Tribe to develop themed destination on Sevier County land
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has announced its intention to develop a 200-acre mixed-use development envisioned as an “experiential…
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Jackson approves plan to return students to classroom
The Jackson County Board of Education voted to proceed with Phase 2 of the district’s reentry plan at their work…
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Haywood woman wins $1 million lotto
On Thursday, the new Carolina Black Millionaire Edition game delivered its first $1 million prize to Caterra Ponton of Clyde.
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Early morning Parkway shooting under investigation
Law enforcement is investigating an early morning shooting that occurred just before 3 a.m. this morning near milepost 364 on…
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WCU professor shares annual fall color predictions
Autumn leaves and the natural beauty of fall colors across Western North Carolina are a seasonal sensation that draw thousands…
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HRMC fitness center plans phased reopening
Following Governor Cooper’s press conference Tuesday, Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center will begin a phased reopening plan to best…
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Jackson County manager receives four-year contract extension
Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously to offer County Manager Don Adams a four-year contract extension following a closed-session discussion on…
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New players join affordable housing fight
The affordable housing crisis in Western North Carolina isn’t anything new, but it is entering a dangerous new phase due…
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WCU manages pandemic as first cluster is reported
The third week of classes is now underway at Western Carolina University, and the Jackson County Department of Public Health…
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Sylva expands outdoor seating downtown
Pandemic-induced public health rules are severely impacting bottom lines for restaurants nationwide, but members of the Sylva Town Board hope…
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‘Whee want change’: WCU students call for policy changes following racially charged videos
Five Western Carolina University students are no longer enrolled at the school after appearing in a pair of videos that…
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Holy Cow! Haywood Pathways to launch food truck
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Since its opening in 2014, the Haywood Pathways Center has become a life-changing place for…
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Cherokee seeks to amend election ordinances
The Cherokee Tribal Council is likely to vote this week on proposed changes to several sections of the tribe’s election…
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Haywood Arts Council to request COVID relief funds
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | During the Haywood County Arts Council’s annual meeting, Executive Director Leigh Forrester recently outlined the…
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Former NYPD detective provides crisis training for cops
Det. Sgt. Ron Martin often uses a popular Star Trek anecdote to make a point about making difficult changes when…
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Gov. Cooper eases some COVID restrictions
Trends in several key coronavirus metrics are stabilizing or declining, leading North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to let up on…
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Snow pleads guilty to killing mother and sister
Paul Snow pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Macon County courtroom to the Nov. 6, 2016, shooting deaths of his mother…
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Macon man charged with harboring a fugitive
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a key figure in Operation Jawbreaker, a sweep two years ago of suspected local…
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First coronavirus cluster found at WCU
A COVID-19 cluster including 17 residents of Harrill Hall has been identified at Western Carolina University.
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Remote learning resumes Monday in Haywood
Haywood County Schools is scheduled to reopen for remote instruction on Monday, Aug. 31 after a significant cyber attack last…
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Haywood COVID cases on downward trend
Haywood County Public Health received notice of 19 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week. As of 5 p.m.…
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WCU expands historic Swain photo collection
Western Carolina University has obtained a rare photographic glimpse of Bryson City and Swain County in the early 1900s, thanks…
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Despite pandemic, WCU sets new enrollment record
For the ninth time in the last 10 years, Western Carolina University is starting the year with a record high…
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SHARE Project commemorates International Overdose Awareness Day
The faces of more than 2,000 overdose victims – many from North Carolina, and some from Haywood County – will…
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Student videos with racist language spark anger at WCU
A pair of videos that appeared on social media over the weekend elicited strong reaction from many in the Western…
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The lady legislator: Jackson County gave N.C. its first female senator
Now 75, Cashiers resident Ann Austin was just 3 years old when her grandmother died following a sudden cardiac episode.
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Persistence in the fight for voting rights: Honoring N.C.’s first female legislator
Lillian Exum Clement was a native of Black Mountain and the first female legislator in the Southeast. She was the…
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In-person instruction suspended at Macon schools
After students and staff were exposed to positive cases of COVID-19, Macon County Board of Education decided to suspend face-to-face…
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Haywood schools close due to ransomware attack
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Internet technology has become the backbone of schools in the time of COVID-19.…
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Commissioners table billboard vote
Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, Aug. 18, to table a vote terminating its lease agreements with Allison Outdoor Advertising…
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President Trump thanks Mills River business
President Donald Trump made an appearance in Mills River on Monday, touting a food program designed to reduce food insecurity…
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Sylva man faces assault, child abuse charges
The Sylva Police Department arrested Michael Bruce Huffman of Sylva on Aug. 20. Huffman wascharged with misdemeanor assault on a…
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Back to school results in more COVID-19 cases
Even before Macon County students resumed classes Aug. 17, administration was already seeing the results of teachers returning to school.
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Haywood reports 6 more deaths at Silver Bluff
Haywood County Health and Human Services are reporting six more deaths as confirmed by death certificates received within the past week.…
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WCU launches coronavirus dashboard
A new COVID-19 dashboard for Western Carolina University is now available online at www.wcu.edu/coronavirus/reporting.aspx.
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Heath Shuler previews tonight’s Dem convention
While the big news out of the Democratic National Convention thus far may be the formal nomination of Joe Biden…
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Jackson schools purchase School Pass app
At a special called Jackson County School Board meeting on Aug. 11, the board approved the purchase — upon final…
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Suffrage was slow for Black voters
When the 19th Amendment passed in 1920, women throughout the nation began to vote for the first time. But for…
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For the Cherokee, disenfranchisement was locally controlled
In 1930, a young man named Henry Owl traveled to the Ravensford election precinct in Swain County to register to…
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Haywood mourns COVID-19 losses
A COVID-19 outbreak at Silver Bluff Village in Canton has resulted in 24 deaths in the last couple of weeks,…
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Canton Labor Day events
The Coronavirus Pandemic may have left plans for Canton’s historic Labor Day festival up in the air, but a new…
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Jackson purchases School Pass app
At a special called Jackson County School Board meeting on Aug. 11, the board approved the purchase — upon final…
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DA will not press charges in Sylva Zoom bomb
After a July 23 Town of Sylva meeting was cut short following a barrage of racial slurs and other offensive…
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Input sought on Waynesville comprehensive plan
The window for the public to provide input on an important planning document is drawing to a close, but given…
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Land deal could bolster Canton’s Chestnut Mountain project
A critical piece of the Chestnut Mountain puzzle could soon come under control of the Town of Canton after town…
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Fall sports postponed at WCU, Southern Conference
Western Carolina University will postpone all fall sports this year following an Aug. 13 decision from the Southern Conference Council…
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New billboards oppose Confederate statue
A pair of newly erected billboards along U.S. 441 in the Savannah area are calling attention to continued opposition to…
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Best in the West: Blue Ridge Public Radio, Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News to host two-day NC11 candidate forum
Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis, candidates for the North Carolina congressional seat left vacant by White House Chief…
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Haywood reports 70 new COVID cases, 7 deaths
Haywood County Public Health received notice of 70 new cases of COVID-19 since the last press release on Aug. 7.…
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Cawthorn responds to sexual assault allegations
An Aug. 13 Instagram post alleges improper behavior by North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn during a date six…
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