Dog Park Initiative by Vision Cashiers Moves Forward

Vision Cashiers, a not-for-profit organization led by volunteers and devoted to improving the Cashiers community, recently announced it has received…
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Haywood announces spring school calendar

Following the semester and holiday break, Haywood County Schools will return for blended and in-person learning on Monday, Jan. 11,…
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Franklin man pleads guilty to drug trafficking

Caught out and arrested by a sharp-eyed deputy sheriff, a Franklin man is headed to state prison after a failed…
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Soup and Cornbread canceled, support still needed

Altrusa of Waynesville is part of an International nonprofit organization that emphasizes community service including literacy, education and other needs…
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Waynesville passes State of Emergency ordinance

A routine update to the Town of Waynesville’s State of Emergency ordinance finally passed on Dec. 8 after being tabled…
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‘Darkest before the dawn’: Sylva doctor contracts COVID amid rising cases, hospitalizations

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Sylva resident Ben Guiney was spending the morning decorating the Christmas tree with…
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Farmers, pantries strive to feed the hungry

Food pantries and meal delivery programs have had to change how they operate during the pandemic while still trying to meet…
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Volunteers ‘fill in the gaps’ of the food security spectrum

Passing modest, nondescript houses with swing sets and dog houses in their yards, the big red pickup truck lumbered up…
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Food insecurity triples in WNC

Food insecurity in Western North Carolina has nearly tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic as people struggle to put food on…
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Schools keep kids fed during pandemic

North Carolina is regularly ranked as one of the 10 hungriest states in the nation. According to Feeding America data…
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Sylva endorses county namesake change

The Town of Sylva joined the Village of Forest Hills last week in formerly supporting a request from the Eastern…
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WCU trustees approve fee increases

The cost of attendance at Western Carolina University will increase by $152 in the 2021-2022 school year for on-campus, in-state…
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Christian conservatives invited to GOP party

The media received a press release from GOP leaders in Western North Carolina inviting all Christian conservatives to a “Can’t…
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Council delays Indiana casino decision

Tribal Council voted 10-1 today to table a resolution that would have allowed the tribe to move forward with a…
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New virus outbreak reported in Sylva

A total of 37 people at Morningstar Assisted Living in Sylva have tested positive for COVID-19, making the facility the…
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Seven more nursing home residents die in Haywood

Between Dec. 8 and Dec. 10, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 107 new cases of COVID-19 and…
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Moss pleads guilty to embezzling charges

A would-be lawyer found herself in handcuffs and headed to prison Thursday after pleading guilty in Jackson County Superior Court…
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With sales tax strong, Jackson considers budget increase

The 2020-2021 budget Jackson County passed in June was a slimmed-down plan adopted in reaction to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis…
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Whittier man dead following shooting incident

A Whittier man is dead due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a 911 call that the Jackson County Sheriff’s…
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Graham County Clerk of Court closed due to COVID

The Graham County Clerk of Superior Court’s office will be closed through Friday, Dec. 18, due to COVID-19 exposure.
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Haywood Republicans fill commission vacancy

After several public meetings where intensive questions were posed by the Haywood County Republican Party to seven candidates, the party…
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Greening Up the Mountains moved to summer

The beloved Greening Up The Mountains Festival will once again be absent from its traditional date of the last Saturday…
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Mountain Projects seeks emergency fund donations

Mountain Projects 31 Days of Giving Campaign is seeking holiday contributions to support the well-being of families experiencing poverty in…
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Nonprofit Mission Made Lots of Profits — Especially for Bosses

Pay for top executives rose faster than for doctors, nurses By Peter H. Lewis and Barbara Durr, Asheville Watchdog For…
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WCU will require students to take COVID-19 test

Western Carolina University students living in residence halls will be asked to submit documentation of a negative COVID-19 test result…
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Jerry Wolfe Highway nears approval

UPDATE: The N.C. Board of Transportation unanimously approved the renaming during its Dec. 2 meeting.  The 4.2-mile stretch of U.S.…
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COVID-19 vaccine begins to roll out

The first COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered overseas as FDA approval is still underway in the U.S. 
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COVID-19, a difficult problem for nursing homes

As the holiday season progresses, Western North Carolina has seen a sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases. This rising spread has…
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People urged to comply with contact tracing efforts

County health officials are urging residents to comply with COVID-19 contact tracing efforts if contacted by the health department. 
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Forest Hills supports Jackson County namesake change

While the issue has not yet come before county commissioners, the Village of Forest Hills has passed a resolution supporting…
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Tribal Council removes casino board chairman

In a closely divided vote following an at-times tense discussion Thursday, Dec. 3, the Cherokee Tribal Council removed Tribal Casino…
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NPS investigates sexual assault case

The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch continues to seek information related to sexual assaults that may have occurred within…
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New members join Macon County School Board

Macon County School Board has two new members following the 2020 election and a special appointment to fill a recent…
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Haywood Schools central office relocates

Haywood County Schools Central Office began the process of relocating to Central Elementary last week. 
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Female farmers survive a challenging year

By Laura Lauffer • Contributing writer | During the holiday season, we often recognize and appreciate the farmers in our community for…
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Gov. Cooper presents grim coronavirus numbers, new restrictions

Calling the stakes dire and the situation “a matter of life and death,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced a…
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Conspiracy theorists continue to spread misinformation in Haywood

Weeks after controversy erupted due to a mischaracterization of a routine local government housekeeping measure in Waynesville, conspiracy theorists continue…
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Haywood Regional Medical Center Suspends Visitation

Haywood County is currently experiencing a rapid increase in positive cases of COVID-19, indicating unchecked community spread. Thus, with the…
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Contact tracing crucial as COVID case spike

Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 3, Haywood County Public Health received notice of 79 new cases of COVID-19. As of…
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Governor, tribe approve sports betting agreement

After a yearlong delay, the effort to bring sports betting to Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos is finally moving forward following Gov.…
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Trio of Paving Contracts Awarded in WNC counties

N.C. Department of Transportation officials recently awarded three separate contracts totaling more than $6.7 million to resurface more than 26.2…
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Hernandez pleads guilty in motorcycle death

Jorge Hernandez, arrested last year after crashing into a motorcyclist on N.C. 107 near Glenville, killing him, pleaded guilty Tuesday…
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Jackson says goodbye to Mau and Luker

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners said goodbye to outgoing Commissioners Ron Mau and Mickey Luker on Tuesday, Dec. 1,…
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Two COVID-19 deaths reported in Haywood nursing home

Two people have died related to a COVID-19 outbreak at Maggie Valley Nursing Home and Rehabilitation, bringing Haywood County’s total…
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COVID-19 spikes force WCU to cancel in-person commencements

In response to concerns about the surge of COVID-19 cases across North Carolina and the U.S. and in consultation with…
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DA undergoes breast cancer treatment

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced that she has breast cancer and is undergoing medical treatment.
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HCC students guaranteed admission to Lees-McRae

Haywood Community College (HCC) and Lees-McRae College (LMC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Guaranteed Admission Program…
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Mayflower anniversary celebrated

Families observing Thanksgiving this month will be following a tradition that arose several hundred years ago from events in Plymouth,…
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State releases new economic ranking for counties

The North Carolina Department of Commerce released the county tier designations for 2021, showing that Haywood moved to a more…
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Coronavirus creeps into WNC nursing homes

COVID-19 is surging in Western North Carolina counties, and eight nursing homes in Haywood, Jackson and Macon counties are currently…
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