Blinded by the light: WNC clogger becomes social media sensation
Before March 2022, 28-year-old Zeb Ross didn’t have a social media presence. No Instagram, TikTok or Twitter. He did have…
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Mainspring considers Ela Dam purchase
Franklin-based nonprofit Mainspring Conservation Trust will take the lead in efforts to remove 97-year-old Ela Dam if its board decides…
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Lawsuit puts Ghost Town development in limbo
Just two weeks after a lawsuit was filed to dissolve Ghost Town in the Sky, LLC — the company that…
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SRCA board operates with reduced membership
Over the last eight months, three board members have either resigned or been removed from the Shining Rock Classical Academy…
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Jackson to receive $3 million in opioid settlement
Jackson County will receive more than $3 million as part of an opioid settlement. The timeline for collecting that money,…
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Tribe seeks state recognition for enrollment cards
While the federal government considers tribal enrollment cards official forms of identification sufficient to board a domestic flight or cross…
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Haywood Healthcare Foundation awards grants
The Haywood Healthcare Foundation Board of Trustees voted at its June meeting to award $497,500 in grants for fiscal year…
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Ceremony celebrates High School Equivalency grads
Like every other graduate at Southwestern Community College’s High School Equivalency commencement ceremony, Calbert Christian navigated a unique road on…
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BearWaters to host community event on anniversary of catastrophic flood
Exactly one year after a flash flood killed six people and wreaked havoc in Haywood County, BearWaters Brewing Company is…
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‘We just held on’ : A year after historic flood, Cruso family is still rebuilding
Handing an old red bandana back and forth to wipe away the tears emerging from their eyes, Wendy and Chuck…
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When the next one comes: Emergency managers work toward flood preparedness
In the year since Tropical Storm Fred ravaged Western North Carolina, emergency managers have been busy working to ensure that…
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After the Flood: Trying times, trauma, trepidation and triumph
Hours earlier, Natasha Bright had been trapped atop a bunk bed in a barricaded bedroom with her dogs, her cats…
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Haywood Schools still face deluge of flood repairs
On Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 17, 2021, the second day of the school year, Haywood County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte…
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Delivered through the storm: Cruso man’s struggle to rebuild eased by community’s compassion
Ben Wilson recently got around to looking at footage from security cameras at his home captured the day he watched…
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Tribe, Caesars break ground on $650 million Virginia casino project
At an Aug. 11 event that Principal Chief Richard Sneed said felt more like a pep rally than a ceremony,…
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Laurel Ridge Country Club changes ownership
Waynesville’s Laurel Ridge Country Club has changed ownership, with a new era beginning.
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Smokies adopts parking fee
Starting March 1, visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will no longer be completely free — a first for…
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Phony writ from sham court offers bounties for national, state and local lawmakers
More than three dozen Western North Carolina judges, elected officials and municipal employees have been “served” with a bogus judgement…
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Obsolete Haywood body armor headed for Ukraine
Eight sets of unusable level 3A ballistic armor are now on their way from Haywood County to Ukraine thanks to…
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The messiest story you can have: A Western perspective on the war in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine may seem a million miles away, but one doesn’t have to travel halfway across the world…
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Tribe to partner on $650 million Virginia casino complex
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will partner with Caesars Entertainment Inc on a $650 million casino resort in Danville,…
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‘A Herculean feat’: Forest Service aims to satisfy objections in last round of plan revisions
A decade of meetings, hearings, comments, debate and disagreement over the future of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests culminated in…
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School systems still hiring
With the beginning of the school year right around the corner, school systems across North Carolina are struggling to fill…
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Haywood Builders sold to Southeast Building Supply
Haywood Builders Supply, a longtime staple in the county, has been sold to Southeast Building Supply Interests — but customers…
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Edwards will debate only once during NC-11 contest
With just over 90 days remaining until November’s General Election, Republican nominee and state Sen. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) announced last…
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Tribal Council approves $15 million more for golf course hotel project
The Cherokee Tribal Council voted 9-3 Aug. 4 to increase the $23.5 million budget for a new hotel on the…
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No applications for Jackson Tourism Capital Project Fund
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority created its own Tourism Capital Project Fund this year. However, when the deadline came…
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Electric Vehicle Charging Station Now Operational at Town Hall
The Town of Franklin partnered with Duke Energy to install a level 3 fast-charging station in the town hall parking…
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Haywood to receive substantial grant funding for affordable housing
An unexpected $8 million windfall from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has the potential to help community…
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DOJ awards $1-million-dollar grant to support Haywood students
A recent federal grant award for the Preventing School Violence initiative was awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice to…
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WNC counties eligible for the Agricultural Crop Loss Program
N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced that farmers in 11 additional counties are eligible for the Western N.C. Agricultural Crop…
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JCPS more than doubles preschool capacity
Jackson County Public Schools has more than doubled its preschool capacity prior to the start of the new school year…
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Cherokee museum granted land use permit for future collections facility
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has issued a land use permit allowing the Museum of the Cherokee Indian…
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Junaluska Leadership Award presented to Long-time supporters
Long-time Lake Junaluska supporters Steve Berwager and husband-and-wife Bernie and Snookie Brown are the 2022 recipients of the Junaluska Leadership…
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Haywood Schools superintendent announces retirement
Dr. Bill Nolte announced his retirement earlier today in meetings with principals and Central Office staff. His retirement is effective…
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Energetic debate: Duke’s carbon plan proposal elicits criticism
As a harsh late afternoon sun beat down on Asheville’s city sidewalks Wednesday, July 27, a crowd of about 100…
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Sylva addresses short-term rentals
The Town of Sylva updated its zoning ordinance earlier this year but left the short-term rental ordinance as it was…
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Crowds rally for forest protections
More than 300 people gathered outside the U.S. Forest Service headquarters in Asheville Monday, Aug. 1, to urge stronger protections…
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Haywood gets almost $400k for more flood mitigation
As the one-year anniversary of deadly flooding from Tropical Storm Fred approaches, Haywood County officials are still busy chasing down…
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With costs rising, Waynesville accepts wastewater treatment bid
Now entering its seventh year, the process of replacing Waynesville’s outdated wastewater treatment plant has become a frustrating saga that…
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Clayton wins school board runoff
Abigail Clayton won the runoff for Jackson County School Boards of Education and will remain in her seat representing district…
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‘Call Me MISTER’ holds orientation at WCU
An instrumental program for educating future K-12 teachers while more accurately reflecting real world demographics began its second year at…
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Maggie Valley Club & Resort welcomes new director of golf
The Maggie Valley Club & Resort, a semi-private club and resort located in the mountains of Western North Carolina, is…
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Waynesville appoints new planning board members
After reviewing applications and conducting a thorough interview process, the Town of Waynesville’s Board of Aldermen have settled on four…
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Waynesville to ask county to chip in on recreation costs
Citing precedent and historical trends, the town of Waynesville will request that Haywood County government resume its annual financial contribution…
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Plans laid for new Franklin High School
The first class to graduate from the current Franklin High School did so in 1952. Back then, there were fewer…
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Giles’ new Hazelwood facility nears completion
The Giles division of Premier Magnesia announced that it is now almost done with construction on its new expansion in…
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Franklin welcomes frozen custard spot at new food truck park
The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Brain Freeze Fun Frozen Custard.
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More repairs needed in Allen Street project
An inclinometer on the prefab slope above Bryson Park shows that some movement has occurred since it was installed more…
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Key West man comes away with Haywood distillery as foreclosure auction ends
The foreclosure auction to see who will get the property that’s housed Elevated Mountain Distilling Company since 2016 has ended…
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