Jackson Paper says tax bill tallied unfairly
 

Jackson Paper says tax bill tallied unfairly

After being hit with a county audit of its machinery, Jackson Paper factory in Sylva is disputing what it considers…
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Cowee hatches plans for community center of the first degree
 

Cowee hatches plans for community center of the first degree

According to public input so far, a reworked Cowee School could bear close resemblance to another historic Western North Carolina…
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HCC offers new  courses through JobsNOW Program
 

HCC offers new courses through JobsNOW Program

Haywood Community College will offer Medical Office Assistant, Nurse Aide I, and Phlebotomy courses in August through the JobsNOW Program.…
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African-American Clergy summit provides self-care and renewal
 

African-American Clergy summit provides self-care and renewal

Lake Junaluska Assembly will hold its African-American Clergy Health Summit September 27 to 28. Participants will participate in a self-care…
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Smoky Mountain Cabin Raffle to benefit mentor program
 

Smoky Mountain Cabin Raffle to benefit mentor program

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina will hold the 1st Annual Smoky Mountain Cabin Raffle to benefit its…
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Neighbor to Family offers free foster parent classes
 

Neighbor to Family offers free foster parent classes

Neighbor to Family, a nonprofit aimed at improving foster care by keeping siblings together, is offering free classes to potential…
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Grief support offered to the community
 

Grief support offered to the community

An eight-week grief support group will meet from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays from Aug. 24 to Oct. 12 in…
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Glenville residents launch Glenville Area History Project
 

Glenville residents launch Glenville Area History Project

Glenville residents are working to preserve the area’s rich history. Woody Hayes is leading a group of community members as…
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HCC building headed for a public hearing
 

HCC building headed for a public hearing

For months, debate surrounding the price tag of a new Creative Arts building on the Haywood Community College campus has…
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Medicaid applicant victim of financial theft by DSS worker
 

Medicaid applicant victim of financial theft by DSS worker

An elderly man was swindled out of $5,500 by a Department of Social Services employee in Swain County, according to…
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Elder abuse training available to public
 

Elder abuse training available to public

The 30th Judicial District Domestic Violence-Sexual Assault Alliance is working to end elder abuse by offering training sessions across the…
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Angling for floor space in the old Cowee school
 

Angling for floor space in the old Cowee school

From the Macon County Fire Department to a persistent group of contra dancers, a long list of groups is vying…
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Federal money to outfit community college with green teaching tools
 

Federal money to outfit community college with green teaching tools

A $300,000 federal grant awarded to three community colleges will help ready a Western North Carolina workforce for the rapidly…
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Jackson Green Energy Park gets its day in the sun
 

Jackson Green Energy Park gets its day in the sun

The Jackson County Green Energy Park took center stage last week as Governor Bev Perdue and the Appalachian Regional Commission…
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WCU unveils plans for Town Center
 

WCU unveils plans for Town Center

Western Carolina University hopes to create a new commercial hub to bolster life on campus and serve the larger Cullowhee…
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Forest Hills hears Cullowhee’s pitch to join forces
 

Forest Hills hears Cullowhee’s pitch to join forces

The idea of turning Cullowhee into a real town drew several dozen people to a public presentation last week where…
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Barefoot runner on crusade for kids
 

Barefoot runner on crusade for kids

When Boone resident Matt Jenkins began his 760-mile barefoot run across North Carolina, he didn’t figure it would end with…
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MedWest introduces new physicians
 

MedWest introduces new physicians

MedWest Health System invites the community to meet several new physicians who have recently joined the medical staff at its…
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HRMC foundation holds golf outing
 

HRMC foundation holds golf outing

The Haywood Regional Medical Center Foundation will host the 19th Annual Charitable Classic Golf & Gala Aug. 31 and Sept.…
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Hospital hosts annual medical symposium
 

Hospital hosts annual medical symposium

The Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and its Board of Directors is offering area physicians, active and retired, the opportunity to attend a…
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Patient-friendly innovations highlighted at Harris Medical Park
 

Patient-friendly innovations highlighted at Harris Medical Park

Harris Medical Park, the newly-constructed medical office building adjacent to Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, is now open, providing patients…
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Alcohol sales part of grander scheme at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino
 

Alcohol sales part of grander scheme at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino

Just over a year ago, the members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians voted to allow alcohol sales at…
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Waynesville farmer’s markets learn to coexist after split
 

Waynesville farmer’s markets learn to coexist after split

Twenty-five years ago, a fledgling farmers market got its modest start in a small parking lot on Waynesville’s Main Street…
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The great routing debate: North Carolina’s battle for the Parkway
 

The great routing debate: North Carolina’s battle for the Parkway

To mountain communities, the coming of the Blue Ridge Parkway 75 years ago was seen as economic salvation. It would…
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Jackson commissioners discuss role of open government
 

Jackson commissioners discuss role of open government

Last month the Public Policy Institute at Western Carolina University partnered with The Smoky Mountain News to conduct a poll…
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Super Wal-Mart sails into Franklin despite opposition
 

Super Wal-Mart sails into Franklin despite opposition

“I’ll tell you what this is, and I’ll tell you what it’s not,” said Franklin Mayor Joe Collins, opening a…
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Should the survey have disqualified Alderman Scott?
 

