Five years later, residents still mourn the loss of Angel Medical Center’s maternity unit

Before the sun rises on a Tuesday morning in December, Amelia Cline smooches her partner goodbye and heads out the…
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Parker wins special 
election in Cherokee

During a special election Thursday, March 2, Wolfetown and Big Y voters chose Mike Parker to fill the Eastern Band…
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Jackson applies for medication-assisted treatment grant

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has applied for a grant to fund a Medication Assisted Treatment program in the county’s…
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Transitioning from Medicaid to marketplace coverage in 2023
 

Transitioning from Medicaid to marketplace coverage in 2023

The process of termination (unwinding) of Medicaid coverage for those enrolled in the program because of the Covid Public Health…
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It’s party time – Pless again files bill to make Haywood, Madison municipal elections partisan

Despite strong opposition last year, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) has again filed a bill that if passed would bring partisanship…
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Final forest management plan draws mixed reactions from stakeholder groups

The Pisgah and Nantahala national forests are now operating under a new management plan, ending an arduous, 11-year process to…
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Franklin High project moves forward

Progress will continue on the new Franklin High School after a vote by the Macon County Commission to enter into…
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Haywood schools announce new leadership

Haywood County Schools has new leaders at several schools after the resignation of the Tuscola High School Principal left a…
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Suit against district attorney challenging Giglio order dismissed

A lawsuit filed by a former deputy against District Attorney Ashley Welch and Assistant District Attorney John Hindsman has been entirely…
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All the world’s a stage: Broadcasting meetings a tough call for Waynesville

All the world’s a stage, Shakespeare wrote, and all the men and women merely players. But with the recent uptick…
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Sylva selects new town commissioner

The Sylva Board of Commissioners selected Brad Waldrop as its newest member, filling a seat that had been vacant since…
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A rose by any other name: Waynesville mulls dropping gendered titles for aldermen

When is an alderman not an alderman? When that alderman happens to be a woman. 
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Cooper visits TWSA, announces funding

Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority received a visit from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper last week as he announced $462.9…
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Cherokee man sentenced to 15 years for child sexual abuse

David Green Edwards, 32, of Cherokee, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release…
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TDA welcomes Kara Addy as Social Media Manager
 

TDA welcomes Kara Addy as Social Media Manager

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority announced the hire of Kara Addy as its new Social Media Manager.
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Town of Waynesville will pursue staggered terms for aldermen

Waynesville is Haywood County’s only municipal government that elects all of its members at once, but that will likely change…
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Working on Waynesville: Aldermen look to avoid budget crunch

The Town of Waynesville’s municipal expenditures and revenue streams have all come in as expected during the 2022-23 fiscal year,…
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Enrollment dips again at WCU

Spring 2023 enrollment at Western Carolina University is down 3.6% compared to the spring semester last year, according to a…
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Waynesville considers more incentives for affordable housing development

Two years after a nonprofit affordable housing developer was granted incentives by the Town of Waynesville, the project is finally…
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SCC grad inspires latest New Century Scholars

Jake Tallent vividly remembers the impact that the New Century Scholars program had on his life.
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Town of Waynesville will pursue staggered terms for aldermen

Waynesville is Haywood County’s only municipal government that elects all of its members at once, but that will likely change…
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Sylva selects new town commissioner

The Sylva Board of Commissioners selected Brad Waldrop as its newest member today, filling a seat that had been vacant…
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Meet the candidates for Wolfetown special election

On Thursday, March 2, Wolfetown voters will head to the polls for a special election to replace a Tribal Council…
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Pigeon Center rebounds from COVID, carries on mission

Like a lot of Americans, Lyn Forney remembers exactly what she was doing when the whole world shut down.
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Residents object to LGBTQ literature at Macon library

A group of Macon County residents and library patrons attended a Feb. 7 library board meeting to air a plethora of…
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Haywood jail financing plan pays off

Haywood County commissioners made the right call on jail financing according to County Manager Bryant Morehead, and will proceed with…
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Tribe will now receive half of Indiana casino profits

After owning Caesar’s Southern Indiana Casino for a year and a half, EBCI Holdings LLC will increase the share of…
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Medicaid expansion passes house

After years of infighting and obstruction, the North Carolina General Assembly is closer than ever to expanding Medicaid after the…
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Folkmoot’s hit education program expands culture and learning in second semester

Folkmoot USA has announced the second semester of its “Life Long Learning” education initiative. Conceived and sponsored by Dr. Darryl…
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Hung jury leads to mistrial in police-involved wrongful death case

After a seven-day trial and several hours of jury deliberations, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North…
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Haywood TDA names new executive director

Haywood County’s Tourism Development Authority will enter a new era with the announcement of an executive director to replace the…
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Candidates announced for Wolfetown special election

Six people will run to fill the seat vacated by Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe during Cherokee’s second special election in…
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Former Tuscola football coach may land new gig

Less than a month after resigning from his position as head football coach at Tuscola High School following allegations of…
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‘A Warrior’s Way’ to fight cancer

In a few short weeks, 47 people will charge from the shores of the island home to the infamous Alcatraz…
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Following allegations of sexual harassment in Haywood, Brookshire lands position in Swain Schools

Just over a month after resigning from his position as head football coach at Tuscola High School following allegations of…
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Former Rep. Bill Taylor shares struggle with alcoholism

Appearing in Tribal Council chambers for the first time since facing criminal charges in October, former Wolfetown Rep. Bill Taylor gave…
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Finishing the job: Canton budgets for the future 18 months after Fred

When Canton officials and administrators met for their annual budget retreat last year, Town Manager Nick Scheuer’s presentation was riddled…
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Investigations cause shake-up on tribal alcohol board

A pair of reports investigating issues at the Tribal Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has resulted in turnover on the board and…
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WNC officers, activists gather to craft DWI legislation

Western North Carolina has one of the most proactive anti-drunk driving forces in the state, and now a contingent from…
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Fentanyl dealer pleads guilty in federal court
 

Fentanyl dealer pleads guilty in federal court

Megan Emily Tate, 28, of Sylva, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf last month and pleaded guilty to…
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Cherokee man sentenced for arson
 

Cherokee man sentenced for arson

An act of arson will cost James Ralph Brady, 55, of Cherokee, four years in prison, five years of supervised…
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Canton mill slowdown could be tied to union contract negotiations

Last week, reports obtained exclusively by The Smoky Mountain News revealed that Canton’s Pactiv-Evergreen Packaging would scale back production by…
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Canton’s Evergreen Packaging scales back production

A leaked, undated internal memo from Evergreen Packaging’s Canton General Manager John McCarthy says that the mill will idle one…
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As local icon Miss Maggie embraces a new generation, she seems as fresh as ever

There are many things that come to mind when folks think of Maggie Valley. 
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Haywood commissioners decide on jail financing

Commissioners in Haywood County will move forward with pursuing a bank loan to finance the jail expansion after Davenport and…
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Tuscola principal resigns

Just weeks after the resignation of Tuscola’s head football coach, Principal Heather Blackmon has handed in her resignation from the…
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Cemetery committee chair under fire after whistleblower resignation

On the same day her concerns about a parking issue were published, a Waynesville Cemetery Committee whistleblower resigned after the…
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Special 
election set for March 2 in Cherokee

Wolfetown/Big Y voters will cast ballots Thursday, March 2, during their second special election in three months, the Eastern Band…
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Tribal LLC announces partnership 
with Sports Illustrated Resorts

In October, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council approved $324 million for Kituwah LLC to control a “worldwide” brand…
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Jackson Schools lay out capital needs

During a recent meeting between the Jackson County Commission and Board of Education, the school system laid out its most…
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