Taylor says forest sale ‘not going to happen’
 

Taylor says forest sale ‘not going to happen’

Western North Carolina Rep. Charles Taylor, R-Brevard, has spoken out against the proposed sale of 300,000 thousand acres of National…
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Pharmacists find themselves on the receiving end of Medicare confusion
 

Pharmacists find themselves on the receiving end of Medicare confusion

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer As the revamped Medicare system moves from policy to practice, pharmacies nationwide increasingly are…
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Metal building in downtown Bryson raises eyebrows
 

Metal building in downtown Bryson raises eyebrows

A metal building recently erected on Main Street in Bryson City has sparked discussion over what can be done to…
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May cause confusion: Medicare prescription drug benefit plan options create problems for participants
 

May cause confusion: Medicare prescription drug benefit plan options create problems for participants

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Arthur Pitts sat in a plastic lawn chair waiting to pick up prescriptions from…
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LTLT helps conserve 53-acre historic farm
 

LTLT helps conserve 53-acre historic farm

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) recently acquired a “working farm conservation easement” protecting 53 acres of rich…
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Sylva aldermen put mixed drinks vote on May ballot
 

Sylva aldermen put mixed drinks vote on May ballot

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Sylva voters will have another go at passing liquor by the drink in this…
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Rogers, newspapers earn Main Street awards
 

Rogers, newspapers earn Main Street awards

The Downtown Waynesville Association’s Patsy Rogers was honored as a Main Street Champion in a recent Main Street awards ceremony…
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National forest proposal provides fodder for Taylor-Shuler race
 

National forest proposal provides fodder for Taylor-Shuler race

By Becky Johnson and Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writers A plan to sell off more than 6,500 acres of the…
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Interpretation of precedent could decide Reece’s fate with Haywood TDA board
 

Interpretation of precedent could decide Reece’s fate with Haywood TDA board

The fate of a controversial figure on the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is still up in the air two…
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HCC gets grant for machining center
 

HCC gets grant for machining center

The Golden LEAF Foundation has made a $1,573,109 grant to Haywood Community College to establish an advanced machining center at…
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Greenway contract dispute settled
 

Greenway contract dispute settled

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Macon County and Natural Resources Conservation Services officials have negotiated a settlement to a…
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Town’s support of road project irks aldermen
 

Town’s support of road project irks aldermen

Some members of the Waynesville board of aldermen are questioning whether Mayor Henry Foy acted in bounds when he wrote…
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Saving the language: Teachers, parents, tribal elders and new innovative immersion programs are helping to keep the Cherokee language alive
 

Saving the language: Teachers, parents, tribal elders and new innovative immersion programs are helping to keep the Cherokee language alive

By Michael Beadle It’s a special day for 14-month-old Tawodi Clapsaddle. Several adults including his father, Ethan, look on as…
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School traffic expert offers alternative solution
 

School traffic expert offers alternative solution

Residents opposed to a plan to add a middle-turn lane along sections of Plott Creek Road in Waynesville have garnered…
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Sequoyah: inventor of talking leaves
 

Sequoyah: inventor of talking leaves

By Michael Beadle Sequoyah is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in Native American history — and quite rightly…
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TDA wants Reece off board
 

TDA wants Reece off board

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority called for the removal of one of its board members, Wade Reece in a…
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Waynesville students use art class to help raise money for soup kitchen
 

Waynesville students use art class to help raise money for soup kitchen

By Michael Beadle Art class is not just a place to make art for yourself — sometimes it’s a place…
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Taylor-Shuler: What’s expected to turn into a wide open congressional race as November nears is now just barely on the radar for WNC residents
 

Taylor-Shuler: What’s expected to turn into a wide open congressional race as November nears is now just barely on the radar for WNC residents

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The race for the 11th District’s U.S. House of Representatives seat is officially off…
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Up in the air no longer: Judge’s ruling keeps McClure on the airport authority
 

Up in the air no longer: Judge’s ruling keeps McClure on the airport authority

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County Airport Authority members are hoping to get on with business following a…
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Haywood schools appear ready to pass tobacco ban
 

Haywood schools appear ready to pass tobacco ban

Haywood County schools could go tobacco free starting in the fall of 2007, banning smoking and chewing not only for…
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Closed session minutes reveal reasons for EDC probe
 

Closed session minutes reveal reasons for EDC probe

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A Superior Court Judge has ruled that Jackson County Commissioners acted illegally when they…
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Board made wrong decision, says press attorney
 

Board made wrong decision, says press attorney

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County commissioners’ failure to follow state Open Meetings Law was a failure to…
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Bethel gets $30,000 for flood recovery
 

Bethel gets $30,000 for flood recovery

The North Carolina Rural Center has provided a $30,000 grant to Haywood County to assist with flood recovery and flood…
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Waiting for the smoke to clear: Officers deal with the professional and emotional aftermath of using a gun in the line of duty
 

