What commissioners said
 

What commissioners said

Chairman Brian McMahan, lone “no” vote “I’ve thought long and hard about this process. I thought about what will the…
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Keeping of the bees: The changing face of apiculture
 

Keeping of the bees: The changing face of apiculture

Hugh Gibby knows a little something about honeybees. He’s kept them for 63 of his 78 years, following in the…
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So you want to be a beekeeper?
 

So you want to be a beekeeper?

If you want to keep bees, the best thing you can do is join a local beekeeping club. Here you’ll…
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Improving the science of development
 

Improving the science of development

When Bob Brannon saw a newspaper announcement last spring seeking developers to participate in a pilot mapping project, he already…
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New Macon library to become Fontana system’s showcase
 

New Macon library to become Fontana system’s showcase

It’s no small task moving a library.
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Moratorium debate reveals deep rift in Jackson
 

Moratorium debate reveals deep rift in Jackson

The debate over a proposed moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson County is divided into two main camps: those who…
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Fontana library system has deep roots
 

Fontana library system has deep roots

The six libraries in Macon, Jackson and Swain counties are part of the Fontana Regional Library system, headquartered at Marianna…
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Crowded, contentious hearing remains civil
 

Crowded, contentious hearing remains civil

More than 1,300 people crowded into the public hearing last week over a proposed moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson…
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Plan to buy building with room tax hike meets opposition
 

Plan to buy building with room tax hike meets opposition

A push to move the Swain County Chamber of Commerce into a vacant bank building is meeting resistance from some…
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WCU launches ambitious $40 million campaign
 

WCU launches ambitious $40 million campaign

Western Carolina University Chancellor John W. Bardo has officially launched the first comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university’s 118-year history,…
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Downtown Waynesville wi-fi to go live by April
 

Downtown Waynesville wi-fi to go live by April

Since Suzanne Gernandt opened Textures in downtown Waynesville three years ago, she’s noticed one question in particular has been on…
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This time, neighbors want Wal-Mart’s drawing power
 

This time, neighbors want Wal-Mart’s drawing power

With Wal-Mart’s future in Franklin in limbo, business owners near the existing big-box store continue to worry they’ll lose the…
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Project will track growing number of lots
 

Project will track growing number of lots

As Western North Carolina wrestles with growth issues, a project is under way to track where and how large mountain…
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Emotions build in run-up to moratorium hearing
 

Emotions build in run-up to moratorium hearing

Frenzy surrounding a proposed moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson County reached a fever pitch in the run-up to a…
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Easley urges legislature to fix Medicaid woes
 

Easley urges legislature to fix Medicaid woes

For years, county leaders have been lobbying law makers in Raleigh to stop packing off a portion of Medicaid costs…
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River group considers car removal from Tuck
 

River group considers car removal from Tuck

A fledgling effort now under way could lead to the cleanup of junked cars lining the banks of the Tuckasegee…
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Wi-Fi part of regional wireless initiative
 

Wi-Fi part of regional wireless initiative

A new 8.5-mile fiber optic cable linking government buildings in Waynesville has recently been installed.
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Swain seats new planning board
 

Swain seats new planning board

One Swain County resident expressed concern last week that developers and speculators will rush to break ground on mountainside subdivisions…
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Plug pulled on downtown Sylva taxing district
 

Plug pulled on downtown Sylva taxing district

The Downtown Sylva Association has dropped the idea of a special downtown property tax due to a lack of support…
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Opponents lining up to challenge Chief Hicks
 

Opponents lining up to challenge Chief Hicks

Even before filing opens March 1, four candidates have emerged to challenge Principal Chief Michell Hicks for the top leadership…
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Haywood leaders say tax hike a possibility to meet needs
 

Haywood leaders say tax hike a possibility to meet needs

Haywood County commissioners suggested they could be amenable to a slight property tax increase this year if there is something…
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Ghost Town deal with state should expedite May opening
 

Ghost Town deal with state should expedite May opening

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The owner of Ghost Town in the Sky and the North Carolina Department of…
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Election controversy plagues Swain
 

Election controversy plagues Swain

When Commissioner Glenn Jones pulled into the Stillhouse Branch trailer park in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Swain County…
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New golf course owner promises major upgrades
 

New golf course owner promises major upgrades

Following several years of decline and neglect, Smoky Mountain Golf Course in Whittier has been wrested away from its out-of-state…
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Haywood organizations honored for their environmental efforts
 

Haywood organizations honored for their environmental efforts

The Commission for a Clean County has announced the first place and honorable mention winners of its 2006 Haywood County…
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Development industry opposes subdivision moratorium
 

