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Haywood sheriff candidates
 

Haywood sheriff candidates

Q: Haywood County has a growing Hispanic population. How will you address language barriers in serving that population? Hollifield: Would…
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New job yanked from resigned mental health director
 

New job yanked from resigned mental health director

Tom McDevitt, the former director of the Smoky Mountain Center for Mental Health who resigned amid scrutiny last fall, was…
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Expensive parking holds new Sylva fire department in limbo
 

Expensive parking holds new Sylva fire department in limbo

A proposed expansion to the Sylva Volunteer Fire Department building could be up in the air now that the project…
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Despite landslide worries, state slope rules face uphill battle
 

Despite landslide worries, state slope rules face uphill battle

A controversial bill to regulate development on steep slopes to prevent landslides will be reintroduced in the state legislature this…
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Jackson leaders grapple over ending fight with Duke
 

Jackson leaders grapple over ending fight with Duke

An effort to end a six-year-long dispute between Jackson County and Duke Energy failed in a 3-2 vote last week,…
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Cherokee covers lunch for its own
 

Cherokee covers lunch for its own

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has recently begun funding the school lunches for enrolled members of the tribe who…
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Haywood Sheriff candidates line up for questions from public
 

Haywood Sheriff candidates line up for questions from public

Five candidates vying to be the next Haywood County Sheriff appeared at a question and answer forum Saturday, Jan. 24…
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Haywood County eyes old Wal-Mart shell for offices
 

Haywood County eyes old Wal-Mart shell for offices

A hulking space in the strip mall along U.S. 74 in Clyde that has sat vacant since the departure of…
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Tough budget facing legislature as session begins
 

Tough budget facing legislature as session begins

The state legislative session began in Raleigh this week with the big issue being the budget during tough economic times.…
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Landmark victory: NC forces TVA to clean up its act
 

Landmark victory: NC forces TVA to clean up its act

It was the ultimate David and Goliath battle. North Carolina officials, fed up with coal-fired power plants pumping pollution into…
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Canton mayor looks to state for help with business venture
 

Canton mayor looks to state for help with business venture

Canton Mayor Pat Smathers is determined to realize his dream of turning a historic house in downtown Canton into a…
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Dillsboro dam fight heads into state hearing
 

Dillsboro dam fight heads into state hearing

In the latest in Jackson County’s quest to save the Dillsboro dam from demolition, the county will get its day…
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Massie questions permit hold-up
 

Massie questions permit hold-up

Jackson County Commissioner Tom Massie is skeptical of whether it is legal for the county to withhold permits that Duke…
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Waynesville land use plan review moves forward
 

Waynesville land use plan review moves forward

A comprehensive review of the town of Waynesville’s award-winning land use plan is set to begin following the town’s selection…
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County may meet with attorney on Duke permit dispute
 

County may meet with attorney on Duke permit dispute

The attorney representing Jackson County in its legal fight against Duke Energy was expected to meet with county commiseting Tuesday…
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Effort to end Duke fight fails in Jackson County
 

Effort to end Duke fight fails in Jackson County

An effort to end a six-year-long dispute between Jackson County and Duke Energy failed in a 3-2 vote Tuesday night…
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Incident heightens tensions between county, sheriff
 

Incident heightens tensions between county, sheriff

Allegations that the Swain County Sheriff’s Department mishandled the capture of an escaped inmate earlier this month has strained the…
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Dems meet to pick Sheriff Alexander’s successor
 

Dems meet to pick Sheriff Alexander’s successor

Democratic officials in Haywood County are gearing up to choose a successor to outgoing Haywood County Sheriff Tom Alexander, who…
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Poor economy boosts military recruiting
 

Poor economy boosts military recruiting

When Brandon Lenhart of Sylva was laid off from his construction job, he looked for work for four months but…
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WestCare cuts 45 jobs
 

WestCare cuts 45 jobs

The financially struggling WestCare Medical Center with hospitals in Sylva and Bryson City has eliminated 45 full-time positions, according to…
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Bryson man pleads to lesser charge in assault case
 

Bryson man pleads to lesser charge in assault case

A mentally ill man allegedly beat by a Bryson City policeman will not be charged with assaulting the officer involved…
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Dillsboro quietly assessing merger with Sylva
 

Dillsboro quietly assessing merger with Sylva

It appears Dillsboro has launched an official study into the pros and cons of merging with neighboring Sylva, although the…
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The view from the bench
 

The view from the bench

For 25 years, Superior Court Judge Marlene Hyatt has often worked as much as 12 hours a day, five days…
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Merger prospect talk of the town
 

Merger prospect talk of the town

While Dillsboro leaders claim the idea of merging Sylva is in its mere infancy, opinions on the issue are already…
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Franklin seeks AT town designation
 

Franklin seeks AT town designation

Franklin’s role on the Appalachian Trail Franklin is an important town on the Appalachian Trail because it is one of…
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Casino job losses first since Cherokee opening
 

