A moment to celebrate: Haywood’s Recovery Court graduates second participant
Last Friday wasn’t Mark Beam’s first time facing a judge at the defendant’s table in Haywood County District Court, but…
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After fiasco, Congress fails to meet North Carolina’s hurricane recovery needs
Hurricane Helene victims in Western North Carolina have eagerly been awaiting an expected holiday gift in the form of federal…
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School board considers options for Jackson Community School
Jackson Community School — Jackson County’s alternative learning center — is the most expensive school in the district per pupil,…
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Macon animal control in need of staff
After a team of volunteers converged on a Macon County Board of Health meeting to express concerns about the state…
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Macon County couple endows fund to diversify WCU Fine Art Museum collections
The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center will be broadening…
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Additional Slide Delays I-40 Reopening
An additional chunk of asphalt fell away from an eastbound lane of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge this…
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Board approves athlete transfer policy without path for implementation
Despite having no recommendation to do so from its policy committee, legal advice outlining the complications of such a move,…
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Haywood Commissioners press on against misinformation
Two weeks after an unusual meeting where Commissioner Terry Ramey was told to resign over lies he helped spread about…
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Attorney General Stein recognizes heroism in Canton
A couple of people from Canton were recognized by Attorney General and incoming governor Josh Stein for their actions during the…
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WCU’s GivingTuesday nets $6 million
Friends and alumni contributed more than $6 million to Western Carolina University during the 2024 GivingTuesday initiative, nearly quadrupling the…
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Methodist Church donates to Mountain Projects
The North Carolina Conference of the Global Methodist Church has made a transformative donation of $150,000 to Mountain Projects, demonstrating…
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Lumbees double down against EBCI: Incoming governor faces tough political decision amid federal recognition fight
The bitter battle between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Lumbee as the Lumbee seek federal recognition has…
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General Assembly overrides governor’s veto of controversial flood relief bill
After decades of paying for hurricane recovery operations along the North Carolina coast, Western North Carolina taxpayers finally had a…
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The exit interview: Roy Cooper looks back, looks forward
On Jan. 11, 2025 at 10 a.m., North Carolina will have a new governor for the first time in eight…
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Saving the storm's silent victims: Helene stressed animal care infrastructure to its limits
Mary Garrison and her husband, Fairview Fire Department Battalion Chief Tony Garrison, awoke around 4 a.m. on Sept. 27 to…
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Pactiv merger leaves questions about Canton mill site
According to a press release issued Dec. 9, a merger between Pactiv Evergreen and Charlotte-based Novolex will provide better customer…
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Maggie Valley responds to former chief's lawsuit
Two months after former Maggie Valley Police Chief Russ Gilliland filed a lawsuit against the town for wrongful termination, the…
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Commissioners claim conflict of interest in TDA board appointment
When a routine appointment to the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority came up last week, commissioners decided to table the…
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SCC Executive VP Thom Brooks announces retirement
As a young boy, maybe 10 or 11 years old, Thom Brooks set foot onto Southwestern Community College’s campus in…
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Jackson appoints two new members to library board
The Jackson County Commission, with two new commissioners seated this month, chose to appoint two new members to the public…
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Jackson considers investments in walkability
Two projects underway in Jackson County are set to expand walkability and access to green spaces for residents. “The park…
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New Century Scholars inducted at SCC
Walking across the same stage on which they’ll one day receive their college degrees, seventh graders from Jackson, Macon and…
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Pactiv merger leaves questions about Canton mill site
According to a press release issued Dec. 9, a merger between Pactiv Evergreen and Charlotte-based Novolex will provide better customer…
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Group discusses hazards of drunk driving, potential new laws
The day before Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as “Blackout Wednesday,” a nod to the fact that it is one…
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HCS considers change to student athlete transfer policy
The Haywood County Board of Education is considering a change to its policy that governs transfers by student athletes between…
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Breeden sworn in, Young appointed chairman
