Dust complaints continue in Canton; Evergreen works to identify source

For more than a year, Canton residents have complained about a gritty white dust from the Evergreen Packaging paper mill…
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Jackson considers municipal grant applications

Jackson County is considering the latest round of municipal grant applications that arrived on commissioners desks this week. Among applications…
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Wolfetown rep faces assault charges

Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe spent the weekend in jail following his arrest Saturday, Jan. 7, for an alleged assault that left…
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Moody takes plea deal in phony writs case

It took more than four months, 62 federal counts and a lengthy period of pretrial detention in Buncombe County, but…
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Downtown Waynesville Commission looks forward to big year, bigger footprint

After the implosion of the 36-year-old Downtown Waynesville Association back in 2021, much of the progress made by its successor organization…
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Macon commission asks MCS to prioritize hefty capital outlay requests

Following direction from the Macon County Board of Commissioners, the Macon County Board of Education met last week to prioritize…
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Tribe to conduct census

For the first time in 22 years, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will conduct a census of its tribal…
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Health Foundation awards grant to Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau

Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation (HCHF) has awarded a grant to Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau to fund a…
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Bringing hope: In Ukraine, American nonprofits stave off humanitarian catastrophe

Since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine millions of people have left the war-torn country, with millions more driven from…
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Bringing help: Western North Carolina’s connection to the war in Ukraine

Leaning against a wall in the basement of the train station right about midnight, they were cold and tired and…
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New boards could mean new 
plans for Franklin High School

When Macon County Commissioners authorized LS3P Architectural Design Services to submit plans for the new Franklin High School to local…
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Tuscola football coach, principal suspended in close succession

Both Tuscola Principal Heather Blackmon and head football coach Chris Brookshire have been suspended from their positions at the school…
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Brookshire resigns following allegations of sexual harassment

After multiple allegations of sexual harassment were made against him, Physical Education Teacher and Head Football Coach Chris Brookshire has…
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Canton water service will be restored soon

Subzero temperatures over the Christmas holiday wreaked havoc with municipal water systems across the region, leaving many customers without service.…
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2022: A Look Back

The year 2022 was no 2020. But hey, that’s a good thing. In some ways the year seems less exciting…
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Fake News Freakout! Episode 7

Lately I’ve been reading a book that came highly recommended and not a moment too soon, despite it being published…
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Two months after Lambert Wilson’s death, officials remain silent

Update: Shortly after press time Dec. 20, the Jackson County Clerk of Court released an order sealing the 911 records…
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After 33 years, Steven Lloyd steps down from HART

In the depths of the Fangmeyer Theatre, on the property of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART), just down the…
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Fire destroys Kituwah LLC building

Update: According to Interim Fire Chief Thomas Simmons, the fire's cause has been deterimined to be accidental, due to an…
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Stamper, Oocumma win Tribal Council seats

In the Dec. 15 special election filling two vacant Tribal Council seats, Cherokee voters favored candidates with careers in business…
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SCC and Mars Hill University partner on degree path

Graduates of Southwestern Community College who want to take the next step in their education by earning a bachelor’s degree…
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Local businesses expand in Jackson

The expansion of two local businesses in Jackson County, American Sewing Corporation and Innovation Brewing, will lead to the creation…
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New cycle for Tourism Capital Project Fund

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority will reopen a cycle for tourism capital projects at the start of the new…
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Healthy home for the holidays

Stuck in an undersized house in Sylva with a serious mold problem, Marilyn Tollie, her husband and four kids felt…
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New indictment in Moody case adds two more defendants and multi-state conspiracy charges

The case against a Haywood County woman accused of threatening elected officials by sending phony writs from a sham court…
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WNC foodbanks feel the pinch

The holidays, a time of overabundance for some, can be the toughest time of year for those suffering food insecurity…
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Fire destroys Kituwah LLC building

The Kituwah LLC building has been destroyed in a fire that started during the early morning hours of Thursday, Dec.…
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Count for Christmas: In 123rd year, annual bird count yields critical conservation data

As Christmas 1900 approached, ornithologist Frank Chapman hatched an idea. 
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Autopsy shows Jackson jail death was an overdose

Autopsy results for the June death of a man in custody at Jackson County Detention Center indicate that he died…
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Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce gives out Spirit of Community Awards

The Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce recently awarded its 2022 Spirit of Our Community Awards recognizing well-deserving individuals who dedicate…
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Major development planned for Qualla Community

Last week, the Jackson County Planning Board reviewed plans for a major subdivision in the Qualla Township on the northern…
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WNC program helps secure life-saving operation for Charlotte man

James and Brenda Porcello are thankful for many things this fall, and near the top of that list is Jan…
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More families now qualify for quality, affordable health insurance
 

More families now qualify for quality, affordable health insurance

Anyone needing a quality, affordable health insurance plan, now is the time to enroll for 2023. Open Enrollment is underway…
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Defendant in Toineeta murder faces additional charges

Brandon Tyler Buchanan, 25, of Cherokee is now facing new criminal charges in addition to the first-degree murder charge he…
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SBI passes Meadows voter fraud investigation findings onto AG’s office

Mark Meadows may soon know whether he’ll face voter fraud charges in North Carolina.
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Cherokee cannabis company receives $63 million from Council

Cherokee’s recently created medical cannabis LLC will likely have $63 million at its disposal as it prepares for its first…
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WCU hands out honors at Homecoming 2022

Western Carolina University’s Homecoming 2022 celebration featured the recognition of three alumni for professional accomplishments in college football coaching, sports…
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Macon Schools latest to address budget squeeze

This month, the Macon County Schools Board of Education voted to approve its 2022-23 Budget Resolution.
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WCU employees express high satisfaction

Western Carolina University is ahead of the pack on employee satisfaction, according to the results of a survey to University…
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Graham Board of Elections dismisses one registration challenge, but the fight’s not over

Voters in Graham County can now establish legal residency simply by declaring their “intent” to reside in a particular place,…
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WCU Trustees approve tuition, fee increases

“Extraordinary” inflation and the need to match state salary increases will prompt increases to the cost of attendance at Western…
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Clubs announce new approach annual blanket drive
 

Clubs announce new approach annual blanket drive

Mountain Projects and Waynesville Rotary Club paired for many years to coordinate a popular Christmas holiday blanket drive.
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Mission offers ‘COVID immunity’ defense in response to malpractice suit

Hospital Corporation of America and Asheville’s Mission Hospital have responded to a lawsuit filed by a Canton woman that claims…
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WNC Historical Association selects Brent Martin as winner of literary award

The Western North Carolina Historical has selected author Brent Martin’s “George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North…
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Construction students compete in Atlanta

Students from Western Carolina University’s Kimmel School of Construction recently had the opportunity to participate in real-world construction scenarios at…
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Jackson County Commission welcomes new members

On Monday evening, Dec. 5, before a room full of family and community members alike, three men took the oath…
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Congressional committee discusses seating Cherokee Nation delegate

Shortly after the 1835 Christmas holiday celebrating peace and good will toward men, U.S. government officials met with a group…
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JCPS will once again expand pre-K capacity

Jackson County schools will once again expand its pre-K capacity at the start of the 2023-24 school year, this time…
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New sheriffs shuffle staffs

Across North Carolina’s seven westernmost counties, a whole slew of new sheriffs was sworn in on Monday, Dec. 5.
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HCC opens new health sciences building amid statewide nursing shortage

At a time when North Carolina faces a serious nursing shortage, Haywood Community College has invested in its nursing program…
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