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Wednesday, 12 December 2007 00:00

Macon County explores TDA options

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Macon County business leaders are devising a plan to ensure that the county’s lodging tax will promote tourism and travel throughout the county.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer In the 10 years since the opening of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in November 1997, a remarkable transformation has occurred among the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The casino has brought a surge of unprecedented…
Wednesday, 12 December 2007 00:00

WCU forges ongoing relationship with Canton

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer With a new town board, a new town manager, and a growing influx of young Asheville commuters looking for affordable housing, the town of Canton is setting itself up for some major changes —…
Wednesday, 12 December 2007 00:00

Getting close to the food you eat

By Adam Bigelow • Guest Columnist The morning chill had lifted, mist had risen into the air, and as I walked towards the waiting group I had no idea what to expect from this day. We were all here for…
Duke Energy has received clearance from the state to tear down the Dillsboro dam but will be forced to dredge a backlog of sediment from behind the dam first.
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Developers in Swain County eyeing a quick, easy connection to Bryson City’s sewer system for their newly built properties are out of luck — at least for now. Bryson’s town board is currently denying…
Wednesday, 19 December 2007 00:00

Macon seeks solution to animal woes

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Dealing with stray dogs and cats has been a problem for Macon County officials for some time now, Sheriff Robbie Holland said.
An ornately decorated tree in the foyer of the Women’s Care Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center will help families who have lost children at, or shortly after, birth because of birth defects.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Tommy Calhoun of Whittier stares at a web page on his white Mac notebook’s screen. He is checking his email at Bubacz’s Underground, a coffee shop in downtown Sylva. Connecting to the Underground’s wireless…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Nearly 200 people packed a Swain County public hearing on Dec. 10 to voice their opposition to the county’s first-ever development regulations — a subdivision ordinance dictating road widths and grades.
Jackson County commissioners are weighing whether to continue a four-year fight against Duke Energy or cut their losses and bow out.
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer This Christmas season, Laura Ammons has scoured for presents for her loved ones, checking off her list as she scoops up the perfect item. Rather than encountering a mad frenzy of crowds, however, Ammons…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer As mayor of Canton, Pat Smathers has overcome his fair share of obstacles — most notably the floods that devastated this Haywood County community in 2004. Now, Smathers is gearing up to face perhaps…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer As captain of the Maggie Valley police department, Jason Moody normally keeps his emotions in check. Today, though, as he leads a tour around the police department’s new building, he’s beaming.
After a successful five-month run at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the “Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee and British Delegations,” will return to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and reopen on Jan. 3.
Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:00

TWASA waits for capacity expansion go-ahead

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Officials at Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority are waiting for the go-ahead from the state to increase sewer treatment plant capacity, which could end the current moratorium on sewer hook-ups.
Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:00

2007

It marked the end of an era for North Shore Road supporters and Blue Ridge Paper Products, and ushered a new wave of progressives into office. Counties tackled tough development questions, voters said no to taxes that would have funded…
Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:00

2007: A year for development news

This year marked a turning point across Western North Carolina when it comes to political will and the development industry.
Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:00

Fed OKs $6 million for North Shore Road payment

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer After 64 years, it looks like the battle over the North Shore Road in Swain County may have finally reached a resolution.
Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:00

WCU trustees OK fee increases

Western Carolina University’s board of trustees unanimously approved proposed tuition and fees for the 2008-09 academic year, including increases to support operational costs for a new indoor recreation center currently under construction and to begin meeting student requests for enhanced…
A Franklin-based mining company has filed an appeal against the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources decision denying a permit to operate a rock quarry in the Tuckasegee community in Jackson County.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer On June 1, 2007, A.J. Rowell left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and began pedaling a bicycle across North America. Just before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 19), the Jackson County native pulled into Sylva, seven…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Frank Singleton, the spokesman for the 4,500-acre proposed Cataloochee Wilderness Resort in Haywood County, stopped by The Smoky Mountain News office to answer some questions about the planned development. Singleton said the ball is…
When back-to-back tropical storms hit the mountains with heavy rains in 2004, the saturated soils triggered more than 140 landslides. Some were small, others big, but all pointed to how vulnerable some mountain slopes are to the forces of nature…
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer For more than 60 years, students have been learning at Cowee Elementary School. But with the rise in Macon County’s student population, county leaders are looking to build a new school to accommodate the…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Landfills in North Carolina should become a lot emptier due to a new law requiring nearly 8,000 restaurants to start recycling alcoholic beverage containers.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Students at Smokey Mountain Elementary and Cherokee Indian Reservation schools will be learning an important lesson about land development.
Wednesday, 02 January 2008 00:00