The first commission meeting of December after an election usually comes with a change in leadership, and such was the…
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WCU appoints Henley as director of the Pride of the Mountains and Athletic Bands
Western Carolina University announced the appointment of Matt Henley as the next director of Athletic Bands and director of the…
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Haywood commissioner Ramey rebuked
Editor’s note: this story contains strong language. Since his election in 2022, Haywood County Commissioner Terry Ramey has been known…
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You are not alone: Macon housing needs assessment tells familiar story
When Patrick Bowen, president of Bowen National Research, presented a housing needs assessment to the Macon County’s board of commissioners…
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Veto override: Lawmakers expand funding for private school vouchers
Lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly voted last week to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto and pass a mini…
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Cooper taps Wijewickrama for superior court seat
Judge Roy Wijewickrama has been appointed to fill the recently vacated senior resident superior court seat in the district made…
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The Pigeon Center responds to community’s disaster needs: Support needed to make up fundraising shortfall
The Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center quickly became a storm recovery hub in Waynesville just days after Hurricane Helene devastated…
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WNC law enforcement aims to turn ‘Blackout Wednesday’ blue
In some areas, Thanksgiving Eve is one of the biggest drinking days of the year, and it is known the…
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Rental assistance available for homeowners, renters
Homeowners and renters in North Carolina may be eligible for FEMA Rental Assistance if they cannot live in their homes because…
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Sham Helene relief bill riles western leaders: Contentious veto override vote likely looms
To be, rather than to seem; North Carolina’s aspirational state motto evokes notions of determination and the desire for substance…
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Cooper taps Wijewickrama for superior court seat
Judge Roy Wijewickrama has been appointed to fill the recently vacated senior resident superior court seat in the district made…
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Gov. Cooper goes to D.C. after General Assembly fails to deliver on storm relief
With North Carolina’s Republican-dominated General Assembly still dead-set on refusing to provide meaningful relief for mountain communities hit hard by…
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Sound the siren: Spotlight shines on Canton mayor, staff at Hurricanes game
Sounding the Carolina Hurricanes’ ceremonial storm siren is a sort of sacred duty, something to be enjoyed, but also something…
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Haywood County takes stock, plots post-Helene recovery
Solid numbers on damage from Hurricane Helene are finally coming into Haywood County, along with a state plan to repurpose…
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Helene damage coming into focus in Waynesville
Like much of Haywood County, Waynesville wasn’t affected by Hurricane Helene as badly as many other Western North Carolina communities,…
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Canton honors radio stations for service during Hurricane Helene
In recognition of the exceptional public service provided by a trio of radio stations during Hurricane Helene — when nearly…
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Jackson, Macon, Swain reach FRL agreement
Macon County has approved a new version of the Fontana Regional Library interlocal agreement that contains changes made by all…
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Macon votes to retain environmental health fees
Macon County Commissioners decided last week to oppose Commissioner Paul Higdon’s push to eliminate environmental health fees, an initiative he…
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Canton Fire Department moving to new temporary home
The Town of Canton’s temporary operations hub on Summer Street, home to town hall and the police department since shortly…
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Hellbent Hope: Generative writing workshops
Helene tore through many people’s lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Some lost homes, as well as the…
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Shop local, shop small for hurricane recovery
Holiday shoppers across the region, the state, the country and even the world can give the gift of Haywood by…
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Volunteer effort hooks up displaced WNC residents with temporary housing
As the recovery from the flooding disaster brought on by Hurricane Helene transitions to a different phase with more long-term…
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Green wins race for superintendent of NC schools
While a majority of North Carolina voters chose Republican candidate Donald Trump for president of the United States, many split…
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Macon votes no, again, to quarter-cent sales tax
For the second time in two years, Macon County voters have rejected the implementation of a quarter-cent sales tax to…
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Jackson Commission considers increasing commissioner pay
With the General Election over and two new members set to join the Jackson County Commission in December, the board…
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