2020: Burn, baby, burn
They say hindsight is 2020 and that is definitely true as we’re all eager to put this disaster of a…
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Fake News Freakout! Five
By Cory Vaillancourt • Fake News Editor | When I started writing this yearly feature five years ago, it was…
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Macon Human Services closes due to hazardous chemicals
Macon County Human Services building (which includes the Department of Social Services, Macon County Public Health, and Code Enforcement) was…
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Rabies positive racoon found in Macon
Macon County has identified a rabies positive raccoon. The raccoon was turned over to Macon County Animal Services after it…
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New COVID cases not slowing down in Haywood
Between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 185 new cases of COVID-19.
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COVID cluster identified at Macon 911 center
Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in Macon County’s 9-1-1 Communication Center.
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COVID cluster found at Macon nonprofit
Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases at the nonprofit Macon Program for Progress.
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Macon educator finalist for 'Beginning Teacher' award
Teachers from across North Carolina have been selected as finalists for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching…
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COVID-19 update from Haywood Health
Between Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 129 new cases of COVID-19.
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SCC re-opens from winter break on Jan. 4
To allow all employees an opportunity to get tested for COVID-19 after the winter break, Southwestern Community College will be…
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Ceasars, EBCI announce Indiana deal
Ceasars Entertainment and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians today released a formal announcement regarding the sale of operations at…
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Help make a child’s last wish come true
As Amanda McLeod celebrated her sweet 16 birthday last week, she wasn’t thinking about herself or the rare auto-immune disease…
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The day Santa came to Red Fox Loop: In search of the Christmas spirit in Appalachia
With a frigid wind pushing across the parking lot of the Clyde Volunteer Fire Department last Saturday afternoon, Santa Claus…
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Sylva teen club closes quietly
A Sylva teen club that sparked controversy two months ago by disseminating a flyer inviting high school students to “come…
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School board to borrow county funds for office renovations
At a school board meeting Monday, Dec. 14, Haywood County School Board members were split on how to pay for…
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First COVID-19 vaccines make it to WNC
The COVID-19 vaccine distribution has begun in Western North Carolina with the first doses going to healthcare workers and emergency…
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Economic development ranking system ‘cuts both ways’
Each year around this time, North Carolina takes a look at the economic prosperity, or lack thereof, in every one…
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Council votes to purchase Indiana casino operation
Tribal Council decided by a razor-thin margin last week to pursue a $280 million deal to purchase the gaming operation…
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Transparency concerns surround Council casino discussions
When the Cherokee Tribal Council waded through its final hours of discussion — and, ultimately, a vote — on the…
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Haywood County to get a new high school
At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Shining Rock Classical Academy Board of Directors, the decision was made to begin…
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Cashiers residents organize against proposed development
As the Jan. 6 hearing that will determine the project’s fate draws nearer, opposition is mounting to a plan that…
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Seven more COVID-19 deaths reported in Haywood
Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting seven more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number now to 62.
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Macon identifies COVID-19 cluster at sheriff's office
Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
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Holiday gatherings lead to more COVID spread
Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 14, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 112 new cases of COVID-19. As…
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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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