An engineer’s take on N.C. 107

Walter Kulash, a private traffic engineer, has been advising the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance on and off for four years on issues pertaining to the Southern Loop. Kulash specializes in “livable traffic” design and has worked as a consultant…
Wednesday, 02 January 2008 00:00

Competing road studies likely for N.C. 107

The next year could play out as a battle of the traffic studies between the Department of Transportation and opponents to a new four-lane divided highway through Jackson County.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer After investigating the actions of the Macon County School Board for the past two months, officials at the North Carolina State Board of Elections have determined that the school district violated two campaign finance…
Wednesday, 09 January 2008 00:00

An account of Haywood County

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The crowning achievement of Haywood County’s bicentennial celebration is a 600-page, hardcover book that will be the first definitive account of the county’s 200-year history.
Jackson County commissioners are contemplating drastic measures in their fight against Duke Energy to stop the Dillsboro dam from being torn down.
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The widening of Howell Mill Road in Waynesville will take years to complete, cost millions of dollars and displace residents who live along the thoroughfare. The two-lane road starts at Russ Avenue next to…
Wednesday, 09 January 2008 00:00

Sylva manager resigns, but new job is in limbo

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Sylva Town Manager Jay Denton has resigned from his job to become the executive director of Jackson County’s Economic Development Commission, but county commissioners refused to confirm his appointment to that position when they…
Wednesday, 09 January 2008 00:00

Haywood fields to get artificial turf

School official will use lottery proceeds to install artifical turf at the Pisgah and Tuscola high school stadiums, it was announced at a county commissioners meeting on Jan. 7.
Wednesday, 09 January 2008 00:00

Winter tourism up in WNC

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer As Shelli Milling of Georgia unpacked her minivan she watched her two sons play in the snow at Maggie Valley’s Jonathan Creek Inn parking lot.
The state recently gave Duke Energy the green light to tear down the Dillsboro dam, a move that Jackson County and the town of Franklin are now formally protesting.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Tom Dowell searches a large topographic map of Jackson County for his home located along Airy Lane. He is one of the many residents whose homes may be in jeopardy if the North Carolina…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Patricia Frisbee Meyer’s son needed help. The mental illness he had battled since childhood stayed mostly under control, but Meyer knew the onset of a bad episode when she saw it. Meyer, along with…
Wednesday, 16 January 2008 00:00

TDA chair says pot charge no problem

The chair of Haywood County’s Tourism Development Authority says a misdemeaor marijuana charge against the organization’s executive director will not affect her job status.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Viewers across the state will have the opportunity to learn about Jackson County’s green energy production from their living room.
Wednesday, 16 January 2008 00:00

Denton waits for green light on EDC job

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer After working two years as Sylva’s town manager, Jay Denton will be leaving his post Jan. 31 with the hopes of becoming the new executive director for Jackson County’s Economic Development Commission.
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer When Denise Tyson realized she would have to trek to another county to take part in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, she did just what the famous civil rights leader would have done…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer In one room, a jagged crack runs from wall to wall, evidence of an unstable foundation. In another, the shifting earth has pushed one side of the floor higher than the other at a…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Emergency rooms crowded with mentally ill patients. Sheriff’s deputies spending 96 hours supervising one individual. A sick man or woman whose situation is growing more dire by the second. It all adds up to…
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Rachel Upchurch wants to protect the mountains that tower throughout Jackson County however; the Smokey Mountain Elementary student also wants to see more houses and shopping centers built throughout the Qualla community.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Macon County welcomed its new County Manger Jack Horton back to Western North Carolina earlier this month. Horton, 57, returned to Macon County to fill the county manager position after the retirement of former…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Coal-fired power plants and renewable energies took center stage as topics at last Saturday’s lieutenant governor’s debate in Asheville.
Wednesday, 23 January 2008 00:00

The growing issue of elder abuse in WNC

The senior citizen population is growing in Western North Carolina, and with that increase comes the increasing potential for abuse, exploitation, or neglect of the elderly.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Sylva’s search for a new town manager ended Jan. 17 after Town Manager Jay Denton asked the board for his job back.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer It’s been almost a year since Bonita Fox and her family have taken a sip of water from their well.
Wednesday, 30 January 2008 00:00

