Jackson commissioners delay budget adoption
Faced with a mounting backlog of infrastructure needs, Jackson County commissioners have failed to agree on a basic annual budget…
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Jackson County votes to leave Fontana Regional Library system
Editor's note: this story has been updated with a statement from Cynthia Mason Womble, acting chair of the Fontana Regional…
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Haywood County confronts addiction crisis with ambitious public health response
It starts the same way, most times — sirens in the distance, a frantic call, a body on the floor…
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Koonce receives ‘Heroic Hands’ award
Haywood County Emergency Management Officer Zack Koonce has been named a 2025 recipient of the “Heroic Hands” Award, presented by…
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I-40 closed near state line
Heavy rains on the afternoon of June 18 led to a substantial rockslide on the Tennessee side of the state…
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Needs survey available for Haywood business owners
Haywood County is reminding local business owners that the county’s tourism development authority is conducting a survey to assess recovery…
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Face to face: Jackson County meets Fontana board amid library controversy
Finally face to face amid a simmering standoff over library governance and subjectively inappropriate material in a regional library system…
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Joint meeting tonight to probe Jackson’s library concerns — but without public comment
When Jackson County commissioners and the Fontana Regional Library Board sit down together this evening for a rare joint meeting,…
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‘No Kings’ movement sweeps through Appalachia
Since 1932, the ashlar veneer of the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville has borne silent witness to memorable events in…
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One more show: Ric Savage’s last pinfall
Heavy Metal Ric Savage couldn’t stand it. He was helpless, sidelined while his tag-team partner, Shane Austin, took a beating…
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Sylva Town Council rejects resolution of support for Fontana Library system
A proposed resolution that expressed support for the Fontana Regional Library system didn’t survive the first four minutes of the…
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WCU breaks ground on massive stadium project
Leaders from Western Carolina University kicked off a massive $37 million renovation to the school’s E.J. Whitmire Stadium last Thursday.…
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Decorate Bone Valley and Hall cemeteries
With the help and cooperation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the North Shore Cemetery Association will be hosting…
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Hurricane relief cashflow loans released
The Department of State Treasurer has notified local governments of their second round of interest-free loans for Hurricane Helene relief.…
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A note about numbers
I get asked about it after every protest I’ve been to, from Andrews to Asheville, from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and everywhere…
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Pless TDA, deannexation bills advance
A pair of local bills pushed by Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) — one welcomed by most, another, not so much —…
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The cost of ‘free:’ Americans are surviving not because of the system, but in spite of it
Squeezed into a corner room on the ground floor of what was once a grade school in a quiet Waynesville…
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A burning question: Jackson commissioners still considering library withdrawal
In a year when Jackson County commissioners are proposing a substantial property tax hike, outside agitators are still pushing commissioners…
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WCU official describes secret ‘strategy’ to skirt DEI ban in undercover video
A senior administrator at Western Carolina University was secretly recorded describing how the school is continuing to promote diversity, equity…
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Haywood recovery court graduates third and fourth participants
There are few, if any, occasions that take place in a Haywood County courtroom that are as joyous as a…
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Corbin named 2025 legislator of the year
Westernmost North Carolina Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) has been named the legislator of the year by the North Carolina Community…
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Haywood ‘Pride on Main’ Returns to Waynesville
From June 27 to 29, IDEA Haywood will present the second annual “Pride on Main” celebration in Waynesville under the banner,…
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Mountain Projects celebrates 60 years of service, calls for community action
As Mountain Projects celebrates its 60th anniversary serving Haywood and Jackson Counties, the organization is marking a season of both…
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Multi-county drug investigation nets several WNC arrests
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation SBI, in partnership with the Henderson County Drug Interdiction and Criminal Enforcement unit,…
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Waynesville church offers local coupon book
The First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville has created a coupon book offering discounts to Waynesville merchants who lost business due…
