Board split on future of Franklin property
The town of Franklin has been sitting on about 13 acres of pristine greenway space for about 12 years with…
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Towns preach health message to hold down insurance rates
Eric Messer only has one complaint about the health and wellness initiatives the town of Waynesville has been pushing with…
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Canton preps for economic success
Piece by piece, Canton is setting the stage for future economic success through a number of new initiatives.
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Bryson City to keep Fry Street open
Alderwoman Heidi Woodard’s motion for the town to abandon the right-of-way on Fry Street was met with silence at Monday…
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Additional testing under way for SCC shooting range
The lead-contaminated shooting range at Southwestern Community College in Webster is in for another round of testing after the state…
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Bowling alley coming to Cherokee
A family adventure park is not the only project in the works on the Qualla Boundary. In February, Tribal Council…
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Cherokee re-examines adventure park idea
After four years of hibernation, Cherokee’s plan to build a one-of-a-kind family adventure park is back on the table.
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Sylva considers loosened alcohol ordinance
Alcohol could start showing up at some downtown Sylva events if town commissioners approve an ordinance slated for public comment…
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Some say Sylva’s sign fees are too high
For some people, spending free time cross-referencing town fee schedules would be as boring as watching paint dry. But for…
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Food trucks and festoon lights run afoul of building codes
When David Young pulled a food truck onto the lot of Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden in downtown…
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In search for new Waynesville town manager, acting skills are a plus
Town manager hopefuls wanting to run one of Western North Carolina’s largest, most progressive towns will need more than budget…
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Corruption found in preliminary Cherokee audit results
Principal Chief Patrick Lambert bore the look of a man on a mission when he presented Tribal Council with a…
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Macon Bank acquires Old Town under new name of Entegra
Old Town Bank, a local start-up bank based Waynesville, is selling to Macon Bank, a regional bank headquartered in Franklin,…
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Swain County to sue federal government over North Shore Road settlement money
After waiting for years to get the money promised to them, the Swain County commissioners made a unanimous decision last…
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Commissioners under the gun to pass shooting range rules
Rules governing where commercial outdoor shooting ranges can go in Haywood County would provide security and peace of mind for…
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Cherokee implements full-circle rehabilitation for drug recovery
It’s been a while since the old Mountain Credit Union building in Cherokee saw foot traffic from people looking to…
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Higdon, Gillespie move forward in Macon commissioner race
Incumbent commissioner Paul Higdon and political newcomer Karl Gillespie will move on to the general election after winning the primary…
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Commissioner incumbents win Swain primary
Swain County commissioner incumbents Steve Moon and David Monteith received the vote of confidence in the Democratic primary election.
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Corbin sails to primary victory
By the time polls closed March 15, Kevin Corbin’s soles were feeling the pain from 12 hours of standing on…
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Haywood commissioner field narrows
The primary for Haywood County commissioner showed clear and overwhelming support for a single front-runner from each party, and both…
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Community Kitchen moving to new facility
The Community Kitchen in Canton works hard to make sure no one in the community goes hungry, and now the…
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In Russ Avenue’s shadow: Neighbors fear commercial creep, struggle with identity crisis
Waynesville leaders are weighing whether to expand the commercial footprint of Russ Avenue, an issue that has pitted neighbors against…
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Franklin man shoots, kills his 22-year-old son
Macon County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of 22-year-old Hunter Curtis after he was shot and killed by his…
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Whittier farmers make an offer on Drexel plant
The future of the old furniture factory in Whittier has been through more than its share of twists and turns…
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Dog owners rejoice over park drainage project
While the Waynesville dog park’s temporary closure this week might have canines a little bit antsy, dog owners are rejoicing…
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Cullowhee planning committee appointed
Nearly a year after Jackson County passed zoning standards for Cullowhee, the ordinance is set to get ground-tested with the…
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Jackson will borrow millions to fix school facilities
Leaking roofs, failing heating systems and broken pipes in Jackson County Schools will get some much-needed attention after commissioners voted…
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HCC to take over business incubator space
It will be a bittersweet transition for Smoky Mountain Development Corporation executive director Allan Steinberg. On one hand, he has…
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Regional banking powerhouse Entegra finalizes deal for Old Town Bank
Old Town Bank shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale of the start-up bank headquartered in Waynesville last week, ending its nine-year…
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Gaming commissioners argue for their jobs back
After being ousted from their jobs when the September elections brought a new Tribal Council and executive administration, the three…
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Planning board digs into rules for industrial development
Take a drive around the mountain roads of Western North Carolina and it probably won’t be long before a tight…
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Fracking protections a key consideration in ordinance revision
When the state opened the doors for hydraulic fracturing — called “fracking” — in 2014, a flood of public opinion…
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Sacrosanct gun rights hotly debated in Haywood
Gun supporters turned out en masse this week urging Haywood County commissioners to allow concealed guns on county property, from…
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Macon Commissioners honor Sunshine Week
In the spirit of celebrating Sunshine Week, the Macon County Commissioners announced a decision to support and encourage transparency and…
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Woman gets 70 months for trafficking meth
Jamie Lynn Swartz, 36, formerly of Sylva, will serve 70 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release…
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Jackson Schools look for community donations to fund football field
In the quest to replace the football field at Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva with artificial turf, Jackson County…
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Canton Fire Department earns better insurance rating
Now that the North Carolina Department of Insurance issued the Canton Fire Department a Class 4 rating this week, Canton…
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Schandevel’s win sets the stage for competitive House race
Haywood County Democrat Rhonda Schandevel will pose a formidable challenge in her bid for the N.C. House of Representatives this…
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Mountain voters buck statewide trend in Democratic Presidential primary
An interesting anomaly played out in the mountains in the Presidential primary last week.
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Food truck fight coming to Waynesville
The sticky wicket of food trucks and food carts have taken center stage in Waynesville, with a public debate in…
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N.C. voters pass infrastructure bond
A majority of North Carolina voters approved a significant investment in the state’s future economy during the primary election by…
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Clampitt and Queen to face off once more in November for state house seat
After taking home 59 percent of the vote in last week’s election, Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, is looking toward a…
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New candidates allowed to sign up in congressional race
North Carolina will hold a separate election on June 7 for the congressional primary, which means it’s not too late…
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When duty calls: A critical shortage of volunteer firefighters threatens a time-honored American tradition
Little boys worship them. Bruce Springsteen memorialized them. The helpless count on them. Volunteer firefighters are a symbol of American…
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Desperate for recruits, volunteer firefighters hope to change the perception that their brotherhood is a boys’ club
Despite the stereotype of volunteer firefighters as Type A alpha males, knowing your Nascar drivers and driving a pick-up truck…
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Envisioning Sylva’s future: Town leaders talk economy, recreation and civic engagement
Sylva’s town leaders spent a sunny Saturday indoors armed with pen, paper and heads full of ideas for bringing the…
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Canton sets up incentives for downtown businesses
Even though the money isn’t yet in place, the town of Canton is considering several options for economic development incentives…
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Canton proposes downtown pedestrian improvements
When Canton town officials were notified that the North Carolina Department of Transportation would be repaving all of Main Street…
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Public input wanted on Savannah park plan
A public meeting will gauge support for a plan to give Jackson County’s Savannah community its first public park at…
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Tribe looks to strengthen preference laws for tribal businesses
Change is likely coming to the ordinance outlining preference rules for tribally owned businesses. The rules come into play when…
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