the freshman Western North Carolina…
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Recording reveals Cawthorn's gun gaffe

Congressman Madison Cawthorn attempted to bring a firearm though airport security this past February, but the freshman Western North Carolina…
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HIGHTS receives United Way grant
 

HIGHTS receives United Way grant

HIGHTS (Helping Inspire Gifts of Hope, Trust, and Service) works with the community’s most vulnerable youth to provide essential clinical…
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Housing Foundation awards $13,500
 

Housing Foundation awards $13,500

Through the work of Canopy Housing Foundation, Haywood County area Realtors are dedicated to grassroots support of area nonprofit organizations…
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Haywood Healthcare Foundation grants
 

Haywood Healthcare Foundation grants

The Haywood Healthcare Foundation Board of Trustees recently awarded $281,431 in grants to 14 agencies for healthcare needs in Haywood…
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Dog beds needed

The Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is in urgent need of new Kuranda beds in the CHHS Canine Adoption Center. 
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EXCLUSIVE: Gash will unveil education policy at candidate forum tomorrow

All six Democratic congressional candidates in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District will appear at a candidate forum in Marshall on…
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Mask mandate back in Cherokee; Masking encouraged but not required in N.C.

The indoor mask mandate is back on the Qualla Boundary following a July 29 executive order from Eastern Band of…
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School boards make different decisions on masks

Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases and transmission rates following the spread of the Delta variant, the Centers for…
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Delta surge comes to Harris

Dr. Ben Guiney wasn’t sure what he’d find when he showed up for his weekend shifts at Harris Regional Hospital…
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Delta variant rolls back pandemic progress

Like much of the U.S., North Carolina’s efforts to recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic are backsliding as the Delta Variant…
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When town hall is empty: Boards debate merits of in-person, remote meetings

After a mass migration from boardrooms to cyberspace last spring, one by one Western North Carolina’s public bodies have transitioned…
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Jackson jails, senior center to get new food vendor

For the first time in six years, Jackson County will have a new vendor providing meals at its jail and…
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Audit finds Waynesville electric bills were accurate

The results from an independent audit of the Town of Waynesville’s electric billing process are in and despite speculation to…
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Leibfarth falls short of Olympic medal

Bryson City Olympian Evy Leibfarth will leave Tokyo without a medal, but the 17-year-old is already setting her sights on…
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Eviction moratorium expires
 

Eviction moratorium expires

The federal moratorium on evictions was allowed to expire on July 31, bringing an end to protections enjoyed by tenants…
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Republican field for Cawthorn’s seat grows to five

On the heels of “ Gungate ” and a shouting match  with a West Virginia congressman on the house floor,…
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Jackson schools will begin with mask mandate

Jackson County Schools will begin the 2021-22 school year with a mask mandate for all students, staff and visitors, with…
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Masks will be optional in Haywood schools

Following contentious public input, and relatively little board discussion, Haywood County Schools will begin the 2021-22 school year without a…
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No smoke without buyers: Research explores cigar wrapper tobacco as cash crop for mountain farmers

On a perfectly sunny and gloriously cool July morning, Tucker Worley starts up the John Deere golf cart and takes…
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Police chase leads to one death, multiple injured
 

Police chase leads to one death, multiple injured

On Wednesday, July 21, a Haywood County Deputy observed Dalton Suttles driving on U.S. 209 in Haywood County. 
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Riggs pleads to felony charges
 

Riggs pleads to felony charges

Last August, Jackson County deputies responded to reports of a vehicle fire on Parris Branch. They arrived to find a…
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Haney convicted of sexual assault
 

Haney convicted of sexual assault

Following a two-week trial, a Graham County jury on Friday returned a guilty verdict in 45 minutes against Casey Haney,…
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Tobacco’s Haywood County heyday

Slowly meandering through Haywood County’s tranquil farmlands, the winding two-lane mountain road rises and falls as behind each bend it…
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Local school boards now responsible for mask mandate

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced new health guidelines for North Carolina public schools on Wednesday. School districts should require…
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Macon Schools plan to start year without masks

After North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced new health guidelines for North Carolina Public Schools, giving local school boards the…
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COVID-19 cases continue to rise

After months of decline, North Carolina is experiencing a rapid increase in COVID-19 spread among those who are unvaccinated. 
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Searching for gold: Bryson City Olympian misses kayaking finals, aims for canoe medal

Bryson City Olympian Evy Leibfarth , 17, came up short in her quest for an Olympic kayaking medal but will…
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Candidate visits show senate race is heating up

With the U.S. Senate under razor-thin Democratic control and a rare open seat in North Carolina, candidates on both sides…
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Full circle: Cherokee’s new museum director seeks to bring tribe’s story to the present

Throughout her 20-year museum career, Shana Bushyhead Condill had wondered what it might be like to work on the Qualla…
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Final beam placed at new hospital

With an eye on the future and supporting healthcare throughout the Western North Carolina region, the final beam was placed…
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Macon approves emergency funds for KIDS Place

Macon County commissioners recently approved $55,000 worth of emergency funds to KIDS Place Child Advocacy Center to ensure the nonprofit…
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Vaya Health awarded health plan by N.C. DHHS
 

Vaya Health awarded health plan by N.C. DHHS

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services selected Vaya Health to operate a health care plan for North Carolina…
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Swain to support Medicaid expansion

Swain County Board of Commissioners plans to pass a resolution showing the county’s support for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina…
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Another Republican out to oust Madison Cawthorn

As the second Republican to enter the 2022 Congressional Primary field, Bruce O’Connell is certainly looking at a David versus…
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Local school boards now responsible for mask mandate

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced new health guidelines for North Carolina public schools on Wednesday. School districts should require…
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