Sneed wins chief election
Richard Sneed will remain the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for four more years following an…
Read More
Hurricane Dorian boosts Haywood occupancy rates
Hurricane Dorian has slowly but surely been making its way toward the east coast of the United States, but Haywood…
Read More
Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users
The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time…
Read More
Tourism spending up in WNC counties
As the summer season comes to a close, western counties continue to see a steady increase in visitor spending and room…
Read More
WCU to study alcohol sales at sporting events
The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees elected a slate of officers for 2019-20 and made appointments to several committees,…
Read More
Swain room tax revenue exceeds $1 million
Swain County’s tourism industry recently marked a major milestone when the occupancy tax revenue from fiscal year 2018-19 exceeded $1…
Read More
Jackson plans for growth
Last year was a good one for the tourism industry in Jackson County, with visitor spending in 2018 increasing by…
Read More
Haywood’s tourism growth comes in unexpected places, times
Strong growth in winter and Haywood County’s smaller municipalities has local tourism numbers up over last year, in some cases,…
Read More
Visitor spending in Macon on the rise
Outdoor recreation continues to be a major factor in Macon County’s steady increase in visitor spending year after year.
Read More
Some Haywood County Schools buildings nearing capacity
With a major new administration facility proposed and a shuttered elementary school still sitting empty, Haywood County Schools finds itself…
Read More
Input sought for Swain’s future
All indications show Swain County has a prosperous future ahead, but county leaders are looking for community input to determine…
Read More
Big changes coming to N.C. Medicaid
As the state of North Carolina moves forward with some bold new changes to how it will administer Medicaid, Haywood…
Read More
TWSA discusses ways to soften N.C. 107 impacts
With right-of-way acquisition for the N.C. 107 project in Sylva set to begin in January, the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer…
Read More
Free camping available for Dorian evacuees
The U.S. Forest Service is waiving fees at campgrounds across its southern region — which includes the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest…
Read More
Emergency Closure for Nantahala Gorge
Due to hazardous conditions in the Nantahala Gorge from multiple landslides, the U.S. Forest Service is issuing an Emergency Closure…
Read More
Commercial Rafting and Kayaking Operations Suspended on Nantahala River
Hazards created by recent landslides into the Nantahala River within the Nantahala Gorge have resulted in a suspension of all…
Read More
Right from the source: Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates 50 years
Atop a hill on the western edge of downtown Waynesville, just past the invisible line where the delicious smell of…
Read More
Communities celebrate new future of Nikwasi
As Cherokee children joined hands with Macon County residents and led them in a traditional friendship dance in the shadow…
Read More
Shining Rock faces charter renewal decision
The next few months could prove fateful for Haywood County’s only public charter school, Shining Rock Classical Academy, as a…
Read More
House bill could be helping hand for broadband
There’s probably no bigger economic development issue in rural America than access to dependable high-speed internet service. “One hundred percent,”…
Read More
Housing trust fund plan under development in Jackson
Housing is an issue across Western North Carolina, and Jackson County is no exception. Since June 2018, a newly created…
Read More
Jackson buys land for recycling center
After a closed session discussion during its Aug. 20 meeting, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to buy…
Read More
Homeless services provider receives nonprofit status
The organization tasked with managing homeless services in Jackson County for the year ahead received official status as a federal…
Read More
Heavy rains cause four slides in Nantahala Gorge
A severe deluge dropped 3.5 inches of rain in the Nantahala Gorge in Swain County on Saturday and triggered slides…
Read More
WNC to lose $9 million in mental health funding
The North Carolina General Assembly has proposed cutting millions of dollars in mental health funding in the recommended 2019-20 budget…
Read More
Funds earmarked for Haywood drug court
A drug court could be established in Haywood County over the next couple of years if the North Carolina General…
Read More
Tribe to vote on FY2020 budget
Tribal Council is slated to vote on a budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 on Thursday, Sept. 12,…
Read More
Gov. Cooper visits SCC
This past summer, Andrew Allen had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get clinical experience at one of the state’s top teaching…
Read More
Region gathers to find recovery solutions
More than 150 leaders from Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties in North Carolina gathered Aug. 16…
Read More
NCDOT clearing four slides in Nantahala Gorge
BRYSON CITY – N.C. Department of Transportation crews are working around the clock on U.S. 19/74 until the highway is…
Read More
Slides close Nantahala Gorge
BRYSON CITY – A heavy rainstorm Saturday evening and four subsequent mudslides have closed U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge…
Read More
NC Justice Center honors Haywood’s Jane Hipps
The N.C. Justice Center posthumously bestowed a Champion of Justice Award on former board member and community advocate Jane Hipps…
Read More
Haywood inmate dies in apparent suicide
An inmate at the Haywood County Detention Center, Zachary Nathaniel Lambright, 20, was pronounced deceased at Haywood Regional Medical Center…
Read More
Cherokee students attend Judaculla Camp
Fifteen high school students from across the region who are members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians had an…
Read More
HCC program ranked in Top 10
According to Medicalassistantadvice.com, Haywood Community College’s Medical Assisting program has been ranked number 10 in North Carolina for the year…
Read More
Leading Catamount Nation: WCU’s new chancellor discusses her path to Cullowhee and vision for the university
Western Carolina University’s newest chancellor is fairly certain that, of the teachers and students she knew years ago while pursuing…
Read More
Jackson County welcomes new chancellor
More than 300 people crowded Innovation Station in Dillsboro on Monday, Aug. 19, to sip a beer and shake hands…
Read More
Cullowhee Dam removal decision could take years
It’s been two years since discussions began about the possibility of removing the Cullowhee Dam, and it could take years…
Read More
Shining Rock suspends board operations pending training session
Shining Rock Classical Academy has a history of transparency problems, but after an Aug. 19 meeting with representatives of local…
Read More
Rankins honored with Chief Junaluska Award
Lake Junaluska residents Pat and Don Rankin are the 2019 recipients of the Chief Junaluska Award, an honor bestowed annually…
Read More
Haywood Schools consolidation plan moves forward
A proposal to consolidate several aging Haywood County Schools administrative buildings into a single multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility first discussed…
Read More
Tribal Council candidates speak on the issues
When Election Day arrives in Cherokee Sept. 5, all 12 Tribal Council seats will be up for grabs, as well…
Read More
Canton explores wastewater treatment options
For years, the town of Canton’s municipal wastewater has been treated, free of charge, by the various operators of the…
Read More
Jackson County residents sought for Citizens Academy
Jackson County residents will have the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at how county government works during the third…
Read More
Indian Health Service examines issues at Unity Healing Center
The Unity Healing Center in Cherokee has become the subject of intense focus from the U.S. Indian Health Service’s regional…
Read More
Fair time for future farmers
For many people the county fair conjures up images of Ferris wheels, carnival games and cotton candy, but here in…
Read More
Forced to Fight: Law enforcement grapples with opioids in Appalachia
After a routine surgery, Haywood County native Clayton Suggs ended up hooked on opioids until on the first day alone…
Read More
Forced to Fight: Addicts long for life beyond heroin
Editor’s note: Names have been changed to protect the identity of those interviewed for this story. Five miles down an…
Read More
Through Spain, frame by frame: Camino de Santiago offers a long-distance walk steeped in history
The more you know about the Camino de Santiago, the harder it is to define. The simple explanation is that…
Read More
Haywood lands tax credits for historic hospital redevelopment
After narrowly losing out in each of the past three years, developers have finally been awarded tax credits that will…
Read More
