WCU raises $50 million for endowment
 

WCU raises $50 million for endowment

Western Carolina University last week announced that the first comprehensive fundraising campaign in university history has netted a grand total…
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Unfinished hotel mars Sylva landscape
 

Unfinished hotel mars Sylva landscape

The fate of an unfinished Clarion Inn in Sylva is up in the air after a bank foreclosed on the…
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Most make extra effort to hear public
 

Most make extra effort to hear public

As Haywood County commissioners grapple with a surge in this public input at their meetings, largely from the same crowd…
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Election guaranteed to bring new leadership in Dillsboro
 

Election guaranteed to bring new leadership in Dillsboro

This November, the Town of Dillsboro will elect all five members of its town board, along with a new mayor…
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Haywood again looks at old Wal-Mart for DSS building
 

Haywood again looks at old Wal-Mart for DSS building

Haywood County commissioners are once again considering the abandoned Wal-Mart shell for a new Department of Social Services building. The…
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Haywood says state shirking responsibility
 

Haywood says state shirking responsibility

Haywood County commissioner sent a strong message to Raleigh this week, chastising state government for not stepping in to help…
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Maggie hopefuls say tourists and locals important
 

Maggie hopefuls say tourists and locals important

If there’s a buzz word for Maggie Valley’s town board elections this year, it’s “balance.” Alderwoman Saralyn Price said she…
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Robust citizen input vexes public officials
 

Robust citizen input vexes public officials

Johnnie Cure said she never expected to become a local celebrity when she started speaking up during the public comment…
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Marc Pruett earns praise from all sides for his work
 

Marc Pruett earns praise from all sides for his work

When Haywood County commissioners convened this week to discuss the fate of the county’s erosion control program, they were met…
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The mystery of Judaculla Rock
 

The mystery of Judaculla Rock

Located in a field in the rural Caney Fork community of Jackson County is Judaculla Rock, a soapstone boulder covered…
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Cherokee immersion school aims to save language
 

Cherokee immersion school aims to save language

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians praised the new Kituwah Language Academy for the cultural renaissance that’s now unfolding within…
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In the running
 

In the running

The Town of Franklin has a town board with six aldermen/alderwomen and a mayor who votes only to break ties.…
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Oconaluftee Institute chooses Queen as program coordinator
 

Oconaluftee Institute chooses Queen as program coordinator

Joel Queen has been named the new program coordinator and instructor at the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts in Cherokee.…
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BMP’s problems not apparent
 

BMP’s problems not apparent

At first glance, it is hard to see why Balsam Mountain Preserve has been unable to satisfy the lenders behind…
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Swain auditor warns that drastic measures needed
 

Swain auditor warns that drastic measures needed

An auditor for Swain County had a clear-cut message to pass on to commissioners this week: make drastic cutbacks in…
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Saving Judaculla Rock: Preservation work begins on local artifact
 

Saving Judaculla Rock: Preservation work begins on local artifact

By Julia Merchant • Contributing writer Priceless artifacts often end up tucked safely away behind the protective glass cases of…
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Treadway, Reidmiller run unopposed
 

Treadway, Reidmiller run unopposed

This year’s elections in Bryson City will be a cinch for Alderwoman Stephanie Treadway and Alderman Tom Reidmiller. Both are…
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Most like plans for Russ Avenue makeover
 

Most like plans for Russ Avenue makeover

A proposed redesign of Russ Avenue, the main commercial thoroughfare in Waynesville, received strong public support among those who attended…
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New and improved appraisal method aims to better calibrate property values
 

New and improved appraisal method aims to better calibrate property values

An analysis of property values in Haywood County aims to reduce disparities between the value listed on the county’s tax…
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Amid tough times, DSS director denied raise
 

Amid tough times, DSS director denied raise

After much deliberation, Swain County commissioners voted 3-2 against an $8,800 pay raise for the Department of Social Services director…
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Collins, Scott battle for mayor’s post in Franklin
 

Collins, Scott battle for mayor’s post in Franklin

Tensions are rife as Franklin Alderman Bob Scott and Mayor Joe Collins butt heads over the prize of a mayor…
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One of area’s first mega developments in trouble
 

One of area’s first mega developments in trouble

Balsam Mountain Preserve, a mega development on 4,400 acres in Jackson County, has defaulted on the terms of a $19.8…
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New plan aims to corral chaotic thoroughfare
 

New plan aims to corral chaotic thoroughfare

A plan to redesign Russ Avenue would dramatically alter the appearance and traffic flow along the frenzied main commercial artery…
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Maggie pins hopes on director to turn corner on festival grounds
 

Maggie pins hopes on director to turn corner on festival grounds

The Town of Maggie Valley is moving closer toward hiring a festival director to market its struggling festival grounds. Aldermen…
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Libraries see increased usage as recession lingers
 

Libraries see increased usage as recession lingers

Local libraries report that more people are streaming through their doors as a direct result of the recession. Area residents…
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Angel Medical continues to stand alone
 

