Voter testimony
The following testimony was provided by Rhonda Bedsaul, 47, of Swain County. A similar account was provided by Bedsaul’s husband,…
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Everybody wants on the TDA: Recent publicity and problems are likely catalysts
A record number of applicants are seeking seats on the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, likely spurred by the ongoing…
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Sylva downtown group to hire executive director
Downtown Sylva Association members have voted unanimously to hire an executive director, setting the organization up to more actively advocate…
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Hike in early voters strains Swain election office
The surge in early voting witnessed in the last election has prompted the Swain County election board to hunt for…
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Maggie alderman profits from land sale to town
An elected board member in Maggie Valley has collected $6,500 in commission from the town after acting as the town’s…
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Blue Ridge Heritage grants total $340,000
Dillsboro and Southwestern Community College’s Heritage Arts Institute in Swain County were among the 18 grant recipients from the Blue…
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Franklin hires planner, GIS specialist
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff writer The Town of Franklin is taking steps toward implementing its recently adopted Principals of Growth,…
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Land-use planning takes center stage in Jackson
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County commissioners have set in motion a strategy to make up for the…
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Green Energy Park earns EPA recognition
Jackson County’s Green Energy Park has received the Environmental Protection Agency’s Project of the Year award, giving the one-of-a-kind methane…
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Cherokee heads into election with absentee limits in place
As the Cherokee election season gets under way in the race for chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,…
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DSA plans series of meetings to discuss downtown taxing district
The Downtown Sylva Association will hold a series of public meetings in January to answer questions about a proposed municipal…
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Principles of Growth for the Town of Franklin
Preamble What can we do now to ensure that in 20 years Franklin will still be recognized as a great…
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WLOS no longer available on Mediacom
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Local Mediacom cable subscribers up late Friday night saw their ABC affiliate WLOS Channel…
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Support builds for Haywood land trust
Dave Curphey’s story is a dime a dozen. Fed up with the urban sprawl that ruined his small town in…
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Speaking out
More than 300 people attended a public hearing on Land For Tomorrow in Asheville last week, overwhelming the expectations of…
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Self-preservation
Land For Tomorrow is a statewide initiative launched last year to set aside $1 billion for land conservation over the…
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Details of the new policy
A new public comment and meeting policy has been adopted by the Swain County Board of Commissioners. Here are some…
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Phoenix says transition smooth despite patient complaints
A corporate entity took over emergency room operations at Haywood Regional Medical Center last week, and so far it hasn’t…
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Haywood pushes legislative agenda
Creation of a one-half cent local option sales tax to support building needs at Haywood Community College and tax relief…
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The EDC question: Comparing and contrasting various models, as Jackson looks toward the future
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer If there’s one thing economic development officials agree on, it’s that there’s no one…
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A brief history of a complicated situation
By Sarah Kucharski In January 2005, Jackson County Commissioners called in more than $1.2 million in loans issued to six…
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Doctors criticize board’s decision and its process
The current falling out between Haywood Regional Medical Center and the ER doctors is a symptom of a larger problem…
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The news of 2006
2006 was a big year for news in the mountains. From the economy to the world of politics, there’s been…
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Emergency physicians air concerns, hear public input at community forum
Haywood Emergency Physicians expressed concern at a public forum last Tuesday night (Dec. 19) about the turnover of emergency room…
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Jackson commissioners take control of airport authority appointments
Jackson County Commissioners last week strategically deferred making a decision about who would become the newest member of the Jackson…
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Hospital board stands by ER decision
Despite outcry from the medical community and general public, the hospital board of Haywood Regional Medical Center has stood by…
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Hospital board stands by ER decision
A new set of doctors will take over emergency room operations at Haywood Regional Medical Center at midnight on the…
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Moratorium stops high-rises
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Macon County Commissioners unanimously approved a moratorium on high-rise development Monday, giving county planning…
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Mediation needed, says medical staff: Doctors vote 50-2 to ask HRMC administration to find ‘win-win’ solution
The Haywood County medical community sent a strong message at a countywide meeting of doctors last Tuesday night (Dec. 12).…
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Land for Tomorrow wins Jackson support
Jackson County Commissioners passed a resolution Monday night (Dec. 18) encouraging the state General Assembly to provide funding for the…
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Jackson County mulls EDC participation
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Two years have passed since the Jackson County Commissioners suspended their participation with the…
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Doctor's resolution
Here is a copy of the resolution, which was passed by the Medical Executive Committee on Dec. 6 and affirmed…
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Biodiesel station opens in Cullowhee
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The delivery of 3,000 gallons of B-20 biodiesel manufactured by Smoky Mountain Biofuels made…
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Q&A with Haywood ER doctors
Haywood Emergency Physicians held a two-hour town hall style meeting Tuesday night to answer questions about the termination of their…
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What are the issues, and what’s being done about them?
Emergency room doctors at Haywood Regional Medical Center have been on a collision course with hospital administration since a brand-new…
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WCU students help with Cullowhee church plans
The competition between Western Carolina University students to win a building contract at a Cullowhee church was just for fun,…
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Sylva discusses downtown parking woes
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Parking along Sylva’s downtown Main Street is a challenge.
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Physicians seek solution to HRMC-ER dispute
The Haywood County medical community was expected to voice its disatisfaction Tuesday night with a move by Haywood Regional Medical…
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Phoenix says doctor recruitment going well
Phoenix Emergency Physicians is making progress rounding up a new set of emergency room doctors to work at Haywood Regional…
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Mayor wants windfall from watershed invested
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The Town of Sylva has begun surveying the Fisher Creek watershed in anticipation of…
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Divided Franklin board OKs Super Wal-Mart
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer With the announcement of plans to bring a new Wal-Mart Supercenter to Franklin, some…
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Community Assurance Statement
The following statement was provided to The Smoky Mountain News following a meeting of the Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospital…
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Campaign kicks off to replace historic Francis Mill’s waterwheel
The Francis Mill Preservation Society in Haywood County is gearing up for a major campaign to replace the metal wheel…
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Turf war leads to ousting of ER docs
An ongoing power struggle between Haywood Regional Medical Center CEO David Rice and doctors in the emergency room came to…
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Sylva librarian resigns as of Jan. 31
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County Librarian Michael Cartwright will be resigning from his post by the end…
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Rapp promotes regional approach to address slope development
A regional effort is afoot to address mountainside and slope development as a region rather than relying on individual counties…
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Mid-stream contract rewrite
Haywood Regional Medical Center and Haywood Emergency Physicians disagree over whether it was necessary to rewrite the doctors’ contract with…
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Macon prepares high-rise moratorium
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A high-rise moratorium is in the works for Macon County. On Monday night (Dec.…
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ER physicians call foul over contract termination
After a sudden termination of their contract by Haywood Regional Medical Center last week, emergency room doctors say the reputation…
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Recreation could be big winner in TDA shuffle
The tax on overnight lodging in Haywood County could be increased next year pending approval by the state legislature.
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