Public weighs in on future of U.S. 441

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Progress on Jackson County’s corridor study for U.S. 441 is taking shape after three public meetings last week.
More than 150 people traveled from all over Western North Carolina to attend the first official Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Bryson City’s Historic Calhoun House on Jan. 21.
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer With a potential end to the North Shore Road saga looming, supporters of constructing the 30-mile road through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park are confronting their fear of what a wilderness designation would…
Wednesday, 06 February 2008 00:00

Body found in Macon in missing hiker case

Skeletal remains found in Macon County’s Nantahala National Forest Feb. 2 are those of an 80-year-old hiker who disappeared in October 2007, authorities say.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Living “green” is a way of life for Mark and Darcia Bondurant. The Haywood County family of four works diligently everyday to reduce their carbon footprint by doing everything from buying locally produced food…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Driving a tractor-trailer in Haywood County or a motorcycle in Swain? Use caution. Both counties top the list of AAA Carolinas recently released report on the most dangerous places to drive in North Carolina.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Macon County residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on amendments to the county’s flood damage prevention and watershed ordinances at a public hearing on Feb. 11.
Wednesday, 06 February 2008 00:00

Business owners and their trash

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Jackson County solid waste officials are cracking down on how businesses dispose of their trash, a move that has small business owners like Teresa Dowd up in arms.
By Jennifer Garlesky & Julia Merchant • Staff Writers Two Swain County employees will join representatives from the Department of Interior, the State of North Carolina and the Tennessee Valley Authority to negotiate a new contract that will replace the…
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Macon County’s eight-month moratorium on the permitting of recreational vehicles in the floodplain will be lifted next month.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008 00:00

Sylva wants to diversify Pinnacle Park usage

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Sylva Town Board members want to see hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers sharing the trails in Pinnacle Park, 1,100 acres of land located at the northern part of town.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008 00:00

Gems from the used bin

By Chris Cooper Ah, the joy of finding good stuff in the “undeservedly discarded disc” section of any music store. Here a few recent scores: pop melodrama from Bleu and a superb album from the most underappreciated — and one…
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer It’s a scenario that plays out every day: A bored 12-year-old girl named Crystal enters a Yahoo chatroom. Immediately, a screen pops up. “A/S/L/?” — age, sex, location? — another chat user inquires. Within…
Wednesday, 13 February 2008 00:00

Development regs at issue in Jackson election

When Jackson County commissioners passed strict mountainside development regulations last year, opponents pledged to get even come election time.
Voters in Jackson County could have a rematch in the May primary between two candidates who ran against each other for county commissioner two years ago — Joe Cowan and Darrell Fox for the district that includes Webster and Cullowhee.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer A plan to distribute Macon County’s occupancy tax has been formulated, leaving the final approval up to the board of commissioners.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008 00:00

Franklin leaders mull downtown options

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Sandi Dotherow loves the town of Franklin so much that she spends all her free time shopping and dining at downtown businesses.
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 00:00

Is feeding the hungry bad for business?

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer It’s lunchtime at the Open Door, a 12-year-old soup kitchen in the Frog Level community of Haywood County, and chatter and laughter fill the modest dining hall. Here, down-on-their-luck residents can get a free…
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 00:00

DOT accused of convoluted planning

Opponents to the Southern Loop again urged the N.C. Department of Transportation to halt planning for the new highway last week during a meeting of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer As Macon County officials move forward with plans to build two new schools, community schools in Cowee, Iotla and Cullasaja could close their doors forever.
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Sometimes, amid the focus on such divisive issues as growth regulations or steep slope construction, it’s easy to forget that on the most basic level most people in the region share a similar feeling…
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 00:00

WCU enjoys a surge in popularity

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer When Callie LaDue started shopping for a college, there was only one school that she had her eyes on — Western Carolina University. “I liked it because it was a small campus but it…
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 00:00

Swain's drug problem worries officials

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The beautiful mountain scenery that covers Swain County hides an ugly truth — the area is combating a major drug problem, and officials aren’t quite sure how to stop it.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Crisis brewing at HRMC

Doctors, patients, nurses, ambulance drivers — even hospital board members — were unaware of a crisis brewing at Haywood Regional Medical Center that jeopardized its Medicare and Medicaid status and, as a result, the future of the hospital.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Rice resigns, cites need to move forward

David Rice, CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center for 15 years, resigned Monday in the wake of a financial crisis resulting from the hospital’s loss of its Medicare and Medicaid status. “I think the fallout is so negative, I think…
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Board surprised by HRMC situation

