New economic development coordinator learns the ropes
 

New economic development coordinator learns the ropes

Trevor Dalton, Macon County’s first paid economic development coordinator, is back on his home turf. Dalton, 24, grew up in…
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County ensnared in lawsuit over historic courthouse renovations
 

County ensnared in lawsuit over historic courthouse renovations

Haywood County is being sued for $2 million by the contractor in charge of renovations to the newly restored historic…
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Scenic beauty, yes, but what about things to do?
 

Scenic beauty, yes, but what about things to do?

By Andre A. Rodriguez • Special to the Smoky Mountain News A new travel study revealed potential visitors lack awareness…
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Jackson County offers incentives to land new manufacturing jobs
 

Jackson County offers incentives to land new manufacturing jobs

Jackson County leaders are considering an economic development incentive that will provide property tax credits to Stonewall Packaging in exchange…
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Cherokee leaders to PETA: back off our bear zoos
 

Cherokee leaders to PETA: back off our bear zoos

Despite public pressure from animal rights activists, including a visit from legendary game show host Bob Barker, Cherokee leaders do…
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State budget cuts target after school program for teens
 

State budget cuts target after school program for teens

Proposed cuts to the state budget have threatened after school care for middle school students, with programs in Canton, Franklin,…
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Haywood celebrates completion of historic courthouse renovations
 

Haywood celebrates completion of historic courthouse renovations

Haywood County leaders held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday on the steps of the newly renovated historic courthouse. The $8.2…
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Macon hires point man in new push for economic development
 

Macon hires point man in new push for economic development

Macon County has hired a full-time economic development coordinator, finally joining the ranks of most counties who employ paid directors…
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Fundraising ramps up for Waynesville skate park
 

Fundraising ramps up for Waynesville skate park

By Andre A. Rodriguez • Special to the Smoky Mountain News It’s been at least a dozen years since Waynesville’s…
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Macon mulls workforce challenges
 

Macon mulls workforce challenges

While it doesn’t seem like much of a news flash, it has emerged as one of the top concerns in…
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Investor in Jonathan Creek project claims he was wronged
 

Investor in Jonathan Creek project claims he was wronged

A Tennessee man claims he was defrauded of $328,000 by the players behind Cataloochee Wilderness Resorts, a planned mega development…
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Townhomes one of few additions to Sylva housing in a decade
 

Townhomes one of few additions to Sylva housing in a decade

When Art Pohl moved to Jackson County from Florida 10 years ago, he imagined a golden retirement filled with lazy…
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Graham proposes takeover of Swain land
 

Graham proposes takeover of Swain land

Swain and Graham counties are at odds over who should provide rescue service to the isolated Deals Gap territory, a…
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Europe’s unrest lead to creation of Wellco
 

Europe’s unrest lead to creation of Wellco

When Heinz Rollman left behind the unrest of Europe and struck out for America in 1939, the fate of his…
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Ghost Town still honing bankruptcy comeback plan
 

Ghost Town still honing bankruptcy comeback plan

Ghost Town in the Sky wants more time to prepare its bankruptcy reorganization plan and is seeking an extension. The…
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New Swain jail fails to rake in overflow inmates
 

New Swain jail fails to rake in overflow inmates

When Swain County opened a new $10 million jail last fall with 109 beds — four times bigger than necessary…
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Cataloochee Resort developer says retail component viable
 

Cataloochee Resort developer says retail component viable

Jimmy and Keith Leatherwood were always glad to see the developers of Cataloochee Wilderness Resorts walk in to their local…
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Empty jail beds fuel feud between Swain sheriff, county
 

Empty jail beds fuel feud between Swain sheriff, county

The new Swain jail costs the county $610,000 a year more than the old jail: $450,000 in debt payments and…
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Loss of Hazelwood manufacturer marks the end of an era
 

Loss of Hazelwood manufacturer marks the end of an era

When Mary Ann Enloe was growing up in the blue-collar hub of Hazelwood, she didn’t know anyone with an alarm…
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HVO to purchase Wellco site
 

HVO to purchase Wellco site

Although Wellco shoe plant in Waynesville is closing, the community will be spared the blight of another vacant industrial site.…
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‘Skeleton’ of a plan
 

‘Skeleton’ of a plan

Derek Roland’s presentation about the effort to create a comprehensive planning document for Macon County suggested that a progressive document…
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Big developer in foreclosure as lenders call their loans
 

Big developer in foreclosure as lenders call their loans

A mega developer in Jackson County has landed in foreclosure due to sluggish lot sales in the down real estate…
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New medical office building coming to Harris Regional
 

New medical office building coming to Harris Regional

Construction will soon begin on a medical office building on the Harris Regional Hospital campus in Sylva. The new 45,000-square-foot,…
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Harrah’s Cherokee Casino builds the future
 

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino builds the future

The Cherokee Nation and Harrah’s pulled out all the stops to mark start of construction on a third hotel tower…
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Developer’s plight mixed blessing for community
 

