Free kids festival coming to Haywood fairgrounds
A free kids festival featuring music, activity areas, performances and give-aways will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.…
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One-size-fits-all tourism brand sought for Jackson
Ask vacationers why they pick Jackson County, and you might heard words like “escape,” “relief” and “tradition.”
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Lots of winners in festival grants
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will hand out a bevy of grants for festivals and niche tourism projects throughout…
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Maggie aldermen bow out of business approval process
The Maggie Valley town board will soon divest itself from the role of both judge and jury for new businesses…
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Tuscola High School student arrested for threats of mass violence
A 16-year-old Tuscola High School student was arrested by Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday afternoon, April 18, and charged…
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More school counselors could afford needed ounce of prevention
If a student at Central Elementary has a particularly tough weekend at home, school counselor Leslie Smith won’t get to…
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No good deed goes unpunished in state’s domestic violence funding formula
The domestic violence nonprofit REACH of Macon County is facing a more than $80,000 shortfall next year due partly to…
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Neighborly lifeline for domestic violence victims could fray at the edges unless Jackson steps up
Nearly a year has passed since a domestic violence support agency in Jackson County abruptly shut down under financial duress,…
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Trial by dirt
While sunlight, water and good soil may seem a simple enough equation for getting a plant from seed to fruit,…
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Students to share ideas at Discovery Forum
Western Carolina University will host its inaugural Discovery Forum, an event designed to encourage students to share innovative ideas for…
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Haywood County prepares for 30th annual Senior Games
Seniors around the region are gearing up for Senior Games during the month of May. In Haywood County, registration will…
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Homelessness to Hope: a campaign to improve teen support services
Barium Springs, a nonprofit that serves troubled youth, is hosting its first Giving Them Hope Breakfast at 8:30 April 25…
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Social worker charged in cover-up agrees to talk as part of plea bargain
A Swain County social worker pleaded guilty in court this week to doctoring and fabricating records two years ago following…
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Keeping it real: Waynesville ponders historic district guidelines
The town of Waynesville has hired a consultant to help create mandatory design standards for buildings in historic districts.
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Macon forges ahead with $1.1 million ballpark
Macon County commissioners narrowly voted last week to buy a 50-acre tract for $550,000 to create a sprawling baseball and…
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Building freedom through mobility
It was a moment that forever stuck with Don Schoendorfer. While on vacation in Morocco several years ago, the southern…
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Emergency action plans layout game plan well before disaster strikes
What if a tornado ripped through Western North Carolina? What if a tanker hauling dangerous chemicals overturned on Interstate 40?…
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Macon County pledges suite of raises all around
Macon County government employees will have a fatter paycheck now, thanks to a new pay plan approved last week by…
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Robbery ring targeting vacation homes busted
Ten suspects have been charged in connection with a rash of property crimes in the Cashiers and Glenville area.
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Pigeon Gorge dead spot could be solved soon for AT&T cell customers
A new cell phone tower in the Pigeon River Gorge could mean fewer dropped calls as motorists cruise down Interstate…
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Swain inmates no help on roadside trash pickup
Swain County commissioners said they have fielded queries lately about why jail inmates aren’t put to work picking up trash…
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Lake Junaluska merger with Waynesville sails through Senate
A state bill that would bring Lake Junaluska into Waynesville’s town limits has cleared the N.C. Senate and is now…
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County commissioners cry foul over state budget proposals
County commissioners across the state are protesting proposed state budget cuts and bills that they say pass the buck and…
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Cherokee leaders green light second casino near Murphy
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians could open a new $110 million casino in Murphy as early as spring 2015,…
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WCU invites student and faculty input on campus master plan
Western Carolina University is open to suggestions — from students, faculty and the general public — as it undergoes a…
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Let the tourists return: Smokies’ landslide fixed
Landslide repairs to U.S. 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were completed early this week — reopening the…
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Bills would reinforce optional student prayer
Religion and public schools have never been a black and white matter anywhere in the U.S., but the shades of…
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Parsing out a majority in Haywood room tax debate proves murky
Without support from the Maggie Valley Lodging Association, a bill to increase the room tax in Haywood County could die…
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Stand and deliver Donald Davis weaned on mountain storytelling
It’s been said that people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death, but for Donald Davis,…
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From greenways to ball fields, state cuts could sideline local recreation wish list
Statewide parks and recreation funding is clashing with fiscal austerity in the current state budget process, in a showdown that…
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River-lust spurs building rebound on Nantahala: Tiny riverside lots pose sewage conundrum
Tom Anderson barely batted an eyelash when he plunked down $300,000 in cash for a tiny lot along the Nantahala…
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Storied Judaculla Rock gets overdue recognition
Judaculla Rock, a prehistoric gem of the Cherokee and the most heavily inscribed petroglyph in the East, is putting Jackson…
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U.S. 441 work nears completion
Repairs to U.S. 441 are nearing completion. A football-field-sized portion of U.S. 441, which runs through the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Jackson tourism board offers tepid yet symbolic support of scenic railroad venture
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority is the latest voice to enter the fray as the county ponders a $700,000…
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Sylva faces tough budget choices
Sylva town officials are staring down three unsightly options to balance the upcoming year’s budget: tax increases, budget cuts or…
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How the axe fell
Talk of cutting the historic courthouse maples in Waynesville has come and gone during the years. Reasons varied. It was…
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Merchants field queries over missing courthouse trees
Main Street merchants are used to answering tourists’ questions: how do you get to the parkway, what’s the best place…
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Prescription drug scourge claiming dozens of lives in Haywood
The numbers are unforgiving. One in three unexpected deaths in Haywood County are likely prescription drug overdoses. This year alone,…
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A cut above the rest
You get what you pay for, and a haircut is quite possibly the finest example of that timeless concept.
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From the jail to the library, Haywood commissioners field wish lists for extra employees
A parade of Haywood County department leaders went before county commissioners during a budget work session Monday, each pleading their…
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Jackson County ponders tobacco ban in public parks
Don’t light, chew, smoke or spit that tobacco in Jackson County parks, and if you do, you could be slapped…
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Changes at dog park gets owners riled up
Dog park patrons have issued a collective howl over recent changes to the fenced in canine play yard along Waynesville’s…
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Another one bites the dust: ax beckons to the last of the courthouse trees
The lone evergreen tree left standing on the lawn of the historic courthouse in downtown Waynesville will soon be coming…
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Tug-of-war continues in Maggie over tax hike
Maggie Valley leaders on opposing sides of the tourist tax hike both claim to have the majority in their corner.…
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Jonathan Creek water interruptions leave some residents high and dry
Joyce Porter had just finished cleaning her house in Jonathan Creek and was planning to hop in the shower, but…
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HCC welcomes new president with open community arms, firm academic handshake
Haywood Community College trustees cited leadership, community rapport and deep local roots as key factors when naming Dr. Barbara Sue…
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Indoor shooting range proposed in Franklin
All loaded up and no place to shoot — such is the plight of gun owners in Macon County, especially…
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Slowing sales of inscribed bricks spells trouble for veteran’s memorial
After struggling through a year of poor fundraising, the veterans’ memorial in Franklin desperately needs to sell some bricks.
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Critics try to derail train stimulus in Jackson
The great Dillsboro train debate rolled on in Jackson County Monday with a public hearing this week on whether the…
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Cherokee Tribal Council election attracts deep bench of challengers
All 12 seats on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Tribal Council are up for grabs this year.
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