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
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
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
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
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
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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