New vaccinations continue to slow
Vaccinations continue to slow down in the four-county area and in the state as a whole, but case counts are…
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Decision time coming for Haywood budget
Although the recommended budget won’t be presented for another two weeks, Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead took the opportunity on…
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HCA breaks ground on new Franklin hospital
HCA Healthcare officially broke ground last Friday morning on a $68 million facility to replace Angel Medical Center in Franklin.
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Merchant group forms in Canton
The Haywood County town of Canton hasn’t always been a major tourist destination, but with downtown revitalization well underway and…
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Transparency concerns hobble DWA contract renewal bid
Despite more than three decades of service to Waynesville’s downtown municipal service district, the organization charged with managing it now…
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Haywood school board approves budget
Haywood County Schools Local Expense Budget is set to look very similar to years past, with the COVID-19 Pandemic causing…
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Sylva moves toward tax rate increase
During an April 29 work session, four of Sylva’s five board members signaled their approval of a draft budget totaling…
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Sylva board mulls Allen Street solution
Despite their proximity to multiple slope failures on and around Allen Street in Sylva, two trouble spots that appeared in…
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Profits up at HCA, ratings down at Mission
BY PETER H. LEWIS, Asheville Watchdog HCA Healthcare, which owns and operates Mission Hospital in Asheville, reported this month that…
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North Carolina ‘driving’ toward more diverse corps of educators
North Carolina’s population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse every day, but according to a report issued by Gov.…
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WNC behind state average in educator diversity
North Carolina has about 1.5 million public school students, and according to a report from the Department of Public Instruction,…
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Integration and the disappearance of Black teachers
For Lin Forney, the end of fourth grade was the end of an era. The year was 1963, and the…
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Committed to movement: WCU professors push for diversity in education
Professors at Western Carolina University are tired of just talking about the importance of diversity within the teaching industry and…
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ALE conducts statewide enforcement operation
In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, ALE special agents concluded a statewide enforcement operation on Friday resulting in over 200…
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Jackson commissioners weigh fire funding
Jackson County leaders are considering adding a penny to the county’s tax rate to fund the Cullowhee Volunteer Fire Department’s…
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Waynesville Inn sold, will see extensive rehab
An iconic Waynesville landmark sold for nearly $9 million last week, but the new owner’s plans to renovate the 165-acre…
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Growing pains at Haywood Community College
In preparing for Haywood Community College’s first post-pandemic budget, President Dr. Shelley White presented a stable operating budget but asked…
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April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Dr. Diana Messer, a forensic anthropology professor at Western Carolina University, is working on groundbreaking research that could drastically improve…
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Firefly lottery opens Friday
The annual synchronous firefly viewing event will return to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, but with a…
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Vaccine appointments readily available in WNC
Vaccination rates slowed substantially across the four-county area over the past week, and the pace will likely continue to slacken…
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Canton budget goes all-in on recreation, infrastructure
The Town of Canton’s property tax rate hasn’t changed in almost two decades. This year, it looks to be headed…
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Bill addresses judicial efficiency in western counties
A House bill proposed by Western North Carolina reps. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, and Mark Pless, R-Haywood, includes significant changes…
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WCU will offer full college experience this fall
Western Carolina University is gearing up for a traditional college experience this fall with plans to resume all typical academic,…
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As long as water runs downhill: The story of Popcorn Sutton
People have been making moonshine almost since the day water started running downhill, and it seems like people have been…
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Woman dismissed for overturning gravestones
Following the results of a mental evaluation, a judge on Monday ordered the release of an Oregon woman accused in…
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Murphy man pleads guilty to drug trafficking
A Murphy man who triggered an investigation into his own drug-dealing activities admitted in Graham County Superior Court to trafficking…
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COVID-19 cluster found at Haywood jail
Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has identified a COVID-19 cluster at the Haywood County Detention Center. Over the…
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Court rules in favor of Catawba casino
In a 55-page opinion filed Friday, April 16, U.S. District Court Judge James A. Boasberg gave a green light in…
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Commissioners discuss changes to Sylva statue
Eight months after voting to revamp the pedestal of the county’s controversial Civil War monument, Jackson County commissioners got their…
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Waynesville residents shocked by big electric bills
Complaints from Town of Waynesville power customers about higher-than-expected electric bills prompted town officials to look into the matter, which…
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Future of Downtown Waynesville Association to be debated
It’s been almost five years since the Downtown Waynesville Association landed a multi-year contract to manage the town’s municipal service…
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Virus trends down as vaccination continues
Despite a continued pause on distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and flagging demand for appointments, the past…
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Franklin manager to leave her post
Franklin Town Manager Summer Woodard recently submitted her resignation letter after accepting a position as the town manager of Reidsville.
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Maggie property owners oppose waterfall project
Maggie Valley Country Club Estates Property Owners Association has communicated intense opposition to the proposed Waterfall Park on 8 acres…
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Pisgah Legal Offers Free Tax Services
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the…
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Steele pleads guilty to drug charges
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Franklin man will spend 70 to 96 months in prison for his role…
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State Superintendent visits WNC schools
North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Schools, Catherine Truitt, ended a tour of Western North Carolina Schools today, April 16,…
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Sylva ponders tax increase
Sales tax receipts are booming in Sylva and a newly completed property revaluation will bump real estate values by about…
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Candidates announced for tribal elections
With less than two months to go before the Primary Election Thursday, June 4, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians…
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Organization Builds on its Veteran Programs
FRANKLIN – For the first time in its five-year history, the national veteran and Gold Star organization Special Liberty Project, which…
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Prosperity brings expansion, incentives for Haywood businesses
Things are going so well at two of Haywood County’s best-known industrial employers that they’re both hiring and expanding, making…
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An ounce of prevention: Stopping emergencies before they start
For every 116,732 people visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one experiences an emergency and calls the park’s Search…
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Swain hospital earns blue ribbon
Staff caring for patients at Swain Community Hospital have won the Blue-Ribbon Award presented to departments receiving the highest scores…
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Former SCC Trustee receives state’s honor
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is the highest award the state of North Carolina can bestow upon an…
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Increased benefits for pregnant women focus of Sen. Corbin bill
When Republican Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, announced during a March 25 listening session at Southwestern Community College that he intended…
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What is the deal with COVID vaccines? Dr. Jernigan addresses SMN readers’ concerns
The COVID-19 vaccination rollout is in full swing, and while many people rushed to get their shot at the first…
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Signups slow for vaccine appointments
After months of working breakneck speed to clear an ever-expanding backlog of people waiting to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, local…
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Concerns go unanswered during HCA monitor meeting
The public had a lot of questions during an April 7 virtual meeting regarding Mission Health’s services and operations since…
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Western Republicans elect new congressional district chair
As North Carolina Republicans seek to maintain dominance across the state and in the 11th Congressional District, they’ll do so…
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Cherokee considers decriminalizing marijuana
Tribal Council voted unanimously April 1 to table an ordinance aiming to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. However, discussion preceding…
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