Canton seeks operators for wastewater plant
When the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton closed after more than a century of operations in June 2023, the…
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Macon County delays action on health board consolidation
Macon County has delayed action on consolidating its health board and seems to have taken a commissioner takeover completely off…
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Macon County cancels Burningtown-Iotla Fire Department contract
After over a year of discussion, Macon County has canceled is contract with the Burningtown-Iotla Fire Department and has begun…
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Day of resilience set in Waynesville
The Smoky Mountain Long Term Recovery Group will host a free “Day of Resilience” event on Saturday, Sept. 20, from…
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Haywood commemorates Helene this week with events
Haywood County will mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene this week with a series of commemorations beginning during the…
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New Democratic challenger takes aim at Edwards, reshapes NC-11 race
The field for one of North Carolina’s most closely watched congressional races grew again this week with the entry of…
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Jamie Ager enters NC-11 race with message of rural roots, business acumen
On a fourth-generation family farm nestled in the hills just outside of Fairview, Jamie Ager spent his childhood watching the…
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Vecinos reflects on first few months at Franklin Health Hub
Vecinos, Inc. has humble origins. First founded through the Jackson County Health Department, the nonprofit, which provides “equitable, culturally centered…
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Helene aid hang-ups prompt GOP misinformation, blame game
As anger grows over the slow pace of federal recovery funding for Hurricane Helene and Republicans in charge of recovery…
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District parties search for stability as congressional race looms
Both major parties in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District have for years been plagued by political instability. Chairs come and…
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Eastern Band’s Qualla Enterprises loan to be converted to equity
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians during a Sept. 4 tribal council meeting passed resolution 576 nearly unanimously, converting its…
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EBCI Sept. 4 tribal council general election unofficial results
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on Sept. 4 held its general election for tribal council. Twelve tribal members —…
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‘Day of Resilience’ set in Waynesville
The Smoky Mountain Long Term Recovery Group will host a free “Day of Resilience” event on Saturday, Sept. 20, from…
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Wreaths Across America returns to Greenhill Cemetery
Greenhill Cemetery will once again take part in the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony, a national observance that began in…
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Fontana library board chair, vice chair resign
The Fontana Regional Library Board chair and vice chair have both resigned from their leadership positions ahead of the regularly…
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DOT outlines I-40 rebuild: With environmental permitting process over, real work begins
The signs are still there lining the fragile bank separating Interstate 40 from the Pigeon River — chunks of jagged…
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Sylva candidates stake out contrasts in forum
An Aug. 21 forum featuring most of the candidates in Sylva’s upcoming municipal election painted a broad portrait of a…
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Food assistance program likely to be gutted, despite helping WNC residents
Like any parent or guardian, Katie Clubb wants to provide nutritious food for her grandchildren. Clubb, a Canton resident, said…
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Trouble brewing: Trump’s tariffs drive up coffee costs
The roaster looks almost like an old steam locomotive, its polished steel drum gleaming under fluorescent light, a hulking American-made…
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Shining Rock charter school singles out media with restrictive new policy
Shining Rock Classical Academy’s taxpayer-funded, unelected governing board pledged “a new direction” on transparency and accountability after a June court…
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Macon County to hear public comments on health department takeover
Macon County Commissioners will gather public comments on Tuesday, Sept. 9, ahead of a potential decision to take over the…
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Sylva slightly expands social district hours
Sylva’s popular downtown social district will now stay open an hour later each evening after town commissioners approved a modest…
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Whittier project reimagines county land as community attraction
On a quiet stretch of riverfront wedged between Sylva and Cherokee, the old Drexel furniture plant in Whittier is set…
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Hypocrisy, lies and censorship fuel drag protest in Sylva
Outside agitators continued their assault on the First Amendment in Sylva Aug. 24, as a small group of right-wing activists…
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Helene victims still waiting for Whatley
Scenic Chimney Rock has historically been an out-of-the-way place, nestled tightly against the Broad River in a narrow valley between…
