Jackson ‘Up to Good’ as it ‘Play(s) On’ with tourism branding messages
What’s it going to be for Jackson County — Just Do It; Got Milk?; A Little Dab’ll Do Ya? That…
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Social workers say student homelessness on the rise
The number of homeless school children in Haywood County has risen by nearly 20 percent this year compared to last.…
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Cherokee-run welfare office provides easier access to aid
From the outside, Sandy Cloer’s office doesn’t look like much — not even a real office, in fact. The three…
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The sticky wicket of downtown sandwich boards
Signs are businesses’ equivalent to nuclear weapons. “Everybody wants them, but you have to agree to live with them,” said…
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Speak up if you want high-speed internet in Jackson
Jackson County wants to bring high-speed Internet service to a greater number of residents, but doing so means convincing an…
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Filling the flood plain under debate in Macon
Macon County is weighing whether to relax its existing rules that ban fill dirt in the flood plain. The county’s…
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Maggie logjam shows no sign of breaking ‘til fall election
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen have been mired in gridlock for nearly nine months. With only four town board…
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Students draft business plan for health clinic
A 100-page business plan created by Western Carolina University seniors are helping guide development of a self-sustaining primary care health…
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Landslide protocol: a muddied affair
The tragic death of a railroad worker investigating a fresh landslide along a rail line last week highlighted the hidden,…
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Thanks to a mighty big carrot, Swain sets its sights on the future
Out of all the problems each county faces, how do you one narrow them down to focus on just three?
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Tax hike phobia trumps school request for officers, counselors
The Haywood County Board of Education has concluded that the cost of putting officers in elementary schools is not worth…
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Remembering Fontana’s sacrifice
The Proctor Revival Organization is hosting its third annual month long remembrance and celebration of the Proctor, Judson, Bushnell and…
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In-town shooting ranges weighed in Franklin
Franklin Town Board members have decided to put off action on whether to allow an indoor shooting range in town…
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Sylva gun shop brings Bullet Bunker online
A Sylva gun storeowner was given special permission to fire weapons in the town limits by town leaders this month.
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Tuscola dominates WNC welding competition
Tuscola High School students placed first and second in the Western High School Welding Competition May 11 at Tuscola. Keith…
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Macon and Jackson locked in a friendly feud over 1/10th of a cent
Who has the lowest tax rate in the state — Macon County or Jackson County? The answer is both, it…
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Fire department funding debate heats up in Jackson
Jackson County commissioners may be looking to change how fire departments are funded.
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Drawing the line between panhandling and charity at Franklin’s intersections
A group of folks allegedly raising funds on behalf of an out-of-state church have sparked complaints and questions from Franklin…
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Duke rate hike beats the drum of fossil fuel power production
Well raise my electric bill … again. Duke Energy is looking to hike its rates by nearly 10 percent.
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Beloved amusement park brought back to life one piece at a time
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park is scheduled to kick off its 2013 season Memorial Day weekend, thanks to…
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Will Holder Branch hold? Double landslides make residents uneasy
Twice in one week, the mountainside along Holder Branch Road in Canton slid away — and that was twice too…
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Cherokee casino hits earning milestone
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort’s bottom line is improving steadily each year as the nation continues to recover from the…
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The long and short of it: Space crunch leads to cosmetology waiting lists
About 30 cosmetology students stand at their individual workstations cutting, coloring and chatting; they are elbow-to-elbow and back-to-back, cramped as…
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Macon commissioner duo wants to spend down savings to bring on tax cuts
Two tight-pocketed Macon County commissioners, who have voted consistently against all sorts of new government spending, have decided to go…
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Cashiers sewer plant at capacity, but only on paper
Sewage and what to do with it has posed a complicated set of problems for the community of Cashiers —…
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Upfront costs don’t deter plans for Cashiers ABC store
Jackson County leaders are moving ahead with plans to open a liquor store in Cashiers, despite up to $200,000 in…
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Macon School leaders ask county for bailout, or harmful cuts are imminent
Macon County Schools are facing a $2 million budget shortfall and are hoping the county will come to the rescue.…
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Walmart debate prompts Sylva to consider more flexible sign rules
Walmart in Sylva was asking for the town board to grant them an exemption for a larger storefront sign. But…
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HCC makes pitch for continued building plan
Haywood Community College has asked for more than $1.4 million from the county for building and renovations projects on campus…
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News notes from Cherokee
State of housing in Cherokee to be surveyed A federal study researching housing conditions on Indian reservations across the U.S.…
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Price tag inches up on Cherokee jail and justice center
Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Tribal Council took issue with a construction budget increase for the tribe’s…
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Walking the dog: The trials and tribulations of being homeless in Haywood
Standing next to Louis “Louie” Bing, you’d never know he was homeless. While waiting for a cup of coffee at City Bakery…
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Cops in schools offer more than peace of mind
At first blush, Officer Nan Tritt looks like any other cop. She wears a badge and a gun, and the…
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Haywood weighs cost-benefit of more school cops
The Haywood County Board of Commissioners have made it clear that without a property tax increase, funding is unlikely for…
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MedWest-Haywood board change averts potential for tie votes ahead of controversial decision
The 10-person Haywood Regional Medical Center board will now include an 11th member. The Haywood Board of Commissioners Monday approved…
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Bring on the tourists
This week is Travel and Tourism Week in Haywood County. The Haywood County Board of Commissioners Monday officially dubbed May…
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Bill would weaken newspapers as conduit for government oversight
Haywood County commissioners weighed the merits of saving money versus government transparency this week. State law requires counties and towns…
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New courthouse landscape to be less lush, more spartan
A new landscape plan for the Haywood County historic courthouse is mostly devoid of large shade trees, in stark contrast…
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Landslide kills railroad worker
A Waynesville man who works for Norfolk Southern Railway was buried and killed by a landslide in the middle of…
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Canton residents trapped after landslide blocks road
A landslide east of Canton took out a dirt road early Monday morning following two solid days of unceasing rains,…
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More hellos than goodbyes: Topography forces cell phone companies to weigh cost-benefit of erecting new towers
As long as Realtor Sammie Powell leans back in his chair in his home office, he can talk on his…
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Tuscola students aim to bring clean water to Uganda
When Sydney Bridges sets out to do something, she doesn’t give up. A 10th grader at Tuscola High School in…
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Flying club encounters turbulence in shared plane venture
Shortly after takeoff, the Smoky Mountain Flying Club is having to re-route its course. The flying club nearly lost an…
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New Sylva women’s center a dream come true for WNC doctor
Dr. Janine Keever still remembers that do-or-die moment in her undergrad chemistry class like it was yesterday. The grades just…
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Conservation funding on the rocks in state budget forecast
The state fund that helped conserve miles of riverfront, protect thousands of acres of undeveloped mountainsides and build countless sewer…
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State debates drug testing for aid recipients
A bill that recently passed the state Senate would take social assistance away from anyone using drugs by requiring state…
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Stamp out hunger with mail carrier food drive
Mail carriers in Haywood County will collected non-perishable food items for the National Letter Carriers’ “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive…
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Firefighter safety versus right to build steep driveways
The Jackson County Planning Board debated where to draw the line between safety and individual rights last month in its…
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Bill could move legal notices from newspapers to the Internet
In several counties in Western North Carolina, a showdown between the printed word and the digital age could soon take…
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Gone, but not forgotten: Confederate Flag issue in Haywood could re-emerge soon
Haywood County commissioners may soon revisit the unsettled issue of whether Confederate Flags can be flown on the lawn of…
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