Forests for the future: First glimmers of forest plan draw polarized reactions
When Brent Martin emerged from the Forest Management Plan meeting in Franklin, the first glimpse into the direction that management…
Read More
Contemplating the evolution of Fry Street
It’s not much of a street now. And soon, Fry Street might not be a street at all. “What we’re…
Read More
Maggie’s big plan
Maggie Valley is on its way to building a downtown. “This is something I’m very excited to present to the…
Read More
Ridgetop revisions in play for Jackson tower ordinance
Cell phone towers in Jackson County cannot currently be built on ridgetops. That looks likely to change as revisions to…
Read More
Sorting out Haywood’s take on hospital sale will take time
It’s been three months since publicly owned Haywood Regional Medical Center became a private hospital owned by Duke LifePoint Healthcare,…
Read More
New 911 center to up the game for Haywood emergency response
A $3 million project to build a central 911 dispatching center inside the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office aims to reduce…
Read More
Upset election for tax collector prompts job reshuffling
A new tax collector has been elected in Haywood County, but when he takes office next month his duties will…
Read More
New tax collector had to have wages garnished
In a narrow upset in the Haywood County Tax Collector race last week, voters elected a man with a history…
Read More
Democrats, GOP see new era in Haywood
Karin Wollin had just taken a break from a sullen morning of sorting through stacks of campaign signs at the…
Read More
I-40 Canton-exit closure Nov. 10
Tonight (Nov. 10) at 7 p.m., the N.C. Department of Transportation will close the westbound on-ramp to Interstate 40 at…
Read More
Presnell holds onto state seat
Rep. Michele Presnell , R-Yancey, retained her seat for the N.C House, narrowly defeating fellow Yancey resident Dean Hicks in…
Read More
Bushyhead, Burns demand ‘change’
Smart money had the contest for the Swain commissioners race locked down in the primary. The board’s chairman, Phil Carson,…
Read More
Three incumbents, one new candidate win Haywood School Board seats
With 10 candidates coming out for four seats on the Haywood County School board, the races was certainly a contested…
Read More
Cochran wins a third term
Three candidates were aiming for the top prize in Swain’s sheriff race. The contest pitted the status quo against the…
Read More
Hall wins sheriff’s seat
Chip Hall closed out a grueling race for the Jackson County sheriff’s seat with a landslide victory against his opponent,…
Read More
Welch wins DA race decided by a landslide
After a hard-fought and hotly contested race, the job of top prosecutor for the seven western counties was won by…
Read More
Commissioner challengers win two, lose one in Jackson
The fate of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners rested with this election. With six candidates on the ballot —…
Read More
Haywood commissioners back for another four years
By Becky Johnson Staff writer Voters gave their seal of approval to the current Haywood County commissioners, returning all three…
Read More
Haven ousted; Shields top vote-getter
The Macon County Board of Commissioners will soon see a new face at the table, and it will be that…
Read More
Queen shuts down Clampitt, again
After winning re-election in the N.C. House District 119 race, Rep. Joe Sam Queen sounded more glum than one might…
Read More
Davis pulls out a win, pledges to continue Republican direction in Raleigh
N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, pulled out a sizeable win over Democratic challenger Jane Hipps. Davis has represented the mountains…
Read More
HCC student spearheads effort to restore East Street Park
When Katie Messer first presented her plan to improve water quality and generally spruce up a little-used park in Waynesville,…
Read More
Dockie Brendle bridge now official
A dedication ceremony last week, held by the N.C. Department of Transportation, officially named a bridge at the intersection of…
Read More
Iranian-born journalist to speak Nov. 20 at WCU
A native of Iran who is a former Rotary Peace Fellow and past editor of publications now banned or shut…
Read More
HCC awarded forestry grant
Haywood Community College was recently awarded a Tennessee Valley Authority Ag & Forestry Fund Grant through the N.C. Department of…
Read More
Haywood’s new economic development commission is ‘on the move’
The newly minted Haywood County Economic Development Commission has hit the ground running in its first three months following a…
Read More
Signs of a new cell tower rush on the horizon
After a several-year lull in new cell towers being built in the mountains, a new wave of tower construction could…
Read More
WCU adopts sophomore residency requirement
It’s official. Starting with the 2016-17 academic year, sophomores attending Western Carolina University will be required to live on campus.…
Read More
Benefit concert aids WNC veterans
It’s been two years since Bruce Yarrington and his Knights of Columbus buddies started volunteering at the Veterans Restoration Quarters…
Read More
Haywood launches survey to access internet availability
The folks spearheading the effort to expand broadband access in Haywood County are thinking big. Gigabyte big. “Our goal is…
Read More
YMCA camp coming to Swain County
Swain County will soon be home to a YMCA camp. The camp — called YMCA Camp Watia — will be…
Read More
Franklin residents debate Nikwasi
Of the shoppers polled while coming and going from the Bi-Lo parking lot in Franklin on a recent Thursday, none…
Read More
Davis vs. Hipps debate video
On Oct. 30, Sen. Jim Davis and challenger Jane Hipps squared off in a debate at Southwestern Community College. It…
Read More
Winter weather causes Parkway closures
The first winter weather closures of the season will be in effect on the Blue Ridge Parkway this weekend.
Read More
Blue Ridge Parkway closes section for Devil’s Courthouse Tunnel repairs
A small section of the Blue Ridge Parkway, between Milepost 420 (near Black Balsam Road) and Milepost 423 (at Hwy.…
Read More
Ebola panel discussion offered at WCU
A panel discussion and question-and-answer session on the Ebola crises and the risk it poses will take place 4-5:30 p.m.…
Read More
Early voting has begun
Registered voters who can't wait until Election Day to vote now have the opportunity to vote in person across North…
Read More
Canton economic initiative strives to hold on to past while looking to the future
Hanging out at the confluence of crossroads that embraces downtown Canton, two young skateboarders while away a lazy afternoon. They’re…
Read More
Mill town riddle: Bearing the burden and reaping the rewards
Canton exists against the backdrop of the paper mill. Both literally and figuratively. For generations, the paper mill — currently…
Read More
Seven years war for the mountainsides rages on in Jackson
Controlling mountainside development is a universal issue grappled with across Western North Carolina. But Jackson County’s residents have wrestled more…
Read More
Steep slope ordinance rewrite timeline: The inopportune arrival of a slow but steady train
When Jackson County commissioners halted the controversial rewrite of the steep slope development rules earlier this year, critics were both…
Read More
Cullowhee proposals in for a tweaking
They weren’t thrilled about it, but members of the Cullowhee community did show an appetite for possible development standards during…
Read More
Dealing with violence: Children the focus of nonprofit’s $1 million grant
Domestic violence in Haywood County — and its effect on children — could take a hit as the Thirtieth Judicial…
Read More
All OK after bomb threat clears Tuscola
Things are back on track at Tuscola High School after some threatening graffiti found in a boys bathroom last week…
Read More
Forest Hills hosts workshop, explores planning issues
The Village of Forest Hills is about to go on a vision quest. The quest begins Nov. 3 with a…
Read More
Macon approves $1.5 million for landfill expansion
With its landfill nearing capacity, Macon County is taking steps to add a new cell before the existing area fills…
Read More
Swain’s museum offers new attraction, old relics
Inside and out, the Swain County Heritage Museum is an ode to history. The very building that houses the museum…
Read More
Haywood looks to start Friends of the Parkway chapter, clear overlooks
With park funding falling and visitation increasing, keeping those iconic views open along the 46 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway…
Read More
Jackson TDA laying groundwork for hiring director
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority is pursuing a leader, someone to act as the organization’s executive director. The workload…
Read More
