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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Developers have plans for sites near Wal-Mart
A local developer has purchased a key parcel alongside Super Wal-Mart in Waynesville, potentially kick-starting long-awaited commercial redevelopment along the…
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Shuler caught short of truth
While Congressman Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, was cleared two weeks ago by the House Ethics Committee of any wrongdoing related to…
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Ghost Town’s spotty financial disclosure frustrates creditors
As Ghost Town heads toward its first big showdown in bankruptcy court next week, objections from those owed money are…
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WCU rides wave of new applicants
Over the past three years the applicant pool at Western Carolina University has nearly tripled. The increase in prospective students…
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Caliber of student could rise as admissions get more selective
A surge in students applying to Western Carolina University has allowed the college to be more selective. Despite a rise…
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Hope of paper mill job attracts hundreds to ESC
More than 300 people waited in line at the N.C. Employment Security Commission in Waynesville on Monday to submit job…
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While politics reign in Washington, real people struggle with health care costs
It was late September, and Travis George, a 27-year-old Waynesville resident, was almost done mowing his grandmother’s yard. With just…
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Symbolic torch passing honors national park anniversaries
A Cherokee elder presided over a ceremonial torch passing from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the Blue Ridge…
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Haywood library to accept canned food in lieu of fines
Haywood County library is experimenting with novel methods for wiping out some of the $250,000 in late fees it is…
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New generation of doctors prefer stability over autonomy
In an effort to boost recruitment of doctors to the region, hospitals across Western North Carolina are following in the…
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New company part of a long local legacy
The merger of Osondu Booksellers and Blue Ridge Books and Café will eventually bring under one roof the long legacy…
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Lawsuit alleging poor treatment in Macon jail hits dead end
A federal judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit by Maureen Lackey, a 45-year old Franklin resident who alleged discrimination by…
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State passes off child support enforcement to counties
Several western counties have been scrambling to create an in-house child support enforcement program after the state announced it would…
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Angling for Sam’s Club discount, Swain jailer uses credit card to buy TV
Misuse of county credit cards by a Swain jailer has prompted tighter controls on charge card use across all departments.…
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House clears Shuler on ethics rap
After months of high-profile scrutiny, U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, has been cleared in an ethics inquiry that examined whether…
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Dueling downtown bookstores to join forces in Waynesville
Waynesville’s two independent bookstores — Osondu Booksellers and Blue Ridge Books & Cafe — have merged. The economics of independent…
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Furlough translates to pay cut for most WCU professors
Western Carolina University professors who haven’t already done so are running out of time to take a mandatory 10-hour furlough…
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The allegations
The House of Representatives Committee on Standards and Official Conduct –– commonly known as the House Ethics Committee –– recently…
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Surge in last minute write-ins makes Webster election a popular affair
In July only two candidates signed up to get on the ballot for the five spots up for grabs in…
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Swain fails to make headway in cash settlement talks
The National Park Service and Swain County appear locked in a stalemate over how much the federal government should pay…
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