Haywood gets rolling on methane project
 

Haywood gets rolling on methane project

Haywood County commissioners have taken the first step in constructing a more than $1 million methane collection system at two…
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Borrowing bikes a big hit at university
 

Borrowing bikes a big hit at university

Ever since the launch of the Yellow Bike Project in late August, a new bike culture has quickly sprung up…
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Macon group takes aim at day care shortage
 

Macon group takes aim at day care shortage

By Julie Ball • Correspondent Working parents in Macon County have few choices when it comes to child care for…
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Player death prompts sickle cell testing for Western Carolina student athletes
 

Player death prompts sickle cell testing for Western Carolina student athletes

Western Carolina University has enacted mandatory testing for the sickle cell trait among all student athletes following the death of…
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State workers group chastises Shuler for health care opposition
 

State workers group chastises Shuler for health care opposition

Health insurance reform has garnered a seemingly incongruous ally: the already well-insured workers of the State Employees Association of North…
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Free clinics feel recession’s pinch
 

Free clinics feel recession’s pinch

Amy Street thought she could finally afford health insurance this year. But that was before Street’s employer slashed 25 hours…
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Spinning tales, weaving dreams: Storyteller hopes to preserve craft and WNC history under one roof
 

Spinning tales, weaving dreams: Storyteller hopes to preserve craft and WNC history under one roof

By Julia Merchant • Contributing writer As a professional storyteller, Tim Hall is no stranger to spinning yarns — but…
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Graham jerks the rug out from Swain County in Deal’s Gap
 

Graham jerks the rug out from Swain County in Deal’s Gap

Graham County has thrown a curve ball in an ongoing debate with Swain County over ambulance service in Deal’s Gap,…
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Niche tourism strategy debuts ‘micro’ Web sites
 

Niche tourism strategy debuts ‘micro’ Web sites

Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is employing an ambitious new marketing strategy to lure tourists, and their dollars, to the…
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Pooches pose problem in Sylva
 

Pooches pose problem in Sylva

A debate has erupted in Sylva over whether dogs should be allowed in the town’s new Bridge Park, a small…
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Cell company dashes hopes new tower will mimic pine tree
 

Cell company dashes hopes new tower will mimic pine tree

A new cell phone tower has been proposed on the south-facing side of Utah Mountain above Lake Junaluska. It would…
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Woman claims officers denied her medication during DWI incident
 

Woman claims officers denied her medication during DWI incident

An epileptic woman in Macon County is alleging that she did not receive proper medical attention after being arrested for…
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Old timers recall Roosevelt’s trip to the Smokies
 

Old timers recall Roosevelt’s trip to the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park staged a reenactment this week of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s dedication of the newly…
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Junaluska deals with same dog issue
 

Junaluska deals with same dog issue

Sylva isn’t the first place to wrestle with the not-so-pleasant by-product of dogs in public areas. The wildly popular two-mile…
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Library supporters close to $1.6 million fundraising goal
 

Library supporters close to $1.6 million fundraising goal

Fundraising for the new Jackson County library may have entered the home stretch, but is far from home free. Friends…
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Graham, Swain still squabbling over emergency coverage in isolated area
 

Graham, Swain still squabbling over emergency coverage in isolated area

Swain and Graham county commissioners agreed Monday to let their respective county managers look at solid numbers before deciding on…
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Land sales challenge basis for vested rights, some argue
 

Land sales challenge basis for vested rights, some argue

When the 3,500-acre Legasus development won exemptions from Jackson County’s development regulations two years ago, it raised the hackles of…
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WCU welcomes freshman class
 

WCU welcomes freshman class

Probably very little about freshmen move-in day at Western Carolina University has changed over the years: the “nervous but excited”…
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A popular road reveals a dark side
 

A popular road reveals a dark side

An inspiration for songs, poems, and pilgrimages by motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world, the challengingly curvy stretch of U.S.…
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Coalition builds momentum for Nikwasi park
 

Coalition builds momentum for Nikwasi park

A proposed park at the site of the Nikwasi mound in Franklin would provide a quiet place for residents to…
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Big decisions ahead in debate over land-use plan
 

Big decisions ahead in debate over land-use plan

A steering committee tasked with examining and recommending possible changes to Waynesville’s land-use plan is finally getting down to brass…
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Ghost Town still in the red despite $1.53 million in revenue
 

Ghost Town still in the red despite $1.53 million in revenue

Ghost Town in the Sky did not bring in enough revenue from its amusement park operations during the months of…
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Jackson EDC says new direction key to future
 

Jackson EDC says new direction key to future

A comprehensive economic development strategy would go a long way toward solving the quagmire that is holding back progress on…
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Forest Hills mayor misses deadline, will run write-in campaign
 

Forest Hills mayor misses deadline, will run write-in campaign

Jackson County poll workers will contend with write-in ballots from at least two towns on election night this fall. One…
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WCU ranks highly among master’s degree universities
 

