Lingering recession prompts new round of Haywood job cuts
 

Lingering recession prompts new round of Haywood job cuts

Haywood County commissioners have cut five full-time jobs and frozen four open positions to stave off a projected budget shortfall…
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DOT probes allegation of fraud in road maintenance contracts
 

DOT probes allegation of fraud in road maintenance contracts

The Department of Transportation isn’t sure how long it will take to investigate anonymous allegations of fraud among road maintenance…
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Selling landfill space gains traction in Haywood
 

Selling landfill space gains traction in Haywood

Haywood County is seriously considering turning over operations of the county landfill to a private company in hopes of saving…
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Southern cuisine comes to Clyde
 

Southern cuisine comes to Clyde

If you had to pick a concept to describe Mary Catherine Earnest, it would probably be local. The owner and…
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Supporters want to keep county funding for Green Energy Park
 

Supporters want to keep county funding for Green Energy Park

Supporters of Jackson County’s methane-powered Green Energy Park urged county leaders last week not to slash funding to the innovative…
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Adoption center opens at Sarge’s
 

Adoption center opens at Sarge’s

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will soon open its Animal Adoption Center. The new location will be 256 Industrial Park Drive…
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Weak zoning laws could pave way for dirt-bike racetrack
 

Weak zoning laws could pave way for dirt-bike racetrack

The Macon County businessman and farmer who stirred up controversy recently by announcing plans to build a dirt-bike racetrack in…
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Future of Green Energy Park might lie in the numbers
 

Future of Green Energy Park might lie in the numbers

Jackson County has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Green Energy Park since launching the innovative project about…
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Harrah’s third hotel tower now open
 

Harrah’s third hotel tower now open

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel third hotel tower which has been under construction as part of its three-year, $633 million…
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Get involved: volunteer
 

Get involved: volunteer

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners is accepting applications for the following boards: • The Board of Equalization and Review…
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HCC to offer business plan workshop
 

HCC to offer business plan workshop

The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar entitled Business Plan Basics on Tuesday, Jan.…
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Altrusa hosts 13th annual soup and cornbread event
 

Altrusa hosts 13th annual soup and cornbread event

Altrusa Club of Waynesville will host its 13th annual Soup and Cornbread Benefit Scholarship Fundraiser from 11 a.m. until 7…
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Graham sues Swain for millions in back taxes for Fontana generators
 

Graham sues Swain for millions in back taxes for Fontana generators

Swain County has lost more than $17,000 a month from their coffers, and that financial gouge may become a lot…
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Old hospital to be repurposed into senior housing
 

Old hospital to be repurposed into senior housing

Haywood County’s seniors are one step closer to having more affordable housing options. County commissioners last week agreed to sell…
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Old Wal-Mart retrofit for county offices to begin soon
 

Old Wal-Mart retrofit for county offices to begin soon

Remodeling work to the old Wal-Mart building in Haywood County could begin within weeks after commissioners approved a contract to…
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Commissioners tap assistant manager to take the helm permanently
 

Commissioners tap assistant manager to take the helm permanently

Haywood County selected a new manager at their Wednesday meeting, promoting current interim manager Marty Stamey. The board decided to…
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Does right equal might? Republicans take control next week
 

Does right equal might? Republicans take control next week

Don’t expect business as usual when the state’s General Assembly convenes January 26: not with an epic power shift from…
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Free radon testing kits available in Jackson
 

Free radon testing kits available in Jackson

January is Radon Education Month and the Jackson County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension is offering free testing kits for…
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Mountain BizWorks offers planning course­
 

Mountain BizWorks offers planning course­

Mountain BizWorks will offer Foundations, an eight-week business planning course, starting Jan. 24 at its offices in Sylva. During the…
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Old-time remedies focus of genealogical society meeting
 

Old-time remedies focus of genealogical society meeting

The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the First Methodist…
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GOP may loosen rules on lottery proceeds
 

GOP may loosen rules on lottery proceeds

With the GOP takeover of the state General Assembly, lottery money and how schools use what they’re given will come…
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Calm your cabin fever at Haywood’s Fire and Ice Winterfest
 

Calm your cabin fever at Haywood’s Fire and Ice Winterfest

Tired of being indoors this winter? Take your mind off winters chill and warm up with the Haywood County Chamber…
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What price public service? Arizona shooting fuels discussion in WNC
 

What price public service? Arizona shooting fuels discussion in WNC

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, is getting the word out: from now on, he’ll be carrying a gun when meeting…
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New York City? No wonder they left us out
 

New York City? No wonder they left us out

A spokeswoman with the state Department of Transportation said they didn’t intentionally leave out the state’s westernmost counties on an…
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Letter alleges DOT fraud; investigation under way
 

Letter alleges DOT fraud; investigation under way

An anonymous letter alleging corruption — including bribery, embezzlement, overbilling and theft of state materials — among contractors hired to…
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Fund for Haywood County announces grant recipients
 