Development industry opposes subdivision moratorium

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A group of about 20 angry Realtors and developers showed up uninvited at a…
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Twenty questions
 

Twenty questions

Jackson County commissioners have called for a public hearing on a proposed moratorium on new subdivision development while the planning…
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DSA drops special tax proposal
 

DSA drops special tax proposal

The Downtown Sylva Association has dropped the idea of a special downtown property tax due to a lack of support…
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Greenwood’s slow exit gives Macon leaders rare chance
 

Greenwood’s slow exit gives Macon leaders rare chance

When Macon County Manager Sam Greenwood retires at the end of this year, he’ll take with him more than three…
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Sylva leaders to discuss proposed downtown tax
 

Sylva leaders to discuss proposed downtown tax

Controversy among downtown Sylva merchants and property owners could either escalate or come to a close this week, depending on…
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Swain makes appointments to first planning board
 

Swain makes appointments to first planning board

Swain County leaders took the first step toward regulating unchecked growth and development this week by appointing the county’s first-ever…
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Stamey named new Haywood EMS director
 

Stamey named new Haywood EMS director

Canton native Marty Stamey has been named the new director of Haywood County’s Emergency Medical Services program.
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Rural growth prompts ambulance response time debate
 

Rural growth prompts ambulance response time debate

As the population in the rural areas of Haywood County grows, leaders are being faced with the question of whether…
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Jackson may put temporary stop to growth
 

Jackson may put temporary stop to growth

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County commissioners have taken the first step toward temporarily stopping new subdivision development,…
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Time to get in on Haywood 2008 bicentennial
 

Time to get in on Haywood 2008 bicentennial

It’s still 11 months away, but organizers of a year-long Haywood County bicentennial celebration in 2008 are already counting down…
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Emergency room group sues HRMC
 

Emergency room group sues HRMC

A long-time group of emergency room doctors in Haywood County filed a lawsuit against Haywood Regional Medical Center this week.
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Betting on the future
 

Betting on the future

In a suite on the 16th floor of Harrah’s Cherokee hotel and casino, Cherokee leaders happily milled about as an…
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Upping the ante
 

Upping the ante

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is placing a $650 million bet that visitors…
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WCU buys on-campus commercial buildings
 

WCU buys on-campus commercial buildings

Western Carolina University is now the proud owner of the strip of commercial property known locally as the downtown Cullowhee…
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TDA has equal parts Maggie Valley, Waynesville
 

TDA has equal parts Maggie Valley, Waynesville

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners have appointed two new members to the Tourism Development Authority board: Deborah Reed, a…
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Swain election investigation could be  two months away
 

Swain election investigation could be two months away

The North Carolina Election Board says it could be another month or two before someone can make the trip from…
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Meal deal at Swain jail worth as much as $100,000 annually, new sheriff says
 

Meal deal at Swain jail worth as much as $100,000 annually, new sheriff says

Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran has estimated how much his predecessor might have made under the table feeding jail inmates:…
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Franklin declines to help shopping center owner keep Wal-Mart
 

Franklin declines to help shopping center owner keep Wal-Mart

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Franklin town officials have turned down a request made by the owners of the…
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Economic commission overhaul stalls over board make-up
 

Economic commission overhaul stalls over board make-up

An overhaul of economic development strategy in Jackson County has temporarily stalled over who will be in charge.
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Downtown Sylva Association weighs the benefits of a taxing district
 

Downtown Sylva Association weighs the benefits of a taxing district

When Howard Alligood heard about a group of Sylva merchants lobbying for a special downtown tax, he got a little…
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Town leaders say property owner opinions will be deciding factor in downtown tax
 

Town leaders say property owner opinions will be deciding factor in downtown tax

Leaders of the Downtown Sylva Association are drumming up support for a special taxing district that would raise money to…
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Sylva may decrease size of proposed taxing district
 

Sylva may decrease size of proposed taxing district

Leaders of a downtown Sylva movement are considering downsizing a proposed special taxing district to encompass only the core downtown…
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The school of fish: Haywood students raise fish to re-introduce into a cleaner Pigeon River
 

The school of fish: Haywood students raise fish to re-introduce into a cleaner Pigeon River

Students in Haywood County are on the front lines of an ambitious effort to reintroduce a slew of native species…
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The Pigeon flies again: Long-time fish advisory on fish consumption lifted
 

The Pigeon flies again: Long-time fish advisory on fish consumption lifted

Thanks to major environmental investments by Blue Ridge Paper Products in Canton, the last advisory against eating fish downstream of…
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More questions raised in Maggie land deal
 

More questions raised in Maggie land deal

New developments have emerged involving the the purchase of a small piece of land in Maggie Valley by the town…
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