Swain’s public pool needs expensive repairs to stay open
 

Swain’s public pool needs expensive repairs to stay open

While it may not be an immediate need in the upcoming budget, the swimming pool at the Swain County Recreation…
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Cherokee council considers revoking part of former vice chief’s will
 

Cherokee council considers revoking part of former vice chief’s will

The widow of a former Vice Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians may be out of a home…
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$30,000 to expanding businesses provided in Macon
 

$30,000 to expanding businesses provided in Macon

Macon County commissioners have agreed to provide $30,000 toward an economic development project that promises to create 35 new jobs…
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Macon works toward middle ground on school funding
 

Macon works toward middle ground on school funding

Macon County Schools Superintendent Chris Baldwin came before the county commissioners last week to plead his case for additional funding…
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Planning under way for new science building at WCU
 

Planning under way for new science building at WCU

With the N.C. Connect bond passed, Western Carolina University is moving forward with plans to bring a $110 million natural…
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Patience on Canton paving project ‘a virtue’
 

Patience on Canton paving project ‘a virtue’

For the past few months, downtown Canton’s long-awaited repaving and streetscaping projects seemed to be cruising right along in the…
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Quixotic opposition to gun ordinance fails, sort of?
 

Quixotic opposition to gun ordinance fails, sort of?

For 21 years, firearms have not been permitted on any county-owned property, except for law enforcement officers on duty. Almost…
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Shelter proposal moves forward
 

Shelter proposal moves forward

If you’re for the proposed new Haywood County Animal Services facility, it’s called an “animal shelter,” deadpanned Haywood County Commissioner…
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Harris Regional asks county to slash the hospital’s tax value
 

Harris Regional asks county to slash the hospital’s tax value

When Jackson County sent out bucketloads of mail this spring announcing new values for every property in its borders, Harris…
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Stakes high in tax dispute with Haywood hospital
 

Stakes high in tax dispute with Haywood hospital

A dispute over how much Haywood Regional Medical Center owes in county property taxes is headed for a showdown this…
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Will the row over hospitals’ property taxes go the distance?
 

Will the row over hospitals’ property taxes go the distance?

Haywood and Jackson counties could have a long road ahead in their property tax disputes with Duke LifePoint, which owns…
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GALLERY: Ghost Town property going on the market
 

GALLERY: Ghost Town property going on the market

After attempting to revamp the mountaintop amusement park for several years, Alaska Presley has decided to sell Ghost Town in…
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The legend of the Boojum
 

The legend of the Boojum

Celebrating the lore and legend of the “Boojum,” the inaugural Boojum Festival & Hunt will be June 10-12 in Canton.
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Sylva art gallery opening
 

Sylva art gallery opening

The Jackson County Visual Arts Association (JCVAA) will hold its “Grand Opening” gallery show from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday,…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Yeah, it’s true. I had originally planned to be a teacher. When I was thinking about what I wanted to…
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Brotherhood through bluegrass: Balsam Range singer and Nashville songwriter release solo work
 

Brotherhood through bluegrass: Balsam Range singer and Nashville songwriter release solo work

Within the realm of melodic creativity, one word emerges — collaboration. It’s the act of bringing resources together, whether it…
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Sheriffs misrepresented
 

Sheriffs misrepresented

To the Editor: If you value honesty as an important trait for a Supreme Court justice, it should interest you…
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Vote ‘Yes’ for education sales tax
 

Vote ‘Yes’ for education sales tax

By David Belcher • Guest Columnist Voters in Jackson County will have the opportunity on Tuesday, June 7, to take…
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Nothing brings back memories like that first car
 

Nothing brings back memories like that first car

My daughter is turning 15 this weekend. Every 15 minutes, she reminds me that she will be driving a car…
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Still free to mix it up in the marketplace of ideas
 

Still free to mix it up in the marketplace of ideas

Over this past Memorial Day weekend I found myself reading essays and columns about freedom, about military men and women…
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Glad to be alive: Bear bite victim tells his story
 

Glad to be alive: Bear bite victim tells his story

The sun had not quite set when Bradley Veeder fell asleep in his tent May 10, feeling “tired but happy”…
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Get outside on National Trails Day
 

Get outside on National Trails Day

Every year, America’s hiking trails get their moment to shine with the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day. This year’s…
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Halls Cabin built right on state line
 

Halls Cabin built right on state line

Certain place names in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have become iconic: Gregory Bald, Thunderhead, Chimney Tops, Jump-off, Mt.…
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The March is filled with unique characters
 

The March is filled with unique characters

Several months ago, I was invited to join the Senior Citizen Book Club at the Jackson County Senior Citizen Center.…
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Celebration to recognize career of WCU’s Frizzell
 