Fund for Haywood County announces grant recipients

Fund for Haywood County has released $28,335 in recent grants to local nonprofit organizations supporting important community initiatives. The grants…
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Lottery money takes on new role as state budget cuts loom
 

Lottery money takes on new role as state budget cuts loom

By definition, the lottery is a gamble. There’s no guarantee of winning, no assurance that you’ll look back on your…
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Learn about animal rescue efforts
 

Learn about animal rescue efforts

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s annual meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13, at the Haywood County…
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HCC offers help in managing time
 

HCC offers help in managing time

The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar entitled, “Organizing your Work and Life -…
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Public hearing set for landfill problem
 

Public hearing set for landfill problem

Jackson County’s old solid waste landfill is leaking contaminants in higher concentrations than allowed into the groundwater, and satisfying state…
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Commissioners demand ‘green’ wonder prove black-and-white dollar value
 

Commissioners demand ‘green’ wonder prove black-and-white dollar value

How fickle fortune can be, Timm Muth, the director of the oft-touted Green Energy Park, found upon tendering a simple…
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Situation still bleak for builders in the region
 

Situation still bleak for builders in the region

By Colby Dunn and Quintin Ellison • Staff Writers Although retail businesses might have found some relief toward the latter…
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Needmore proposal back for debate; this time in Macon County
 

Needmore proposal back for debate; this time in Macon County

People for and against the state Department of Transportation’s plans to pave and widen a 3.3-mile section of Needmore Road…
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West Elementary gets new classrooms
 

West Elementary gets new classrooms

Swain County’s West Elementary School will be getting a classroom expansion thanks to $1.8 million handed to them by Swain…
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Haywood releases closed session minutes on its own accord
 

Haywood releases closed session minutes on its own accord

At their last meeting of 2010, the Haywood County Commissioners made what might seem like a rather mundane decision. They…
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Crowd revs up against proposed dirt bike racetrack
 

Crowd revs up against proposed dirt bike racetrack

More than 100 people turned out recently to protest a Macon County farmer’s plan to save his land by building…
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Taking tabs on economic recovery: Economic situation in WNC seems to be improving for small businesses
 

Taking tabs on economic recovery: Economic situation in WNC seems to be improving for small businesses

By Colby Dunn and Quintin Ellison • Staff writers Despite a sour economy, many businesses in Western North Carolina are…
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Vote for Western Carolina University's Pride of the Mountains Marching Band
 

Vote for Western Carolina University's Pride of the Mountains Marching Band

Southern California-area television station KTLA is polling Parade of Roses viewers to determine which participating band is the crowd favorite.…
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North Shore Road funds in danger of disappearing
 

North Shore Road funds in danger of disappearing

Battles in Congress are nothing new. Practically every day that the legislature is in session, there is a fight, argument…
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Less might mean more if developers respond to lot-size changes in Sylva
 

Less might mean more if developers respond to lot-size changes in Sylva

When Mountain Projects came calling on Sylva leaders earlier this year because the group wanted to build five affordably priced…
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Year in review 2010
 

Year in review 2010

Editor’s note: Here is The Smoky Mountain News’ annual Year in Review, but ours comes with a nod and a…
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Shuler selects a familiar face to help bid for national prominence
 

Shuler selects a familiar face to help bid for national prominence

Andrew Whalen, an up-and-coming political insider who helped craft U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler’s entry onto the political scene five years…
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“New” steam-powered train service planned for railroad
 

“New” steam-powered train service planned for railroad

Steam engines are coming back to Western North Carolina, thanks to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The railroad announced that…
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Wooten to serve as stopgap Jackson County manager
 

Wooten to serve as stopgap Jackson County manager

Chuck Wooten will become interim Jackson County manager for six months or so starting next month. Commissioners this week in…
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Board holds off on land use vote
 

Board holds off on land use vote

The Waynesville Planning Board said this week it will hold off on adopting a major update to the town’s land…
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Tavern joins Haywood restaurant scene
 

Tavern joins Haywood restaurant scene

A new tavern is set to make its debut this week in downtown Waynesville, featuring barbecue, beer, and a friendly,…
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Town bows to transportation department’s superior knowledge
 

Town bows to transportation department’s superior knowledge

Town of Sylva leaders have sent a letter to the state Department of Transportation endorsing what supporters would like called…
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Free seminar offers organization tips
 

Free seminar offers organization tips

The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar entitled, “Organizing your Work and Life —…
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Commissioners seek applicants for Health, TDA boards
 

Commissioners seek applicants for Health, TDA boards

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners is accepting applications for the following boards: Haywood County Board of Health – This…
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Swain finance manager loses job, cites political activity
 

Swain finance manager loses job, cites political activity

To Vida Cody, Dec. 6 didn’t seem unlike any other average Monday. She was the finance manager for Swain County,…
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