Macon slope committee hands off proposed building regulations
After months of hard work, Macon County’s steep slope committee shared its recommendations with the county’s planning board last week.Now…
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Swain starts to budge on Deal’s Gap debate
Despite Graham County pledging to end all emergency services to Deal’s Gap starting Jan. 1, its EMS director has already…
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The nuts and bolts of the bench
The starting salary for a judge is $109,000, but can climb much higher for judges with a long tenure thanks…
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Judicial candidates
There are three district court judge seats up for election this year. Candidates must designate which seat they are running…
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Bench holds tradition of balanced temperament
Steve Bryant was fresh out of law school and just learning his way around the courtroom when the judge hearing…
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Free wireless in downtown Waynesville a hit or miss affair
There’s free wireless up for grabs to anyone ambling down Main Street in Waynesville, but it’s so obscure that even…
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Duke Energy president agrees to meet with Cherokee chief
A disagreement over Duke Energy’s placement of a power substation near Cherokee’s most significant cultural site has instigated a meeting…
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Haywood acquires fiberoptic line
Haywood County recently dropped a lawsuit against Wynncom, after the telecommunications company agreed to hand over its fiberoptic network to…
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Ghost Town pays liability insurance bill after slide
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park was behind on its general liability insurance payments in the months leading up…
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Jackson sheriff sparks controversy, policy change with expenditures
Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe may not have done anything illegal, but he’s stepped into the middle of a controversy…
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Nuts and bolts of landslide mapping
Macon County was the first to be targeted under a statewide initiative launched in 2006 to map areas prone to…
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Geologists: Maggie landslide still unstable
While residents wait for answers and 16,000 tons of debris hangs precariously over the Rich Cove community, an army of…
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Creditors to vote on whether Ghost Town reorganizes or liquidates
Dozens of local businesses owed money by Ghost Town are mulling over ballots this week that will ultimately decide the…
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Haywood commissioners urged to stick by Christian prayers despite court ruling
A group of Christians paid a visit to Haywood County commissioners Monday night to urge them to pray to Jesus…
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Macon fly-over shows what’s at stake
There’s no way to prevent landslides in the mountains, but there is a way to make their impact on humans…
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Swain jail may finally see return of federal prisoners to help offset costs
In rare good news for Swain County’s jail, a new agreement will soon usher federal prisoners into the often half-empty…
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Void of state and federal aid prompts community to step up in landslide disaster
The threat of another landslide isn’t stopping volunteers from facing the mudslide head-on and helping wherever they can. Local volunteers…
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Local fishermen sad to see the dam go
The first day of demolition on the Dillsboro Dam attracted hundreds of spectators last Wednesday. A roadside pull-off overlooking the…
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A time for healing
The signing of a cash settlement deal for Swain County last week was a heartbreaking end to a lifelong struggle…
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Safeguards in place, but cracks remain
While buckling and cracks were readily visible in old retaining walls built out of railroad ties at Ghost Town in…
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What is Kituwah?
Kituwah is a concept much larger than the mound site proper, which is recorded with the state register of historic…
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Waynesville moves on skate park
Skateboard enthusiasts in Waynesville will be happy to hear the town has been busily preparing for a long-awaited skate park…
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Duke project threatens sacred character of Kituwah site
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians may pursue legal action against Duke Energy after learning about the utility company’s plans…
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After scare of slide wears off, residents want answers
Betty Miner was standing in her kitchen getting ready to fix supper last Friday when the pictures on her walls…
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Going, going, gone
When Duke first broached the idea of tearing down the Dillsboro dam eight years ago, Mark Singleton thought he would…
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Corridor K sent back to drawing board
A proposed four-lane highway through a mountainous region of Graham County has suffered a setback. The N.C. Department of Transportation…
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Messy lawsuits likely left in landslide’s wake
It could take months or even years for lawsuits over a massive landslide in Maggie Valley to be resolved, leaving…
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Cash settlement here at last
Swain County officially signed a cash settlement with the federal government in a moving and historic ceremony Saturday, ending a…
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Rescue workers act fast in landslide disaster despite threat of more to fall
Chris Carver found himself in the unusual position of being both rescuer and evacuee when a massive mudslide struck Rich…
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Haywood Waterways applauds water guardians
Haywood Waterways Association recently gave out 2009 stewardship awards to several people and organizations that have worked to protect and…
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Childcare openings fall far short of demand in Macon
Macon County Chairman Ronnie Beale knew the county had a problem when two young working mothers contacted him directly following…
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Sun power supplies a path to simplicity
Lydia Aydlett first moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina during the height of the back-to-the-land movement, and it’s…
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Quick facts
• The mill is operating within state pollution limits on most counts. The current permit allows a variance in two…
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Back to the old homestead
Sometimes you have to go away to come home again. Way up Coweeta Gap in south Macon County is a…
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SCC’s Cecil Groves to retire at end of year
Cecil Groves, president of Southwestern Community College since 1997, informed the board of trustees and college faculty and staff that…
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Jackson County board race to meter voter confidence
Jackson The Jackson County board consists of four commissioners and one chairman. This year, the two commissioner seats and chairman…
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Finances likely to dominate Haywood commissioner race
Haywood The Haywood County board has five commissioner seats. Three seats are up for election this year. A party primary…
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Dillsboro, WCU move forward with marketing relationship
Leaders of the town of Dillsboro and members of Western Carolina University’s faculty unveiled the framework for an ongoing partnership…
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Emotions run high at hearing on paper mill pollution
Two contrasting images of the Pigeon River emerged at a public hearing on a controversial new water pollution permit for…
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Road to Nowhere crusade over at last
A defining moment in the decades-long debate over the North Shore Road will play out in Swain County this week.…
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Two wide-open seats will define Swain race
Swain The Swain County board has four commissioner seats and one chairman. All five seats are up for election every…
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Court ruling bars county endorsement of Christian prayer
County commissioners in Western North Carolina face a fork in the road after a federal judge in Forsyth County made…
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All three incumbents to run again in Macon
Macon The Macon County board has four commissioners and one chairman. This year, the seats of two commissioners and the…
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Ski, Worship and Grow with your friends and MYP at Lake Junaluska
Get ready to hit the slopes and participate in meaningful worship at Lake Junaluska’s Ministries with Young People (MYP) annual…
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Small-time theft by travel agent a big-time violation of trust
William Maney, owner of Fantasy Travel in Sylva, allegedly defrauded an elderly woman from Franklin out of $7,000 last year…
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Macon comprehensive plan stutters as work begins
Comprehensive planning is supposed to be, well, comprehensive. But as Macon County leaders are finding out, it’s not that easy…
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Life on the rock
Workers on the rockslide slope are laboring around the clock. There’s a day crew and a night crew, ranging from…
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Family farm builds Brasstown Beef brand
It’s a slogan even the slickest New York ad firm couldn’t top if it tried: “Real Beef. Raised Right. Around…
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Waynesville producer wins national award
Producer, editor and videographer John Kenyon of Waynesville has been selected to receive the Award of Excellence in the slide…
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Public art to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Waynesville Public Art Commission recently issued a Call for Artists for its fourth public art project. The proposed art…
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