Haywood schools lift outside mask mandate
Students in Haywood County Schools will no longer be required to wear masks outside, where social distancing is possible. Administration…
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Tribe loosens marijuana laws
In a pair of actions taken during Tribal Council on Thursday, May 6, Tribal Council voted to decriminalize possession of…
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Newby begins 100 county courthouse tour
Chief Justice Paul Newby launched a courthouse tour during which he will visit courthouses in all of North Carolina's 100…
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Harrah's offers enticing sign-on bonus
As one of the largest employers in Western North Carolina, Harrah's Cherokee Casinos is taking a strong approach to market…
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Vaccine opportunities for youth and adults
Clinic for 16-18- year-olds planned Haywood County Health and Human Services is partnering with Haywood Community College to host a…
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Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Last summer, the tiny Haywood County tourist town of Maggie Valley was rocked by not one but two peaceful “Black…
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Tribal Council candidates make their case
Early voting is underway for the June 3 Primary Election in Cherokee, which will determine the final slate of candidates…
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Town of Canton joins municipal TDA bill
A week after Haywood County Republican Rep. Mark Pless’ municipal TDA bill came out of committee wholly rewritten to include…
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Investment continues flowing into Haywood County
There’s not yet a lot of information about the latest economic development announcement made by Haywood County commissioners — the…
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Funding coming for telepsychiatry in schools — if N.C. budget passes
A conversation between Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, D-Rocky Mount, seems to indicate that Cooper will…
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‘The lady behind the scenes’: Carmaleta Monteith named Beloved Woman
Carmaleta Littlejohn Monteith has worn an impressive number of titles over the course of her life.
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Macon requests more funds for the arts
Last year, Macon County Schools requested a nearly $2 million budget increase to fund additional staff positions. When the pandemic…
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Spectators allowed at Haywood graduations
Graduation ceremonies will be allowed as many spectators as school sporting events this spring, after the Haywood County Schools Board…
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Cherokee to pursue new casino project
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will pursue a new casino project in partnership with a publicly traded gaming company,…
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Franklin manager delivers last budget proposal
Longtime Franklin Manager Summer Woodard will be leaving for a new job in June, but before she goes, she presented…
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Skaters make case for Franklin skatepark
The Franklin Town Council board room was standing room only last week as several local teenagers expressed their desire for…
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Vaccination still slow as Pfizer shot approved for teens
For the fourth straight week, the rate of vaccinations has decreased in the four-county area, with just 0.5 percent of…
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Urgent Pipe Replacement Coming to U.S. 19/23
CLYDE – A deep pipe failure under the eastbound lanes of U.S. 19/23 between Clyde and Canton near Crawford Memorial Gardens…
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Canton mayor selected as ‘Outstanding Rising Leaders’
Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers was selected as one of 19 leaders from across the country to join the NewDEAL (Developing…
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Urgent pipe replacement coming to U.S. 19/23
A deep pipe failure under the eastbound lanes of U.S. 19/23 between Clyde and Canton near Crawford Memorial Gardens will…
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WNC towns debate future of room occupancy tax
If passed, legislation introduced by Western North Carolina Republican representatives would allow municipalities within Haywood County to levy their own…
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Canton, Waynesville to consider room tax increases
A tax bill sponsored by two western Republicans that’s currently making its way through the North Carolina General Assembly has…
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Bryson City removed from room tax legislation
The Town of Bryson City has been removed from a piece of state legislation that would have allowed the town…
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No plans for town room tax in Sylva
While Sylva’s leaders have considered the idea of a town occupancy tax a couple times over the years, so far…
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Maggie Valley occupancy tax on the horizon
Maggie Valley may have the opportunity to create its own Tourism Development Authority for the purpose of promoting tourism in…
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Summer school aims to address learning loss
As much of Western North Carolina bounces back from the devastation of COVID-19 — lower case counts, rising tourism numbers…
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New vaccinations continue to slow
Vaccinations continue to slow down in the four-county area and in the state as a whole, but case counts are…
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Decision time coming for Haywood budget
Although the recommended budget won’t be presented for another two weeks, Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead took the opportunity on…
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HCA breaks ground on new Franklin hospital
HCA Healthcare officially broke ground last Friday morning on a $68 million facility to replace Angel Medical Center in Franklin.
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Merchant group forms in Canton
The Haywood County town of Canton hasn’t always been a major tourist destination, but with downtown revitalization well underway and…
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Transparency concerns hobble DWA contract renewal bid
Despite more than three decades of service to Waynesville’s downtown municipal service district, the organization charged with managing it now…
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Haywood school board approves budget
Haywood County Schools Local Expense Budget is set to look very similar to years past, with the COVID-19 Pandemic causing…
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Sylva moves toward tax rate increase
During an April 29 work session, four of Sylva’s five board members signaled their approval of a draft budget totaling…
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Sylva board mulls Allen Street solution
Despite their proximity to multiple slope failures on and around Allen Street in Sylva, two trouble spots that appeared in…
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Profits up at HCA, ratings down at Mission
BY PETER H. LEWIS, Asheville Watchdog HCA Healthcare, which owns and operates Mission Hospital in Asheville, reported this month that…
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North Carolina ‘driving’ toward more diverse corps of educators
North Carolina’s population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse every day, but according to a report issued by Gov.…
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WNC behind state average in educator diversity
North Carolina has about 1.5 million public school students, and according to a report from the Department of Public Instruction,…
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Integration and the disappearance of Black teachers
For Lin Forney, the end of fourth grade was the end of an era. The year was 1963, and the…
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Committed to movement: WCU professors push for diversity in education
Professors at Western Carolina University are tired of just talking about the importance of diversity within the teaching industry and…
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ALE conducts statewide enforcement operation
In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, ALE special agents concluded a statewide enforcement operation on Friday resulting in over 200…
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Jackson commissioners weigh fire funding
Jackson County leaders are considering adding a penny to the county’s tax rate to fund the Cullowhee Volunteer Fire Department’s…
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Waynesville Inn sold, will see extensive rehab
An iconic Waynesville landmark sold for nearly $9 million last week, but the new owner’s plans to renovate the 165-acre…
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Growing pains at Haywood Community College
In preparing for Haywood Community College’s first post-pandemic budget, President Dr. Shelley White presented a stable operating budget but asked…
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April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Dr. Diana Messer, a forensic anthropology professor at Western Carolina University, is working on groundbreaking research that could drastically improve…
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Firefly lottery opens Friday
The annual synchronous firefly viewing event will return to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, but with a…
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Vaccine appointments readily available in WNC
Vaccination rates slowed substantially across the four-county area over the past week, and the pace will likely continue to slacken…
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Canton budget goes all-in on recreation, infrastructure
The Town of Canton’s property tax rate hasn’t changed in almost two decades. This year, it looks to be headed…
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Bill addresses judicial efficiency in western counties
A House bill proposed by Western North Carolina reps. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, and Mark Pless, R-Haywood, includes significant changes…
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WCU will offer full college experience this fall
Western Carolina University is gearing up for a traditional college experience this fall with plans to resume all typical academic,…
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As long as water runs downhill: The story of Popcorn Sutton
People have been making moonshine almost since the day water started running downhill, and it seems like people have been…
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