Gun control bills prove divisive
A pair of gun control bills passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and are now heading for the Senate.…
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Biden’s American Rescue Plan means millions for NC local governments
While most Americans are looking forward to receiving the $1,400 payments included in President Joe Biden’s $1.88 trillion American Rescue…
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WCU to resume nearly normal operations this fall
Western Carolina University is planning for a fall semester that will be “close to normal,” given current COVID-19 trends and…
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Jackson names new school superintendent
Jackson County Schools Board of Education has selected Dr. Dana Ayers as its new superintendent.
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WCU women create local branch of University Women
The American Association of University Women was founded by a group of female college graduates in 1881 to advocate for…
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Ground breaks on HCC Health Sciences Building
Haywood Community College recently held a Groundbreaking Ceremony on campus for the Health Sciences Education Building. During the ceremony, those…
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HCA/Mission monitor to hold webinar
Gibbins Advisors is scheduling an informational online meeting open to all communities in Western North Carolina served by Mission Health.…
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Vaccine availability increases
Macon County became the first county in The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area to break the 20 percent mark…
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HERE in Jackson plans considers homeless shelter project
For more than a decade, groups serving Jackson County’s homeless population have done so on a shoestring and a thin…
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Tough decisions in store for Waynesville budget
As the town of Waynesville digs into the budget process for the 2021-22 fiscal year, aldermen are again considering ways…
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Feichter pushes for affordable housing in Waynesville
Waynesville Alderman Jon Feichter says that he’s proud of the concrete steps previous town boards took to address the affordable…
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Jackson forecasts revenue increase
Despite the dire predictions of spring 2020, Jackson County’s budget prognosis for the 2021-2022 fiscal year is looking downright positive,…
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Maggie Valley begins budget talks
Maggie Valley town officials are cautiously optimistic about the coming budget year after preliminary reports show the pandemic did not…
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Macon moves forward with middle school renovations
At the 11th hour, Macon County Commissioners called a special meeting to discuss whether to move forward with an $8…
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Under Attack, Cawthorn Moves (Farther) Right
By Peter H. Lewis, Asheville Watchdog | Since Madison Cawthorn took office two months ago, vowing to represent everyone in his…
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Repaving Coming to Three Western Highways
SYLVA – N.C. Department of Transportation officials recently awarded three contracts to resurface highways in Cherokee, Jackson and Henderson counties.
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DA Welch presented with patches of comfort
Quilters at Sassy Stitches in Franklin recently presented patches of comfort to District Attorney Ashley Welch, who is undergoing treatment…
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Jackson opens online vaccine registration
A new online portal now allows people to schedule themselves for COVID-19 vaccine appointments through the Jackson County Department of…
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Harrah's Donates to Swain County Fund
The Swain County United Gift Fund is pleased to announce a donation of $2,000 from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. This…
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Barbara McRae leaves lasting legacy in Macon County
Vice Mayor of Franklin Barbara McRae passed away Tuesday night after a long and valiant battle against cancer.
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COVID cases plunge as vaccine availability increases
Coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations are falling sharply around the region as vaccine coverage improves, providing a longed-for surge of…
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Pandemic exposes fragile childcare system
On average, it costs parents $9,480 a year for infant childcare in North Carolina, which is $2,126 more than they’ll…
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Jackson approves economic development strategy
A plan that will guide the county’s economic development strategy for the next five years received unanimous support Feb. 16…
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AT&T boosts network speeds for Cherokee
AT&T customers and FirstNet subscribers in Cherokee got a big boost in wireless connectivity. AT&T added a new cell tower…
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SMN brings home 26 N.C. Press Awards
The Smoky Mountain News team won 26 editorial awards in the 2020 North Carolina Press Association News and Editorial Contest.
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Jackson man to serve 18 months for EBCI embezzlement
A Jackson County man who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $95,000 from an enterprise of the Eastern Band of…
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Cawthorn defends proxy vote from CPAC
As if last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) wasn’t controversial enough — the stage resembled a rune with Nazi…
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Health care foundation won’t remove anti-vax, anti-mask trustee
Despite calls to do so, a nonprofit health care foundation charged with managing more than $13 million of Haywood County…
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Major increase in property values coming for Haywood
Although the results of Haywood County’s comprehensive revaluation process haven’t yet been mailed out, county administrators and elected officials want…
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Hillbilly Jammers get high on the mountain
Attendees of this year’s Hillbilly Winter Jam kicked off the annual fest with a special treat — a private visit…
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Plans for Ghost Town property begin to emerge
There is perhaps no parcel of land in Haywood County that generates as much interest as the one that’s home…
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Five more COVID deaths recorded in Haywood
Haywood County Health and Human Services has received notice of five more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number now to…
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Rep. Cawthorn Tours Western Counties
NC-11 Congressional Rep. Madison Cawthorn spent last week engaging with his constituents in the western reaches of the district.
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Haywood EMS partners with HVO on COVID pod production
Expanding on an existing partnership, Haywood County Emergency Services has contracted Haywood Vocational Opportunities, Inc. to manufacture COVID pod covers…
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Highlights from Smokies' Hikes for Healing Program
Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced the release of a video highlighting the Smokies Hikes for Healing program. In response to social…
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Sylva man arrested in connection with Capitol riots
The world watched with bated breath Jan. 6 as what is normally a perfunctory proceeding — the Senatorial certification of…
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Black Home Ownership and the Promise of Reparations
By Barbara Durr, Asheville Watchdog — Priscilla Ndiaye Robinson looked across the empty fields where her Southside neighborhood once thrived. “It’s…
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Haywood scores touchdown on stadium capacity limits
It’s not something that happens all that often, but a late fourth-quarter drive by Western North Carolina’s state and local…
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NC Gov. Cooper eases some coronavirus restrictions
As vaccination of North Carolinians continues and positive coronavirus case reports decline, today Gov. Roy Cooper announced changes to a…
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The things you don't hear
Weary and sore they came upon a small copse of Loblolly pines swaying high above a sea of softly undulating…
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International equity firm invests in Drake Software
International private equity firm Cinven recently announced that it has agreed to make a significant investment into Drake Software, a…
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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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