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As Chimney Rock shops reopen, shopkeepers recount what it took to get there
As you enter Chimney Rock, you will see bulldozers and construction workers and other visceral reminders of Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic…
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COVID mounts late summer surge amid onset of flu season
The last year has brought an unusual pattern in COVID surges. Typically, the virus is worst during the winter with…
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Swain Commission Chair abruptly resigns
Swain County Commissioner Chairman Kevin Seagle has announced his resignation, effective Aug. 31. Seagle. Ahead of the announcement, Seagle was…
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WCU professor to speak at civics meeting
Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
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Davis exit marks another shift in NC-11 Dem race
Weeks after a bitter dispute over a Democratic gala laid bare divisions in Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, the…
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Former student alleges abuse by longtime Jackson County band instructor
A former Smoky Mountain High School student has come forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior by her longtime band teacher,…
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Swain County withheld commission chair resignation letter before announcement
Swain County Commission Chairman Kevin Seagle’s resignation was made public after an Aug. 19 meeting with a letter released by…
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Jackson County Schools removes staff member pending investigation
After reports that a Jackson County Public Schools staff member was escorted from school property Aug. 21, JCPS Public Information…
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A badge of honor: Restoring trust touted by hopefuls in crowded Swain sheriff’s race
In the wake of the controversy surrounding former Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran, the new sheriff, Brian Kirkland, only a…
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Swain commission chair gives county his resignation
Kevin Seagle, chair of the Swain County board of commissioners, has given the county his resignation effective Aug. 31, according…
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Democratic hopefuls sidestep gala flap as Clayton outlines long-term plan
The political rift over an upcoming Democratic gala — an internal dust-up that sparked chatter across Western North Carolina political…
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Haywood County hires consultant to prepare hazard mitigation grant applications
When Hurricane Helene unleashed more than a foot of rain across Haywood County in less than 24 hours last September,…
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Haywood provides update on innovative middle school
It’s been two months since Haywood County Schools announced their “innovative middle school,” and while there aren’t concrete updates, leaders…
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WCU’s ECHT project receives $450K grant from NEH
Unearthing history is nothing new to Cherokee Language Program director and associate professor Sara Snyder Hopkins. Thanks to a federal…
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WNC homeowners can apply for single-family housing recovery program
Gov. Josh Stein announced the state is accepting applications for a new program to repair or rebuild homes in Western…
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Sylva candidate forum set for Aug. 21
Indivisible Commonground WNC will host a free candidate forum for the upcoming Sylva Board of Commissioners municipal election on Thursday,…
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WCU professor to speak at civics meeting
Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.…
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Settlement reached in Cherokee County police involved shooting case
More than two years after he was shot by Cherokee Indian Police Department SWAT Team members, Jason Harley Kloepfer has…
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New grants boost Helene recovery efforts
The American Flood Coalition's Recovery and Resilience Partnership is barely six months old, but it’s already helping to deliver results…
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Man who shot viral video at local dump sues Haywood sheriff, dump owner
A Prince George’s County, Maryland, man whose viral video of a confrontation with a group at a dump in Haywood…
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Cherokee cannabis growers’ proposal killed, Qualla Enterprises takes Cooper property
Cannabis regulation was again debated by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ leadership on Aug. 7 as tribal council considered two…
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Tainted by misinformation, FRL debate drags on
As residents of Jackson County continue to rail against commissioners’ June vote to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system…
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Library consultants speak on Jackson split from FRL
In the first of what will be many additional expenditures of taxpayer funds related to the withdrawal from the Fontana…
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NCDOT receives permits to begin rock removal for I-40
A critical process has been completed, permitting the N.C. Department of Transportation and its project team to extract rock necessary for…
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Food Truck Boot Camp returns to Cherokee
Aspiring food truck owners and mobile food entrepreneurs are invited to take their business dreams to the next level at…
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