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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Woman dismissed for overturning gravestones
Following the results of a mental evaluation, a judge on Monday ordered the release of an Oregon woman accused in…
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Murphy man pleads guilty to drug trafficking
A Murphy man who triggered an investigation into his own drug-dealing activities admitted in Graham County Superior Court to trafficking…
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COVID-19 cluster found at Haywood jail
Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a COVID-19 cluster at the Haywood County Detention Center. Over the…
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Court rules in favor of Catawba casino
In a 55-page opinion filed Friday, April 16, U.S. District Court Judge James A. Boasberg gave a green light in…
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Commissioners discuss changes to Sylva statue
Eight months after voting to revamp the pedestal of the county’s controversial Civil War monument, Jackson County commissioners got their…
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Waynesville residents shocked by big electric bills
Complaints from Town of Waynesville power customers about higher-than-expected electric bills prompted town officials to look into the matter, which…
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Future of Downtown Waynesville Association to be debated
It’s been almost five years since the Downtown Waynesville Association landed a multi-year contract to manage the town’s municipal service…
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Virus trends down as vaccination continues
Despite a continued pause on distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and flagging demand for appointments, the past…
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Franklin manager to leave her post
Franklin Town Manager Summer Woodard recently submitted her resignation letter after accepting a position as the town manager of Reidsville.
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Maggie property owners oppose waterfall project
Maggie Valley Country Club Estates Property Owners Association has communicated intense opposition to the proposed Waterfall Park on 8 acres…
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Pisgah Legal Offers Free Tax Services
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the…
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Steele pleads guilty to drug charges
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Franklin man will spend 70 to 96 months in prison for his role…
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State Superintendent visits WNC schools
North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Schools, Catherine Truitt, ended a tour of Western North Carolina Schools today, April 16,…
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Sylva ponders tax increase
Sales tax receipts are booming in Sylva and a newly completed property revaluation will bump real estate values by about…
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Candidates announced for tribal elections
With less than two months to go before the Primary Election Thursday, June 4, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians…
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Organization Builds on its Veteran Programs
FRANKLIN – For the first time in its five-year history, the national veteran and Gold Star organization Special Liberty Project, which…
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Prosperity brings expansion, incentives for Haywood businesses
Things are going so well at two of Haywood County’s best-known industrial employers that they’re both hiring and expanding, making…
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An ounce of prevention: Stopping emergencies before they start
For every 116,732 people visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one experiences an emergency and calls the park’s Search…
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Swain hospital earns blue ribbon
Staff caring for patients at Swain Community Hospital have won the Blue-Ribbon Award presented to departments receiving the highest scores…
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Former SCC Trustee receives state’s honor
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is the highest award the state of North Carolina can bestow upon an…
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Increased benefits for pregnant women focus of Sen. Corbin bill
When Republican Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, announced during a March 25 listening session at Southwestern Community College that he intended…
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What is the deal with COVID vaccines? Dr. Jernigan addresses SMN readers’ concerns
The COVID-19 vaccination rollout is in full swing, and while many people rushed to get their shot at the first…
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Signups slow for vaccine appointments
After months of working breakneck speed to clear an ever-expanding backlog of people waiting to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, local…
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Concerns go unanswered during HCA monitor meeting
The public had a lot of questions during an April 7 virtual meeting regarding Mission Health’s services and operations since…
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Western Republicans elect new congressional district chair
As North Carolina Republicans seek to maintain dominance across the state and in the 11th Congressional District, they’ll do so…
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Cherokee considers decriminalizing marijuana
Tribal Council voted unanimously April 1 to table an ordinance aiming to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. However, discussion preceding…
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Jackson County pauses J&J vaccine distribution
The Jackson County Department of Public Health will pause its use of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine following…
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Canton town manager suspended
Effective immediately Canton Town Manager Jason Burrell has been suspended indefinitely without pay pending further board action, Mayor Zeb Smathers…
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Loftis pleads guilty to sexual assault
A Franklin man admitted in Macon County Superior Court to forcing his way into a woman’s house and sexually assaulting…
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Haywood reports 95th COVID-19 death
Haywood County Health and Human Services have received notice of another COVID-19 death, bringing the total number now to 95.
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Franklin man pleads guilty to child abuse
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Franklin man admitted this week in court to sexually abusing a child. He…
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‘I don’t feel like it’s safe’: For many, concerns about long-term impacts drive vaccine hesitancy
When the pandemic first hit, Waynesville resident Sammie Conner was so scared of contracting COVID-19 that she wouldn’t even go…
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The facts on the vax: Survey shows widespread support for COVID-19 vaccination
More than 80 percent of Smoky Mountain News readers have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,…
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COVID-19 vaccine means getting back to ‘normal’
People who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things they had stopped doing because of the pandemic,…
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Vaccine hesitancy could impact employers, employees
The last time Americans lived through a global pandemic, the field of employment law wasn’t nearly as developed as it…
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Man pleads guilty in Haywood
A Buncombe County man pleaded guilty April 6 to two counts of first-degree statutory sexual offense and four counts of…
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Sylva denies one apartment application, approves another
Despite gusting winds and a temperature of 42 degrees at the time the three-hour meeting began — it was 37…
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Lunsford pleads no contest to one count of animal cruelty
More than 16 months after animal cruelty allegations were filed against Haywood resident James Lunsford, justice has finally been served.
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Kings Mountain gaming to start this summer
A federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Interior’s decision to allow the South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation to build a…
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Lottery-funded renovation coming to former Central Elementary
Students enrolled in Haywood County Schools’ exceptional children’s program will soon have a new home at no taxpayer expense.
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Swank named Macon Matriarch
By Theresa Ramsey • Guest writer | The Women’s History Trail project of the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County…
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A woman with vision: Barbara McRae leaves her mark on Macon County
Barbara McRae loved history — learning about it, sharing it with others and making it herself. The long-time community organizer lost…
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WCU clinic to provide its 10,000th vaccine
Western Carolina University’s regional COVID-19 vaccine clinic will deliver its 10,000th vaccine to a student around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April…
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Fire at Canton mill contained
A potentially dangerous situation at the Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton earlier today is under control.
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First responders monitoring situation at Canton mill
Emergency services workers from several jurisdictions were responding this morning to reports of a fire at Evergreen Packaging’s Canton papermill.
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Haywood County COVID-19 update
“To date, over 18,000 people in Haywood County are at least partially vaccinated. Mass vaccination efforts have been running smoothly,…
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CDC Extends Moratorium on Renter Evictions to June 30
Just as it was about to expire at the end of March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…
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Haywood vaccine clinic moves to Lambeth Inn
Key Updates: Haywood County’s Mass Vaccination clinic will move this week to a new temporary location at the Lambuth Inn at…
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