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Elected leaders to push again for room tax hike in Haywood
Haywood’s elected leaders plan to invite their three General Assembly representatives to a March meeting in hopes of reviving a…
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Neediest waiting more than three months for benefits: N.C. food stamp delays ‘alarm’ feds
Time has nearly run out for the beleaguered N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to fix the systemic problems…
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Maggie leaders debate how much to underwrite festival grounds event
Maggie Valley town leaders are questioning the amount of money the town plows into its festival grounds each year and…
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County mulls best way to dispose of old DSS building
Haywood County leaders have substantially lowered the asking price for the empty, run-down, old hospital — it’s now free.
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Attorney with strong GOP ties to seek judge’s seat
A fifth attorney has added his name to the list of possible nominees for an open District Court judge position…
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Computing for the future
Waynesville residents will soon be reaping the benefits of an information technology makeover at town hall. While town employees will…
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Waynesville lands free property for new in-town greenway section
Waynesville will soon have a new section of walking path along Richland Creek and, if all goes as planned, public…
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The Kudzu Cocktail, Cat Catch and other bright ideas from WCU students
Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent For as long as he can remember, Austin Brown’s fascination with plants has remained rooted in…
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SBI probes embezzlement allegations at Macon County Board of Elections
By Holly Kays & Becky Johnson • Staff writers An embezzlement investigation at the Macon County Board of Elections locked down…
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Private schools, public money, heated discourse: School stakeholders debate new N.C. voucher program
It’s been six months since the N.C. General Assembly passed a budget earmarking $10 million for school vouchers to low-income…
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Sylva restaurant highlighted for creative use of meat
A Sylva farm-to-table restaurant is featured in the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s (ASAP) Get Local initiative for its additional sourcing…
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WNC Nature Center reaches record attendance in 2013
A whole lot of people visited the WNC Nature Center last year. The Friends of the WNC Nature Center report…
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Keeping track in the Smokies
Tracking elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park just got a little easier, thanks to a grant from Charter Communications.…
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Good times at Tube World
Tube World in Maggie Valley treated 170 students from Clyde Elementary to a fieldtrip last week as part of a…
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New public river access launched along Tuckasegee
Three new public access sites and boat put-ins have been developed along the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County:
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New fees tacked on to all-electric cars
This year all-electric vehicles registered in North Carolina — about 1,600 of them — are required to pay a $100…
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Grant helps buy feed for abused horses
STAR Ranch Rescue, a refuge for abused and neglected horses and other animals in Haywood County, has received a $750…
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Discovery Place
Looking for something fun for the kids on a cold and/or rainy winter’s day. The Discovery Place in Charlotte has…
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Energy on the horizon: Debate on drilling still hypothetical, but groundwork is being laid
From the oil fields of North Dakota to the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania, the U.S. oil and gas industry is…
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Slave narratives an insightful collection
This remarkable collection of interviews with African-Americans in North Carolina who were once slaves is a fascinating discovery. Conducted by the…
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NC Arts Council grants open call
The deadline for submitting applications for grants from the North Carolina Arts Council is Monday, March 3. The grant programs…
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Haywood County’s ‘Homegrown Picks’ for 2014
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has announced its “Homegrown Picks” for 2014. Buy Haywood, is the only county-specific agritourism…
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Jackson County Arts Council awards grants
Six Western North Carolina artists have received funding from the Jackson County Arts Council to support their artistic endeavors. Regional…
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Cullowhee fire victims fundraiser at WCU
Donations for people affected by a November fire in Cullowhee will be collected at Western Carolina University’s men’s basketball game…
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This must be the place
If Keith Richards had been born below the Mason-Dixon Line, his name might have been Mike Cooley.
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Native art: Bill Eleazer bronze comes home to Waynesville 30 years later
Nearly 30 years after Bill Eleazer put the finishing touches on “Chasing Tadpoles,” a multi-piece bronze sculpture of three children…
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GOP leaders should provide emails
To the Editor: Everybody wants transparency in government — everybody except our Republican legislators in Raleigh. Last year, they passed…
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Keystone Pipeline could help economy
To the Editor: Are you concerned if you are in your 50s or late 40s that the Social Security fund…
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On the way to an imperial presidency
To the Editor: This is what President Barack Obama said this week: “Where I can act on my own without…
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Weaker slope law could lead to lawsuits
To the Editor: After reading the Jan. 15 edition and seeing continued plans to weaken the present Steep Slope Ordinance…
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Awards deserve a little more comment
To the Editor: I always look forward to the “Awards” issue of The Smoky Mountain News. May I make three short…
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Education is alternative to killing more bears
To the Editor: The changes in the five-year black bear management plan currently being proposed by the North Carolina Wildlife…
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Plan for teacher raises a bone of contention
The ramifications of one particularly disturbing directive passed in the last session of the General Assembly is unfolding right now…
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Grant to bring advanced manufacturing training to Swain
The Golden LEAF Foundation and Duke Energy recently funded a trio of advanced manufacturing training grants, totaling $1.3 million, to…
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HRMC labor and delivery unit to be remodeled
The Haywood Regional Medical Foundation has donated $400,000 to MedWest Haywood for a remodel of the fourth floor, which includes…
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Changing of the guard in store for Haywood tourism board
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will see unprecedented turnover on its board this month, with five of the 12…
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Stepping down: Aumen’s departure marks end of an era for Haywood TDA
Editor’s note: Alice Aumen has been a major voice in Haywood’s tourism landscape for more than half a century —…
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Jackson TDA hires trio of marketing firms for trial period
After a split vote that followed nearly an hour of discussion, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority hired three different…
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Hunters upset about ‘Something Bruin’ tactics
Hunters from all over the mountains came together last weekend to speak out against the tactics used by undercover wildlife…
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In Waynesville, meter readers going the way of milkmen
Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Some homeowners in Waynesville might have started wondering why a certain visitor who had routinely appeared…
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McCrory to appoint Holt’s successor, but could ignore bar’s counsel
Attorneys in the seven western counties will to be called on in the coming weeks to weigh in on their…
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Local churches lift the lives of homeless, incarcerated
On Sept. 12, Jeff Clontz walked out of Haywood County Jail a free man. It wasn’t his first time, though.…
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Reforming lives on a wing and a prayer
A proposal to convert a closed-down state prison into a halfway house and homeless shelter in Haywood County is gaining…
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And, goal: WNC soccer players train with Olympics in mind
Jacob Flannick & Holly Kays • Correspondent/Staff writer When Scott Cline graduated from Swain High School in the mid-1990s, the community…
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Forum aims to create new vision for Canton
When Heidi Dunkelberg first entered the town of Canton, she couldn’t imagine ever living there.
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Rules rule and rulers rue it
I mentioned the fact a couple of weeks ago that N.C. House Bill 74— the Regulatory Reform Act of 2013…
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Cold temps freeze Highland’s lake
Lindenwood Lake, a four to five-acre stretch of water in Highlands, froze over last week during the area’s record-cold temperatures.…
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Slide closes Tsali Trail loop
The left loop of the Tsali Trail system popular among mountain bikers is closed due to a slide along the…
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News from the farmers market
New farmers market planned for Macon The Macon County Heritage Center at the old Cowee School is launching a new…
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Race to support the Community Table
Registration is now open for the Assault on Black Rock, a seven-mile trail race in Jackson County that takes runners…
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