So long, McDonald’s sign
Anyone approaching Waynesville from Russ Avenue has likely appreciated the distant view of downtown, its quaint brick skyline marked by…
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Daycare closing leaves 70 families in the lurch
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Approximately 70 families are in limbo as Jean’s Kids Palace, a daycare in Whittier,…
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Chambers move closer to merger
Board members on the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce and the Maggie Valley Area Visitors Bureau voted unanimously to pursue…
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Macon challenges building moratorium in Highlands ETJ
Macon County officials have contested the legality of a moratorium Highlands enacted on commercial building within the town’s extra-territorial jurisdictions…
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Incubator board members admit to lax involvement
For nearly 20 years, Jerry Plemmons’ hour-long drive from Hot Springs to Waynesville every couple of months for a Smoky…
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Highlands mayor takes on contentious planning issues
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer In his first month as the newly elected mayor of Highlands, Don Mullen has…
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How can parents encourage their children to read?
• Read with your child everyday. Make it part of the daily routine.
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Getting kids to read
By Michael Beadle Remember when Mom or Dad read you your favorite bedtime story? Maybe it was a book like…
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At storytime, it’s llamas and pajamas
It’s 11 a.m. on Friday at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville, and that means Story Time, a regular…
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Fairview takes personal approach
By Sarah Kucharski Students at Fairview Elementary School in Sylva have a unique opportunity to experience the benefits of reading…
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Casino alcohol proposal galvanizes conservative Cherokees
A debate over whether to sell alcohol at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino has pitted conservative tribal members against the economic interests…
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Incubator failed to help entrepreneurs
A small business incubator in Waynesville has failed in it mission to nurture entrepreneurs and start-up companies, and instead has…
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Incubator snapshots
A snapshot of other incubators across the state offer models of how the incubator in Waynesville could be revamped.
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Incubator episode may have long-term consequences
A business incubator building in Waynesville has become the epicenter for a political firestorm among Haywood County officials looking to…
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Horton resigns-fired after taking heat for incubator vote
Haywood County Manager Jack Horton resigned today following a ?-hour closed door meeting with the Haywood County Commissioners on Tuesday…
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Drive safely, arrive alive
By Michael Beadle Even with the holidays over, traffic safety is still a major priority for public safety agencies and…
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Atlanta Ballet’s 14-year run in Haywood County is over
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Following a re-evaluation of Haywood County Arts Council programming, two of the organization’s mainstays…
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They said it — 2005
Residents of Western North Carolina confronted many important issues in 2005, whether it was another chapter unfolding in an ongoing…
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McGill’s reputation makes it tough on the little guys
McGill Associates, a large engineering firm in Asheville, gets the lion’s share of government water and sewer contracts in the…
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MAIN seeks support for wireless network in downtown Waynesville
An effort to install wireless Internet service throughout Downtown Waynesville is making a year-end push for donations.
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Damaged greenway section re-opens
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Repairs along a section of trail on the Little Tennessee Greenway in Macon County…
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New Cherokee Chamber to give voice to business community
Cherokee business owners are forming a chamber of commerce that will give the business community a voice in shaping the…
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Cashiers plant cuts 80 jobs; some go to Bryson, Canton
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Approximately 80 workers will be laid off from Cashier’s Consolidated Metco plastics plant beginning…
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Waynesville’s Performing Arts Center suffers damage after pipe breakage
By Michael Beadle The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will probably have to rebuild its box office and concession stand after…
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Westmoreland says county’s cost for library not yet known
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A recent statement that Cashiers area residents will be footing the majority of the…
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Waynesville downtown now on Historic Register
The Waynesville Main Street Historic District has been accepted to be on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Some question attempt to help only one business
Some Dillsboro merchants have questioned why town leaders based their entire application for flood revitalization money from the state on…
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Macon Friends get $200,000 Janirve grant
The Friends of the Macon County Library have received a $200,000 pledge of support from The Janirve Foundation of Asheville.
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Junkyard’s friends replace trees
A small contingent of friends and neighbors showed up on the doorstep of Denver Blaylock’s junkyard in Cruso Saturday (Dec.…
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Jackson five earn Governor’s Award
Five Jackson County women were given the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service during a recent awards luncheon in Sylva.…
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Economic impact of methane project uncertain
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Translating the economic impact of Jackson County’s landfill gas recovery project into dollars and…
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Dillsboro misses out on lion’s share of flood relief
It appears Dillsboro is getting the short end of the stick in state grant money intended to revitalize business districts…
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Recommended diversions
Cataloochee Our local ski mountain is just plain fun. My family enjoys nothing better than to make the trek through…
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Macon waiting on Peeks Creek decision
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Streambank restoration along Peeks Creek in Macon County, where a massive landslide killed six…
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Bill McLarney: Peeks Creek trout population wiped out
Local biologist and aquatic scientist Bill McLarney agreed with the Wildlife Commission’s revised recommendations to allow stream work, but for…
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Long time coming
Denver Blaylock has been prodded by enforcers for seven years to meet Haywood County’s junkyard ordinance. The sprawling complex houses…
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$6.9 million gift to WCU largest in its history
As industry experts warn of a worsening international shortage of construction professionals, Western Carolina University and one of the nation’s…
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Jackson considers grant requests
Jackson County commissioners are weighing the merits of several municipal grant applications that will allocate a total of up to…
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Charters want cut of lottery money
Advocates of charter schools have launched a statewide campaign to correct what they claim is an inequality in the way…
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Blaylock tries to salvage business after Haywood court cracks down on junkyard ordinance
When Ricky Stokely pulled out of Denver Blaylock’s junkyard in Cruso last Friday afternoon towing a junk green Saturn, he…
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Study says water, sewer needs rising
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The state’s water, wastewater and stormwater systems are faced with $6.8 billion in capital…
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School’s stormwater system will be state-of-the-art
A new elementary school under construction in Haywood County will serve as an environmental model for developers in the region.
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Land too valuable to conserve, residents say
Nearly two years after Bryson City town leaders agreed to conserve 900 acres once used as the town’s drinking water…
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Trial forces widower to relive mountainside tragedy
Almost two years ago, a retired couple from Florida was crushed in their home after the hillside behind their house…
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New laws should help curtail meth plague
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Swain County Chief Deputy Jackie Fortner never thought he’d equate marijuana with more simple…
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Latest Ghost Town suitor eyes May 2006 opening
The owner of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad has teamed up with a venture capitalist and an amusement operator to…
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Finishing well: Canton native dies in a war he didn’t support for the country he did
By Michael Beadle Michael Parrott wanted to be in Iraq. He told his wife Meg about it every Sunday morning…
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Choosing replacement puts board, director at odds
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer There was a showdown at last Tuesday’s meeting of the Fontana Regional Library Board.…
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The body count keeps rising
As of Nov. 20, the total number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom climbed to 2,083. Eleven more…
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Landslide death case ends in mistrial
A wrongful death lawsuit surrounding a landslide in Maggie Valley was declared a mistrial this week after a jury failed…
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