Developer’s plight mixed blessing for community

Legasus developers have been attracting attention from Jackson County residents for almost two years. When news of the plans got…
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Folkmoot expands into three new counties
 

Folkmoot expands into three new counties

Last year Cindy Gilbert took her Polk County band students to China to perform. This year she is bringing the…
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Public split on South Main’s future
 

Public split on South Main’s future

In the heyday of curbside service, Jim Caldwell had a special talent for dressing hot dogs. He could balance 10…
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Public art showcases Folkmoot USA
 

Public art showcases Folkmoot USA

Folkmoot will be the subject of a public art piece commissioned by the Waynesville Public Art Commission (WPAC).Artist Wayne Trapp…
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South Main redesign could ‘raze’ the bar
 

South Main redesign could ‘raze’ the bar

South Main Street in Waynesville is headed for a major roadway redesign, one that could take out rows of long-time…
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Duke starts dredging above Dillsboro Dam
 

Duke starts dredging above Dillsboro Dam

Duke Energy has begun work preparing a site along the Tuckasegee River upstream of the Dillsboro Dam in order to…
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Ghost Town coaster an open-and-shut case
 

Ghost Town coaster an open-and-shut case

The much-anticipated roller coaster at Ghost Town opened amid fanfare last week, then was promptly shut down again. The coaster…
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Canton election hangs on vision for town
 

Canton election hangs on vision for town

How Canton residents envision the future of their town could play a pivotal role in who gets elected this fall.…
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New bike shop opens in Bryson
 

New bike shop opens in Bryson

Andy Zivinsky and Diane Cutler were determined to move to the mountains. Their passion for all things outdoors was making…
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How Bob Barker took on the Eastern Band
 

How Bob Barker took on the Eastern Band

Bob Barker?! The involvement of famed television host Bob Barker in the fight to end the Cherokee bear exhibits took…
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Will Sylva vote expose usual fault line?
 

Will Sylva vote expose usual fault line?

The race for the Sylva town board this fall could once again gauge the extent of shifting demographics of the…
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Who’s running and who’s not?
 

Who’s running and who’s not?

Canton Mayor Pat Smathers could face opposition this fall from his leading opponent on the town board, Alderman Eric Dills.…
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Tindall-Taylor leaving HRMC
 

Tindall-Taylor leaving HRMC

The director of Haywood Regional Medical Center’s Foundation and Corporate Communications Department for the past 20 years, Robin Tindall-Taylor, has…
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Franklin followed the law by leaking Duke’s counteroffer
 

Franklin followed the law by leaking Duke’s counteroffer

The town of Franklin acted appropriately by making public the terms of an out-of-court settlement offer extended to the town…
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Great Smokies become instant recipe for tourists
 

Great Smokies become instant recipe for tourists

The mountains of Western North Carolina were no stranger to tourism prior to the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Waynesville seeks input on pedestrian plan
 

Waynesville seeks input on pedestrian plan

A master plan for making Waynesville even more pedestrian friendly has been unveiled after a year in the making. The…
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Historic courthouse welcomes back county offices
 

Historic courthouse welcomes back county offices

After two-and-a-half years of operating in temporary quarters, the big move is here. Stacks of boxes are piled high in…
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Casino to buy liquor in bulk, but from whom?
 

Casino to buy liquor in bulk, but from whom?

Cherokee isn’t the only one that potentially stands to make money off the sale of alcohol to patrons at Harrah’s…
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Katrina refugee wades into the fray against Duke
 

Katrina refugee wades into the fray against Duke

As Jackson County leaders continue their fight against Duke Energy, an unassuming local lawyer that few have heard of has…
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An unfortunate object of affection
 

An unfortunate object of affection

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has long been synonymous with black bears. From the first automobile tourists to today’s…
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Buy local
 

Buy local

Haywood Sunburst Trout FarmMakes: Smoked Tomato Jam, trout dip, trout cakes, trout jerky, trout sausage, trout caviar, marinated trout.Find it…
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Value-added products up the ante for homegrown goodness
 

Value-added products up the ante for homegrown goodness

Across Western North Carolina, an increasing number of people are discovering new and creative ways to use the bounty of…
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Tour retraces Haywood County history
 

Tour retraces Haywood County history

By Ellen Cirino • Special To The Smoky Mountain News The fifth Cold Mountain Heritage Tour, a self-driving tour to…
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NC Utility Commission OK with dam seizure
 

NC Utility Commission OK with dam seizure

Jackson County appears to be on firm footing in its quest to seize the Dillsboro dam from Duke Energy as…
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Tensions escalate between commissioners, audience
 

Tensions escalate between commissioners, audience

A member of the public was escorted from a Haywood County commissioners meeting Monday (June 15) by a deputy after…
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Haywood erosion enforcement shot down in court
 

Haywood erosion enforcement shot down in court

Landowners have won a lawsuit against Haywood County claiming they were victims of overbearing enforcement of erosion control laws. Judge…
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