UNC strategizes for sustained enrollment

It’s no secret that Western Carolina University is a growing community, with enrollment topping 12,000 for the first time this…
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Boarding school moves into part of Folkmoot Center

Waynesville arts and cultural organization Folkmoot has reached an agreement with the Academy at SOAR, a longtime boarding school in…
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BRH to open new clinic in Swain County

Blue Ridge Health (BRH) has been awarded a $650,000 New Access Point grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration…
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Planning to begin on proposed Haywood Schools facility

Haywood County has taken its first formal step forward in pursuit of a proposed $13 million, 40,000-square-foot central administration facility…
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Shape of N.C. 107 plans set, DOT says

The time to tweak plans for Sylva’s controversial N.C. 107 project is past, residents were told during a well-attended town…
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New housing planned for Sylva

Five families could find themselves in a brand new home in Sylva if a planned endeavor by Mountain Projects comes…
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New voting machines demonstrated in Haywood

Election officials from across the region gathered in Haywood County last week to be among the first to witness public…
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Election Day in Cherokee: Voters speak at the polls

Election Day dawned clear and sunny in Cherokee Sept. 5, with polls opening at 6 a.m. for voters to choose…
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Lockdown lifted at SCC

A lockdown at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson County campus has been lifted after law enforcement determined that students who reported…
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Incumbents sweep Cherokee election

Principal Chief Richard Sneed produced a decisive victory in Cherokee’s Sept. 5 election, pulling in 55.11 percent of the vote…
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Hospital leaders reflect on five years with LifePoint

In 2014, Duke LifePoint Healthcare purchased three hospitals in Western North Carolina with the promise of drastically improving rural health…
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Land sale could offset cost of recycling center relocation

Jackson County hopes to offset the cost of moving its Dillsboro recycling center with proceeds from selling a piece of…
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Court says gerrymandered NC districts must change, immediately

A ruling handed down by a North Carolina court last week declared N.C.’s legislative districts to be illegal partisan gerrymanders…
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Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Rep. Corbin

A powerful voice for Western North Carolina in the North Carolina General Assembly is about to pop the kickstand on…
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BI-LO’s transformation to housing moves forward

First steps are being taken on a major new residential development proposed for the site of a former grocery store…
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Shining Rock surges, Haywood Schools slips again

After a tumultuous year that saw all manner of controversy — from parental complaints to illegal meetings, transparency issues, secret…
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Waynesville’s Masonic Temple building ready for tenants

After years of disuse, a hidden gem in the heart of Waynesville’s downtown is finally ready to reclaim its rightful…
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Sneed wins chief election

Richard Sneed will remain the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for four more years following an…
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Hurricane Dorian boosts Haywood occupancy rates

Hurricane Dorian has slowly but surely been making its way toward the east coast of the United States, but Haywood…
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Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users

The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time…
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Tourism spending up in WNC counties

As the summer season comes to a close, western counties continue to see a steady increase in visitor spending and room…
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WCU to study alcohol sales at sporting events
 

WCU to study alcohol sales at sporting events

The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees elected a slate of officers for 2019-20 and made appointments to several committees,…
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Swain room tax revenue exceeds $1 million

Swain County’s tourism industry recently marked a major milestone when the occupancy tax revenue from fiscal year 2018-19 exceeded $1…
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Jackson plans for growth
 

Jackson plans for growth

Last year was a good one for the tourism industry in Jackson County, with visitor spending in 2018 increasing by…
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Haywood’s tourism growth comes in unexpected places, times

Strong growth in winter and Haywood County’s smaller municipalities has local tourism numbers up over last year, in some cases,…
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Visitor spending in Macon on the rise

Outdoor recreation continues to be a major factor in Macon County’s steady increase in visitor spending year after year. 
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Some Haywood County Schools buildings nearing capacity

With a major new administration facility proposed and a shuttered elementary school still sitting empty, Haywood County Schools finds itself…
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Input sought for Swain’s future

All indications show Swain County has a prosperous future ahead, but county leaders are looking for community input to determine…
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Big changes coming to N.C. Medicaid

As the state of North Carolina moves forward with some bold new changes to how it will administer Medicaid, Haywood…
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TWSA discusses ways to soften N.C. 107 impacts

With right-of-way acquisition for the N.C. 107 project in Sylva set to begin in January, the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer…
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Free camping available for Dorian evacuees

The U.S. Forest Service is waiving fees at campgrounds across its southern region — which includes the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest…
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Emergency Closure for Nantahala Gorge

Due to hazardous conditions in the Nantahala Gorge from multiple landslides, the U.S. Forest Service is issuing an Emergency Closure…
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Commercial Rafting and Kayaking Operations Suspended on Nantahala River

Hazards created by recent landslides into the Nantahala River within the Nantahala Gorge have resulted in a suspension of all…
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Right from the source: Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates 50 years

Atop a hill on the western edge of downtown Waynesville, just past the invisible line where the delicious smell of…
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Communities celebrate new future of Nikwasi

As Cherokee children joined hands with Macon County residents and led them in a traditional friendship dance in the shadow…
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Shining Rock faces charter renewal decision

The next few months could prove fateful for Haywood County’s only public charter school, Shining Rock Classical Academy, as a…
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House bill could be helping hand for broadband

There’s probably no bigger economic development issue in rural America than access to dependable high-speed internet service.  “One hundred percent,”…
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Housing trust fund plan under development in Jackson

Housing is an issue across Western North Carolina, and Jackson County is no exception. Since June 2018, a newly created…
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Jackson buys land for recycling center

After a closed session discussion during its Aug. 20 meeting, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to buy…
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Homeless services provider receives nonprofit status

The organization tasked with managing homeless services in Jackson County for the year ahead received official status as a federal…
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Heavy rains cause four slides in Nantahala Gorge

A severe deluge dropped 3.5 inches of rain in the Nantahala Gorge in Swain County on Saturday and triggered slides…
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WNC to lose $9 million in mental health funding

The North Carolina General Assembly has proposed cutting millions of dollars in mental health funding in the recommended 2019-20 budget…
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Funds earmarked for Haywood drug court

A drug court could be established in Haywood County over the next couple of years if the North Carolina General…
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Tribe to vote on FY2020 budget

Tribal Council is slated to vote on a budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 on Thursday, Sept. 12,…
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Gov. Cooper visits SCC

This past summer, Andrew Allen had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get clinical experience at one of the state’s top teaching…
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Region gathers to find recovery solutions

More than 150 leaders from Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties in North Carolina gathered Aug. 16…
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NCDOT clearing four slides in Nantahala Gorge

BRYSON CITY – N.C. Department of Transportation crews are working around the clock on U.S. 19/74 until the highway is…
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Slides close Nantahala Gorge

BRYSON CITY – A heavy rainstorm Saturday evening and four subsequent mudslides have closed U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge…
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NC Justice Center honors Haywood’s Jane Hipps

The N.C. Justice Center posthumously bestowed a Champion of Justice Award on former board member and community advocate Jane Hipps…
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Haywood inmate dies in apparent suicide
 

Haywood inmate dies in apparent suicide

An inmate at the Haywood County Detention Center, Zachary Nathaniel Lambright, 20, was pronounced deceased at Haywood Regional Medical Center…
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