Handpicked appointments fill Jackson boards
It’s not the strength of your resume — it’s who your friends are.
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Volunteers glean picked-over fields to feed the hungry
At the end of every crop’s season, farmers pick the fruits or vegetables that are pretty enough to sell in…
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Macon Schools may cut teacher bonuses to save positions
To deal with a gaping budget shortfall, Macon County Schools might raid the local salary bonus it historically awards its…
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Women in Business to host ‘Your Performance on Stage’ luncheon
The Haywood Chamber of Commerce Women in Business group will host “Your Performance On Stage … Flourish, Engage, Inspire” from…
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School supply and clothing drives abound
Keller Williams Realty of Waynesville is holding its annual children’s clothes swap next weekend. Drop off new or gently used…
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‘Jono’ Bryant blends his taste for adventure and medical skills toward a greater good
It was a rather strange place to have a life-changing epiphany, but there he was, on the set of a…
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WCU weighs merits of majors in light of funding challenges
Western Carolina University will erase 10 degree programs, including women’s studies and the graduate music courses, from its books during…
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WCU hires regional expert to lead hospitality, tourism program
Well-known regional tourism expert Steve Morse has been hired by Western Carolina University to head its hospitality and tourism program.
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Town election ballots shake out
Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. Some town races are…
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Tie match called in Jackson visitor center firestorm
After a tumultuous start to hashing out a blueprint for this year’s finances, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority reached…
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Lake Junaluska navigates choppy political waters
Ron Clauser never saw himself as a lobbyist. He’s an accountant by trade, a world where logic and rationale rule…
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Concerns voiced over proposed Cashiers ABC store site
Jackson County got a green light from the state to move forward with plans to build a liquor store in…
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Harrah’s Casino one of the few big games in town for job seekers
Since Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort added table games with live dealers last year they’ve had to round up hundreds…
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Higher cost for new restrooms at Waynesville playground could nix project
Renovating the antiquated, shuttered restrooms at the Waynesville Recreation Park will cost more than town officials anticipated, leaving them to…
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To busk or not? Waynesville ponders street performer ordinance
Street musicians are becoming a common sight in downtown Waynesville, despite a town policy that bans sidewalk performers from playing…
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Big trucks take heed: no more Jake brakes in Waynesville
Waynesville has outlawed the use of noisy engine-compression brakes by big trucks.
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Drug testing par for the course in WNC high schools
The number of high school students failing random drug tests in Haywood County has remained constant since the school system…
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Police help push new laws through legislature
The Waynesville Police Department helped craft and then usher four bills, or some version of them, through the N.C. General…
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Behind the wheel of an ice cream truck
I scream, you scream, Western North Carolina screams for ice cream.
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Bears from shut-down zoo find new, friendlier habitat
Eleven bears once confined to concrete pits at Chief Saunooke Bear Park in Cherokee have found greener pastures in Texas…
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Neighbors plead their case to put the brakes on quarry expansion
Neighbors near a towering rock quarry in Waynesville have voiced concerns over a proposed expansion that could cause excavations to…
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Dental care on wheels draws masses to free clinic in Cullowhee
There was no shortage of work to be done when N.C. Missions of Mercy, a mobile dental camp, came rolling…
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Jackson County to build new emergency ops hub
Jackson County plans to build a $1.6 million state-of-the-art 911 call center and emergency headquarters along U.S. 441 south of…
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Beloved yet bedraggled, Franklin’s downtown gazebo to see major facelift
The Main Street gazebo in Franklin could soon see a facelift, or, even be replaced with an entirely different structure.
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Will Forest Hills residents chip in to buy old, overgrown golf course?
Presented with a tempting yet expensive offer, the Village of Forest Hills has to choose whether to buy an abandoned…
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Heinzelmannchen Brewery asks TWSA to tweak water and sewer fees
What goes in must come out: that’s the basic premise behind your water and sewer bill. Sewer fees simply mirror…
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Lake Junaluska merger bill off the table indefinitely
A state bill that would have merged Lake Junaluska with the town of Waynesville is dead for now.
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HCC won’t recoup construction overages from architect
Haywood Community College hoped to recoup $80,000 from the architect behind the new Creative Arts building due to design errors…
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Macon County airport runway expansion in the works once more
Macon County could once again find itself with a bigger airport runway — this time wider.
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Frog Level auction house hopping mad over Waynesville sign rules
A new fixture made an appearance on the sidewalks of Frog Level last week: a giant green frog waving and…
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Ghost Town gunslinger wounded during staged fight
State officials are investigating Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park after a piece of shrapnel maimed a longtime, well-known…
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Business news
New Bethel restaurant opens its doors A new restaurant called Breaking Bread Café has opened on Pigeon Road in the…
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Foundation awards $150,000 to childhood development projects
The Community Foundation gave two $75,000 grants to Region A Partnership for Children and Southwestern Child Development Commission. One of…
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Groups creates CD tour of Bethel
Bethel Rural Community Organization released its CD of the Cold Mountain Heritage Driving Tour. The CD provides a guided journey…
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Collecting data on Internet connections
N.C. Broadband — a part of the N.C. Department of Commerce — is collecting data on the number of Jackson…
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Who are we? Cherokee programs find innovative ways to keep the flame burning for future generations
Growing up on the Isleta Pueblo reservation in New Mexico, 26-year-old Cody Grant could name off the tribes he descended…
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Help shape pedestrian-friendly street plan
A citizen drop-in meeting to discuss the progress of Waynesville’s North Main Street Complete Streets Study will be held from…
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All clear declared in Richland Creek search
An all-night search Monday along Richland Creek in Waynesville for a possible missing child turned out to be a false…
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Town election time: Who’s in, who’s out, who’s still in the wings
Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. The sign up period…
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Rags to riches: Unlocking the value of antiques rarely results in a jackpot
Lake Junaluska resident Hattie Polk finally inched her way to the front of the line and released her clutch on…
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Southern Appalachia goes squatchin’
Bigfoot is alive and well in Haywood County, at least through the pages of Eric S. Brown.
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Armadillos in the mountains? You betcha
It make have taken 50 million years, give or take, but the small, armored animal known as the armadillo is…
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Talks break off on railroad deal, but door not closed
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County reached an impasse on an economic development agreement last week after two…
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Railroad, Jackson leaders at impasse on plan to bring train back to Dillsboro
The news of stalled talks between the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County was met with mixed feelings in…
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Passel of new patrol cars on Waynesville’s shopping list
The town of Waynesville plans to buy 15 new police cars in the coming year for $500,000, a move that…
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Haywood Schools shuffle the deck ahead of new year
Haywood County Schools has announced a handful of promotions among principals and assistant principals ahead of the upcoming school year.
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Taco Bell to find new home on South Main
Waynesville’s South Main Street continues to see slow but steady commercial growth, with a Taco Bell and Mattress Firm soon…
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After 65 years, pool is back on the table for bars in Franklin
Pool sharks rejoice. The town of Franklin has lifted an antiquated law that banned pool tables from being on the…
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Financial woes catch up with Tandi Haas
Amy Clifton Keely wasn’t asking for much. Being a wedding photographer, she knew how wedding days worked, and what pitfalls…
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Cat-Tran could be nixed for off-campus students
Western Carolina University’s off-campus Cat-Tran may soon go the way of the horse and buggy.
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