Casino job losses first since Cherokee opening

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino is cutting 100 jobs because of the national economic downturn. The cuts represent about 5 percent of…
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WNC continues to captivate
 

WNC continues to captivate

There’s something about Haywood County. In recent years, the small Western North Carolina community has found itself as the setting…
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Searching for clarity after muddy disaster
 

Searching for clarity after muddy disaster

It was around 1:30 a.m. on an exceptionally rainy Wednesday that Bruce and Lorraine Donin’s world came crashing down. One…
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Macon leaders struggle with budget shortfall
 

Macon leaders struggle with budget shortfall

K-4 school on hold due to economy Due to the national economic downturn the Macon County commissioners have decided not…
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Macon pulls out of fight with Duke over dam mitigation
 

Macon pulls out of fight with Duke over dam mitigation

It appears a piece of property in Nantahala had something to do with Macon County pulling out of a fight…
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The view from the bench: From terrible to touching, retiring judge reflects on years spent in court
 

The view from the bench: From terrible to touching, retiring judge reflects on years spent in court

For 25 years, Superior Court Judge Marlene Hyatt has often worked as much as 12 hours a day, five days…
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Old Swain courthouse holds promise as museum, visitor center
 

Old Swain courthouse holds promise as museum, visitor center

A visitor center that would showcase the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a local heritage museum could one day…
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Duke sues Jackson County for holding permits hostage
 

Duke sues Jackson County for holding permits hostage

Duke Energy filed a lawsuit against Jackson County and county Planning Director Linda Cable on Monday (Jan. 5) for failing…
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Smart Roads calls on county to step up in 107 planning
 

Smart Roads calls on county to step up in 107 planning

A member of the Jackson County Smart Roads group told county commissioners on Monday (Jan. 5) that there needs to…
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Therapists: Hard times test marriages
 

Therapists: Hard times test marriages

The national economic downturn is taking its toll on married couples dealing with financial stress, according to area marriage counselors.…
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Superior Court Judge Hyatt to step down
 

Superior Court Judge Hyatt to step down

Superior Court Judge J. Marlene Hyatt, whose district stretches across the western part of the state, will retire from her…
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Who is Ayn Rand?
 

Who is Ayn Rand?

In 1957, a Russian immigrant burst onto the scene with a novel and philosophy that today remains one of the…
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End in sight for cost overruns on Haywood courthouse
 

End in sight for cost overruns on Haywood courthouse

As renovation of Haywood County’s historic courthouse drags on, the county continues to tack on tens of thousands of dollars…
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Who controls what’s taught? Donation sparks debate over academic integrity
 

Who controls what’s taught? Donation sparks debate over academic integrity

Western Carolina University’s College of Business recently secured a $1 million donation from BB&T — but not before discerning faculty…
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The best of 2008
 

The best of 2008

Every year about this time, reporters dig out their old files and back editions and start cruising the headlines for…
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Nurse shortage forces closure of mental health facility
 

Nurse shortage forces closure of mental health facility

The extraordinarily difficult struggle to find nurses licensed in psychiatric care has forced the state agency that oversees mental health…
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Motive behind Cherokee fire remains mystery
 

Motive behind Cherokee fire remains mystery

An apparent arson fire that burned the Tribal Operations Program building in Cherokee in the early morning hours of Dec.…
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Jackson board sets sights on historic property
 

Jackson board sets sights on historic property

The Jackson County Planning Board is considering establishing a historic preservation commission to help maintain significant landmarks and districts. Such…
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Voters to decide on alcohol sales at Harrah’s
 

Voters to decide on alcohol sales at Harrah’s

Voters in Cherokee will decide whether alcohol should be sold at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino now that enough signatures have been…
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Dissatisfied, HRMC once more on the hunt for ER docs
 

Dissatisfied, HRMC once more on the hunt for ER docs

Haywood Regional Medical Center will terminate its contract with the corporate physician staffing outfit that supplies doctors for the hospital’s…
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Land use plan review ‘back on track’
 

Land use plan review ‘back on track’

Waynesville leaders vowed to speed up a review of the town’s land use plan after an article in The Smoky…
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Chili’s scouts Waynesville as possible location
 

Chili’s scouts Waynesville as possible location

Even as one national retailer — Home Depot — is pulling its plans for a Waynesville store, the national restaurant…
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Macon, Franklin tourism boards take helm during tough climate
 

Macon, Franklin tourism boards take helm during tough climate

Two recently created tourism boards in Macon County met last week to begin discussing how they can make the area…
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Swanger back in the game with EDC seat
 

Swanger back in the game with EDC seat

Haywood County Commissioner Mark Swanger is back on the county’s Economic Development Commission five years after he played a critical…
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Holiday transcends economic classes: Family, religion are unifying themes to the season
 

Holiday transcends economic classes: Family, religion are unifying themes to the season

Charles Phillips of Waynesville may be monetarily poor, but he is rich in the Christmas spirit. Each Christmas Phillips covers…
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