Jackson human services board votes to delay director hire
Eight months have passed since the Jackson County Commissioners voted to merge the county’s health and social services departments, but…
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My friend: Big Brothers Big Sisters fills youth mentorship needs
“When I was matched with Ann in fourth grade, I had grown up with some difficulties in my life,” said…
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One-way ticket to kid world
My car is usually something of a mess, a magnet for loose papers, empty food wrappers and an impressively random…
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Flag flap far from finished
Just weeks after a violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville last August, complaints arising from the display of Confederate…
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Opinion split on middle school
A public input session on the question of whether Jackson County should form a middle school drew split opinion during…
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WCU, Morris partnering to provide high-speed internet to Cullowhee Valley
Western Carolina University has reached an agreement with Morris Broadband to expand high-speed internet service to rural, underserved areas of…
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Train offers land in exchange for street closure
The debate over whether the town of Bryson City should relinquish its right of way on Fry Street has resurfaced,…
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Clean Slate Coalition gives hand up to women
Marsha Crites doesn’t believe in tough love. She believes in second chances — and even third and fourth chances if that’s…
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Cherokee looks to increase retirement vesting period
Pension plan double-dipping is prompting the Cherokee Tribal Council to consider tripling the number of years required to draw from…
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SCC’s health building aims for fall groundbreaking
Southwestern Community College is moving forward with plans for a $20 million health sciences building, having accepted applications from 11…
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Missing the mark: protestors, congressman differ on VA reform
Last August, three-term Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows held his fourth Veterans Solutions Seminar in Waynesville. Last week, he held…
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Renaissance on South Main Street
Near the end of 2016, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced plans for an $18 million makeover of Russ…
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Savannah Park will cost more than planned
Establishing a park in the Savannah community of Jackson County will be more expensive than originally anticipated, with commissioners voting…
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Catch him if you can: David Joy releases highly-anticipated third novel
If you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t even notice him. Sitting by himself at the counter of the Innovation Station…
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Tribal member sues over alleged workplace hostility, harassment
A Cherokee woman who successfully fought off disorderly conduct charges earlier this year has filed suit against nine parties in…
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Tribe to expand casino parking
New parking is coming to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino following the Cherokee Tribal Council’s unanimous vote Aug. 2 to transfer a…
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Regulations on use of cultural terms discussed in Cherokee
A brief conversation in Tribal Council Wednesday, Aug. 1, was the first public discussion on how the Eastern Band of…
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Sylva community turns out in force to oppose N.C. 107 plans
Sylva Town Hall was filled beyond capacity as Mayor Lynda Sossamon called a public forum on the redevelopment of N.C.…
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No mystery behind hotel incentives
As first reported in The Smoky Mountain News more than four months ago, Waynesville’s getting a new hotel, and that…
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Funding the fight
With a net pickup of four seats in the House or six in the Senate, North Carolina Democrats could break…
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WNC employers — Haywood Chamber wants to hear from you
As Haywood County’s economic development efforts ensue, one oft-overlooked aspect of the area’s offerings — like land development opportunities and…
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Macon deputy cleared in Knibbs shooting
Macon County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Wade Momphard Jr. will not face any criminal charges after he shot and killed Scott…
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Plott Creek site plan OK’d
The site plan submitted by developers for a controversial 200-unit apartment complex off Plott Creek Road was approved by the…
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Leadership Haywood starts next month
Even the smallest communities are composed of a dizzying array of institutional and organizational groups that can either work together…
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Mountain Projects eyes parcel for affordable housing
A 4.4-acre parcel in the Allens Creek community could soon put a small dent in Haywood County’s affordable housing crisis,…
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Jackson mulls middle school
Jackson County stands alone among the western counties for not having a separate middle school, but a group of parents…
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Cherokee debates election laws
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is in the midst of an effort to overhaul its elections laws, with a…
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County manager interviews begin
Almost 10 months after the abrupt resignation of County Manager Ira Dove, Haywood County is drawing closer to finding his…
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Scholarship program aims to keep health workers local
A new partnership between Southwestern Community College and Harris Regional Hospital aims to help aspiring nurses afford their education while…
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A loving push: Cullowhee farm provides growth, safety for people with autism
Grayson Wolfe is the kid with the huge smile on his face as he jumps between stepping stones on the…
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Candidates file for Haywood Board of Education seats
Five seats on the Haywood County Schools Board of Education are up for election this year, but only one challenger…
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Vehicle emissions testing goes up in smoke
A multi-year effort by Burnsville Republican Rep. Michele Presnell to scrap vehicle emissions testing requirements in more than two dozen…
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Cherokee to seek $280 million in credit for construction
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will seek $280 million in credit to fund a list of five priority projects…
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Statewide tour seeks answers for improving post-high school education rate
Educational leaders from across the mountain region convened at Cherokee Central Schools this month for an afternoon of conversation and…
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LifePoint Health to merge with RCCH Healthcare Partners
LifePoint Health, the parent company of three regional hospitals in Western North Carolina, recently announced its plans to merge with…
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New health foundation to form following Mission sale
Though the sale of nonprofit Mission Health to for-profit HCA isn’t official yet, the Mission Health Board of Directors hasn’t…
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N.C. 107 meeting scheduled
The upcoming remodel of N.C. 107 through Sylva will be the focus of a special meeting and public hearing planned…
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November ballot referenda
Although legislators have been called back to Raleigh for a special session that may include modification of the descriptions of…
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Not so fast: ballot referenda bring lawmakers back to Raleigh
The polls are usually thought of as a place to vote for or against people, but this year in North…
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Bringing the world to WNC for 35 years
Folkmoot International Festival is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year by introducing some new events during the 10-day cultural exchange…
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WCU chancellor finalist withdraws from consideration
Western Carolina University will have to wait a little longer to welcome a new chancellor to Cullowhee following a July…
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County lukewarm on IP complex takeover
A quick discussion by the Haywood County Board of Commissioners on July 16 about the possibility of taking responsibility for…
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STAR Ranch rescues ‘miracle mare’
STAR Ranch Horse Rescue in Haywood County has had many success stories through the years, but a recent horse rescue…
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Plott Creek developers submit site plan
When a controversial text amendment passed the Town of Waynesville Planning Board and Board of Aldermen in back-to-back public hearings…
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Macon seniors lobby for new senior center
Seniors packed the Macon County commissioners’ meeting July 10 to lobby the county for a new senior center.
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Administration shuffled in Haywood County Schools
Haywood County Schools superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte wasted little time in announcing the administrative support team that will help him…
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Central gym one step closer to demolition
A startling engineering report that called Central Haywood High School’s deteriorating gymnasium “unsound and unsafe” prompted Haywood County Schools to…
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Shining Rock moves on land purchase
Just three days after holding a closed meeting during which members of the Shining Rock Classical Academy voted to contract…
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Bryson City to revisit relinquishing right of way
The Bryson City Board of Aldermen will soon revisit the controversial topic of whether to relinquish its right-of-way on Fry…
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Cherokee hospital to build $39 million crisis unit
Long-debated plans to renovate the old Cherokee Indian Hospital building as a crisis stabilization unit will now move forward following…
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