Swain Visitor Guide kickoff scheduled
The Swain County Chamber of Commerce and The Smoky Mountain News will host a meet-and-greet at the chamber office from…
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New urgent care center to open in Sylva
MedWest Health System will open a new Urgent Care Center on Aug. 15 in Sylva. It will be located at…
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Back-to-school date lands Macon in court
If this were a race, Macon County Schools would win for being the first in Western North Carolina — maybe…
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Natural gas in Maggie may be a long shot, but worth a try
Maggie Valley’s business community hopes to bring natural gas lines to the valley, but it will hinge on drumming up…
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Fontana Dam post office targeted for closure
The U.S. Postal Service wants to close Fontana Dam’s tiny post office to save money, a downsizing move critics say…
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Being the middleman for bulk liquor sales at Harrah’s not as lucrative as it seems
Harrah’s Cherokee casino bought nearly half a million dollars of liquor over the past year, netting almost $50,000 in profits…
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Cherokee election politics fixed on looming casino debt
In the current political debate, the word ‘debt’ has become ubiquitous. Cherokee is no exception, where discussion of the debt…
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Jackson manager wants more say in hiring, firing
Chuck Wooten’s wings are still clipped as Jackson County’s manager, at least for now, but it looks like he’ll get…
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Scattered county offices could find new home in old lumber yard in Jackson
Jackson County commissioners are considering whether to renovate the former Southern Lumber Co. building to get the county out of…
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Haywood prison gets death sentence: Community laments loss of inmate work crews
Western North Carolina is losing one of its strongest municipal work forces. And a quick look at their record of…
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A new life in the cards for Haywood’s prison?
The oft-threatened closure of the state prison in Haywood County has finally come to pass, but by now, it hardly…
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State prisons, county jails play musical chairs with inmates
Counties with jail beds to spare will soon be able to make a little cash housing state prison inmates. Under…
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WCU students have mixed emotions about countywide alcohol vote
Western Carolina University and the Cullowhee area could prove the decisive battleground in the coming debate about whether alcohol sales…
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Meth lab cleanup costs sloughed onto counties
In what promises to become an increasingly expensive proposition, county taxpayers must now pick up the tab for cleaning up…
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Pilot on pot patrol hits the jackpot
After hours of scouring the ground for renegade marijuana plants from the air last Thursday, the pilot of a Highway…
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Vineival provides fun, food and school supplies
Needed school supplies for students attending Central Elementary School is the focus of the fifth-annual “Vineival,” on Saturday, July 30,…
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Help kids get school supplies
Buying school supplies for children is becoming increasingly expensive, and some local groups want to help cash-strapped families. Altrusa International…
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Waynesville to put South Main on the drawing board
The town of Waynesville is dusting off the drafting table, ready to launch a community planning initiative to shape the…
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PETA targets Cherokee bear treatment with new billboard
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is continuing to target bear pits on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, this…
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Maggie invests in festivals as form of economic development
Maggie Valley took a leap of faith this year with its inaugural Red, White and Boom festival. It was a…
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Diagonal parking in Sylva: an exercise in blind faith
It’s a typical late afternoon weekday in Hollifield Jewelers on Main Street in Sylva, with four or five customers in…
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Red Cross to close only office west of Asheville
Since 1917, the Red Cross has flown its archetypal white flag in Haywood County. In the 94 years that have…
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Touching down in 48 states: Six days in the cockpit with peanut butter sandwiches
When Mike Schoonover was 10 years old, he had a transformative experience. It wasn’t a religious conversion per se. There…
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Bottoms up? Alcohol vote on next year’s ballot in Jackson County
Voters in Jackson County will get to decide next year whether to allow alcohol sales countywide. Four of the county’s…
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The historical perspective: who’s dry, who’s wet
Alcohol has historically been slow to come to the mountains — much slower than the rest of the state. Only…
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Poll results bode well for supporters of countywide alcohol sales in Jackson
Whether you’re a college student in Cullowhee or a socialite in Cashiers, stocking up on beer, wine and spirits requires…
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Number-crunching kinks in Raleigh puts Swain behind on crafting budget
Swain County should finally have a budget by early August, nearly six weeks after the start of the new fiscal…
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Public restrooms coming to downtown Bryson City
Visitors to Bryson City will have a free place to go when nature calls once public restrooms are installed in…
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Community colleges in the crosshairs: Merging colleges could save money, but erode meaning for county
Local and state leaders in Western North Carolina are vigorously opposing a cost-savings plan to consolidate administrations of 15 of…
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Are community colleges efficient?
The answer is no, according to a recent study by the state Program Evaluation Oversight Committee. Here’s what they found:…
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Cherokee fish hatchery digs out after flash flood
A flash flood struck the Cherokee fish hatchery last week, pummeling fish in the raceways with a wall of water…
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New WCU chancellor steps out from the ivory tower
A new strategic plan for Western Carolina University will include ideas and voices from the local community, new Chancellor David…
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Former governor visits Cherokee
Former Gov. Jim Hunt toured Cherokee last week at the invitation of Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The governor, who helped negotiate…
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Recycling containers come to downtown Waynesville
No more schlepping those empty drink bottles or cans home after a day of browsing in downtown Waynesville. A dozen…
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Old Cullowhee sidewalk stretch hinges on county match
The state Department of Transportation has agreed to pay 80 percent of the cost for a quarter-mile of sidewalks in…
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Sylva police department to find new home on Main Street
A dire space crunch for Sylva’s police officers has been solved. Jackson County will give the old library building on…
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Post-storm clean-up needed in Caney Fork
With hurricane season looming, Jackson County wants to remove a number of large trees that were blown over into Caney…
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Tee off at Cherokee golf tournament
The 2011 Meet me in the Smokies Open will be held at 10:00 a.m. on July 29, at the Sequoyah…
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Library gets new books for home-school students
The Haywood County Public Library has received an $18,500 grant to be used for a home-school outreach collection. These federal…
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Mission Hospital opens outpatient center in Clyde
Mission Outpatient Care Center will celebrate its grand opening on Hospital Drive with health presentations on July 20 and 21…
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Get information on dementia
A dementia-training workshop is available from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 26, at the Haywood Community Connections.…
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Every home has a story – particularly this one
Haywood Habitat for Humanity and Long’s Chapel Church came together to remodel a Habitat home in the Lake Junaluska community…
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Grant money available for nonprofits
Grace Episcopal Church is accepting applications from local nonprofit agencies to be awarded grants following the annual parish fair. All…
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Laid off by state cuts, workers likely to join the underemployed
Dianne Lee is one of the lucky ones — an experienced and talented stained-glass artist, she has a ready-made job…
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Democrats gearing up for election 2012
The race for the state’s 50th Senate District, a seat currently held by Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon County, is shaping…
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GOP redistricting leaves Davis vulnerable to Democrats
Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon County, doesn’t mince words: he knows perfectly well that his budding state political career is being…
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Stymied at every turn, erecting heritage signs proves harder than it sounds
For the last six years, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area has been waiting for signs. Twenty-two signs, to be…
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Better late than never, Franklin jumps on board the motorcycle tourist scene
Franklin, long a popular byway for motorcyclists heading to Highlands, or via N.C. 28 to the Tail of the Dragon…
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MANNA FoodBank to close Franklin distribution center
MANNA FoodBank will close its Franklin distribution center by October, putting three part-time employees out of work as the agency…
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Tribe moves slowly but surely toward a new Constitution
The specter of a constitution has again risen in Cherokee, making its way to committee for the first time in…
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