Rash of private dams altering WNC landscape
The damming of creeks and streams by private developments is on the rise in Western North Carolina — so much…
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Parking downtown: Tickets cause controversy in Waynesville
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Parking for free Public parking for as long as you want in downtown Waynesville:
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A great look, but too expensive
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Architects last week unveiled plans for a new three-level building that will house the…
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Ghost Town’s economic ripple has hopes high
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer It appears that the re-opening of Ghost Town in the Sky on Memorial Day…
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Gauging the fallout: Opinions vary on effect of Jackson’s proposed development rules
As Chuck Bennett rang up a sale at his electrical supply store in Cashiers, he showed no fear of the…
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Franklin studies upgrades to 1950s zoning laws
Unlike most town and county governments in Western North Carolina, Franklin’s elected leaders had the foresight more than five decades…
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Dam Break: Scale of disaster leaves community reeling
A dam broke on an irrigation pond at Balsam Mountain Preserve in Jackson County two weeks ago unleashing hundreds of…
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Chief’s race pits incumbent against gaming official
A tight race could be in store for the two candidates vying for principal chief of the Eastern Band of…
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Blue Ridge workers hopeful after buyout
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer In the end, the acquisition of Blue Ridge Paper Products by the New Zealand-based…
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Study puts values on working easements
A recent study in the Bethel Community revealed that “working land conservation easements” would be valued as high as $7,900…
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REACH funding called into question by commissioners
A non-profit that helps abused women escape domestic violence could be facing a budget cut by Jackson County commissioners this…
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Maggie Valley unveils new land-use plan
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer After months of rigorous planning sessions, Maggie Valley town officials are finally ready to…
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Library a go, probably at Jackson Plaza site
After years of the public waiting for a new library in Jackson County, county commissioners last week pledged to set…
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Desire for regulation may boil down to personal philosophy
Ray Trine eased past the gatehouse guarding the entrance of a Cashiers development and turned up a gentle road landscaped…
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Activists demand a cleaner Pigeon from Blue Ridge
By Julia Mrchant • Staff Writer A decades-long battle between advocates for a clean Pigeon River and the Canton-based company…
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Western counties to share land-use ideas
County commissioners, planners and planning board members from the state’s seven westernmost counties will meet this month in a first-of-its-kind…
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Victim’s family sues REACH for negligence
REACH of Jackson County, a non-profit that aids victims of domestic violence, is being sued by the family of a…
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Macon planning efforts gaining momentum
Susan Ervin has served on Macon County’s Planning Board for so long she can’t actually remember how many years it’s…
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Haywood leaders voice support for test farm
The region might be at risk of losing an important agricultural research station in Haywood County if a proposed state…
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Haywood bids for recreation tract in Jonathan Creek
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Haywood County officials are jumping at the chance to purchase 22 acres of land…
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County OKs $3 million for immediate HCC needs
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Haywood Community College is finally on track to receive some much needed funding after…
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Consultant recommends Jackson library site
Where to put a new Jackson County library is no closer to a resolution following a $20,000 study by a…
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Bryson City seeks citizen input in land-use plan
Want to build anything you want in a downtown location that receives a ton of visitors each summer? Then Bryson…
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Judge rules Realtors’ loss is not irreparable
A group of Realtors and developers challenging the legality of Jackson County’s five-month moratorium on new subdivisions lost the first…
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What they’re saying
“It’s well past time to bury this boondoggle and resolve the issue in this positive way for the park and…
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Ghost Town goes silver screen
Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town “The Movie” will premiere at the Eaglenest Entertainment Center in Maggie Valley at 7 p.m. on…
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History of Ghost Town in the Sky
Businessman R. B. Coburn, who was inspired to build a park with a western theme after visiting several ghost towns…
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Fun Facts about Ghost Town
• Ghost Town in the Sky first opened its doors to the public in June 1961. Construction began in September…
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Ghost Town re-opens
After being closed for five years, a North Carolina icon, Ghost Town In The Sky, is re-opening on May 25.
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Proposed election law change follows Swain nursing home irregularities
The General Assembly is considering a bill that could solve a Catch 22 in election law: how to legitimately help…
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Open space requirement set at 25 percent
How much open space should be required in new developments? That question has caused the most contention among Jackson County…
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Election probe likely to swing on interpretation
A state election investigator is trying to determine whether a Swain County voting drive targeting the poor and elderly crossed…
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A new park opens
“Ghost Town is one of the biggest things that has happened to the western end of North Carolina in many…
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Sky-high hopes: Maggie Valley’s theme park destination looks to the future with an eye on the past
After they opened Joey’s Pancake House in 1966, Brenda O’Keefe and her late husband would calculate how much pancake batter…
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Ressurecting the Ghost of Maggie past
Bob Cordier likes a challenge. So, when the 25-year veteran of the amusement park industry decided he was bored with…
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Jackson planners propose exempting existing lots from steep slope rules
For the second week in a row, the Jackson County planning board watered down proposed development regulations following rounds of…
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Moratorium opponents suffer setback
A group of Realtors and developers challenging the legality of Jackson County’s five-month moratorium on new subdivisions lost the first…
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Haywood TDA helps Parkway views
Drivers on the Blue Ridge Parkway will be able to catch a few more views from overlooks through the Haywood…
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State, local well regulators on the way
No one knows how many wells are planted in the mountainsides of Western North Carolina.
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Survey studies public input in Macon County
As county planner in Macon County, Stacey Guffey knows a little bit about controversy and soliciting public opinion.
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Planners already planning to revisit development rules
As public comments rolled in to the Jackson County planning office on a proposed steep slope ordinance, one provision that…
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Jackson planners take public advice, relax some proposals
Proposed development regulations in Jackson County were made later this week after dozens of written public comments flooded the planning…
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Impasse proves too much for Mountain Projects
A disagreement between Haywood County commissioners over an intergenerational Head Start and senior day care facility has come to an…
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The big drawdown
JD McCurry has seen his share of horror stories in his 20 plus years as a well driller. Take the…
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Cherokee contemplates Wal-Mart’s impact
Some residents on the Cherokee Indian Reservation are calling for a referendum vote on whether Wal-Mart Stores should be allowed…
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No resolution yet on Head Start property
Mountain Projects director Patsy Dowling hit another wall this week in her attempt to lease land from the county for…
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Hospital response to story raises questions
An article that appeared in The Smoky Mountain News opinion section two weeks ago based on an anonymous interview with…
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History buffs urge Macon to protect landmarks
Members of a heritage task force in Macon County want town and county leaders to form a commission with regulatory…
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Some highlights of the draft Jackson County steep slope ordinance
• The ordinance only applies to development on slopes greater than 30 percent. • Developers must file a hydrology report,…
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Deadline nears for public input on steep slope ordinance
The Jackson County planning board is accepting written public comment through May 14 on the latest version of a draft…
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