Waiting for the smoke to clear: Officers deal with the professional and emotional aftermath of using a gun in the line of duty

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Law enforcement officers might spend their entire careers without ever firing their gun in…
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Residents irate about DOT’s plan for Hazelwood Elementary road
 

Residents irate about DOT’s plan for Hazelwood Elementary road

A $1.66 million plan to build middle turn lanes on Plott Creek Road from Hazelwood Elementary School to Sulphur Springs…
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$254 million Harrah’s expansion targets baby boomers
 

$254 million Harrah’s expansion targets baby boomers

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel is planning a $254 million expansion and upgrade of its operations, including a third hotel…
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A wide open race in Jackson
 

A wide open race in Jackson

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer In what outgoing Jackson County commissioner Eddie Madden has called an “unusually quiet” election…
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Wal-Mart talk still going strong in Cherokee
 

Wal-Mart talk still going strong in Cherokee

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer In the meat aisle of the Reservation Foodliner IGA a customer picks up a…
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North shore to Nowhere: Controversy countdown or just another chapter?
 

North shore to Nowhere: Controversy countdown or just another chapter?

Opinions on whether to build a 34-mile road through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park seem to be falling into…
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Cash: a better deal than a road
 

Cash: a better deal than a road

There’s more than one way for the federal government to make up its promise to Swain County to rebuild the…
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Call of the wild resounds loud and clear
 

Call of the wild resounds loud and clear

Environmental groups and outdoors lovers packed the public hearing in Bryson City last week to decry the idea of building…
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Build the road, honor our sacrifice
 

Build the road, honor our sacrifice

Those who want the government to build the road it flooded when Fontana Lake was created say the issue boils…
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Macon takes official stand against I-3
 

Macon takes official stand against I-3

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The Stop I-3 Coalition received a major boost in its efforts to prevent construction…
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Downtown may get internally lit signs
 

Downtown may get internally lit signs

The Waynesville town board will consider a request to loosen sign regulations for the downtown district for the second time…
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DOT plows ahead despite outcry from residents
 

DOT plows ahead despite outcry from residents

Despite overwhelming opposition from residents, the N.C. Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to widen Plott Creek Road…
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County Manager resignation fallout spills over into Haywood Rotary Club
 

County Manager resignation fallout spills over into Haywood Rotary Club

The Waynesville Rotary Club has been caught up in the fallout following the forced resignation of Haywood County Manager Jack…
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Board majority said Horton violated trust
 

Board majority said Horton violated trust

Haywood County Manager Jack Horton was dismissed from his post in early January by a 3 to 2 vote of…
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New collection brings old materials into sharp focus at Western library
 

New collection brings old materials into sharp focus at Western library

Working with four heritage partners, Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library is creating a virtual collection of objects, documents, letters, photos…
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Watch what you eat: Consistency, cleanliness are paramount to good sanitation ratings
 

Watch what you eat: Consistency, cleanliness are paramount to good sanitation ratings

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Donna Stephens, owner and operator of The Yellow House bed and breakfast in Waynesville,…
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Consumer tips for dining out
 

Consumer tips for dining out

Eating healthy can also mean eating safe. In North Carolina, three food borne diseases are at the top of health…
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New patient data system to link WNC hospitals
 

New patient data system to link WNC hospitals

Every patient knows the drill. Walk up to the window, tell the nurse your name, take the clipboard and seek…
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Haywood development entity contributes to business start-up competition
 

Haywood development entity contributes to business start-up competition

The Haywood Advancement Foundation, a non-profit economic development entity, has pledged $2,700 to the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce start-up…
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700 acres near Cashiers put into easement
 

700 acres near Cashiers put into easement

More than 700 acres outside Cashiers has been placed in a conservation easement by the Albert Carlton family, protecting the…
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Where did we come from? Student perspectives vary
 

Where did we come from? Student perspectives vary

As judges and lawyers, politicians and lobbyists, and parents and school officials debate the place of evolution and creationism in…
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Waynesville could be hostage to Progress Energy prices
 

Waynesville could be hostage to Progress Energy prices

Two years ago, the future of Waynesville’s electric system — a lucrative cash cow for the town — was turned…
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Town will be forced to make adjustments
 

Town will be forced to make adjustments

Waynesville’s residents have long reaped the benefits of the town’s electricity enterprise — a sideline business that was making $1.2…
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Grassroots organizing
 

Grassroots organizing

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer As residents in the Cashiers area pull together to address their community’s needs through…
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Cashiers residents form civic group
 

Cashiers residents form civic group

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Members of the Cashiers area are organizing a new civic association to direct the…
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Creation or evolution: an age old debate
 

Creation or evolution: an age old debate

As the nation debates the role of creation and evolution in the classroom, a research paper assigned in a 10th-grade…
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TDA proposal would eliminate corridor funding
 

TDA proposal would eliminate corridor funding

Turf divisions in the Haywood County tourism industry are melting away on more than one front these days. At the…
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