Living in bearadise: Encounters highlight need for human responsibility in bear country
After flying into town and renting a car for their Memorial Day Weekend visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Misleading claim by Down Home North Carolina isn’t their first
Perhaps the only true statement in a June 7 Down Home North Carolina email is that the fight against jail…
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Curatory creates space for contemporary art, community
Ashten McKinney is the new kid on the block, but already she’s making friends with her neighbors and offering a…
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‘Why do we have to normalize what’s already normal?’
During the pandemic, Asheville-based artist Pearl Renken wrestled with the pain, isolation and racial reckoning happening in the United States. Her…
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Cherokee joins three-tribe hotel partnership
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will partner with two other Native American tribes and a developer to build a…
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‘As normal as possible’: WCU outlines plans for Fall 2021
As the pandemic continues to recede, Western Carolina University is planning for a fall semester that “will look more like…
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Jackson passes resolution to uphold the U.S. Constitution
By unanimous vote during their Tuesday, June 1, meeting, Jackson County commissioners passed a resolution that “calls upon the North…
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Revenue-neutral revolt: Local government budgets under scrutiny
A countywide property reappraisal earlier this year generated substantial increases in property value for many homeowners, who will now have…
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Maggie Valley passes budget, lowers taxes
Maggie Valley Town Board of Alderman passed the proposed 2021-22 budget on June 8.
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Aldermen put the brakes on DWA contract renewal
What should have been a simple contract renewal process has turned into an all-out fiasco for the Downtown Waynesville Association,…
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Contractor offers to help Franklin build skatepark
JE Dunn Construction was hired by HCA Healthcare to build the new Angel Medical Center in Franklin, but Superintendent Steve…
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Macon commissioners narrowly approve budget
Macon County commissioners approved the 2021-22 fiscal budget, but two Republican commissioners opposed its passage because they disagreed with increasing…
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Waynesville fires town attorney
Following public complaints, the Waynesville Board of Aldermen voted to terminate the contract of its town attorney, Bill Cannon.
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Trump makes early endorsement in 2022 NC Senate race
Voters excited about the possibility of a new chapter in the Trump family’s political legacy were in for a bit…
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The Return of the Don
Former President Donald Trump made one of his first major public appearances since losing the 2020 election, returning to the…
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Public educators’ association tours 100 counties
The North Carolina Association of Educators’ “We Heart Public Schools Tour’’ stopped in Haywood County Friday. The tour visited every…
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Vaya, Cardinal merge to take on Medicaid transformation
Two of North Carolina’s largest managed care organizations recently announced they will consolidate in preparation for the state’s transformation to…
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Tribal Council silent on proposed same-sex marriage law
Every month, the Tribal Council agenda starts the same way. The chairman calls the meeting to order, and then there’s…
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Macon raises tax rate to address capital needs
County Manager Derek Roland was tasked with delivering a flat budget for the 2021-22 budget year, but after countless hours…
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Jackson considers more salary for first responders
After multiple work sessions and a public hearing, Jackson County commissioners may designate an additional $444,000 in the 2021-22 budget…
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Cherokee voters choose Primary Election winners
Tribal Council incumbents fared well in Thursday’s Primary Election, with all six representatives who faced primary contests sailing easily toward…
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Park visitors cited for feeding bear peanut butter
Visitors who fed a bear peanut butter in Cades Cove received a citation from Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers…
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Waynesville funds emergency overnight stays for unsheltered individuals
Just days after a local nonprofit asked the Town of Waynesville to help fund emergency overnight stays for the unsheltered,…
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Cherokee voters choose Primary Election candidates
Tribal Council incumbents fared well in Thursday’s Primary Election, with all six representatives who faced primary contests sailing easily toward…
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Jackson County names new DSS director
After five years heading the agency, Jennifer Abshire will retire as director of the Jackson County Department of Social Services…
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Teacher resigns following alleged sexual activity with student
UPDATED 1/24/2020: Following several meetings with the alleged victim and family, the District Attorney's Office declined to file charges in…
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Group asks for funds to fight homelessness
A local nonprofit group has its eyes set on funding that will be distributed to the Town of Waynesville as…
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Eviction moratorium expiration looms
The Coronavirus Pandemic appears to be winding down and with it, protections designed to ameliorate the ensuing economic devastation that…
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Eviction moratorium strains local landlords
When the Coronavirus Pandemic broke out in the United States in March 2020, Congress passed that CARES Act. Part of…
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Housing cases double for Legal Aid
The amount of time Legal Aid lawyers spend on helping clients with housing issues doubled during the pandemic.
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Mountain Projects receives affordable housing grant
Dogwood Health Trust recently invested in affordable housing initiatives in Haywood and Jackson counties by awarding a $872,671 grant to…
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Home sales double over 2020
With vaccinations underway and COVID-19 restrictions easing, April home sales rose 48.8 percent year-over-year with 1,138 homes sold across the…
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Property tax rates will go down, but property tax bills will go up
Yes, your property tax rate is going down, but no, your property tax bill probably bill isn’t. Wait, what?
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Sizing the force: Sylva debates police staffing needs
Sarah Dearmon was the only person who spoke during the May 27 public hearing for a proposed Sylva town budget…
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Jackson names new economic development director
Tiffany Henry will be Jackson County’s next director of economic development following a unanimous vote from county commissioners May 18.…
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June per capita payments exceed pre-pandemic levels
Despite a raging pandemic, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos’ revenues for October 2020 through March 2021 delivered a larger per capita payment…
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Swain sets public hearing for proposed budget
Swain County will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. June 10 to give residents an opportunity to comment on…
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Staffing a hurdle for Haywood summer school
Students in Haywood County will not be provided normal bus transportation for the robust summer school program intended to address…
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Cullowhee Valley School chooses new mascot
Henceforth, Cullowhee Valley School in Jackson County will be represented as the Cullowhee Valley Wolves.
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Jackson considers $79 million proposed budget
Note: The initial story published May 26 was based on incorrect budget documents from Jackson County that reflected a total…
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Cawthorn’s internal poll measures job performance, approval
After almost five months in office, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-Hendersonville, has his first look into the major political questions that…
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Canton preschool closed due to COVID-19
The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a symptomatic COVID-19 case at Silverbluff Early Education & Preschool…
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Swain Middle gets ‘GO’ Grant
The North Carolina Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council announced that Swain County Middle School was awarded a NC Schools Go Outside…
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HCC offers free tuition for Haywood grads
Haywood Community College Foundation’s Tuition Free Guarantee Scholarship is sometimes the deciding factor for Haywood County seniors when deciding where…
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Coming together again: what's next for community events?
Though Oct. 17 was just seven months ago chronologically, it feels like seven years emotionally with all of the social,…
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Folkmoot returns: After a year off, a revamped festival
Folkmoot USA will return with its annual festival for summer 2021.
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Inaugural Juneteenth celebration planned
On June 19, the Smoky Mountain District of the United Methodist Church will host a Juneteenth Freedom Celebration at Lake…
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Ghost Town: a new start for an old favorite
A weekend-long reunion event brought dozens of former Ghost Town in the Sky performers together to share some old memories,…
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Divisive sign catalyzes Back the Blue rally
Maggie Valley Town Hall Pavilion and the surrounding grassy area were ablaze with the black and blue flags of a…
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Tribal Council candidates make their case
During the Primary Election next week, Cherokee voters will decide which candidates vying for seats on Tribal Council and the…
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