Body found in Macon in missing hiker case
Skeletal remains found in Macon County’s Nantahala National Forest Feb. 2 are those of an 80-year-old hiker who disappeared in…
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North Shore Road proponents fear wilderness designation
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer With a potential end to the North Shore Road saga looming, supporters of constructing…
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More than 150 attend Swain’s historic first MLK celebration
More than 150 people traveled from all over Western North Carolina to attend the first official Martin Luther King Jr.…
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Public weighs in on future of U.S. 441
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Progress on Jackson County’s corridor study for U.S. 441 is taking shape after three…
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Clean water for Racking Cove: Contentious water fund decision will provide Jackson residents with safe water
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer It’s been almost a year since Bonita Fox and her family have taken a…
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Sylva rescinds resignation vote, re-hires Denton
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Sylva’s search for a new town manager ended Jan. 17 after Town Manager Jay…
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The growing issue of elder abuse in WNC
The senior citizen population is growing in Western North Carolina, and with that increase comes the increasing potential for abuse,…
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Coal, energy needs at center of first lieutenant governor debate
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Coal-fired power plants and renewable energies took center stage as topics at last Saturday’s…
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Familiar face, new challenges: After 17 years away, Jack Horton returns to manage a changing Macon County
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Macon County welcomed its new County Manger Jack Horton back to Western North Carolina…
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The search for solutions: HRMC steps up to help fix mental health care
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Emergency rooms crowded with mentally ill patients. Sheriff’s deputies spending 96 hours supervising one…
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Sales tax may be answer to HCC’s $70 million needs
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer In one room, a jagged crack runs from wall to wall, evidence of an…
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Remembering a great leader: First MLK commission established in Swain County
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer When Denise Tyson realized she would have to trek to another county to take…
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Denton waits for green light on EDC job
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer After working two years as Sylva’s town manager, Jay Denton will be leaving his…
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Jackson’s Green Energy Park to appear on UNC-TV
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Viewers across the state will have the opportunity to learn about Jackson County’s green…
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TDA chair says pot charge no problem
The chair of Haywood County’s Tourism Development Authority says a misdemeaor marijuana charge against the organization’s executive director will not…
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The state of mental health care: A fractured system is in danger of breaking down completely, leaving officials wondering — how did it get this bad?
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Patricia Frisbee Meyer’s son needed help. The mental illness he had battled since childhood…
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Residents hear about alternatives for Southern Loop
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Tom Dowell searches a large topographic map of Jackson County for his home located…
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Lack of due diligence cited as reason for dam removal protests
The state recently gave Duke Energy the green light to tear down the Dillsboro dam, a move that Jackson County…
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Winter tourism up in WNC
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer As Shelli Milling of Georgia unpacked her minivan she watched her two sons play…
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Change is on the way for Howell Mill Road: DOT expansion project will carve through the heart of community
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The widening of Howell Mill Road in Waynesville will take years to complete, cost…
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Commissioners take a more aggressive stance in Dillsboro dam fight
Jackson County commissioners are contemplating drastic measures in their fight against Duke Energy to stop the Dillsboro dam from being…
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An account of Haywood County
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The crowning achievement of Haywood County’s bicentennial celebration is a 600-page, hardcover book that…
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Restaurant owners scramble to comply with mandatory recycling law
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Landfills in North Carolina should become a lot emptier due to a new law…
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Cowee group fights to keep school community-owned
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer For more than 60 years, students have been learning at Cowee Elementary School. But…
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Rapp tries to round up support for slope development bill
When back-to-back tropical storms hit the mountains with heavy rains in 2004, the saturated soils triggered more than 140 landslides.…
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On Cataloochee Wilderness: Project spokesman Frank Singleton talks about fitting into the community and facing possible opposition
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Frank Singleton, the spokesman for the 4,500-acre proposed Cataloochee Wilderness Resort in Haywood County,…
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Why he rode: Continental cyclist A.J. Rowell returns home to Sylva after nearly 10,000 miles on the road
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer On June 1, 2007, A.J. Rowell left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and began pedaling a…
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Mining company appeals decision; quarry’s future remains uncertain
A Franklin-based mining company has filed an appeal against the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources decision denying…
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WCU trustees OK fee increases
Western Carolina University’s board of trustees unanimously approved proposed tuition and fees for the 2008-09 academic year, including increases to…
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Fed OKs $6 million for North Shore Road payment
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer After 64 years, it looks like the battle over the North Shore Road in…
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2007: A year for development news
This year marked a turning point across Western North Carolina when it comes to political will and the development industry.
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TWASA waits for capacity expansion go-ahead
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Officials at Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority are waiting for the go-ahead from the…
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Home again: ‘Emissaries of Peace’ returns to Cherokee after a Smithsonian excursion
After a successful five-month run at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the “Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee…
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Maggie Valley gets new police station: It’s the town’s first new public building since incorporation in 1974
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer As captain of the Maggie Valley police department, Jason Moody normally keeps his emotions…
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Smathers aims for state’s second-highest political job
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer As mayor of Canton, Pat Smathers has overcome his fair share of obstacles —…
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Online shopping not taking a big byte yet, say store owners
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer This Christmas season, Laura Ammons has scoured for presents for her loved ones, checking…
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Jackson ponders the merit of continuing dam debate
Jackson County commissioners are weighing whether to continue a four-year fight against Duke Energy or cut their losses and bow…
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Swain’s subdivision ordinance tabled after stiff opposition
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Nearly 200 people packed a Swain County public hearing on Dec. 10 to voice…
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Getting connected: Regional internet access on the upswing
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Tommy Calhoun of Whittier stares at a web page on his white Mac notebook’s…
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Foundation helps families who lose babies to birth defects
An ornately decorated tree in the foyer of the Women’s Care Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center will help families…
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Macon seeks solution to animal woes
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Dealing with stray dogs and cats has been a problem for Macon County officials…
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Bryson halts sewer connections outside town limits
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Developers in Swain County eyeing a quick, easy connection to Bryson City’s sewer system…
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State gives dam removal a go Duke to be forced to dredge sediment
Duke Energy has received clearance from the state to tear down the Dillsboro dam but will be forced to dredge…
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Getting close to the food you eat
By Adam Bigelow • Guest Columnist The morning chill had lifted, mist had risen into the air, and as I…
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WCU forges ongoing relationship with Canton
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer With a new town board, a new town manager, and a growing influx of…
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The law of attraction: After a decade in Western North Carolina, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino continues to be an economic powerhouse
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer In the 10 years since the opening of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in November 1997,…
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Macon County explores TDA options
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Macon County business leaders are devising a plan to ensure that the county’s lodging…
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Taylor makes it official: He’s not running
After months of keeping his fellow Western North Carolina Republicans guessing, former U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) has decided not…
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Canary Coalition aims for the airwaves
By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer A Sylva-based environmental organization may be sending its message out over the airwaves. For…
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