Should the survey have disqualified Alderman Scott?

Franklin Alderman Bob Scott recused himself from the vote on a special use permit for a Wal-Mart Supercenter this week…
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Landslide repair down to the wire as competing plans play out
 

Landslide repair down to the wire as competing plans play out

The clock is ticking for stabilization work on a landslide in Maggie Valley to get underway or a federal grant…
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WCU tuition hike to offset budget crunch
 

WCU tuition hike to offset budget crunch

To help offset the impact of budget cuts recently authorized by the N.C. General Assembly, Western Carolina University will raise…
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Meals on Wheels to hold tennis tourney
 

Meals on Wheels to hold tennis tourney

The Haywood County Meals on Wheels is hosting a Tennis Tournament at 9 a.m., Aug. 5 to 7 at the…
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Landlords show spotty compliance with new carbon monoxide law
 

Landlords show spotty compliance with new carbon monoxide law

A little known law went into effect this year requiring landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors in any rental property…
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Canton paper mill faces opposition over Pigeon River pollution
 

Canton paper mill faces opposition over Pigeon River pollution

Advocates for a cleaner Pigeon River have filed a formal challenge against a state water pollution permit for the Canton…
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Property rights crowd objects to trash rule
 

Property rights crowd objects to trash rule

On Monday morning, Haywood County commissioners listened as one citizen after another came up and blasted a change to a…
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Haywood hospice center to become a reality
 

Haywood hospice center to become a reality

The first inpatient hospice west of Asheville had its groundbreaking in Clyde last week — complete with Jimmy Jack the…
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Shuler carries torch in money race
 

Shuler carries torch in money race

Congressman Heath Shuler has a sizeable financial advantage against his opponent heading into the fall election season. Shuler, D-Waynesville, had…
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Duke backs down from controversial substation site
 

Duke backs down from controversial substation site

After nearly eight months of wrangling with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Swain County leaders and a vocal citizens…
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North Shore residents interviews unveiled
 

North Shore residents interviews unveiled

The public is invited to watch 15 hours of raw video that will take viewers back 20 years to experience…
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Haywood hops farmer sets the bar high
 

Haywood hops farmer sets the bar high

Haywood County hops farmer Scott Grahl is a dreamer with his feet planted firmly on the ground. “One day a…
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Lawmakers close loophole in video poker ban
 

Lawmakers close loophole in video poker ban

Owners of video sweepstakes parlors in North Carolina are out of luck for now. Governor Bev Perdue is expected to…
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Ongoing issues foil Ghost Town reopening plans
 

Ongoing issues foil Ghost Town reopening plans

Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park in Maggie Valley will not open this summer, contrary to previous assertions by…
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Parents urge commissioners to build skateboard park in Jackson
 

Parents urge commissioners to build skateboard park in Jackson

On Tuesday evening, 11-year-old Ronnie Patterson said goodbye to his home away from home. Patterson is a skateboarder, and for…
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WNC schools hooked up with fiber
 

WNC schools hooked up with fiber

By the end of this year, nearly every student in the six westernmost counties will have unprecedented access to technology…
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Marker to be installed honoring George Plott
 

Marker to be installed honoring George Plott

A ceremony marking the installation of a marker honoring Capt. George Ellis Plott, who was killed in action on Dec.…
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Mountain Projects offers free fans for seniors
 

Mountain Projects offers free fans for seniors

Mountain Projects, Inc. through a collaborative effort with the Area Agency on Aging and Progress Energy is sponsoring Operation Fan-Heat…
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SCC launches Plus 50 program for Cashiers and Highlands
 

SCC launches Plus 50 program for Cashiers and Highlands

As the director of Southwestern Community College’s new Plus 50 program, Michael Rich is rapidly working in the community to…
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Haywood historical presents Cold Mountain heritage tour
 

Haywood historical presents Cold Mountain heritage tour

The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 27 at the Shook House in…
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Haywood Habitat holds open enrollment
 

Haywood Habitat holds open enrollment

Haywood Habitat for Humanity is holding an open enrollment through July for perspective new-home partner families. Applicants must be residents…
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Quarry must improve  sediment control measures
 

Quarry must improve sediment control measures

A large rock quarry in Waynesville has been cited with a water quality violation for sending mud into nearby Allens…
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Opponents win concessions in first round of quarry permit fight
 

Opponents win concessions in first round of quarry permit fight

Neighbors concerned about the expansion of a rock quarry in Waynesville have won a partial victory in a early stage…
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Surge in meth labs traced  to new small-batch production
 

Surge in meth labs traced to new small-batch production

Four years ago, new laws regulating the sale of pseudoephedrine in pharmacies slowed the illegal production of methamphetamine. The chemical…
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