One-way Main Street proposal on hold
The proposal to temporarily turn Main Street in downtown Waynesville into a one-way street has been shelved for now.
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Against the narrative: WNC protests avoid polarization, violence
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Type “George Floyd Protests, Police” into your Google images search bar. What comes…
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Swain chamber, TDA finances called into question
Swain County commissioners are going to be giving more consideration to who they appoint to county boards after hearing a…
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I-40 paving near Pigeon River Gorge continues
More than half of the construction is complete on a major project to rehabilitate the westernmost 15 miles of Interstate…
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Macon sees largest COVID-19 spike in the region
Macon County has seen the largest spike in COVID-19 cases recently, with 230 confirmed cases as of June 15.
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Mau suggests a property tax decrease in Jackson County
Over the past week the Jackson County Board of Commissioners has been discussing whether to pass the 2020-21 fiscal year…
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QuickDraw fundraiser goes viral to support arts education
By Andrew Dundas • Contributing writer | Paper, a folder and pencils — both colored and No. 2. These are…
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Foundation funds expanded health care in Highlands-Cashiers
Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has announced a formal agreement to expand access to primary care on the Highlands-Cashiers plateau by…
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Haywood County COVID-19 cases up to 67
Haywood County Public Health received notice on June 12 that another two Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19,…
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Another COVID-19 cluster identified in Macon
Macon County Public Health has identified another COVID-19 cluster in an area business.
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Downtown AVL businesses, some vandalized, show their support
By Sara Frazier AVL Watchdog One by one, they arrived at their downtown businesses this week to find shattered storefronts…
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Officials to improve existing route for Corridor K
N.C. Department of Transportation officials have selected a recommended alternative for improvements to Corridor K in Graham County. The alignment chosen…
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WCU chancellor, trustees chair respond to protests
Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown and Bryant Kinney, chair of the WCU Board of Trustees, set aside the…
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Cherokee Center presents Jerry Wolfe 'Gadugi' Award
By Aaliyah Swimmer WCU Cherokee Center intern Western Carolina University's Cherokee Center recently selected Class of 2020 Cherokee High…
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Man pleads guilty to Sylva break-ins
A man faces a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty Wednesday in Jackson County to a string of break-ins and…
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Harris hospital eases visitor restrictions
Harris Regional Hospital announced that it is transitioning from a zero-visitor protocol to limited visitor restrictions as the hospital gradually…
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Expanded business counseling offered at HCC
The Haywood Community College Small Business Center has announced an expansion in business services. Beginning June 1, the SBC will…
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Support small business
As small businesses across Western North Carolina work toward reopening while meeting new guidelines during the COVID-19 Pandemic, residents are…
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Life on the road: WNC photographer embarks on adventure of a lifetime
Now 31, Steve Yocum was just 22 years old when he moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the mountains of Western…
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One-way traffic proposed for Main Street in Waynesville
As small businesses begin to reopen following the Coronavirus Pandemic, some cities and towns are finding creative ways to help…
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Jackson animal shelter project moves forward
After a unanimous vote from the Jackson County Commissioners, an architecture contract with McMillan Pazden Smith Architecture for a planned…
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Voting underway in NC 11 Second Primary
The March 3 Republican Primary Election for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District between 12 candidates hoping to represent the party…
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Constituents concerned with Haywood commissioner’s stance on drugs
Haywood County Commissioner Mark Pless spent 15 years as a paramedic. He’s responded to more drug overdose calls than he…
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Removing the stigma: Spreading Hope and Awareness with the SHARE Project
By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | “I’m looking for a personal trainer who also knows kickboxing.” An innocuous Facebook recommendation post by…
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Indoor pool question likely to appear on Jackson ballot
A proposal to include a referendum question on the November ballot asking voters to approve funding for an indoor pool…
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Demonstrations come to small-town Western NC
Waynesville. Sylva. Murphy. Canton. Bryson City. Franklin. Demonstrations associated with the death of George Floyd aren’t solely a big-city phenomenon, nor…
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HCC resolves legal action for Creative Arts Building
Haywood Community College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the college has resolved all legal matters related to the…
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Macon man pleads guilty to 'death by vehicle' charges
A man driving drunk who crashed his pickup truck into a Sylva woman’s car, killing her a short time after…
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Landlords needed to fight impacts of COVID-19
During a time when everyone is worried about their health and the health of their loves ones, it can be…
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School board members push for graduation ceremonies
At a special called meeting on Monday, June 1, the Haywood County School Board discussed the legality and viability of…
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Low-turnout congressional runoff election will be predictably unpredictable
A year ago, few would have predicted that a crowded field of Republicans would eventually whittle themselves down to two,…
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Waynesville protest march concludes peacefully
A group of almost 100 demonstrators hoping to draw attention to racial injustice marched through Waynesville on the night of…
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Gassed: Inside Monday’s protest in downtown Asheville
By Mark MacNamara AVL Watchdog June 1st. Night. A few minutes before the first explosion a black woman stopped to…
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Macon County employee tests positive for COVID-19
Macon County has identified a Macon County employee who has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is isolating at home…
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Haywood NAACP to hold vigil for George Floyd
The Haywood County NAACP is hosting a vigil in memory of George Floyd at 3 p.m. Friday, June 5, at…
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Two COVID clusters cause spike in Macon cases
Updated 6/4/20: Macon County now has 109 positive COVID-19 cases, 94 of those are active. Macon County has seen a…
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Casino will open tomorrow
Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos will open to the public for the first time since March 18 at 6 p.m. Thursday, May…
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Revenue short for Sylva’s 2021 budget
When the Sylva town board met for its annual budget brainstorming session in January, members had no problem dreaming big…
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Budget decrease projected for Jackson
At $66.5 million, Jackson County’s proposed budget for 2020-21 includes a 1.34 percent decrease from the 2019-20 amended budget and…
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Casinos reopen at limited capacity
For the first time since closing March 18, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos in Murphy and Cherokee are now open to the…
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Cases continue to rise in western counties
Rural counties have so far been sheltered from the high numbers of positive COVID-19 cases, but as testing ramps up,…
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42 new COVID cases in Macon County
Macon County Public Health has identified 42 positive cases of COVID-19 in the last 48 hours.
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Haywood paramedic loses life amid pandemic
Justin Mitchell grew up like many young men in the South. He had a big family and attended church. His…
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COVID-19 delays 2020 U.S. Census progress
Filling out the 2020 U.S. Census form is easier than ever, yet response levels are still significantly lagging in many…
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Families in Fear at Stricken Nursing Home
By Sally Kestin • AVL Watchdog | Kathie Carnahan nursed her husband through two major surgeries, watched helplessly as dementia robbed the…
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Franklin man sentenced as habitual felon
District Attorney Ashley Welch announced that Jeremy Edward Stepp has been sentenced as a habitual felon and can expect to spend…
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SCC now open to the public
Southwestern Community College is now open to foot traffic, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The college…
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Beer branded with white nationalist lingo, imagery draws outrage
As cities across the nation smolder amidst the destruction of racially charged rioting over the murder of George Floyd by…
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Motorcycle fatality near park headquarters
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers responded to a report of a motorcycle collision along Newfound Gap Road near Park…
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Changes made to WCU fall calendar
Western Carolina University has announced plans for fall 2020 that include holding the first day of classes as scheduled on…
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