Jackson County Planning Board reconsiders rewrites
A proposal to loosen steep slope development rules in Jackson County is headed back to the drawing board. A large…
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Film crew granted access to Judaculla Rock
A film crew with the show “American Unearthed” will arrive in Jackson County this week to film an episode on…
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MedWest hosts community meetings
MedWest Haywood will hold another series of community meetings in April and May. Feedback collected from the community during an…
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Macon candidate challenges reveal rift between conservative, moderate Republicans
Dueling challenges over the legitimacy of two Macon County commissioner candidates could have had far-reaching implications for the county’s political…
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Macon assistant prosecutor to challenge Moore for DA job
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Welch, a Republican from Macon County, announced this week she will be running for district attorney…
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Wide-open race for district attorney in 2014
District Attorney Mike Bonfoey publicly announced plans to retire next year when his current term of office expires. Bonfoey has been…
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Jackson sheriff’s race shapes up
With campaign season barely off the ground, the Jackson County sheriff’s race has already drawn a hefty list of candidates…
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DOT explains N.C. 107 survey letter mystery
A controversial bypass around Sylva that was supposedly tabled by the highway department last year suddenly and mysteriously seemed to…
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WCU staff and students improve libraries in area jails
For most people, the word “jail” stirs up mental images of vertical bars and stark concrete walls, not of rows…
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Deer reclaim historic home in Cherokee
From clothing to art to clan names, deer are everywhere in Cherokee culture. But for the past couple of centuries,…
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Jackson County Republicans ready for annual convention
Jackson County Republicans have been busy during the winter season finalizing plans for their 2014 annual county convention, the NCGOP…
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Steinem celebrates ‘escaping’
By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Correspondent Here is a simple solution for stimulating the economy in this country: give women equal…
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WCU hikes citation fees
Students and visitors to the Western Carolina University campus, whether in a car or on roller skates, will soon have…
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Haven convinces board that motel is home
In front of a crowded courtroom Tuesday, the Macon County Board of Elections voted unanimously to dismiss a challenge protesting…
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Downtown Sylva bakery opens in April
A new bakery and bistro is coming to downtown Sylva. The Perk & Pastry Bistro will offer a wide array…
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Community asked for input in prison makeover
The trio of Christian ministries and advocates for the disadvantaged looking to transform the old state prison in Hazelwood into…
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Canton school to be reborn
William McDowell remembers when segregation was a reality in Canton. “When I was a kid we weren’t allowed to sit…
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Voucher legislation hits roadblock
After a morning of arguments from both sides of the school voucher debate, N.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood ordered…
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Haywood commissioners on a quest for a better courthouse lawn
Nearly a year after cutting down the historic maple trees in front of the Haywood County Courthouse, the lawn still…
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Fire at Cherokee motel under investigation
The cause of a fire that caused substantial damage to the Pageant Inn in Cherokee last week is being investigated.
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Officers push boundaries in quest for probable cause
A big one got away in Cherokee earlier this year when the case against a drug dealer was thrown out…
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No more Mr. Nice Guy
With the bottomed-out real estate market still stagnant, some property owners are having trouble seeing the point of paying property…
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Haywood chamber to drive economic development
The daunting challenge of courting industry, cultivating entrepreneurs, helping businesses expand — and ultimately adding new jobs to the economy…
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Appointment process for advisory boards comes under fire
The informal process for picking people to serve on the planning board in Jackson County has come under scrutiny, prompting…
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Schools rebut charge of impeding efforts to start secular club
Haywood County Schools’ attorney has countered accusations that Pisgah High School administrators allegedly hampered a student’s attempt to form a…
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Jackson’s optimistic cheerleader
After a few months on the job, Jackson County’s economic development director laid out the landscape for community leaders. He…
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Beachcombers find parts of lost research balloon equipment
The seventh Western Carolina University physics research balloon to be launched to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere – Cat…
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Statewide races
U.S. Congress About the race: This used to be a toss-up district, but clever redrawing of voting boundaries by the…
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Macon hopes for home run
Macon County commissioners decided in a split vote this month to spend $3 million building a tournament-scale baseball and softball…
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Jackson public delivers message loud and clear: uphold steep slope rules
A standing-room only crowd turned out for a public hearing on steep slope rules in Jackson County last week and…
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State rejects former Swain DSS director’s appeal of firing
A wrongful firing claim by the former director of the Swain County Department of Social Services has been rejected by…
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Mad Batter to reopen in Sylva
From the ashes of a recent fire, Mad Batter Bakery & Café will reopen. But, instead of returning to the campus…
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$1 million gift to Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Foundation matched by Mission
The Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Foundation is $2 million richer thanks to a $1 million donation by philanthropist Jane Woodruff and a…
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WCU professor studies healthy eating demographics
Green space and gardens dominate much of the Western North Carolina landscape, but what determines whether people here actually eat…
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Car charging stations to be installed in Waynesville
Electric car owners will soon have the option of charging their vehicles in downtown Waynesville.
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Waynesville looks to diversify fuel use
The town of Waynesville plans to convert half of its fleet of police cars — 15 in all — to…
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Law enforcement lobbies for speedy, dependable fleets
Equipment replacement schedules were some of the first line items on the chopping block for local governments when the economy…
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Parks and rec grants decrease across state
Macon County can count itself lucky for landing a $500,000 state recreation grant to help pay for a softball and…
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The quest for perfection: Smoky Mountain basketball team heads into playoffs 24-0
There is no “I” in team for Jimmy Cleaveland. “Listen, I don’t know where you’re going with this story,” he…
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Fired Swain DSS director steered aid to relatives
A wrongful firing suit by Tammy Cagle, the former director of Swain County Department of Social Services, has shed light…
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What was said: take a drive-by tour of some steep slope comments
“A hundred years from now everybody in this room will have passed on but the mountains will still be baring…
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Born to care: Olson looks back on 40 years of nursing
When Becky Olson first began making house calls, she was barely old enough to walk. She spent her childhood following…
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Pisgah student persists, forms secular club
A club for non-religious students is being formed at Pisgah High School after a freshman enlisted the help of a…
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Maggie businessman charged with child sexual abuse
A Maggie Valley restaurant owner who was also a figure in town politics has been charged with sexually abusing two…
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Macon sheriff wants more money for drug buys
Sheriff Robert Holland is looking to ramp-up his department’s crackdown on drug dealers in Macon County, requesting that the county…
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Group hatches a plan for local products co-op in Sylva
A group of Jackson County locavores is hoping to bring the Ramp-Berry Community Market Co-op, a store that will sell…
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Sapphire knows how to throw a ‘potty’
Sitting on a toilet, Kyle Iezzi is ready for victory. “The main thing is that I hope we go straight,”…
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New NAACP chapters spawned by protests against Raleigh legislation
Political backlash against the new conservative policies of state lawmakers has given rise to two local chapters of the National…
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Jackson eyes courthouse expansion
Just shy of a decade after county offices moved into a brand-spankin’ new Haywood County Justice Center, Jackson County is…
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Macon County requests auditing assistance
As the State Bureau of Investigations continues to probe embezzlement allegations in Macon County, the county is calling in the…
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