Jackson library to go atop courthouse hill
A decade of debate over where to build a new library in Jackson County was put to rest this week.…
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Hicks declared winner in contested Cherokee vote
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Supreme Court ruled Saturday that a new election…
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Southern Loop opposition mounts
Jackson County residents opposed to the construction of the Southern Loop — a new major highway that would bisect Jackson…
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Changing electorate could shake up Sylva election
The race for the Sylva town board this fall could speak volumes about the changing demographics of the town —…
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The Super Wal-Mart land rush: Discount retail giant brings rising property prices
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Roger Winge knew a good deal when he spotted one. Before Super Wal-Mart had…
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State says mill discharge does not require public notification
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A clean water advocacy group is questioning why an accidental discharge of a paper-making…
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Mumpower first to formally challenge Shuler
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer With no word yet from former U.S. House Rep. Charles Taylor on his decision…
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Vote on Southern Loop postponed
Opponents of the Southern Loop have questioned whether the controversial highway should be included on a list of top priority…
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Maggie Valley mayor’s race pits long-time foes
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Forget the presidential election — the biggest race to watch in the coming months…
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Initial North Shore Road payment clears Senate
Swain County inched a notch closer this month toward seeing a cash settlement in lieu of the long-promised North Shore…
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Future big-box stores, strip malls to face scrutiny in Franklin
Franklin will soon have a new slate of comprehensive guidelines regulating development and promoting smart growth principles. An overhaul of…
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Swain voter fraud investigation sent to feds
The North Carolina State Board of Elections has concluded its investigation into allegations of voter fraud in Swain County, but…
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Haywood to create farmland protection plan
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Haywood County commissioners have agreed to pay for the creation of a farmland protection…
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WATR tries to stay active
By Joel Adams • Contributing Writer Strong public interest in the aftermath of the dam break at Balsam Mountain Preserve…
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Arrests made for soliciting at park
The Internet sex sting conducted by the Waynesville Police Department was part of an undercover operation dubbed “Summer Heat,” which…
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How it might work
Jackson County commissioners sanctioned a feasibility study on whether a new library would fit on the hill behind the historic…
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Swain nearly ready to vote on road rules
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Swain County’s first-ever planning board is nearly finished with its first project — drafting…
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Waynesville PD net 6 arrests in Internet sex sting
When Crystal Shuler posted an ad on Craig’s List this summer offering a full-service massage in Waynesville, she was flooded…
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Courthouse site doable for new Jackson library
Years of wrestling over a location for a new Jackson County library will come to a close next month. Jackson…
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Southern Loop on priority list, committee says it wasn’t them
Jackson County leaders might be lending their tacit endorsement, albeit unintentionally, to the proposed Southern Loop, a controversial highway that…
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Waynesville seeks solutions to Russ traffic problems
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Nearly two years after receiving a grant to…
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Duke seeks permit for new coal plant
A public hearing on whether Duke Energy should be allowed to build a new coal-fired power plant in the Shelby…
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Voter interviews reflect close race
Interviews with Cherokee voters exiting the polling booths last week revealed just how divided the tribe is over who will…
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Making the grade: Schools strain under pressure of misguided expectations
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Much like a band-aid on a kid’s scraped elbow, No Child Left Behind was…
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Maggie mayor’s zoning request still up in the air
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A petition by Maggie Valley Mayor Roger McElroy to re-zone a 90-acre tract of…
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EDC says marketing study not worthwhile
An $18,000 marketing study conducted for Jackson County by consultants from Texas fell short of what the firm promised, according…
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Incumbent Hicks wins in tight Cherokee election
The election for chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians came down to a mere 30 votes last week,…
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What Sylva is and isn’t: you be the judge
Buxton, a consulting firm that analyzes a community’s demographics, has 60 some population classes that it uses to describe the…
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Recreation plan attracts mostly supporters to bond hearing
A public hearing Monday on a $64 million bond for various construction projects in Macon County attracted relatively few naysayers.…
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Group forms to bring about revitalization of Cullowhee
A new community group dedicated to revitalizing Cullowhee will host an open house at the Cullowhee Café from 10 a.m.…
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Swain to put land transfer tax on November ballot
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Swain County residents will vote November 6 on whether to enact a new tax…
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Bond hearings planned in Macon
Macon County leaders will get their first real taste of how the public feels about a $64 million bond vote…
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Childcare center’s closing surprises community
First United Methodist Church’s Child Development Center in Waynesville suddenly closed its daycare and after-school programs two weeks ago, leaving…
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SCC ranks fourth among all U.S. community colleges
Southwestern Community College ranks fourth in the nation in a new listing of America’s best community colleges and was the…
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Jackson’s Green Energy Park undergoes expansion
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The Jackson County Green Energy Park is slated to get even greener with the…
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Fontana Lake businesses close for the season
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Two of the three boat docks on the Swain County side of Fontana Lake…
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When to teach, when to tell? Sexual exploration among pre-schoolers is normal, but some activities cross the line
When a workshop on proper and improper sexual behavior in preschoolers premiered at a childcare conference in the region a…
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Blue Ridge Paper Products changes name, moves headquarters
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Blue Ridge Paper Products, long one of the largest employers in Western North Carolina,…
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Deed faux pas gives animal shelter to airport
Jackson County accidentally gave away the county’s animal shelter to the Jackson County Airport Authority 10 years ago, and now…
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On being Heath Shuler
The Smoky Mountain News caught up with Rep. Heath Shuler at his home in Haywood County. Here’s what he had…
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Case between McClure, Jackson County rages on
A lawsuit against Jackson County for disbanding the Jackson County Airport Authority two-and-a-half years ago is headed for another round…
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Voter rolls in Swain get house cleaning
The Swain County Board of Elections last week purged 110 voters from its rolls who had listed their voting address…
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Mussel shoals: Researchers study endangered mussel in the Tuckasegee River
Families piling into rafts at the Dillsboro put-in on the Tuckasegee River last week cast a leery eye at what…
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Hospital defends timing of expansion
Haywood Regional unveiled plans for a $16.5 million expansion two weeks ago on the heels of a workforce reduction designed…
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HRMC announces $16.5 million expansion
Haywood Regional Medical Center is planning a $16.5 million expansion including a surgery support wing, an endoscopy unit, a new…
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Shuler goes to Washington: WNC’s freshman House representative is already turning heads in congress
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Heath Shuler’s time so far in the House of Representatives is shorter than his…
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Republicans to Taylor: Make up your mind
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Ever since Democrat Heath Shuler’s upset of incumbent Charles Taylor in the 2006 election,…
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County wins bidding war for Jonathan Creek land
Haywood County has emerged as the high bidder for 22-acre tract of land in Jonathan Creek that will become a…
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Macon leaders finally address animal shelter crisis: Five years with no animal laws wore public thin
After years of debate over stray animals in Macon County — namely the lack of anywhere to take them —…
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Canton bridge project to cause delays
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Construction is slated to begin immediately on a structurally deficient bridge in downtown Canton,…
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