Haywood wants to hike tourist tax to fund ballparks
Haywood County tourism leaders want to increase the tax on overnight lodging to fund special tourism-related capital projects, including a Jonathan Creek sports complex — a proposal that seems to have traction with county commissioners as well.
Roughest, Toughest Brawl takes the ring in Haywood
Amateur boxers will square off at the Haywood County Fairgrounds to vie in the Roughest and Toughest Brawl this weekend, pitting off-the-street fighters against each other for a chance to win $600 in each of the three weight classes. There is also a women’s category.
Haywood Democrats won’t consider Republican for sheriff replacement
One of three candidates vying to be Haywood County’s next sheriff was eliminated from the competition in a preliminary round last week.
Haywood Public Transit on the move
Haywood Public Transit will hold a ribbon cutting for a new transit shelter at 1 p.m. Feb. 12, in Clyde.
Haywood Public Transit offers free rides to anyone in the county, and the central location of the new transit facility will benefits users of Haywood Public Transit. The transportation operation will now be more efficient and more convenient, especially for people visiting the hospital or one of the number of doctors’ offices nearby, said Susan Anderson, director of Mountain Projects.
The transit facility also offers a lobby where passengers can wait while being transferred to a vehicle or between routes.
Connections are available to Buncombe County’s Trailblazer Route, which runs from the Haywood County line along the Enka-Candler business area and ends at the Goodwill Store on Patten Avenue. Connections can then be made from that point to other transit routes under Asheville Transit.
Haywood Public Transit runs from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Reservations are required and should be made a business day before an appointment or trip.
828.565.0362.
The biggest little show in Haywood
Editor’s Note: Given the national debate over gun legislation and controversy swirling around gun shows in particular, The Smoky Mountain News was curious to see just what goes on at a gun show. Join our reporter on a stroll through the exhibit hall of a gun show at the Haywood County Fairgrounds last weekend and meet some of the hobbyists that wheel and deal in collector’s firearms.
Time to fish or cut bait in Canton swimming pool dilemma
The decrepit state of Canton’s aging outdoor swimming pool has left town leaders with two options — bulldoze it and build a new one or simply close it.
Descendents rekindle Civil War tale of sheriff shot 150 years ago
The death of Haywood County Sheriff John Phillip Noland — a murder story set against the backdrop of the American Civil War — sounds as if it belongs in the pages of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain.
Audit finds vacation rentals dodging the lodging tax
A company hired by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has found a dozen businesses that have been evading a 4 percent lodging tax.
Haywood TDA introduces site tailored to lodging owners
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has launched a new website with information specifically for lodging owners.
Contenders line up to be next Haywood Sheriff
Three men, all with impressive law enforcement backgrounds, are vying to be Haywood County’s next sheriff.
The current Sheriff, Bobby Suttles, is retiring next month, but with two years to go until the next sheriff election, a replacement must be named in the meantime. Since Suttles is a Democrat, leaders in the Haywood County Democratic Party will pick his successor.