As promised, Pless strips Maggie Valley of development powers
The Haywood County Town of Maggie Valley has lost significant authority to exercise development powers after a bill promoted by…
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More money available to help displaced Evergreen workers
In the latest in a long line of efforts by the Southwestern Commission to help those affected by the Evergreen…
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Champion Credit Union named to list of Great Employers to Work for in North Carolina
Champion Credit Union announced it has been named to the Great Employers to Work for in North Carolina 2023 list…
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Waynesville’s mayoral race heats up with inclusion of Reece
Waynesville native, retired DEA agent and unsuccessful 2019 Waynesville aldermanic candidate Joey Reece will run for mayor of Waynesville, Reece…
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Pactiv Evergreen accused of illegally dumping chemicals during shutdown
In a notice of violation issued Monday, July 10, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has accused Pactiv Evergreen of…
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Vacation rentals: Explosive growth brings jobs, money, but some say it contributes to housing shortage
In a neighborhood along Asheville’s French Broad River and abutting a residential street that includes young families, Upstream Way stands…
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Parties prep for voter ID requirements
The issue of requiring voters to present identification at the polls before casting a ballot has been contentious in North…
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EBCI census will impact Tribal Council outcomes
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is trying for the first true census of its citizens in more than 20…
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EBCI welcomes new sports wagering law: Law will increase competition, but allow mobile betting
When sports wagering started in Cherokee two years ago, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ two casinos were the only…
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No phase two for Shining Rock Classical Academy, for now
Shining Rock Classical Academy is hitting pause on plans for expansion of its school building — now untenable due to…
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Another step toward a middle school
Jackson County Schools recently approved an agreement to undergo a master planning process that will move the school system one…
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Fee increase for Macon County solid waste
After some pushback from Commissioner John Shearl, Macon County has approved three changes to the solid waste fee structure for…
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United Christian Ministries welcomes new director
United Christian Ministries of Jackson County has appointed a new Executive Director.
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Jackson Health Department announces wellness program
The Jackson County Health Department announced a new wellness program, Elevate828.
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Cherokee constitution debate continues: Ballot deadline approaching
Over nearly three hours Wednesday, June 21, Tribal Council heard from attorneys offering dire warnings about the unintended consequences that…
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Anti-social: Social district proposal unlikely to reemerge after Waynesville tables it
Waynesville’s consideration of a social district in its downtown core took an interesting turn on June 27, when members of…
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Rep. Pless aims to punish Maggie: Tries to limit town’s zoning authority, offers de-annexation for some residents
Mark Pless has escalated his war against three of the five Maggie Valley aldermen.
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Pless continues push for partisan elections in Haywood, Madison
What does a Senate bill giving the Apex Town Council the power to hire the town’s clerk have to do…
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MCS moves to consolidate FHS and Union Academy
If Macon County succeeds in constructing a new high school, which could be contingent on receiving a Needs-Based Public School…
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Jackson addresses foster care needs
Jackson County has approved a plan to pay employees for assisting with the “unprecedented rate” of residential foster care services…
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Healthcare Foundation aims to fight food insecurity
As residents in counties across Western North Carolina continue to face food insecurity issues, the Haywood Health Care Foundation is…
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More WNC students to receive free school meals
More students in Macon, Jackson and Haywood counties will receive free breakfast and lunch in the coming school year thanks…
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Waynesville man sentenced for illegal machine guns
Jacob Ryan McClure, 25, of Waynesville. was sentenced to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised released…
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Employee retention improving at WCU
The massive employee turnover Western Carolina University has seen over the past two years is now trending downward, but the…
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Former WCU player’s gift supports athletics facilities improvements
A former two-time Western Carolina University Academic All-American football player wants to help ensure that future Catamount student-athletes have similar experiences.
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United Christian Ministries welcomes new director
United Christian Ministries of Jackson County has appointed a new Executive Director. Ann Selby replaced retiring Director, Karen Johnson.
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Credit Union named to list of Great Employers
Champion Credit Union announced it has been named to the Great Employers to Work for in North Carolina 2023 list…
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SCC lands Dogwood Health Trust grant
To help create a pipeline of future health care workers for the region, Dogwood Health Trust has awarded a $500,000…
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Community Foundation awards scholarships
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) recently approved scholarships totaling $558,000 to 96 WNC students in 53 schools…
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Human Services grads honored in SCC pinning ceremony
Five new graduates of Southwestern Community College’s Human Services Technology (HST) program are ready to help address the opioid and…
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School implements recycling program
A recent collaboration between Junaluska Elementary fifth graders, Haywood Community College students and Haywood County Solid Waste and Recycling will…
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WCU collaborates with Cherokee on exhibit planning project
A campuswide and community driven project will soon be underway to recenter Cherokee history and culture on Western Carolina University’s…
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What’s left behind: Canton mill closure leaves complex environmental footprint
The paper mill has been closed for years now, but the cleanup is ongoing.
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Waynesville company sues Labor Department
Waynesville’s USA Farm Labor is suing the federal government in hopes of changing a new rule it claims will cost…
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Macon GOP precinct chair threatens to censure four Republican commissioners
The Macon County GOP is poised to take action against one of its precinct chairs, Rob Tolp, after he sent…
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School board approves property acquisition
The Haywood County School Board has approved the acquisition of a parcel of land off Ratcliff Cove Road for the…
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Macon leaders sign agreement on high school
The Macon County Commission unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Macon County School Board this month concerning the…
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Jackson accepts grants to fund substance abuse recovery planning
Jackson County has received a grant from Dogwood Health Trust to create a substance abuse recovery planning program over a…
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WCU’s educator receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Kofi Lomotey, the Chancellor John Bardo and Deborah Bardo Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University, recently received…
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Red Cross announces summer blood drive
The American Red Cross will host its 36th annual Operation Blood Drive on Thursday, June 29, in Asheville, Hendersonville and Waynesville.
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Jackson reworks plans for domestic violence shelter
Jackson County has had to rework the design for its domestic violence shelter after cost estimates came in well over…
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Harris and Swain Hospital names 2023 Mercy Award winner
Harris Regional and Swain Community Hospital recently announced that Missi Bowman has been recognized as the facility’s 2023 Mercy Award…
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Haywood County Ambulance wrecked in rollover accident
Around 6:30 a.m. June 22, a Haywood County ambulance based out of Bethel lost control on a curve in a…
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EXCLUSIVE: Potential property shuffle puts Haywood County Schools in a pickle
A relatively routine rezoning request for a parcel off Ratcliff Cove Road has inadvertently revealed multi-million dollar plans by Haywood…
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Public hearing set for school board rezoning request
As first reported in The Smoky Mountain News, Haywood County Schools has proposed a multi-million dollar consolidation of several auxiliary…
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Macon GOP precinct chair threatens to censure four Republican commissioners
The Macon County GOP is poised to take action against one of its precinct chairs, Rob Tolp, after he sent…
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Macon imposes penalty for camping on greenway
There will be legal penalties for camping on the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Macon County after the County Commission…
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Macon passes budget, maintains lowest tax rate in state
After weeks of heated discussion and back and forth over both revenue and expenditures, the Macon County Commission approved the…
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Supreme Court's Indian Child Welfare Act ruling preserves tribal sovereignty
Native American tribes across the country are celebrating after a June 15 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court struck down…
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Cherokee Schools water damage repair to total ‘many millions’
T The Cherokee Tribal Council has approved $7.6 million for water damage repairs at Cherokee Central Schools, but that’s expected…
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