Parents shocked over Central Elementary closing
 

Parents shocked over Central Elementary closing

Parents of Central Elementary School students were shocked Tuesday morning when they heard the Haywood County School Board was considering closing down the longstanding Waynesville institution.
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Closing Central Elementary emotional for school officials
 

Closing Central Elementary emotional for school officials

Haywood County School Board members were grave and sober Monday night as they confronted the ominous prospect of closing down one of the county’s nine public elementary schools.
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Cuts widespread as Haywood faces $2.4 million shortfall
 

Cuts widespread as Haywood faces $2.4 million shortfall

A proposal to close Central Elementary School in Waynesville is only one piece of a sweeping and wide-reaching plan to close a $2.4 million budget shortfall being faced by Haywood County Schools next year, including the elimination of more than…
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Waynesville town manager fired in narrow vote of board Tuesday; Supporters question motives of those who ousted her
 

Waynesville town manager fired in narrow vote of board Tuesday; Supporters question motives of those who ousted her

Waynesville Town Manager Marcy Onieal was fired Tuesday night in a 3-2 split vote by the town board following a…
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Friday last day to apply for Maggie board
 

Friday last day to apply for Maggie board

Maggie Valley is still accepting applications from potential candidates to fill a two-year unexpired term on the board of aldermen.
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Man’s body found near Dry Falls
 

Man’s body found near Dry Falls

Rescue crews recovered the body of Sean Kasey around 1:30 p.m. Sunday from the Cullasaja River after conducting a search…
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Macon flood damage exceeds $1 million
 

Macon flood damage exceeds $1 million

Heavy rains and high waters in December have resulted in more than $1 million in flood damage in Macon County.
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Bill introduced for Swain to receive school funding
 

Bill introduced for Swain to receive school funding

Since 1940, the Federal Government has provided Impact Aid Funding to assist school districts that have lost a portion of…
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Animal shelter advocates make their case
 

Animal shelter advocates make their case

Jackson County’s animal lovers had a message for county commissioners last week, and it couldn’t have been clearer: We need…
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Council discusses the court system’s place in government
 

Council discusses the court system’s place in government

Last week wasn’t the first time since the new tribal leadership took office that the issue of separation of powers…
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Tribal council votes to create legislative office separate from executive oversight
 

Tribal council votes to create legislative office separate from executive oversight

When the Cherokee Tribal Council voted to create the Office of Legislative Support last week, it was doing more than…
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Motion to dismiss filed in lawsuit contesting Cherokee council raises
 

Motion to dismiss filed in lawsuit contesting Cherokee council raises

Defendants in a lawsuit stemming from raises and backpay the Cherokee Tribal Council voted itself in October 2014 are hoping…
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Jackson County manager announces retirement
 

Jackson County manager announces retirement

For Jackson County Manager Chuck Wooten, the time has come to shift his professional focus from managing a county to…
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Cashiers cell tower approved
 

Cashiers cell tower approved

A proposal to build a new cell tower outside Cashiers got the OK from Jackson County Commissioners last week, a…
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Howell Mill Road projects nears completion | Gallery
 

Howell Mill Road projects nears completion | Gallery

Barring any unexpected circumstances, Howell Mill Road should be open to vehicle traffic in a couple of weeks. The $11.7…
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Wilderness for all, all ways, always
 

Wilderness for all, all ways, always

To the Editor: Two happenings in the past 12 months led me to some end-of-the-year musings. The happenings were related,…
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And the 2015 award winners are ...
 

And the 2015 award winners are ...

The idea to start handing out annual spoof awards instead of the traditional year-in-review that most newspapers do was the…
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A man addicted to reading and writing
 

A man addicted to reading and writing

My name is Joe Ecclesia. On a recent December Saturday, when I interviewed Jeff Minick about his new novel, Dust…
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Folkmoot reflects on 2015, celebrates the New Year
 

Folkmoot reflects on 2015, celebrates the New Year

Dear Friends: It’s New Years Eve and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all that you contribute…
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Waka Flocka Flame to play WCU
 

Waka Flocka Flame to play WCU

Acclaimed rapper Waka Flocka Flame will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, in the Ramsey Regional Activity…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Throwing my father’s old Dodge Dakota into park, I stepped out of the truck and felt the crunch of snow…
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Keep On Getting Lost — Scott Low
 

Keep On Getting Lost — Scott Low

It is quite the conundrum, ain’t it? In an era where mainstream radio hits are shellacked in “sugar and spice…
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New Mountains-to-Sea guide available
 

New Mountains-to-Sea guide available

A new trail guide covering the Balsams section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is out, meaning that the trail’s route through…
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Program to prepare preschoolers for sports leagues
 

Program to prepare preschoolers for sports leagues

A sports development league aiming to teach preschoolers the skills they’ll need to succeed in the world of athletics is…
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Emissions from new vehicles decreasing, report says
 