Celebration to recognize career of WCU’s Frizzell

The Jackson County Genealogical Society, City Lights Bookstore, the Jackson County Museum, and the Jackson County Public Library plan to…
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Cherokee Bluegrass Festival
 

Cherokee Bluegrass Festival

The Cherokee Bluegrass Festival will run from June 2-4 at the Happy Holiday RV Village & Campground, located at 1553…
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Stecoah announces ‘Youth Talent’ winners
 

Stecoah announces ‘Youth Talent’ winners

The third annual “Mountain Youth Talent Contest” was held at the Stecoah Valley Bluegrass Festival in Robbinsville on Saturday, May…
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Drawing the lines to your passion
 

Drawing the lines to your passion

For Teresa Pennington, it’s a race against time.  “You have one hour to complete this drawing, where I’m usually taking…
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Moral Monday coming to Sylva
 

Moral Monday coming to Sylva

A coalition of organizations led by the Jackson County Branch of the NAACP are coordinating a Moral Monday gathering to…
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Waynesville split over proposed food truck rules
 

Waynesville split over proposed food truck rules

An ongoing debate over food trucks and pushcart vendors in Waynesville made its way to the town board last week,…
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Town manager hiring pool narrows
 

Town manager hiring pool narrows

The Waynesville town board met Tuesday for a third stab at narrowing down their pool of applicants for the town…
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Waynesville mulls adding eight firefighters
 

Waynesville mulls adding eight firefighters

Waynesville town leaders will decide this month whether to raise property taxes to hire additional firefighters, and if so, by…
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Group forms to support Pisgah District
 

Group forms to support Pisgah District

When John Cottingham, then working as — in his words — a “stuffy, corporate lawyer,” walked into the Pisgah District…
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Maggie to hold tax rate steady for 2016-17
 

Maggie to hold tax rate steady for 2016-17

Maggie Valley residents and businesses won’t have to worry about paying a higher property tax rate for the next year,…
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New Haywood Visitor Center opens in Maggie Valley
 

New Haywood Visitor Center opens in Maggie Valley

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will celebrate the grand opening of its new visitor center with a ribbon cutting…
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Jackson tourism signs new marketing contract
 

Jackson tourism signs new marketing contract

Tourism folks in Jackson County are feeling hopeful after hiring a new marketing firm to spread the word about the…
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Edwards: Canton paving delay ‘ridiculous’
 

Edwards: Canton paving delay ‘ridiculous’

Canton Town Board Member and Mayor Pro-Tem Carole Edwards had a hard time concealing her dismay at news that Canton’s…
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Canton budget – a tangled web?
 

Canton budget – a tangled web?

When Alderman Zeb Smathers opened the Canton Board of Aldermen meeting on May 26 with an invocation decrying the “venom…
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Officers add drug overdose antidote to their tool belt
 

Officers add drug overdose antidote to their tool belt

Law enforcement officers in Haywood County are pulling double duty in the war on drugs: they’re saving lives as well…
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Moving mountains: A rare bright spot in the relentless fight against prescription pill abuse
 

Moving mountains: A rare bright spot in the relentless fight against prescription pill abuse

A life-saving antidote to reverse drug overdoses is finding widespread acceptance amid the prescription pain pill epidemic.
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Shining Rock focuses on year two improvements
 

Shining Rock focuses on year two improvements

While Shining Rock Classical Academy students are already out of class enjoying their summer vacation, school leaders are busy assessing…
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Broadband master plan in the works for Haywood
 

Broadband master plan in the works for Haywood

Finding a solution to the lack of high-speed internet in rural Western North Carolina has been on the minds of…
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Skyrunner helps rural neighborhoods get connected
 

Skyrunner helps rural neighborhoods get connected

It’s hard to believe there are still developed neighborhoods in Haywood County that can’t get internet access or even landline…
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Skyrunner offers wireless solutions for rural communities
 

Skyrunner offers wireless solutions for rural communities

Melanie Williams was fed up. She could no longer run her web design business from her Crabtree home with the…
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Early Voting Ends Saturday
 

Early Voting Ends Saturday

Voters hoping to cast their ballots in advance of the Tuesday, June 7, Primary Election have just a few more…
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Forest plan timeline lengthens
 

Forest plan timeline lengthens

The timeline for a draft forest management plan has been kicked back once more, with the document now expected sometime…
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Park proposes fee hike for campgrounds
 

Park proposes fee hike for campgrounds

Camping fees could increase in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park if a recently released proposal gains approval.
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The phoenix rises: Haywood County’s real estate market gets back in the game
 

The phoenix rises: Haywood County’s real estate market gets back in the game

After years of a sluggish real estate recovery, the home market in Haywood County is on a noticeable upward swing.…
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The bugle never stops
 

The bugle never stops

One day recently as I was walking through the parking lot at Waynesville Middle School, a car slowly pulled up…
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