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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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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