A closer look at festivals in Western North Carolina

The proud communities that make up Western North Carolina were once mountain towns that played host to several successful blue-collar…
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Mission moves forward with for-profit buyout

Mission Health CEO Dr. Ron Paulus made a visit to Franklin last week to provide the community with more details…
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State to take over Lake Junaluska system
 

State to take over Lake Junaluska system

Lake Junaluska Assembly received notice recently that the North Carolina Utilities Commission will in the near future be resuming regulation…
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Canton hires assistant town manager

Canton’s Town Manager Jason Burrell is about to get some help. 
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Living wage already in place in Waynesville

Activists hoping to press the Town of Waynesville into adopting a living wage for full-time employees were recently told that…
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TWSA contemplates fee changes for 2018-19

During a recent public comment period, water and sewer customers in Jackson County told the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority…
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Mission approved to build new Franklin hospital

With Mission Health in the process of building a replacement hospital in Franklin, Macon County and town of Franklin leaders…
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Sheriff candidate challenge appealed to state board

Swain County resident Jerry Lowery has appealed his candidate challenge against Sheriff Curtis Cochran to the N.C. Board of Elections…
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Belcher receives Long Leaf honor

It’s been quite a week for Western Carolina University Chancellor Dr. David Belcher. 
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Governor, Haywood leaders meet on opioid crisis

As the opioid crisis continues to rage across the nation and the state, legislators, law enforcement and medical professionals are…
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Cherokee lands bill moves forward in Congress

Following a 383-2 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass legislation transferring the property to the tribe, the…
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Law gives Council chairman authority over chambers

The Cherokee Tribal Council voted unanimously to formalize rules governing who has final authority over procedures in the council house,…
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Renovation plans progress for Jackson health department

Plans are moving forward for an extensive renovation of the Jackson County Health Department building, with County Manager Don Adams…
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Meet the Macon County commissioner candidates

The Smoky Mountain News and The Macon County News will jointly host a meet and greet and candidate forum from…
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Jackson will hire new director to oversee consolidated department

After January’s split vote to merge the social services and health departments into one consolidated department, the Jackson County commissioners…
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2018 Summer Camp Guide

While there are plenty of summer camp opportunities for youth in WNC, parents have to begin planning far in advance…
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Jackson commissioner candidates to face off in primary

During the May 8 Primary Election in Jackson County, two Republican candidates for county commissioner will race for the right…
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Newspapers to host candidate forum in Franklin
 

Newspapers to host candidate forum in Franklin

The Macon County News is teaming up with The Smoky Mountain News to host candidate forums and meet and greets…
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Six candidates compete in Swain commissioner primary

Six candidates for Swain County commissioner — three Republicans and three Democrats — will appear on the May 8 Primary Election ballot. 
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Primary will decide Jackson clerk race

For the two Democrats running to serve as Jackson County’s next clerk of Superior Court, the results of the May…
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Haywood Commission primary could be first step to GOP majority

Three Democratic seats on the Haywood County Board of Commissioners are up for election this year, but only two of…
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Brunch Bill fails in Jackson

In a 3-2 vote that followed hours of public comment spread over three different meetings, a measure that would have…
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Tribe added to council of governments

For the first time in the Southwestern Commission’s 53-year history, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has a seat at…
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Cherokee councilmember receives North Carolina’s highest honor
 

Cherokee councilmember receives North Carolina’s highest honor

Longtime Cherokee Councilmember Tommye Saunooke, of Painttown, became the latest recipient of North Carolina’s highest honor when she was presented…
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Bogged down: Jonathan Creek project getting messy

Problems with moist soil are mucking up what seemed at the time to be a quick, cheap and easy accouterment…
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Overlapping leases complicate Frog Level parking

A legal snafu has halted work on the Frog Level parking lot paving project as well as delayed action on…
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Former Waynesville priest indicted by grand jury

Howard “Howdy” White Jr., a former episcopal priest who served in Waynesville until 2006, was indicted last week by a…
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TWSA debates policy changes in Cashiers

As planning proceeds for a new sewer treatment plant in Cashiers, the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority will soon be…
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Jackson to hold second Brunch Bill hearing

A second public hearing on whether to allow Sunday morning alcohol sales in Jackson County will be held at 5:30…
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Sylva forecasts a tight budget year

Two years after the Sylva town board enacted a 42 percent increase in the city’s property tax rate, budget time…
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Tribal transparency on shaky ground after media ban

Allegations made by a member of Cherokee Tribal Council against a Smoky Mountain News reporter have resulted in a ban…
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Brewery controversy prompts tribe to examine naming rules

After a contentious three-hour back-and-forth that followed an already full day at the Cherokee Council House, the Cherokee Tribal Council…
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Challenge against Swain sheriff dismissed

The packed Swain County courtroom broke into thunderous applause as the newly seated board of elections unanimously dismissed a candidate…
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Red, Wight and blue: campaign signs cause a stir

A spate of unusual campaign signs began popping up in Maggie Valley about a week ago and although the message…
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Report: minorities, poor in N.C. blame Trump, Congress

A recent report published by nonprofit advocacy group Down Home North Carolina says that changing demographics and their accompanying shifts…
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Primary election will determine next Haywood Clerk of Court

While some Haywood County voters will head to the polls May 8 asking themselves who they’re going to vote for,…
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NRA grants help local students learn safety

Recent efforts to enhance student safety by placing armed volunteers in the nation’s schools have resulted in predictable blowback from…
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Historic Hospital project inches forward

The next chapter in the saga of the historic Haywood Hospital is about to be written, but in the choose-your-own-adventure…
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Franklin considers options for alcohol at events

A music and beer festival planned for April 20 in downtown Franklin has hit a roadblock since a town ordinance…
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Lake Junaluska to begin restoring bridge over dam

Lake Junaluska has received a certificate of approval from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality authorizing construction activity to…
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Can Canton’s Colonial come back?

Many Fridays a small group of longtime Canton residents meet up informally at the town’s historical museum on Park Street…
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Greens make the grade: Ballot access boosts third parties

This fall, voters in North Carolina will be treated to a new choice at the polls come election day. 
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Supreme Court issues opinion in impeachment case

Nine months after arguments concluded in a dispute over the process used to impeach then-Principal Chief Patrick Lambert, the Cherokee…
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Renovated Labyrinth at Lake Junaluska
 

Renovated Labyrinth at Lake Junaluska

The outdoor labyrinth at Lake Junaluska has long been a place where people go to seek spiritual renewal. Recent renovations…
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Impeachment issue returns to Cherokee courts

While nearly a year has passed since former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert was removed from office, a court hearing March…
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Jackson sheriff candidates vie for win in Republican primary

Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall may be running unopposed in the upcoming Democratic primary, but two Republican candidates are competing…
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Bushyhead challenges Carson for chairman seat

After serving as chairman of the Swain County Board of Commissioners for two terms, incumbent Phillip Carson will be challenged…
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New principal at Smoky Mountain
 

New principal at Smoky Mountain

The Jackson County Public Schools Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Elliott, Superintendent announced Evelyn Graning as the new…
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Waynesville approves incentive package for unnamed business

Haywood County is suddenly a hot commodity for property developers; recent news of a proposed hotel in Maggie Valley was…
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Green Energy Park plan in development

A plan to re-imagine the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro as a campus for creativity, learning and animal…
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