WCU ranks highly among master’s degree universities

The latest U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Colleges” ranks Western Carolina University 10th among public universities…
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Bulb crusher helps recycling efforts
 

Bulb crusher helps recycling efforts

The state will ban plastic bottles, motor oil filters, and wooden pallets from landfills starting this October. The ban aims…
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Maggie board OKs assisted living facility in town limits
 

Maggie board OKs assisted living facility in town limits

The Maggie Valley Zoning Board of Adjustments approved a special zoning exception to make way for a 114-bed assisted living…
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Q&A with Congressman Shuler
 

Q&A with Congressman Shuler

SMN: What did you learn from the teletown meeting? Anything new? Heath Shuler: “The meeting reinforced my belief that most…
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Healthcare debate civil at tele-town meeting
 

Healthcare debate civil at tele-town meeting

Against the backdrop of a nation embroiled in an emotional, high-stakes debate on health care reform, the voices of Western…
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Proposed apartments denied tax breaks
 

Proposed apartments denied tax breaks

Neighbors of a proposed 64-unit apartment building to serve low-income seniors in Waynesville have renewed hope that their fight to…
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The long fight: Road debate nears final chapter
 

The long fight: Road debate nears final chapter

Since its creation, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has loomed over Swain County. Its massive peaks flank life itself:…
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Queen gets early challenger for state Senate seat
 

Queen gets early challenger for state Senate seat

A competitive state Senate race appears to be on the horizon once again for Sen. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville. Andy…
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Town helps HVO seek state grant
 

Town helps HVO seek state grant

The Town of Waynesville plans to step in for Haywood Vocational Opportunities in procuring state money to help with an…
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Cash settlement amount proves a sticking point
 

Cash settlement amount proves a sticking point

Negotiations over a cash settlement for Swain County have been stalled for more than a year as opposing sides argue…
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Jackson EDC still taking old board’s heat
 

Jackson EDC still taking old board’s heat

Old records of the Jackson County Economic Development Commission are likely too spotty to complete missing audits from the years…
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9-12 group is voice for those dissatisfied with government
 

9-12 group is voice for those dissatisfied with government

Haywood County commissioners have seen their share of hot-button issues this year. First came the proposed nuisance ordinance, with angry…
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Macon group finishes study of living history farm
 

Macon group finishes study of living history farm

A Macon County group is one step closer to its dream of establishing a Living History Farm, a working replica…
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Waynesville looks at ways to cut energy use
 

Waynesville looks at ways to cut energy use

Energy efficiency dominated the agenda at Waynesville’s last town meeting, with the passage of a strategic energy management plan and…
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The road to a cash settlement
 

The road to a cash settlement

1920s Forney Creek Township wants a road leading from Bryson City to Deals Gap on the Tennessee state line. It…
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McLean and Mathis part of Richland project
 

McLean and Mathis part of Richland project

The Richland Hills low-income senior housing development was touted publicly as being under the auspice of the Asheville-based nonprofit Mountain…
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Prison to remain open, but future not rosy
 

Prison to remain open, but future not rosy

By Julia Merchant • Correspondent The minimum-security Hazelwood Prison in Waynesville is the only correctional facility of its kind to…
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Pointing kids toward a love of the park
 

Pointing kids toward a love of the park

Eric Sink, a teacher at Summit Charter School in Cashiers, N.C., looks forward to loading his fifth-graders up on a…
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More than a number With teacher layoffs, impact of school budget cuts hits home
 

More than a number With teacher layoffs, impact of school budget cuts hits home

It’s not an uncommon scene: people rattling a tin can outside Wal-Mart to raise money, whether it’s a cheerleading squad…
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Lake island dwellers lobby for fire protection
 

Lake island dwellers lobby for fire protection

Homeowners on Buck Knob Island in the middle of Lake Glenville say they are owed fire protection by local volunteer…
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Megow-Dowling announces resignation
 

Megow-Dowling announces resignation

Jackson County’s economic development director Dorothea Megow-Dowling had been on the job for less than a year when she announced…
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Cherokee school bridges tradition and the future
 

Cherokee school bridges tradition and the future

While some students dread returning to the classroom this time of year, children in Cherokee have been asking for weeks…
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Land swap integral to Cherokee school
 

Land swap integral to Cherokee school

The Cherokee faced a long, uphill battle spanning decades to secure the idyllic tract of land now housing a brand…
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A dollar here, a paintbrush there: Community rallies to save teachers, support schools
 

A dollar here, a paintbrush there: Community rallies to save teachers, support schools

They came. They saw. And this past Saturday, they — nearly 1,000 volunteers from almost 50 churches — painted, scraped,…
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Homeschooled students on the rise
 

Homeschooled students on the rise

More parents in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties opted to teach their children at home this year, concurring with…
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Departing director recommends dissolving Jackson EDC board
 

Departing director recommends dissolving Jackson EDC board

Jackson County’s Economic Development Commission has again been thrust into turmoil, a near constant state of affairs for the entity…
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