Emissions from new vehicles decreasing, report says

Vehicles are getting greener, according to a pair of reports recently released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  In model…
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Plateau land trust conserves record number of acres
 

Plateau land trust conserves record number of acres

With more than 400 acres of land conserved through purchase and conservation easements in 2015, the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust is…
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CBC double-dipping
 

CBC double-dipping

They say great minds think alike, and who am I to argue with “They?” The Franklin Bird Club and Carolina…
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Charting the future: Wildlife Commission proposes hunting season on elk
 

Charting the future: Wildlife Commission proposes hunting season on elk

Fifteen years ago, a herd of 52 elk set foot in their new home — the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Cattle-loading facility, intended for Jackson County, could come to Swain
 

Cattle-loading facility, intended for Jackson County, could come to Swain

Rob Hawk’s been trying since spring to find a landing place for the grant he’d helped get for a cattle…
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Franklin approves plans for new subdivision
 

Franklin approves plans for new subdivision

Plans for a brand new residential subdivision in Franklin will move forward after the town board of aldermen approved a…
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Franklin cops to begin using body cameras
 

Franklin cops to begin using body cameras

As allegations of police brutality continue to dominate the news all across the country, many law enforcement agencies have turned…
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Three candidates run for U.S. Representative
 

Three candidates run for U.S. Representative

Incumbent Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, will face a challenger in next year’s election to represent the 11th District of North Carolina…
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Female suspect sought in stabbing incident
 

Female suspect sought in stabbing incident

Two Haywood County men have been apprehended while one woman is still at large in connection with the stabbing of…
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Emergency animal clinic to open this spring in Waynesville
 

Emergency animal clinic to open this spring in Waynesville

Pet owners in the western counties will soon have a shorter drive to tackle when their furry charges are in…
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Election snapshot: A primer on who’s running for state seats
 

Election snapshot: A primer on who’s running for state seats

Voters in Western North Carolina have barely taken down the Christmas tree but will soon find themself in the throes…
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Jackson schools consider artificial turf field
 

Jackson schools consider artificial turf field

School officials in Jackson County will be crossing their fingers over the next few weeks, hoping to get a low…
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Macon County Health takes over animal services
 

Macon County Health takes over animal services

As of Nov. 1, 2015, Macon County Public Health took on the additional responsibility of overseeing animal services in Macon…
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Swain animal control ordinance takes shape
 

Swain animal control ordinance takes shape

After conducting research and gathering public input for several months, an ad hoc committee finally has a working draft for…
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Neighbors worry about impact of indoor firing range
 

Neighbors worry about impact of indoor firing range

Members of a tranquil farming community with deep roots in Haywood County fear their way of life will be ruined…
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Haywood commissioners take a pass on shooting range controversy
 

Haywood commissioners take a pass on shooting range controversy

Haywood County commissioners aren’t likely to intervene in the controversy over a proposed indoor firing range and gun store coming…
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Turning Haywood’s shuttered hospital into apartments hinges on tax credits
 

Turning Haywood’s shuttered hospital into apartments hinges on tax credits

The plan to convert the old hospital in Haywood County into low-income apartments isn’t a done deal. It’s contingent on…
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Abandoned hospital to find new purpose
 

Abandoned hospital to find new purpose

A new plan is the works to convert the abandoned old hospital in Haywood County into an affordable housing apartment…
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Weather doesn’t trip up traditions
 

Weather doesn’t trip up traditions

When we wake up on Christmas Eve, it is nearly 70 degrees and raining so hard that when our miniature…
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Haywood just not prepared for growth
 

Haywood just not prepared for growth

If there was ever a time in recent memory when Haywood County leaders and its citizens need reminding that they…
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People of Franklin in good hands
 

People of Franklin in good hands

To the Editor: Kudos to Bob Scott, mayor of Franklin, for his decision to take his oath of office on…
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Plants and animals who choose to hunker down
 

Plants and animals who choose to hunker down

The evergreen plants and birds that overwinter here in the Southern Appalachians have made fundamental “choices” in how their lives…
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Funds for open spaces cut by half
 

Funds for open spaces cut by half

A federal fund that supports parks and open spaces across the nation has been spared, but was reduced to half…
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N.C. national forests get new supervisor
 

N.C. national forests get new supervisor

North Carolina has a new U.S. Forest Service forest supervisor in Allen Nicholas, who currently works as forest supervisor for…
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Smokies plates raise $800K in 2015
 

Smokies plates raise $800K in 2015

Sales of license plates supporting the Friends of the Smokies were strong in 2015, with sales in North Carolina and…
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Appalachian Trail use breaks records in 2015
 

Appalachian Trail use breaks records in 2015

The number of Appalachian Trail hikers passing through the trail’s “psychological midpoint” in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, hit an all-time…
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