Drug sting wraps up in Macon County
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Macon County woman who was arrested as part of a multiple-person drug sting…
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Reparations, Six Months Later: So Far, Empty Promises
By Barbara Durr and Peter H. Lewis • Asheville Watchdog | Six months ago, as part of a reckoning on…
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Leading the way: Love for nature spurred HCC’s Black forestry grads to barrier-breaking lives
Ron Davis Sr. was just 17 years old when he arrived in the tiny town of Clyde, completely alone. It…
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Foxfire and BPR team up for COVID-19 oral history project
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Foxfire has been collecting stories, memories, photographs and artifacts related to the experiences of…
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Developer withdraws Cashiers Hillside application
When it was first scheduled, the Feb. 22 meeting of the Cashiers Area Community Planning Council was expected to be…
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Winter storms slow down vaccine progress
Widespread winter storms last week drastically slowed down vaccination efforts in Jackson County, which still has the lowest percentage of…
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Night Work Redirecting Traffic Exiting U.S. 74
CLYDE – A late-night operation at the interchange of U.S. 74 West and U.S. 19 South in Haywood County requires…
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Macon man guilty of sex offender violations
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Macon County man who went on school property in violation of his sex…
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Jackson to pause vaccine registration Feb. 26
Jackson County will close its phone-based vaccine appointment registration system on Friday, Feb. 26, as the county prepares to offer…
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Changes, upgrades coming to Maggie festival grounds
The Town of Maggie Valley recently decided on several upgrades and changes to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds this month.…
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Share your pandemic stories with SMN
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the past year’s likely been topsy-turvy in all kinds of unexpected ways. With…
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Weather prompts changes for Lake Junaluska cleanup
Due to the forecast for windy, cold weather, the Annual Lake Cleanup at Lake Junaluska, originally scheduled to take place…
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Macon man gets 19-year sentence for drug trafficking
Daniel “Danny” Steven Lucas will spend a minimum of almost 19 years in prison for operating a substantial opiate and…
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Gladys Knight, William McDowell vaccinated in Haywood
Gladys Knight, “Empress of Soul,” and her husband William McDowell recently received their COVID-19 vaccinations in Haywood County. The couple,…
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Vaccine shipment delays push back WCU clinic start date
Western Carolina University is one of four University of North Carolina System campuses that has opened or will soon open…
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Vaccination coverage improves in WNC
Vaccination coverage is picking up in Western North Carolina, with the percentage of the population receiving at least one dose…
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Local Methodist churches form Justice and Reconciliation Team
The Smoky Mountain District of the First United Methodist Church has created a Justice and Reconciliation Team to take on…
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Top to bottom, prognosis for NC economic recovery is good
North Carolina’s fiscal and economic health, along with years of budgetary discipline and a commitment to economic freedom, bode well…
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Bit by bit, major investments bring broadband to the mountains
After years of pecking away at Western North Carolina’s broadband problem at the state level, a large-scale federal investment in…
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Nikwasi Initiative changes plans for Franklin property
Nikwasi Initiative, the nonprofit that took over ownership of the Nikwasi Mound in Franklin two years ago, recently announced some…
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Hottest ticket in town: Capacity limits for rivalry game ‘make no sense’
It’s a rivalry that runs as deep as the waters of Lake Logan and as wide as the Pigeon River…
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Jail expansion opponents ask county to reprioritize
As promised, members of Down Home North Carolina presented to Haywood County commissioners a budget alternative that prioritizes treatment and…
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All signs point to Canton’s continuing renewal
Another aesthetic improvement to Canton’s emerging downtown business district — rundown and dilapidated for years, until recently — will soon…
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Impaired driver takes Alford plea
A woman who wrecked while driving impaired, killing a close friend after the two left work from the now-shuttered No…
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‘Enroll Anytime’ now available at SCC
Uncertainty about university schedules, childcare and other variables prevented some prospective students from enrolling in college classes this spring.
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Macon Leaders Encourage Vaccine Registration
The supply of COVID-19 vaccine from N.C. DHHS to Macon County remains limited at this time and a waitlist was…
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Traffic stop leads to drug arrests in Haywood
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped a vehicle on North Canton Road around 4 p.m. A search…
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WCU prepares to open COVID vaccine clinic
With freezers now on campus, staff in place, and volunteers on the way, Western Carolina University is in the final…
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Haywood reports two more COVID-19 deaths
Haywood County Health and Human Services has received notice of three more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number now to…
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Child pornography arrests made in Macon
Two investigations and subsequent arrests in cases that were first initiated in Fall 2020 has Macon County Sheriff’s Office detectives…
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HRMC recognized for maternity care
Haywood Regional Medical Center has been recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina with a Blue Distinction…
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Wheels Through Time founder dies of cancer
Dale Walksler, the founder and curator of the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, passed away peacefully, with his…
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Macon budget remains agile through pandemic
Despite dire predictions of how local governments would be financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Macon County has fared well…
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Masking rules take effect on public lands
On Jan. 20, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring coronavirus prevention protocols — including mask-wearing — on all…
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Disc golf course proposed in Franklin
The Whitmire property on East Main Street in Franklin could soon become a public disc golf course.
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‘Something’s got to give’: Sylva police chief argues for more officers
Every year, Sylva’s department heads have a chance to tell town commissioners what they need — and what they want…
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Macon steps up COVID response
When Macon County Commissioners met on Jan. 12, health department staff was having a difficult time meeting the demands of…
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WCU center examines economic recovery after pandemic
The Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University has issued an assessment of economic recovery, sustainability and growth in North…
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Franklin man pleads guilty to trafficking
A Franklin man who pleaded guilty last week to trafficking in methamphetamine has been sentenced to serve 70 to 93…
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Jackson gets influx of vaccine doses
Jackson County is still lagging behind surrounding counties when it comes to the percentage of its population that’s received a…
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WNC schools already adhering to state recommendation
Last week, North Carolina officials recommended that all schools return to in-person learning as soon as possible.
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Cost-saving measure could lead to less government transparency
A bill in the North Carolina General Assembly that would allow local governments to stop publishing mandated legal notices in…
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Jail expansion project enters critical phase
Opponents of Haywood County’s proposed $16 million jail expansion project are ramping up pressure on county commissioners to consider alternative…
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Council overrides veto claiming Charter violation
Following an 80-minute closed session discussion, Tribal Council voted 9-3 last week to override Principal Chief Richard Sneed’s veto of…
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Tribe to explore indoor sports facility
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is moving toward construction of an indoor baseball and softball facility following a Feb.…
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Dog park coming to Cashiers
Cashiers will get a dog park following the Jackson County Commissioners’ unanimous vote Jan. 26 to approve a contract with…
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NASA extends SCC partnership for 5 years
Two years before a total solar eclipse left area residents breathless in 2017, Southwestern Community College started working with the…
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What to know about second dose appointments
COVID-19 Second Dose clinics are coming up in Haywood County, here is what you need to know.
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Three more COVID deaths reported in Macon
Macon County Public Health reported that three Macon County residents diagnosed with COVID-19 have passed away. To protect the family…
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Haywood reports five more COVID-19 deaths
Since mid-January Haywood County Health and Human Services has received notice of five more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number now…
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