Tuckasegee quarry permit denied
 

Tuckasegee quarry permit denied

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Tuckasegee community members are at ease now that the state Department of Environment and…
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Franklin takes steps to fix sewage woes
 

Franklin takes steps to fix sewage woes

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Franklin town leaders are in the process of fixing some of the sewage spills…
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Transfer tax goes down in Swain, Macon: Macon school bond, others all defeated
 

Transfer tax goes down in Swain, Macon: Macon school bond, others all defeated

Voters in Swain and Macon counties soundly defeated land-transfer tax ballot initiatives Tuesday, dashing hopes that the newly approved measures…
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Jackson Airport study OK’d
 

Jackson Airport study OK’d

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Jackson County commissioners have decided to invest money in the county’s airport. Commissioners voted…
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Brown unseats Foy in mayor’s race: Incumbents Feichter, Caldwell, Moore win; Roberson also in
 

Brown unseats Foy in mayor’s race: Incumbents Feichter, Caldwell, Moore win; Roberson also in

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Former alderman Gavin Brown is now the new mayor of Waynesville, unseating 16-year incumbent…
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Incumbent Moody, newcomer Graham win in Sylva: Allen, Lewis tie will go to elections board
 

Incumbent Moody, newcomer Graham win in Sylva: Allen, Lewis tie will go to elections board

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Building a strong downtown district will be a top priority of the new Sylva…
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Sex offenders and civil liberties: Ordinance sparks debate over whether the two go hand and hand
 

Sex offenders and civil liberties: Ordinance sparks debate over whether the two go hand and hand

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Convicted sex offenders don’t have many advocates, but a recent rush of laws banning…
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Martin removed as editor in Cherokee
 

Martin removed as editor in Cherokee

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Last week Eastern Band of Cherokee officials made the decision to remove The Cherokee…
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Smart Roads Alliance seeks answers on Southern Loop
 

Smart Roads Alliance seeks answers on Southern Loop

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer In their fight to stop progress to the proposed Southern Loop, members of the…
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Shelter plan irks Hall Top residents
 

Shelter plan irks Hall Top residents

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer It’s a typical neighborhood with houses, trees, bikes in the yard, a basketball goal…
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Ample options, no decision yet on Franklin Town Hall relocation
 

Ample options, no decision yet on Franklin Town Hall relocation

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer The possibility of relocating Franklin’s town hall has been a topic of debate among…
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Decision expected soon on quarry permit
 

Decision expected soon on quarry permit

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Tuckasegee community members will learn next week if a rock quarry gets state approval…
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Who’ll pay the price?
 

Who’ll pay the price?

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer It’s lunchtime in downtown Hazelwood, and the small area’s only parking lot of roughly…
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Transfer tax would help Swain schools
 

Transfer tax would help Swain schools

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer After several years of trying to secure funding for school improvements, Swain County officials…
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Elections board investigates school bond activities
 

Elections board investigates school bond activities

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer A complaint filed against the Macon County School Board over questionable campaign actions has…
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Siler Road timeline
 

Siler Road timeline

The benefits to private development of the Siler Road project in Macon County figured prominently in early planning documents and…
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Four options considered for the new road
 

Four options considered for the new road

The N.C. Department of Transportation is mulling four options for a new road in Macon County that would facilitate future…
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Watershed logging remains election issue
 

Watershed logging remains election issue

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer An issue that caused a firestorm of controversy for Waynesville’s current town board is…
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Residents debate motives behind proposed road
 

Residents debate motives behind proposed road

Some Macon County residents are questioning the need for a proposed $11.5 million road project billed by the N.C. Department…
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Tax opponents organize in Macon, Swain
 

Tax opponents organize in Macon, Swain

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A property transfer tax that could potentially bring nearly a million dollars a year…
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Jackson library group needs to raise up to $1 million
 