The resignation on Feb. 25 of Haywood Regional Medical Center CEO David Rice was preceded by a tense, hour-long public meeting where hospital trustees expressed surprise and irritation toward Rice’s lack of candor about ongoing, serious problems uncovered by inspectors.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Westcare prepares for patient load

WestCare’s Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva will be filling a major void in the region’s health care in the wake of to the Medicare and Medicaid crisis at Haywood Regional Medical Center.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Timeline of a crisis

June 9, 2006 Haywood Regional Medical Center receives a visit from the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Medicaid and Medicare Services, the state agency responsible for overseeing hospital compliance with standard of care requirements. Inspectors cite the…
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Many say Medicare action too heavy-handed

Doctors and officials at Haywood Regional Medical Center are accusing state inspectors of being heavy-handed, draconian, unprecedented, dangerous and unfair by pulling the hospital’s Medicare and Medicaid status.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Issues flare up at Jackson Green Energy Park

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Jackson County officials say its high-profile tenant at the Green Energy Park is in violation of its lease, and now the county is requiring the biodiesel producer to comply or move elsewhere.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:00

Fallout from funding crisis still unfolding

The future of Haywood Regional Medical Center could be in jeopardy following the termination of the hospital’s Medicare and Medicaid status due to violations uncovered by health care inspectors.
Wednesday, 05 March 2008 00:00

Bryson City adopts first land use plan

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Bryson City Alderman have adopted the town’s first land development plan.
Wednesday, 05 March 2008 00:00

Outpouring of support for HRMC

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Donning purple ribbons of support, members of the community came together Monday in a show of encouragement for the embattled Haywood Regional Medical Center, which is facing a financial crisis after losing its Medicare…
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Musicians will soon be able add another venue to their tour list next year.
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Next year Eastern Band of Cherokee tribal members will be able to watch the latest blockbuster flicks on the big screen, get their weekly groceries at Wal-Mart and enjoy a friendly game of golf…
Wednesday, 05 March 2008 00:00

Situation changes daily at medical facility

Anyone following the saga of Haywood Regional Medical Center has to feel like their head is spinning. So much has happened so fast that keeping it all straight is likely proving difficult, even for those with the most nimble minds.
By Julia Merchant With its CEO gone and a new consulting group on board, Haywood Regional Medical Center is working around the clock to regain its Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Wednesday, 05 March 2008 00:00

DOT takes input on N.C. 107 project

Jackson County residents weighed in on proposed road improvements for N.C. 107 at a citizens informational workshop Feb. 25 at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center.
Wednesday, 05 March 2008 00:00

Nurses at HRMC caught in downward spiral

Over-worked and underpaid. It’s a complaint most in America could wage against their boss. But at Haywood Regional Medical Center, it was just the tip of workplace complaints.
Wednesday, 05 March 2008 00:00

Marchers protest Canton mill’s discharges

“Keep it clean! We’re downstream!” was the rallying cry for protesters at a demonstration held Saturday (March 1) demanding that Evergreen Packaging clean up the Pigeon River.
Wednesday, 05 March 2008 00:00

Haywood doctors open for business

The first stop for sick people in Haywood County should still be their local doctor.
Wednesday, 18 July 2012 19:06

Second election primary results

Mark Meadows won the second primary on July 17 by a sweeping majority. The conservative Republican candidate for U.S. Congress garnered 76.3 percent of the vote Tuesday.
Wednesday, 18 July 2012 13:05

Where’s Waldo craze infiltrates Sylva

By Peggy Manning • Correspondent Waldo fans take heed. The gauntlet has been thrown down. Are you up to the challenge? Tiny Where’s Waldo figures have been cleverly hidden on the shelves and racks of stores throughout downtown Sylva, and…
More than 40 historic photographs of Canton will be on display at Canton library from July 9 through Aug. 31, and reception of the exhibit will be held at the library from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9.…
A clothes swap to benefit children of Haywood County will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 21 at Keller Williams Realty’s Waynesville office. The event, which is sponsored by the real estate company, will allow parents and…
A Tuscola football player charged with a felony cross burning targeting a biracial classmate will remain on the team, at least for now. Ben Greene, a rising junior and running back on the varsity football team, will have to sit…
Four teenagers in Haywood County were recently charged with burning a cross in the yard of a biracial classmate. The act is considered a hate crime, a severe form of intimidation that is classified as a felony. All four students…
The popular Folkmoot international festival will become a shadow of its current self in 2014 if its financial outlook doesn’t take a quick turn for the better.