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NCDOT Selects Sites for Rock to Rebuild I-40
The N.C. Department of Transportation and its partners have selected two sites in the Pigeon River Gorge for extracting and…
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Slow down and move over for stopped emergency vehicles
The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program and state and local law enforcement are launching a statewide enforcement campaign to remind…
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Ken Brown pledges local control, servant leadership in 118th District bid
Sales executive Ken Brown says he’ll enter the Republican Primary for North Carolina’s 118th House District, setting up a challenge…
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Crane leads the charge: Prosecutor wants tribunal to prosecute Russia for crimes of aggression
At odd hours of the day and night, Maggie Valley resident David Crane grabs a cup of coffee, meanders to…
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No tax increase proposed for Macon
Macon County’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget maintains the current tax rate, even as county revenues are projected to increase…
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Budget increases, millage rate decreases in Jackson
The proposed Jackson County budget for fiscal year 2025-26 contains a six cent decrease in the millage rate, and yet,…
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Haywood County Schools proposes ‘innovative middle school’
Haywood County Schools is moving ahead with plans for a new “innovative middle school,” aimed at addressing longstanding concerns from…
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Raccoon Creek Bike Park one step closer to reality
A long-anticipated recreation project in Haywood County took a significant step forward on June 2 as commissioners accepted a bid for…
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Meet Revolutionary War general at Haywood County Library
As part of the multi-year America 250 NC effort, Haywood County’s Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American…
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Hands off Haywood hosts ‘No kings’ rally
Hands off Haywood will host a rally and speakers beginning at noon on Saturday, June 14 at the Historic Haywood…
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Haywood GOP sponsors “Spirit of America Celebration”
A “Spirit of America Celebration” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at the Maggie…
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HRMC launches program to improve maternal health and save lives
Haywood Regional Medical Center is proud to announce the launch of the Special Delivery Program, a new initiative focused on…
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Part of broader effort, Helene recovery bill offers $60M for small businesses
When Hurricane Helene slammed into Western North Carolina in late 2024, public attention focused on damaged homes, washed-out roads and…
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'Equal opportunity offender:' Community defends FRL amidst Jackson’s possible withdrawal
Two weeks after the Jackson County Commission floated a possible withdrawal from the Fontana Regional Library system, residents showed up…
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Persistence pays off: Pless champions long-delayed infrastructure project
After more than four years of setbacks, political wrangling and bureaucratic delays, a small but vital infrastructure project in Haywood…
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Pifer named WCU Director of Athletics
Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced on May 19 the selection of Kyle Pifer to serve as the…
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Despite illness, Clampitt plans to run again
Republican Mike Clampitt, currently serving his fourth term as District 119 House Rep., tells The Smoky Mountain News he plans…
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Haywood proposes budget without tax increase
After losing roughly $200 million in valuation due to the closing of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill and the damage…
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Federal government opens Title IX investigation into WCU
Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has made headlines by targeting the United States’ most well-known colleges — those with…
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Into the hornet's nest: The ‘Meck Dec’ at 250
Every May 20, beneath the proverbial shadows of Charlotte’s modern glass and steel skyline, supporters gather to commemorate what they…
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No tax increase in Waynesville budget
During a difficult meeting in March, Waynesville’s Town Council was presented with a perfect storm of bad budgeting news. After…
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Pless makes dramatic change to controversial TDA bill
Now that it’s been presented to the House Finance Committee, a bill filed by Haywood Republican Rep. Mark Pless that…
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EXCLUSIVE: Payton McNabb’s victim speaks out
On May 2, 2024, a brief, awkward moment inside a women’s restroom at Western Carolina University was recorded, uploaded to…
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Count for Christmas: In 123rd year, annual bird count yields critical conservation data
As Christmas 1900 approached, ornithologist Frank Chapman hatched an idea.
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Word from the Smokies: Reunion brings Cataloochee descendants home to the valley
Shadows and seasons are the main markers of time in Cataloochee Valley, a remote corner of Great Smoky Mountains National…
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