Council overrides golf course project veto
A $39 million hotel project at the Sequoyah National Golf Course in Cherokee will move forward after Tribal Council overrode…
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Experience on the ballot for Swain Commission chairman
The issues facing Swain County are similar to those in other Western North Carolina communities — an affordable housing shortage,…
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Man pleads guilty in chase leading to fatal car wreck
A Jackson County man pleaded guilty Thursday in Haywood County Superior Court to killing one person and injuring two others…
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Enrollment falls again at WCU, but freshman class size increases
For the second year straight , enrollment is down at Western Carolina University — but an uptick in freshman class size…
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Cherokee to expand prosecution authority
A unanimous vote from the Cherokee Tribal Council puts the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on track to start prosecuting…
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Tribe swears in police chief, adds new positions
Less than three months after being named interim chief of police, Carla Neadeau has been sworn in as the first…
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Western counties receive ‘GREAT’ news on broadband
The latest round of state grants for broadband infrastructure have landed, and represent a big win for six Western North…
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Haywood Regional Medical Center CEO to step down
Haywood County Regional Medical Center CEO Greg Caples has informed hospital staff that he is stepping down.
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SMN wins prestigious honors at Press Association conference
The Smoky Mountain News won 16 advertising awards and 20 editorial awards from the N.C. Press Association in a ceremony…
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Haywood man admits to infant death
A Haywood County man confirmed on the record in Superior Court that he killed his girlfriend’s 9-month-old daughter.
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The circle of life in a new apartment
The ‘circle of life’ philosophy is not only about procreation and ensuring the long-term existence of a species. It’s also…
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No coincidence: good local newspapers = good place to live
There’s a basic human longing for a sense of place, some part of the world that’s home, a place where…
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Booming Times, Busted Budgets: Growing visitation strains resources in and around the GSMNP
Christine Cole Proctor was home alone with her big sister at the family cabin on Forney Creek when she heard…
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Who works for the general good?
To the Editor: Republicans like to talk about how Democrats are ruining the country without being specific on how that…
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Cherokee County man found guilty of drug trafficking
A Cherokee County man who sold large quantities of illegal drugs out of a Canton hotel room will spend, at…
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Child molester gets 50-70 years
Following two weeks of evidence and testimony, jury members needed only 29 minutes of deliberations to convict a Jackson County…
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Red Cross urges blood donations
A strong blood supply is key to preparedness for disasters and medical emergencies, and donors can ensure blood is on…
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Amid shortage, Macon schools passes bus driver retention bonus
Bus drivers in Macon County will receive a retention bonus totaling $500 this year as part of the school system’s…
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Highlands shreds more than 2 tons
More than two tons of paper were collected for shredding and recycling recently at the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands,…
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Canton announces plans for new town hall, police department
Almost immediately after deadly flooding swamped downtown Canton for the second time in less than 20 years, town officials began…
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Sylva reins in short-term rentals
New short-term rentals in Sylva will only be allowed as an accessory use to an existing dwelling, not the only…
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Tribe prepares to rent new Whittier housing
New housing will soon be available for Cherokee tribal members in Whittier following a unanimous vote from Tribal Council Aug.…
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Buyers gaining more power as market shifts
Home sales in the Western North Carolina region continued to slow in July, mirroring broader housing trends and declining affordability…
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WCU opens ‘Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories’ exhibit
Beginning in the 1870s, the U.S. government attempted to educate and assimilate American Indians into “civilized” society by placing children…
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Haywood commissioners reject misinformation at meeting
When a small group of concerned citizens turned up to the most recent Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting, it…
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Street Food Institute event to help local food businesses
N.C. State Cooperative Extension, Eastern Band of Cherokee Commerce Department and EmPOWERING Mountain Food Systems are hosting the Street Food…
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Blinded by the light: WNC clogger becomes social media sensation
Before March 2022, 28-year-old Zeb Ross didn’t have a social media presence. No Instagram, TikTok or Twitter. He did have…
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Mainspring considers Ela Dam purchase
Franklin-based nonprofit Mainspring Conservation Trust will take the lead in efforts to remove 97-year-old Ela Dam if its board decides…
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Lawsuit puts Ghost Town development in limbo
Just two weeks after a lawsuit was filed to dissolve Ghost Town in the Sky, LLC — the company that…
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SRCA board operates with reduced membership
Over the last eight months, three board members have either resigned or been removed from the Shining Rock Classical Academy…
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Jackson to receive $3 million in opioid settlement
Jackson County will receive more than $3 million as part of an opioid settlement. The timeline for collecting that money,…
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Tribe seeks state recognition for enrollment cards
While the federal government considers tribal enrollment cards official forms of identification sufficient to board a domestic flight or cross…
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Haywood Healthcare Foundation awards grants
The Haywood Healthcare Foundation Board of Trustees voted at its June meeting to award $497,500 in grants for fiscal year…
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Ceremony celebrates High School Equivalency grads
Like every other graduate at Southwestern Community College’s High School Equivalency commencement ceremony, Calbert Christian navigated a unique road on…
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BearWaters to host community event on anniversary of catastrophic flood
Exactly one year after a flash flood killed six people and wreaked havoc in Haywood County, BearWaters Brewing Company is…
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‘We just held on’ : A year after historic flood, Cruso family is still rebuilding
Handing an old red bandana back and forth to wipe away the tears emerging from their eyes, Wendy and Chuck…
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When the next one comes: Emergency managers work toward flood preparedness
In the year since Tropical Storm Fred ravaged Western North Carolina, emergency managers have been busy working to ensure that…
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After the Flood: Trying times, trauma, trepidation and triumph
Hours earlier, Natasha Bright had been trapped atop a bunk bed in a barricaded bedroom with her dogs, her cats…
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Haywood Schools still face deluge of flood repairs
On Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 17, 2021, the second day of the school year, Haywood County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte…
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Delivered through the storm: Cruso man’s struggle to rebuild eased by community’s compassion
Ben Wilson recently got around to looking at footage from security cameras at his home captured the day he watched…
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Tribe, Caesars break ground on $650 million Virginia casino project
At an Aug. 11 event that Principal Chief Richard Sneed said felt more like a pep rally than a ceremony,…
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Laurel Ridge Country Club changes ownership
Waynesville’s Laurel Ridge Country Club has changed ownership, with a new era beginning.
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Smokies adopts parking fee
Starting March 1, visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will no longer be completely free — a first for…
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Phony writ from sham court offers bounties for national, state and local lawmakers
More than three dozen Western North Carolina judges, elected officials and municipal employees have been “served” with a bogus judgement…
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Obsolete Haywood body armor headed for Ukraine
Eight sets of unusable level 3A ballistic armor are now on their way from Haywood County to Ukraine thanks to…
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The messiest story you can have: A Western perspective on the war in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine may seem a million miles away, but one doesn’t have to travel halfway across the world…
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Tribe to partner on $650 million Virginia casino complex
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will partner with Caesars Entertainment Inc on a $650 million casino resort in Danville,…
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‘A Herculean feat’: Forest Service aims to satisfy objections in last round of plan revisions
A decade of meetings, hearings, comments, debate and disagreement over the future of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests culminated in…
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School systems still hiring
With the beginning of the school year right around the corner, school systems across North Carolina are struggling to fill…
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