Get creative at Green Energy Park’s Youth Art Festival Sept. 18
 

Get creative at Green Energy Park’s Youth Art Festival Sept. 18

The 3rd Annual Youth Art Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, at…
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Tiny town of Forest Hills  holds fate of Cullowhee  revitalization in its hands
 

Tiny town of Forest Hills holds fate of Cullowhee revitalization in its hands

Being the top leader of the Village of Forest Hills isn’t as serene as it once was. Admittedly, Irene Hooper,…
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Resolution long way off in Haywood’s historic courthouse quagmire
 

Resolution long way off in Haywood’s historic courthouse quagmire

Haywood County is headed to arbitration in a lawsuit over the $8.2 million renovation to the historic courthouse. The contractor…
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Haywood commissioners finally give OK on HCC crafts building
 

Haywood commissioners finally give OK on HCC crafts building

After months of debate, Haywood Community College leaders emerged victorious this week in their quest to build a $10.3 million…
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Sept. 11 tribute honors emergency personnel
 

Sept. 11 tribute honors emergency personnel

The second annual Sept. 11 “Never Forget” tribute and candlelight memorial will honor first responders who serve every day to…
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Suicide risk workshop offered Sept. 10
 

Suicide risk workshop offered Sept. 10

Assessing suicide risk is the topic of a daylong professional development workshop to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5…
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Grace Church invites applicants for grants
 

Grace Church invites applicants for grants

Grace Episcopal Church in Waynesville again will devote all the proceeds from its annual parish fair to mission outreach grants.…
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Peace conference organizer featured on UNC-TV
 

Peace conference organizer featured on UNC-TV

Haywood County resident and Lake Junaluska Peace Conference Committee Chairman Garland Young and United Methodist Bishop Ken Carder will appear…
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Meet GOP candidates in Jackson Sept. 9
 

Meet GOP candidates in Jackson Sept. 9

Conservative candidates running for the Jackson County commission, state legislative offices and judgeships will be speaking at a “Meet Conservative…
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Building Better Balance
 

Building Better Balance

Dr. Kate Queen will address “Building Better Balance” during a lunch and learn session from noon to 1 p.m. Monday,…
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Habitat for Humanity build day in Clyde
 

Habitat for Humanity build day in Clyde

The Haywood County Board of Realtors is organizing a Build Day for Habitat for Humanity on Sept. 16 at Barefoot…
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Log cabin raffle to benefit mentor program
 

Log cabin raffle to benefit mentor program

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina will raffle off a Smoky Mountain cabin to benefit its efforts to…
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University maintains top 10 spot in a recent national ranking
 

University maintains top 10 spot in a recent national ranking

Western Carolina University maintained its top 10 ranking on a list of leading public regional universities in the south in…
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Ballot measure would bar felons from serving as sheriff
 

Ballot measure would bar felons from serving as sheriff

After six felons in North Carolina ran for sheriff during the May primaries, legislators decided it was time to close…
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Sylva board rift over police chief reveals larger power play afoot
 

Sylva board rift over police chief reveals larger power play afoot

Sylva Commissioner Christina Matheson surfaced as peacemaker last week for a town board that, among other matters, has shown signs…
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Sylva pedestrian plan to come one step at a time
 

Sylva pedestrian plan to come one step at a time

Getting around on your own two feet in Sylva would be safer and easier if an ambitious, $4.5-million pedestrian plan…
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Efforts to preserve Waynesville neighborhood underway
 

Efforts to preserve Waynesville neighborhood underway

Waynesville is attempting to preserve the neighborhood bounded by Walnut and North Main streets by seeking official recognition from the…
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Old Waynesville hospital could be converted to affordable housing
 

Old Waynesville hospital could be converted to affordable housing

Haywood County officials foresee the historic hospital in Waynesville one day being transformed into affordable or senior housing. “That would…
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Supporters hoping to keep WBHN on the air
 

Supporters hoping to keep WBHN on the air

When Swain County faced an onslaught of snow and ice last winter, local radio station WBHN wasn’t broadcasting road information…
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How would being a town help Cullowhee?
 

How would being a town help Cullowhee?

In hopes of transforming Cullowhee into a more vibrant college community, a group dedicated to reinventing the lackluster area around…
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HCC comes out on top in Recycle Mania
 

HCC comes out on top in Recycle Mania

Haywood Community College shot to the top in a nationwide recycling competition by doing little more than what it already…
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Three open judge seats leads to crowded field of hopefuls
 

Three open judge seats leads to crowded field of hopefuls

While a hotly contested judge’s race is dominating the water cooler gossip in lawyers’ offices, the average voter likely has…
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Top two in Swain sheriff primary headed for a rematch
 

Top two in Swain sheriff primary headed for a rematch

Candidate Mitchell Jenkins decided last week to revive arguably the most heated race in Swain County for one more round.…
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New vote totals mean no runoff for Queen’s Republican challenger
 

New vote totals mean no runoff for Queen’s Republican challenger

An election night glitch in McDowell County led to some votes being counted two or even three times instead of…
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Retired superintendent, former commissioner join Democratic incumbents in Swain
 

