Jim Moore rejoins the DA's office
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced Thursday that Jim Moore has joined the 43rd Prosecutorial District as an assistant district…
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Equity advocates resign amid racial reckoning
City director quits, cites resistance, lack of support By Sally Kestin AVL Watchdog The CEO of the YWCA of Asheville…
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WCU announces spring semester schedule
Western Carolina University has announced changes to the spring 2021 schedule related to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Clampitt, Queen face off for fifth time
They’ve now run against each other five times in 10 years so there’s not much voters don’t know about them…
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Election ordinance changes approved in Cherokee
During its Sept. 3 meeting, Tribal Council voted unanimously to approve a slate of changes to its election ordinance ahead…
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Letson and Jones vie for seat as southern Jackson County’s commissioner
There’s no incumbent on the ballot for Jackson County’s District 4 commission seat, but voters will still find themselves choosing…
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Important voting deadlines draw near
The General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and there are plenty of ways to vote early, or vote from the…
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Presnell's open seat draws competitors
After eight years in office, Burnsville Republican Rep. Michele Presnell will probably be better remembered for the things she didn’t…
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Strong support for Cawthorn outside NC-11 debates
Updated 9/11/20, 12:30 p.m. While N.C. Congressional District 11 candidates Moe Davis and Madison Cawthorn got into a heated debate…
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N.C. 11 candidates face off
Congressional candidates Moe Davis and Madison Cawthorn clashed last week in a pair of debates spanning two days and three…
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Debate Fact-Checker: Zingers, Jabs and Lies
Congressional candidates’ claims rated for truthfulness By Sally Kestin and Peter H. Lewis AVL Watchdog In their first public face-off,…
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War of words: Race to replace Mark Meadows takes an ugly turn
The major party candidates seeking the NC11 congressional seat recently left vacant by former Rep. Mark Meadows spent much of…
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Cawthorn mingles with far-right fringe
By Sally Kestin, Tom Fiedler and Peter H. Lewis | AVL Watchdog | Conservative congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn, scheduled to speak Wednesday at…
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Heath Shuler steps off the political sidelines
Even Hollywood screenwriters would be hard-pressed to craft a more quintessentially American story.
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Republicans campaign on support for law enforcement
Rallies expressing support for law enforcement officers and agencies are starting to become commonplace in Western North Carolina, but as…
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Candidate’s claim creates false impression
Cawthorn rejected from Naval Academy By Tom Fiedler AVL Watchdog The narrative created by Republican congressional-candidate Madison Cawthorn paints a…
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Jackson County man will go to prison following traffic accident
A Jackson County man who crashed into an Ohio couple’s car last year along U.S. 23/441, seriously injuring both, must…
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Gov. Cooper brings NC into Phase 3
Continuing what he called the state’s “dimmer switch” approach to reopening, Gov. Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina will…
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Sylva will grant $20,000 to local nonprofits
A new grant program approved by a unanimous vote from the Sylva Board of Commissioners Sept. 24 will allocate $20,000…
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Haywood K-5 students will return to in-person learning
Elementary school students in Haywood County will return to school full-time beginning Oct. 5.
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Maggie Valley Fall Days, a community affair
Fall decorations in Maggie Valley are a tradition that involves the entire town.
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Candidates to meet in debates
Candidates for offices ranging from county commissioner to state senate will appear in upcoming debates.
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Future of Folkmoot Festival uncertain
The Folkmoot International Festival has overcome many obstacles in its 36 years of existence, but it couldn’t withstand the pressures…
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Two contractors die in fire at Canton paper mill
Haywood County Emergency Services issued an alert at 6:15 a.m. Monday morning reporting a large commercial structure fire at Evergreen…
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Cooper says K-5 students can all return to class Oct. 5
On. Sept. 17, Gov. Roy Cooper authorized Plan A in-person opening of schools for all elementary students in Kindergarten through fifth…
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Jackson seeks legislative change following Cullowhee erosion issues
Jackson County commissioners voted unanimously Sept. 15 to ask for the N.C. Association of County Commissioners’ support for state legislation…
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COVID-19 cluster reported at Canton salon
The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency, in consultation with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services…
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House District 120 candidates to debate online
Western North Carolina voters are invited to participate in the first-ever online candidate forum featuring two candidates who are running…
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Hospitals, BCBS renegotiating Medicare Advantage plans
Unless a new agreement is signed, patients with Blue Cross, Blue Shield Medicare Advantage Plans will have to pay out-of-network…
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HIGHTS builds tiny home to support programs
HIGHTS (Helping Inspire Gifts of Hope, Trust and Service) works with communities’ most at-risk youth to provide meaningful service opportunities,…
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Clampitt/Queen forum announced
Republican Mike Clampitt and Democrat Rep. Joe Sam Queen, candidates for the North Carolina House of Representative District 119, will…
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Caples named CEO of Haywood Regional
Haywood Regional Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint Hospital, announced that Greg Caples has been named its new chief executive officer,…
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Man missing in the Smokies
A search is underway for a missing man in the Big Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Smokies bear euthanized after scavenging human remains
On the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 11, backpackers were hiking the Hazel Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Sylva, Jackson County discuss next steps for Confederate statue
With nearly six weeks now elapsed since Jackson County Commissioners voted to cover up the Confederate flag on the base…
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Jackson K-5 students will return to in-person learning
Elementary school students in Jackson County will go back to in-person learning four days per week beginning Monday, Oct. 5.
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Odds are stacked against working families
It’s the kind of street – lined with modest, well-kept houses flying U.S. flags – where neighborhood children haphazardly cast…
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Dangerous material; celebrating banned books
By Boyd Allsbrook • SMN Contributor | What do To Kill A Mockingbird, Harry Potter, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s…
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Jackson commissioners terminate billboard lease
During a Sept. 15 meeting, Jackson County commissioners voted unanimously to terminate a pair of billboard leases the county holds…
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Waynesville Homelessness Task Force says need exists for shelter
The work groups tasked with assessing different aspects of the Waynesville homelessness situation gave their reports on possible practical solutions…
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Census deadline fast approaching
The census deadline is Sept. 30, and response rates are low in WNC counties, meaning that the region could miss…
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County will assume Clyde PD duties
A request by the Town of Clyde to disband its police force and contract with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office…
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Sen. Tillis wants Ginsburg’s seat filled now
Shortly before Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Sept. 18 after serving on…
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Haywood County Schools will return to in-person learning
Students in Haywood County will return to in-person learning Monday, Sept. 28, after being fully remote since the beginning of…
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Maggie Valley joins regional affordable housing effort
Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday, Sept. 8, to join the Southwestern NC Home Consortium after previously opting not…
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Jackson County nears end of 2021 revaluation process
Tax values for Jackson County properties are set to rise next year as the county enters the final stages of…
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Another new Ingles planned for Franklin
Developers are planning another new Ingles project that will include a complete upgrade to the Holly Springs Plaza off U.S.…
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Beaverdam project will move forward
Continuing what has thus far been an aggressive push toward economic development, Haywood County and the Town of Canton have…
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Drowning victim found in Big Creek area
Emergency responders have found the body of a 25-year-old man reported missing at 7:36 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, after falling…
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Despite COVID concerns, Waynesville’s apple fest still a go
A three-decade tradition, Waynesville’s Apple Harvest Festival, will indeed take place this year but as with all things coronavirus-related it…
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