A day in the life: A political newcomer finds her stride
Editor’s note: The Smoky Mountain News spent a day with Jane Hipps, a Democratic challenger running for the state Senate…
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Queen, Clampitt battle it out again
Election season is winding down to the finish line and both candidates in the N.C. House’s 119th District race are…
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Class warfare looms in debate over state tax reform
Tax reform was one of the top issues tackled by the new Republican majority in Raleigh last year, but voters…
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They do, too: Same-sex couples in WNC embrace new legal landscape
Jamie Kemper knew it’d happen. She just didn’t think it’d happen this quickly. “We thought it’d be a few years,”…
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Same-sex marriages cause Swain magistrate to resign
In the short walk from the doors of the Swain County Courthouse to the steps outside it, a couple of…
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Cullowhee community expresses reservations about planning at public forum
Up to now, the mood at many of the Cullowhee planning meetings and public forums was upbeat and positive —…
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WCU faculty to discuss Ebola crisis risk and response at Nov. 4 event
A panel of Western Carolina University faculty members, including an environmental health professor who has studied the spread and control…
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Ten vie for Haywood school board seats
With shrinking budgets, cries for higher teacher salaries and the struggle to keep test scores high while working with limited…
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Jackson commissioner candidates: The issues
Property Revaluations The hurt is coming. All the candidates agree, it won’t be pretty. In 2016, Jackson County will preform a…
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Showdown in Jackson
No one really knows how the Jackson County commissioner races are going to pan out. Incumbent Republican Commissioner Charles Elders…
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Education, tax rates on ballot in Macon
State issues are trickling down to the election debate surrounding the Macon County commissioners’ races. Three of the five seats…
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Haywood trio seek to oust incumbents, reduce local government
Three challengers running for Haywood County commissioner are touting lower property taxes, a smaller budget, limited government, less regulation and…
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Haywood incumbents cite progressive, responsible leadership
Criticism over taxes and spending from the conservative arm of the local Republican Party is nothing new for Haywood County…
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New documents released surrounding hospital sale
Haywood County Commissioners have released a collection of minutes from closed sessions going back to August 2013, detailing discussions surrounding…
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Tipping the scales
The past four years have been the first in recent memory that Democrats haven’t held a majority on the Jackson…
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Jackson sheriff snapshots
Chip Hall, D, 46 Qualifications: Chief deputy at Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Twenty-five years at Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in…
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Haywood commissioner snapshots
Democrats • Kirk Kirkpatrick, a lawyer, has been on the board since 2002 and has been a supporter of recreation.…
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Jackson commissioner snapshots
Jackson commissioner chairman • Jack Debnam, the current commissioner chairman and a Realtor. As an unaffiliated candidate, he belongs to…
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Macon Commissioner snapshot
Highlands district, one seat Republican • Jim Tate is seeking reelection because he wants to “ensure that Macon County will…
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Macon Commissioner snapshot
Highlands district, one seat Republican • Jim Tate is seeking reelection because he wants to “ensure that Macon County will…
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Swain Commissioner snapshot
Commissioner Democratic candidates • David Monteith is the longest serving county commissioner with 16 years on the board. Retired Ingle’s…
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Pisgah students get more classrooms, campus security
With a long construction process coming to an end, students and teachers at Pisgah High School are enjoying a bit…
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DA candidates spar over work, family and gender
The race for top prosecutor over the seven counties between assistant district attorneys Jim Moore and Ashley Welch has grown…
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District attorney candidate accused of mishandling extradition order
A Tennessee man in a wheelchair accused of helping bury a dead body in a barrel has emerged as an…
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Franklin passes resolution to keep Nikwasi, allow Cherokee maintenance
Franklin leaders made their intention to keep Nikwasi Mound in town possession clear this week, rejecting a formal call from…
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Library proponents unveil a visual
The new Swain County library isn’t a reality yet — except in the minds of the true believers. Last week,…
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Sylva celebrates its 125th anniversary
The Town of Sylva is celebrating its 125th year since incorporation. To mark the occasion, a slate of activities are…
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Authorities find $1 million in pot plants in Swain
Jerry Monroe Berry and his son, Joshua Monroe Berry, of Swain County have been charged with growing marijuana in the…
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Don’t call it a fracking resolution
Following multiple anti-fracking resolutions passed by local governments around the region, Jackson County commissioners have now taken an action of…
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A helping paw: Guide dogs widen world for Waynesville women
With a visitor in the house and his crate door open, Adam is all kinds of excited. The lanky black…
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Fund for Haywood surpasses $1 million mark
Twenty years after Aaron Prevost and other community leaders provided the seed money to start the endowment, The Fund for…
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Audience turns political debate into rousing spectator sport
A debate between N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and his challenger Jane Hipps, D-Waynesville, last week was lively, testy, heated,…
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A drive-by version of the N.C. Senate debate
A candidate debate last week between N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and challenger Jane Hipps, D-Waynesville, plowed a lot of…
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Haywood moves forward with landfill remediation
Work is underway on a multi-million-dollar environmental remediation project on the Old Francis Farm landfill near Waynesville. The first load…
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Alternative school gets $1.4 million to offer comprehensive help to struggling youth
Tucked away on the corner of Kentucky and Virginia avenues in the old Hazelwood Elementary School building, the Alternative Learning…
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Sylva allows more time for window replacements
Downtown Sylva property owners will still have to replace any plywood currently covering up windows, but they will be provided…
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Franklin approves residential loop for commercial zoning
The Franklin Town Board unanimously approved a petition to rezone a small piece of property off Clyde Street at its…
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N.C. Senate debate gets dicey when candidates talk race
N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, is known for his direct and unapologetic communication style, but it landed him in hot…
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2014 Election: Snapshot of U.S. House race in WNC
About the race: This used to be a toss-up district, but clever redrawing of voting boundaries by the Republican-led legislature…
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Election 2014: Legislative races, a primer
N.C. House of Representatives, seat 118 Is this my state rep? Yes, if you live in Madison and Yancey counties…
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2014 District Attorney election primer
Do I vote in this race? Yes, if you live anywhere in the seven western counties.
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Community rallies for three-day makeover of Hazelwood prison
It was a scene that any fan — or casual viewer — of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” would find familiar.…
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A conversation with Ty Pennington
Ty Pennington is a celebrity carpenter best known for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” a show that involved lightning-quick remodels of…
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N.C. House candidates Queen and Clampitt draw distinctions during debate
N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, and Republican challenger Mike Clampitt are on a similar mission. Each is trying to…
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Cullowhee development standards have been drawn up; will the community buy-in?
Cullowhee is the fastest growing area of Jackson County. The growth owes much to Western Carolina University and is evidenced…
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Macon approves final school officer position
All 11 Macon County schools will now have their own school resource officer, called an SRO, after county commissioners voted…
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Dillsboro sells Duke property to Jackson County
The quiet, early morning streets of Dillsboro seemed still asleep as the town board ambled in. They arrived one by…
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Swain sees three-way race for sheriff
With Election Day nearing, Odel Chastain seemed pretty relaxed. “I’m sitting on my porch with my feet thrown up, watching…
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Jackson candidates drill down on fracking
The three Democratic challengers in the Jackson County commissioners race took the sitting commissioners to task for their inaction on…
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Game on: Jackson commissioner candidates go to the mat in three-on-three race
Three challengers for Jackson County commissioner opened with a strong offensive charge at a candidate debate last week, rarely letting…
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