Jackson library group needs to raise up to $1 million

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Now that a site has been chosen for the new Jackson County library, the…
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Railsback retraces ride to commemorate Honors College anniversary at WCU
 

Railsback retraces ride to commemorate Honors College anniversary at WCU

The dean of Western Carolina University’s Honors College hopes to replicate a successful fundraiser from a decade ago when he…
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Chief’s newspaper decree leads to free speech debate
 

Chief’s newspaper decree leads to free speech debate

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer The removal of an anonymous opinion column in the Cherokee One Feather has sparked…
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Two more seek 11th District GOP nomination
 

Two more seek 11th District GOP nomination

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Last week, John Armor, a Highlands attorney, became the third candidate to declare his…
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Two more seek 11th District GOP nomination
 

Two more seek 11th District GOP nomination

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Spence Campbell, chair of the Henderson County Republican Club, declared his intentions two weeks…
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The BCCCP Program: As women struggle to pay for cancer treatment, the funds to help them are drying up
 

The BCCCP Program: As women struggle to pay for cancer treatment, the funds to help them are drying up

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A mammogram costs $200 out of pocket. A round of radiation is close to…
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Crowded field seeks Canton seats
 

Crowded field seeks Canton seats

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Five candidates are stepping up to challenge the four incumbents on Canton’s town board,…
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New owners cut 150 jobs at paper mill
 

New owners cut 150 jobs at paper mill

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A round of layoffs struck Evergreen Packaging (formerly Blue Ridge Paper) last week when…
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Canton banks, businesses prepare for buyout infusion
 

Canton banks, businesses prepare for buyout infusion

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The town of Canton will experience an infusion of dollars Oct. 12 when Blue…
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Growth roundtable has guidelines, but now must decide how to use them
 

Growth roundtable has guidelines, but now must decide how to use them

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer What to do with advice to give, but no audience to receive it? That’s…
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Growth a major concern for Highlands hopefuls
 

Growth a major concern for Highlands hopefuls

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer Six candidates are vying for three spots on the Highland’s Town Board of Commissioners.
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Candidates reveal their take on land use plan
 

Candidates reveal their take on land use plan

Four years ago, the Waynesville town board passed a revolutionary land-use plan that elevated Waynesville to a state example of…
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Candidates: Review necessary to keep land use plan viable
 

Candidates: Review necessary to keep land use plan viable

All the candidates running for Waynesville town board and mayor seem to agree on one thing when it comes to…
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Ghost Town hires new general manager
 

Ghost Town hires new general manager

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Ghost Town in the Sky has named Kevin Bailey as its new general manager…
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Most Waynesville candidates support Russ Avenue fix
 

Most Waynesville candidates support Russ Avenue fix

The vast majority of candidates running for the Waynesville town board say they would support a major traffic redesign on…
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Tourism change could cost chambers
 

Tourism change could cost chambers

By Jennifer Garlesky • Staff Writer As Macon County officials work to create a new tourism development association, the financial…
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Waynesville candidates make their cases
 

Waynesville candidates make their cases

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Over 50 people came out to hear Waynesville’s next mayor speak at the this…
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What magazines would work best for Swain?
 

What magazines would work best for Swain?

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Advertising was the hot topic of discussion at the second meeting of the recently…
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Haywood’s League of Women Voters fosters non-partisan involvement
 

Haywood’s League of Women Voters fosters non-partisan involvement

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Voters can thank the recently formed Haywood County League of Women Voters for the…
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The new face of Waynesville: Town’s land use plan holds firm under pressure
 

The new face of Waynesville: Town’s land use plan holds firm under pressure

When Doug Anderson unfurled the blueprints for his latest assignment — a new Bojangles’ going up in Waynesville — he…
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Swain urged to tap into motorcycle tourism
 

Swain urged to tap into motorcycle tourism

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer The roar of motorcycles is a familiar sound in the mountains of Western North…
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Jackson library to go atop courthouse hill
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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
 

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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