State snuffs out smoking in bars and restaurants
Promptly after ringing in the new year, North Carolina will usher in a smoking ban in restaurant and bars on…
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Towns use fees, restrictions to push back against video gambling look alike
Local governments have begun the process of regulating cyber sweepstakes machines, which are multiplying rapidly across Western North Carolina. The…
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Campaign reminds shoppers to spend where they live
When store owners pack up their holiday decorations next month, there’s one thing Karen Wilmot hopes they will leave up…
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Franklin could reap windfall from sale of property
Franklin’s leaders are trying to decide what to do about a valuable piece of property on the outskirts of downtown,…
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Sylva borrows mantra of national buy local movement
As the holiday shopping season nears its final frenzy, Sylva’s business community is stressing the importance of buying local. The…
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One dollar reaps rewards seven times over
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business Directory. With the final throes…
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Waynesville panel may recommend rolling back rear parking mandate
A movement is afoot to roll back some of the smart growth principles of Waynesville’s land-use plan by loosening commercial…
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Swain settles lawsuit over sewer line cost overruns
Swain County commissioners have settled a ten-month long lawsuit with Buckeye Construction for $30,000, far less than the $127,000 originally…
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Defective slot machine zaps gambler
A slot machine at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino malfunctioned, delivering a shock that floored a gambler, according to a lawsuit brought…
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Steady stream of businesses look for federal help after rockslide
Small businesses struggling to pay bills after a rockslide shut down Interstate 40 now have the option of applying for…
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Haywood’s lower classification pleases economic official
Haywood County was more economically distressed this year, according to state rankings that essentially classify the counties from wealthiest to…
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Bell ringers cope with corporate regulations, recession
Around Thanksgiving, they begin showing up outside stores with a red kettle, a jingling bell and a smile. In many…
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Unpaid Ghost Town workers were warned pay might not come
Ghost Town in the Sky, an amusement park in Maggie Valley, failed to pay employees for their final two weeks…
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Tribal casino gets OK for gaming floor alcohol
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino may soon serve alcohol on the gaming floor, after receiving an unofficial go-ahead from a state attorney.…
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Malicious prosecution lawsuit unfounded, magistrate rules
A malicious prosecution lawsuit by a woman accused of misappropriating flood relief donations should be dropped, according to the recommendation…
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WCU trustees adopt tuition increase
Western Carolina University’s board of trustees voted to increase the school’s tuition by 6.5 percent next year. The vote to…
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Expense keeps most undocumented immigrants out of community college
North Carolina’s community colleges may have flung open their doors to illegal immigrants once again, but only a handful of…
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Rockslide cleanup could last through spring
The Interstate 40 rockslide cleanup could now take until May, according to Joel Setzer, head of the N.C. Department of…
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Big Ridge mortgage holders say their loans being investigated
Editor’s note: These articles first appeared in the St. Petersburg Times and are reprinted with permission of the writer. Lawyers…
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Undocumented students receive helping hand from Franklin principal
Despite the daunting road ahead, Franklin High School principal Gary Shields is steering his undocumented students toward the naturalization process.…
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New Sylva board member could help bridge rift
Sylva’s incoming Mayor Maurice Moody said he wanted to start his career with a consensus vote and that’s exactly what…
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Poore chosen as CEO for MedWest Health System
Haywood Regional Medical Center CEO Mike Poore has been named as the new chief executive officer of MedWest Health System…
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Jonathan Creek park moves closer to reality
Haywood County commissioners decided Monday to move forward with the design phase for a proposed public park and sports field…
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Maggie ABC store captures share of Waynesville business
The recession has taken a toll on liquor sales at the ABC stores in Maggie Valley and Waynesville, in turn…
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Between language and culture
Native American languages are unique. They came into being and evolved without the influence of writing. For scholars like Heidi…
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Canton leaders to compare and contrast lists
As everyone else compiles wish lists for the holiday season, Canton’s four aldermen will put together a list of their…
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Effort to revive language calls Cherokee old and young
Outside the annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner in the isolated Snowbird community, a remote corner of Graham County where the Cherokee…
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Foundering developers create vested rights dilemma
As developers grapple with financial woes forcing them to sell off holdings or succumb to foreclosure, environmental groups in Jackson…
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Consensus unlikely in Sylva board appointment
The moment of truth arrives for Sylva’s new town board on the day it starts work. When board members convene…
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Cataloochee reaches out to women
Ski instructor Kathy New can truly empathize with the nervous beginners she teaches at the Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie…
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Macon wrestles with impact of subdivision ordinance
Although Macon County passed its first subdivision ordinance more than a year ago, Commissioner Chairman Ronnie Beale wonders whether enough…
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Legal wrangling heats up in Jackson’s bid to wrest Dillsboro dam away from Duke
Jackson County and Duke Energy squared off this week over the Dillsboro dam, marking the first major head-to-head courtroom battle…
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Compromise ends tug-of-war over who will be Harrah’s liquor distributor
While the addition of alcohol sales at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel will undoubtedly be lucrative for the Eastern Band…
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Loophole in video poker ban makes way for cyber sweepstakes
Sweepstakes have never before been so controversial — or so complicated. Far removed from the days of dropping an entry…
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An unstable past
Located atop a nearly 3,000-foot mountain in Cullowhee, the Jackson County Airport was built to avoid the low-lying fog that…
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With real estate market still in flux, Macon postpones property reappraisal
Macon County has joined a growing trend in deciding to postpone its property revaluation process for two years. The county…
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Suspects nabbed in Macon church break-in spree
A string of church break-ins that had captured widespread attention in Macon County came to an end last week when…
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Macon tax hike in store to pay for new elementary school
Macon County’s schools will get a long-awaited upgrade, but its taxpayers are going to have to pay extra for it.…
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Future of Jackson airport up in the air
The Jackson County airport has reached a crossroads. For years the little aviation field above the clouds has been a…
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The life and times of Cataloochee Ranch
Tom Alexander, a famed mountain man, forester and founder of Cataloochee Ranch, chronicled his adventures over the course of his…
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As rockslide cleanup trudges on, misleading detour signs plague tourism industry
The cost of repairing Interstate 40 after a massive rockslide in late October will now be borne by the federal…
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Legacy of a mountain family
For 75 years, Cataloochee Ranch has been serving up a taste of the Wild West in the Smokies. From its…
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At free clinics survival trumps politics
Dr. David Trigg, medical director at the Good Samaritan Clinic of Jackson County, doesn’t know if he should do more…
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Macon County asks for public input, take three
After two unsuccessful attempts at creating a comprehensive land-use plan, Macon County’s commissioners have directed staff to take another bite…
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Past illness leaves woman ‘uninsurable’
Though Sylva resident Marsha Crites had no risk factors, she suffered a major cerebellum stroke at the age of 49.…
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Swain braces for loss of jail revenue
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians recently got a big push forward in building its own jail after receiving an…
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Commissioners perplexed by white paint samples
Jackson County Commissioners pondered paint samples at their meeting this week in an attempt to pick an exterior color for…
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Jackson commissioners faced with resigning EDC members
Four of the nine members on the Jackson County Economic Development Commission have resigned in the past month, signaling growing…
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When insurance falls short, out-of-pocket costs become rapidly out-of-reach
As if dealing with the trauma of breast cancer wasn’t enough, Martha Yonce, 62, was also hit with a devastating…
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When the health care crisis hits home: Three sisters share stories of insurance illusions
Nothing could have prepared Franklin sisters Suzanne Thomas and Karen Rice for the total financial ruin that followed their injuries.…
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