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
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 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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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 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
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
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
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
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?
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
Landowners have won a lawsuit against Haywood County claiming they were victims of overbearing enforcement of erosion control laws. Judge…
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Bardo declines nomination
Western Carolina University Chancellor John Bardo will not be among the pool of candidates being considered for president of the…
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Terms of Duke’s offer made public
The terms of Duke Energy’s counter-offer to Jackson County and the town of Franklin in exchange for dropping their opposition…
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Families sacrifice land for creation of the park
Gudger Palmer has never forgotten the fond memories of growing up in Cataloochee Valley. At 100 years old, one memory…
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Haywood passes budget that includes tax hike
After months of struggling to solve a $7 million budget shortfall, Haywood County commissioners voted 3 to 2 Monday night…
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