Franklin Mayor Bob Scott won’t seek fifth term
Editor’s note: Bob Scott, longtime mayor of Franklin, announced today that he wouldn’t seek a fifth term in November. What…
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Labor shortage challenges employers
With help wanted signs popping up everywhere, The Smoky Mountain News investigates reasons for the labor shortage in the region…
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Lake Junaluska Women meet
On Flag Day at Lake Junaluska, about 50 of Junaluska Woman’s Club’s 75 members gathered for a luncheon at Lakeside…
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Downtown Waynesville director on leave, property likely to be removed from MSD
With a proposed contract renewal going nowhere fast, a slew of unfulfilled public records requests and the strong likelihood of…
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Waynesville budget passed over opposition
Citing their continuing support of a revenue-neutral budget, Waynesville Aldermen Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter voted against the adoption of…
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Post-COVID employment rebounds, but where are the workers?
You’ve seen the signs, on marquees and placards, up and down streets in towns across Western North Carolina — Now…
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Help wanted in the service industry
The signs are everywhere. Now hiring, help wanted, excuse the wait times we’re short staffed and doing the best we…
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COVID cases, deaths hit new lows
Since Gov. Roy Cooper lifted the mask mandate on May 14, indoor gatherings have returned and face coverings have nearly…
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Highway project threatens havoc in Haywood
As Haywood County looks to put the Coronavirus Pandemic squarely in its rear-view mirror, a North Carolina Department of Transportation…
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Sylva asks DOT to help with Allen Street
Facing an estimated price tag of $1.5 million to fix persistent landslide issues on Allen Street, the Town of Sylva…
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Sylva resolution opposes county’s ‘Sylva Sam’ plans
Just shy of a year after it passed a resolution demanding the relocation of Sylva’s Confederate statue, the Sylva Town…
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Compensation, compassion go a long way at Sonoco Plastics
Some employers are having trouble attracting or retaining qualified employees, but those businesses could likely learn a thing or two…
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Labor shortage hits WNC
“Were there any cars in the parking lot when you got here?” Lisa Morris asked.
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Sylva board approves agreement with Pinnacle Park Foundation
The Sylva Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an agreement with the Pinnacle Park Foundation during its June 24 meeting aimed…
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Leadership changes on WCU board
On Friday, June 4, three longtime trustees said goodbye to seats they’d held on the Western Carolina University Board of…
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School Board publicly opposes mask mandate
At a special called board meeting last week, Haywood County Schools Board of Education considered defying the current mask mandate…
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‘Mayor Mike’ steps down: Business as usual to continue at Fitzgerald Shoe Shop
After 16 years and one week on the job, Mike Fitzgerald is officially retired from Dillsboro’s town board— but not…
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First tenant announced for EBCI’s Sevier development
The 200-acre piece of land that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is developing along Interstate 40 in Sevier County…
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Haywood man wins $100,000 lottery
Gary Lewis of Clyde didn’t get the scratch-off ticket he wanted when he stopped at a convenience store to play…
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Sylva, Jackson pass budgets
The boards governing Sylva and Jackson County both passed budget ordinances this month that feature a change in tax rate,…
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Farm to School program teaches nutrition, connection to food
Excitement could be heard in the unconstrained murmuring of elementary school students at Blue Ridge School Monday morning as they…
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Contractors still unpaid in Zimmer development
The first students moved into The Husk at Western Carolina University last August, but nearly a year later the companies…
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Beasley makes campaign stop in Asheville
Cheri Beasley, former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice, announced her campaign for United States Senate in April. On Friday, Beasley…
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The new trustbusters: Proposed legislation would rein in Big Tech
Over the last two weeks, the most significant set of antitrust laws since the early 1900s were proposed in Congress,…
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Milestone moment for broadband in Haywood
A public-private partnership between Haywood County and local internet service provider Skyrunner will soon result in broadband service for more…
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Data calls for empathetic approach to treating addiction
By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Guest writer | Two Western Carolina University professors with interests in jail populations and addiction…
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Macon purchases property for Nantahala library
Macon County commissioners are trying to move forward with plans to give the Nantahala community a new library and community…
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Waynesville comes up short in property tax rate cut
During a rare special-called meeting on the morning of June 16, aldermen shaved another 1.5 cents off the proposed ad…
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Former linebacker Gash looks to sack Cawthorn
Right now, life seems to be about full-circle moments for Henderson County native Eric Gash, who describes himself as “a…
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Super PAC formed to oppose Cawthorn
Retired Air Force Col. Moe Davis may have lost to Madison Cawthorn in last year’s General Election, but that doesn’t…
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Living in bearadise: Encounters highlight need for human responsibility in bear country
After flying into town and renting a car for their Memorial Day Weekend visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Misleading claim by Down Home North Carolina isn’t their first
Perhaps the only true statement in a June 7 Down Home North Carolina email is that the fight against jail…
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Curatory creates space for contemporary art, community
Ashten McKinney is the new kid on the block, but already she’s making friends with her neighbors and offering a…
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‘Why do we have to normalize what’s already normal?’
During the pandemic, Asheville-based artist Pearl Renken wrestled with the pain, isolation and racial reckoning happening in the United States. Her…
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Cherokee joins three-tribe hotel partnership
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will partner with two other Native American tribes and a developer to build a…
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‘As normal as possible’: WCU outlines plans for Fall 2021
As the pandemic continues to recede, Western Carolina University is planning for a fall semester that “will look more like…
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Jackson passes resolution to uphold the U.S. Constitution
By unanimous vote during their Tuesday, June 1, meeting, Jackson County commissioners passed a resolution that “calls upon the North…
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Revenue-neutral revolt: Local government budgets under scrutiny
A countywide property reappraisal earlier this year generated substantial increases in property value for many homeowners, who will now have…
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Maggie Valley passes budget, lowers taxes
Maggie Valley Town Board of Alderman passed the proposed 2021-22 budget on June 8.
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Aldermen put the brakes on DWA contract renewal
What should have been a simple contract renewal process has turned into an all-out fiasco for the Downtown Waynesville Association,…
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Contractor offers to help Franklin build skatepark
JE Dunn Construction was hired by HCA Healthcare to build the new Angel Medical Center in Franklin, but Superintendent Steve…
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Macon commissioners narrowly approve budget
Macon County commissioners approved the 2021-22 fiscal budget, but two Republican commissioners opposed its passage because they disagreed with increasing…
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Waynesville fires town attorney
Following public complaints, the Waynesville Board of Aldermen voted to terminate the contract of its town attorney, Bill Cannon.
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Trump makes early endorsement in 2022 NC Senate race
Voters excited about the possibility of a new chapter in the Trump family’s political legacy were in for a bit…
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The Return of the Don
Former President Donald Trump made one of his first major public appearances since losing the 2020 election, returning to the…
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Public educators’ association tours 100 counties
The North Carolina Association of Educators’ “We Heart Public Schools Tour’’ stopped in Haywood County Friday. The tour visited every…
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Vaya, Cardinal merge to take on Medicaid transformation
Two of North Carolina’s largest managed care organizations recently announced they will consolidate in preparation for the state’s transformation to…
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Tribal Council silent on proposed same-sex marriage law
Every month, the Tribal Council agenda starts the same way. The chairman calls the meeting to order, and then there’s…
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Macon raises tax rate to address capital needs
County Manager Derek Roland was tasked with delivering a flat budget for the 2021-22 budget year, but after countless hours…
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Jackson considers more salary for first responders
After multiple work sessions and a public hearing, Jackson County commissioners may designate an additional $444,000 in the 2021-22 budget…
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