Retired superintendent, former commissioner join Democratic incumbents in Swain

Though both commissioner candidates running for re-election in Swain County have safely landed a spot in November’s election, a newcomer…
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Unaffiliated candidates denied access to party voters
 

Unaffiliated candidates denied access to party voters

With more unaffiliated candidates running for office this year, political party leaders are torn over whether to open their doors…
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Cherokee stands together to cope with loss of fallen trooper
 

Cherokee stands together to cope with loss of fallen trooper

Charlotte Littlejohn has spent much of her morning in a bustling kitchen preparing traditional frybread. Next to her, Donavon Crowe…
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HCC Low-Impact Development fast track
 

HCC Low-Impact Development fast track

A Low Impact Development FastTrack Certification will be held at Haywood Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 15 through Friday, Sept.…
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Program aims to get local produce into Jackson cafeterias
 

Program aims to get local produce into Jackson cafeterias

A workshop on bringing local farm produce into the schools will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday,…
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Decoration Day authors offer presentation
 

Decoration Day authors offer presentation

Alan Jabbour and Karen Singer Jabbour, authors of Decoration Day in the Mountains: Traditions of Cemetery Decoration in the Southern…
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Stiles to lead workshop in intercultural communication
 

Stiles to lead workshop in intercultural communication

A two hour workshop in Intercultural Communication will be taught by John Stiles, a Jackson County native who is the…
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Overrun by demand, Community Table needs help with move to bigger building
 

Overrun by demand, Community Table needs help with move to bigger building

The blue-plate special fundraiser is a tradition in Sylva. On the last Wednesday of each month, Jackson County residents sit…
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SCC eyed for federal law enforcement training
 

SCC eyed for federal law enforcement training

Four donated modular units should help ease a space crunch at the Public Safety Training Center in Macon County, but…
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Dress code sends the right message to adolescents
 

Dress code sends the right message to adolescents

A debate about how adolescents — and even pre-adolescents — dress these days is a topic that covers a lot…
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Expert discusses court’s impact on Constitution
 

Expert discusses court’s impact on Constitution

Robert A. Levy, a nationally known expert in the field of constitutional studies, will deliver a talk titled “How the…
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Indian health and healing lecture at WCU
 

Indian health and healing lecture at WCU

Eduardo Duran, a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with the legacy of historical trauma and Native American healing, will…
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Intriguing religion classes offered at SCC
 

Intriguing religion classes offered at SCC

Everything from the authors of the Bible to religious extremism will be covered in two upcoming courses at Southwestern Community…
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Help with weight loss is here
 

Help with weight loss is here

Are you battling the bulge or want to lose a few extra pounds before the holidays arrive? Take advantage of…
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Proposal to pave, widen Needmore Road met with skepticism
 

Proposal to pave, widen Needmore Road met with skepticism

A state proposal to widen and pave a gravel road that runs alongside the Little Tennessee River and near the…
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Joint venture paying off for hospital group
 

Joint venture paying off for hospital group

The hospitals in Haywood, Jackson and Swain Counties can boost their bottom line by $15 million a year under their…
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North Shore memorial in Swain needs input
 

North Shore memorial in Swain needs input

Public input is being sought for a memorial dedicated to the North Shore families in Swain County who had their…
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Vision for Appalachian Women’s Museum stalled
 

Vision for Appalachian Women’s Museum stalled

A long-range plan to create a museum highlighting the role and contribution of Appalachian women might be in limbo. The…
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Wong trial testimony to follow jury selection
 

Wong trial testimony to follow jury selection

Court testimony could start this week in the case of a Florida man who gunned down state Trooper Shawn Blanton…
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Waynesville debates which special events merit street closings
 

Waynesville debates which special events merit street closings

Waynesville’s town board is drawing the line at 14 Main Street closings annually. As a result, the town has rejected…
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Atmosphere wins over delegates to Lake J’s Methodist conference
 

Atmosphere wins over delegates to Lake J’s Methodist conference

Lake Junaluska, a century-old retreat for Methodist clergy and their families, will remain the favored venue for a major annual…
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Sunburst Trout chef journeys to D.C. in the name of healthy food
 

Sunburst Trout chef journeys to D.C. in the name of healthy food

Hundreds of chefs gathered in Washington, D.C., Friday, June 4, to launch Chefs Move to Schools, a program designed to…
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 Complaint filed over ballot counting before polls closed
 

Complaint filed over ballot counting before polls closed

An election watchdog in Swain County is protesting the tallying of early votes before the close of polls on Election…
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New policy at Tuscola touches off student dissent
 

New policy at Tuscola touches off student dissent

In the 1970s, blue jeans and boys with shaggy hair were as scandalous in Western North Carolina schools as miniskirts…
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Contractor heads to court over unpaid grading work
 

Contractor heads to court over unpaid grading work

A Jackson County grading company was left holding the bag on more than $200,000 in site work after the developer…
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Scenic highway designation extended along Little Tennessee River
 

Scenic highway designation extended along Little Tennessee River

The historic significance of the Cowee Valley corridor received a national boost this month following the designation of N.C. 28…
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