Angel Medical continues to stand alone

While neighboring hospitals count down the days until an affiliation is finalized, Angel Medical Center in Franklin continues to stand…
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Angel CEO says hospital investing in its future
 

Angel CEO says hospital investing in its future

When Tim Hubbs stepped down as the CEO of Drake Software, a Franklin firm that writes accounting software, he thought…
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Hazelwood clings to its post office under threat of closure
 

Hazelwood clings to its post office under threat of closure

Hazelwood seems to be getting the short end of the stick these days. Once an independent blue-collar town boasting a…
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Price tag on land a deal killer for Jackson greenway
 

Price tag on land a deal killer for Jackson greenway

Despite their conceptual support for a greenway along the Tuckasegee River, Jackson County commissioners expressed hesitation about purchasing land to…
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Loss of transparency likely for Haywood under new hospital joint venture
 

Loss of transparency likely for Haywood under new hospital joint venture

Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare are in the final stages of forming a partnership, with plans to launch a…
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Duke’s rate hike request is poorly timed, not needed
 

Duke’s rate hike request is poorly timed, not needed

The state should turn down Duke Energy’s request for a nearly 13 percent hike in utility rates and instead encourage…
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Task force wants final crack at honing road list
 

Task force wants final crack at honing road list

Dueling solutions for relieving traffic on N.C. 107 in Sylva are poised to make the final cut in the long-awaited…
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Bridging the divide: Maggie struggles to find new identity among tourists, second-home owners and year-round residents
 

Bridging the divide: Maggie struggles to find new identity among tourists, second-home owners and year-round residents

Home to 3,000 motel rooms yet only 1,610 year-round residents, Maggie Valley can’t exactly escape the term “tourist town.” Anyone…
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Maggie chases festivals as ticket to tourism
 

Maggie chases festivals as ticket to tourism

When the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen purchased land for a town festival ground in 2002, it had high hopes…
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Graham and Swain part ways over Deal’s Gap debate
 

Graham and Swain part ways over Deal’s Gap debate

Graham County delivered yet another jolt to the three-month debate over who should provide emergency services to Deal’s Gap, a…
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Cat lovers quietly care for wild colonies
 

Cat lovers quietly care for wild colonies

Move over rabbits, it’s cats that multiply like crazy in Haywood County. According to the Haywood Animal Welfare Association, there…
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Swain at last makes foray into animal control
 

Swain at last makes foray into animal control

Swain County Manager Kevin King has an ambitious idea for finally addressing the years-old issue of animal control, or lack…
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What’s in a name? Tourism web site succumbs to proper spelling
 

What’s in a name? Tourism web site succumbs to proper spelling

The Haywood Tourism Development Authority announced some good news last week for all those miffed by the incorrect spelling of…
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Shortchanged again, WNC demands highway dollars back
 

Shortchanged again, WNC demands highway dollars back

Western North Carolina has steadily lost out on tens of millions in federal highway dollars over the past decade, despite…
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Task force declared finished as draft plan advances for public review
 

Task force declared finished as draft plan advances for public review

Some members of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force feel like the list of road projects bearing their name has…
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Duke faces stiff opposition to proposed rate hike
 

Duke faces stiff opposition to proposed rate hike

Duke Energy’s rate hike request met strong opposition at a public hearing before members of the N.C. Utilities Commission in…
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Lasting precedent doubtful as county closes books on erosion suit
 

Lasting precedent doubtful as county closes books on erosion suit

Developers looking for shortcuts around erosion laws won’t find amnesty in a recent court case between a landowner and Haywood…
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Corridor K inches forward
 

Corridor K inches forward

A road project known as Corridor K will boast the longest tunnel in the state of North Carolina if built…
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Webster scrambles to drum up candidates for town board
 

Webster scrambles to drum up candidates for town board

When voters head to the polls to elect town leaders in Webster this fall, the choices will be slim. Mighty…
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Local restaurants support Haywood County farmers
 

Local restaurants support Haywood County farmers

Local chefs are proving to be some of the best supporters of Haywood County farmers. “The Buy Haywood project is…
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Expert offers tips to keep downtown businesses kicking
 

Expert offers tips to keep downtown businesses kicking

Small business expert Tom Shay told local store owners in Franklin, Sylva and Waynesville that recessions are good for one…
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Buck Knob residents, officials seek fire protection compromise
 

Buck Knob residents, officials seek fire protection compromise

After years of fruitlessly demanding fire protection from a local volunteer fire department, homeowners on Buck Knob Island in the…
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After delay, schools getting lottery dollars
 

After delay, schools getting lottery dollars

By Julie Ball • Correspondent Some lottery money used to pay the debt on local school projects is coming to…
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Landslide maps one component of steep slope planning
 

Landslide maps one component of steep slope planning

The Macon County committee charged with proposing regulations for building on steep slopes is still swimming in a sea of…
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County settles Cameron lawsuit for $75,000
 

County settles Cameron lawsuit for $75,000

Haywood County is shelling out $75,000 for an out-of-court settlement that resolves an ongoing lawsuit by a landowner over the…
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