Beyond words: WCU community overflows with gratitude for Belcher’s leadership

Business as usual was a difficult thing to achieve at the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees meeting Friday, Dec.…
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Art of Music Festival gets boost from tourism agency

Balsam Range will be beefing up its annual Art of Music Festival next year thanks to a $35,000 grant from…
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TDA makes funding decisions for Haywood zip codes

After receiving recommendations from the 1 percent subcommittees, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has made final decisions on which…
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Term ends for TDA chairman

After leading the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority through what will likely become four of the most formative years in…
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Ramsey Center to get new skin

The black glass Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center is an iconic structure on the Western Carolina University campus, but…
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New book chronicles African American history in WNC

An oral history project documenting African American history in the far western reaches of North Carolina is now a book,…
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Every Day is Veterans Day at the Pigeon Center

Although honoring veterans each Nov. 11 is a substantial gesture by the grateful citizens of this country, a new program…
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Season of Light celebration comes to Pigeon Center
 

Season of Light celebration comes to Pigeon Center

The Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center will host an inclusive holiday celebration complete with music, snacks and desserts from 5…
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Lake Junaluska decorates for Christmas

A crew of more than 50 volunteers from the community decorated Lake Junaluska for the holiday season, including the Rose…
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Bridge across Lake Junaluska Dam could reopen in 2018

Ka-chunk, ka-chunk … Ka-chunk, ka-chunk…. For over a century the sound of wheels on wood have greeted residents of and…
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Jackson ponders pool repairs

The Sylva pool saw $100,000 in repairs before opening this summer, but more work is on the way to get…
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Shooting range sound spurs complaint

Located behind the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority treatment plant off North River Road, Southwestern Community College’s shooting range is…
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Jackson commissioners OK 185-foot radio tower

A unanimous vote from the Jackson County commissioners will allow construction of a 185-foot radio tower in Cullowhee to move…
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Sarge’s photo contest

Sarge’s Pet Photo Contest is back and it’s a holiday theme. Enter printed photos of your pets in costume or…
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Cancer battle causes WCU chancellor to step down

After battling brain cancer since April 2016, Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher announced Nov. 27 that his treatment…
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Trio of Haywood efforts to bolster economic development

Three complementary actions taken by the Haywood County Board of County Commissioners Nov. 20 show that despite changing conditions in…
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WCU seeks waiver on tower regulations

What began as an effort to give Western Carolina University’s campus radio station broader coverage could end with construction of…
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Waynesville wastewater woes warrant study redux

If you don’t like what you hear, get a second opinion — at least, that’s what the Waynesville Board of…
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New plan for Walnut Street met with satisfaction

After a series of contentious public hearings almost a year ago resulted in outcry from nearly all quarters of Waynesville,…
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Jackson to merge health and social services departments

Jackson County will pursue a plan to consolidate its health and social services departments following a special-called commissioners meeting held…
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A decade in, Balsam Range stands atop WNC music

I’ve lived in Haywood County 1,931 days. It’s also the exact number of days I’ve known Balsam Range. Within the…
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Jackson Brunch Bill decision will wait until spring

A final decision on whether to allow Sunday morning alcohol sales in Jackson County won’t come for several months following…
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Sheriff looking for suspect in Bethel Elementary break in
 

Sheriff looking for suspect in Bethel Elementary break in

Investigators with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office are seeking the public’s assistance with identifying a person who broke into Bethel…
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Waynesville warns against scam
 

Waynesville warns against scam

Several residents have notified the Town of Waynesville that they have received calls from someone posing as a town representative…
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Roundabout for Walnut Street?

The obtuse angles of the intersection at Waynesville’s North Main and Walnut streets may soon become graceful curves — or…
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Confederate flag flies on lightning rod in Canton

When a policy that would prohibit the display of the Confederate flag in a tiny mountain mill town’s municipal parades…
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Release date nears for movie shot in Sylva

Film fever is hitting Sylva as the release of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” draws closer.
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Franklin looks to draft a noise ordinance

The town of Franklin will be going back to the drawing board to find the best way to address complaints…
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Franklin to implement Main Street parking changes

After paying for several engineering studies over the years, the town of Franklin is moving forward with a plan to…
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Impeachment attorney faces allegations of misconduct

The attorney who argued for the impeachment of former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert has been issued an order from the…
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Catamount School embarks on its first year

It’s hard to find a place inside Western Carolina University’s Catamount School that isn’t buzzing with activity.
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North Carolina Republican Party bans four of ‘Haywood Five

In what appears to be the culmination of a strange saga that has played out from Haywood County to Raleigh…
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Tourism authority changes subcommittees

Based on recommendations from a consultant, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority voted to change the makeup of the 1…
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New development gets the green light in Cullowhee

After receiving approval from two separate boards, a proposed 80-bedroom development along Little Savannah Road in Cullowhee has the green…
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Young business owner joins Bryson City board: Voters approve alcohol referendum

Ben King, the 28-year-old co-owner of Bryson City Outdoors, was not only elected to the Bryson City Board of Aldermen,…
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Franklin elects incumbents and one newcomer

Franklin residents kept two incumbents and elected one newcomer to the town council to represent them for the next four…
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Sylva mayor wins re-election

Sylva Mayor Lynda Sossamon took home an overwhelming share of the votes in her bid for re-election Nov. 6, easily…
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Haywood Schools superintendent Garrett to retire

Haywood County’s high-performing public schools will soon see a new leader after Dr. Anne Garrett announced Nov. 13 that she…
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Haywood governments show progress, stability, transition

Elections in Canton, Clyde and Maggie Valley resulted in some tight races and new faces falling into voters’ good graces,…
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Haywood Schools superintendent to retire
 

Haywood Schools superintendent to retire

Dr. Anne Garrett has announced her retirement as superintendant of the Haywood County Schools effective March 1, 2018.
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BCBS patients leave Mission after contract lapse

It’s been a month since Mission Health’s contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina expired, leaving thousands of…
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Mission tightlipped about negotiations with BCBS

It’s been a month since the contract between Mission Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina expired, leaving…
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Patient counts up at Harris, Swain

Mission Hospital’s decision to let its contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield expire has resulted in increased business for Harris…
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Community forums scheduled
 

Community forums scheduled

A slate of upcoming community forums in Bryson City, Cashiers and Sylva will give residents a chance to learn about…
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Harris opens new emergency department

A brand new emergency department at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva received its first patients Monday, Nov. 6, marking the…
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New Franklin hospital could move out to U.S. 441

Angel Medical Center has been located in downtown Franklin for 60 years, but hospital officials are looking into the possibility…
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Waynesville ‘nudged’ toward gambling zoning

When the Nudge City video gaming parlor popped up in an old auto dealer’s lot on Dellwood City Road earlier…
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Mobile home standards to be updated in Waynesville

New standards and stricter definitions for manufactured homes in Waynesville could make it easier to develop manufactured home parks, under…
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Transformation continues at Lake Junaluska

The Lake Junaluska Assembly prides itself on being a place of transformation and renewal for all people, but over the…
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Dorm renaming recognizes Cherokee history

Before white settlers corrupted the name to Cullowhee, the land along the Tuckasegee River south of Sylva was known to…
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