WCU trustees approve increases for fee, room and meal rates
The cost of attendance at Western Carolina University will rise 3.27 percent next year following the WCU Board of Trustees’…
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Tribal employees to see 7 percent raise
Christmas will be extra sweet this year for tribal employees following Tribal Council’s vote to enact a 7 percent cost-of-living…
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Town to form homelessness task force
Calling it a campaign promise kept, newly-minted Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell announced during the first few moments of his term…
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Waynesville board becomes more diverse
The town of Waynesville swore in Haywood County’s first openly gay elected official — Biltmore Farms Director of Information Systems…
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Realtor association merger will help with affordable housing
Local Realtors are about to experience a change most of them will barely notice, but the merger of the Haywood…
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Torture, indifference alleged in Haywood horse cruelty case
Accusations of animal cruelty have been swirling about Haywood County stable operator James Lunsford for much of the year but…
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Tribal Council kills resort proposal
A $30 million deal to bring a story-themed resort to Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians-owned land in Sevier County, Tennessee,…
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Tree planted in memory of Riley Howell
With funding from The Fund of Haywood County and RE/MAX Executive, an oak tree was planted and a plaque installed…
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Lunsford refutes cruelty allegations
Haywood County resident James Lunsford, 65, is currently the subject of an animal cruelty lawsuit filed against him Oct. 11…
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Family gets Habitat home
John and Landy Savage of Whittier will soon be able to move into their new home after losing their mobile…
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Jackson calls for stricter environmental enforcement
Concerned by ongoing erosion issues at the Western Carolina University Millennial Apartments construction site in Cullowhee, the Jackson County Board…
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Emergency shelter operating in Bryson City
Swain County now has an emergency homeless shelter in downtown Bryson City thanks to a generous donation and the hard…
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N.C. 107 utility plans leave relocation list unchanged
With updated plans hot off the presses, the N.C. Department of Transportation welcomed well over 100 people to an open…
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Cyber attack causes tribal computer network shutdown
Computer systems at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are down this week after a tribal employee allegedly attacked the…
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Candidate filing continues until Dec. 20
With the first week of election filing in the books, voters are starting to see what their Primary Election ballots…
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New maps and a new candidate in N.C.’s 11th Congressional District
After months and years of litigation, a Wake County court decided Dec. 2 that North Carolina could proceed with the…
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Free at a cost: Entrance fee prohibition creates challenges for the Smokies
Growing up in West Asheville, Daniel Pierce was a frequent visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park…
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Not so super? Out-of-state money influences small-town elections
Super PACs are starting to make a big-time impact on small-town Western North Carolina politics, and not everyone thinks that’s…
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Mercy Urgent Care opens in Waynesville
Mercy Urgent Care will open its newest facility in Waynesville in early 2020.
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Haywood commissioners hear opioid update
It appears that some progress is being made in the fight against drug addiction in Haywood County, but a recent…
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State releases 2020 economic tier rankings
The North Carolina Department of Commerce released the county tier designations for 2020 this week. The designations, which are mandated…
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Sylva reaches temporary parking agreement with Baptist church
The quarter-acre parking lot on the corner of Main and Landis streets in Sylva is officially town parking following a…
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New hires to speed child custody cases in Cherokee
Tribal Council voted unanimously last month to expand the tribe’s roster of attorneys in hopes of moving child custody cases…
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Pretrial program nears end of pilot year
Haywood and Jackson counties have been participating in an important pilot program this year in hopes of creating a more…
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Sisters form Pretrial Justice Project of Macon County
Dawn Todd manages a humane society in Franklin. With a full plate at work, she isn’t someone who would usually…
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Presnell out, Pless steps up as filing period begins
If you think seems a bit early for candidates to be filing for the 2020 elections, you’re right — a…
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Rep. Presnell won’t seek reelection
After four terms in the N.C. House of Representatives, incumbent Rep. Michele Presnell (R-Burnsville) announced earlier today that she would…
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Opportunity knocks: Western takes on ‘Bama
For nearly all of its 128-year history, the University of Alabama’s football program has been synonymous with gridiron excellence. Thousands…
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Haywood NAACP hosts diversity training day for educators
A new kind of professional development training session hosted by the Haywood County Chapter of the NAACP left local educators…
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Rain quells Cold Mountain Fire at 200 acres
A fire in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area burned about 200 acres last week after a 911 call at 3…
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Peer support inside jail helps inmates have hope
CJ Deering sat at her desk inside the Haywood County Detention Center when she got a surprise phone call from…
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Haywood jail reaches capacity
Haywood County commissioners may have to start seriously considering expanding the detention center now that the average daily inmate population…
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Student homelessness high in WNC
For most kids, this is the season of anticipation, a magical time of year marked by stuffed turkeys, Christmas cookies,…
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Western North Carolina’s children are increasingly poor and hungry
For most, childhood is a time of growth, learning and stability nurtured by fertile environmental and economic conditions that ultimately…
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Cold Mountain fire grows, rain predicted
The Cold Mountain Fire is still burning in Haywood County, with a helicopter flight measuring it at approximately 126 acres…
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Fire at Cold Mountain exceeds 100 acres
A wildfire near Cold Mountain in Haywood County was reported at 3 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, and as of…
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Interstate 40 reopens in Pigeon River Gorge
Westbound drivers are once again good to go through the Pigeon River Gorge on Interstate 40.
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Canton economy keeps on truckin’
The recent announcement of one business’s relocation plans in Canton may lead to other Asheville-area corporations — and residents —…
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Regional honors to Haywood communities
Haywood County took home top three honors and prestigious Calico Cat award for 2019. The WNC Honors Awards is built…
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Sylva street to become one-way
Railroad Avenue in Sylva will soon be converted to a one-way street following a unanimous vote from the town board…
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Cherokee group aims for 2021 constitution referendum
An effort to adopt a constitution for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians through a referendum question failed to come…
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Waynesville waste treatment vote postponed
Waynesville’s new mayor and aldermen haven’t even been sworn in yet, but based on how the board’s most recent regular…
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Shining Rock charter renewal ignores transparency concerns
A consultant with the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools recommended that Shining Rock Classical Academy’s charter should be renewed…
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TWSA fees covered for road relocatees, DOT says
The N.C. Department of Transportation will pay water and sewer hookup fees for businesses displaced by the N.C. 107 project,…
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New jail, justice center top needs in Macon
In an effort to prioritize its long list of infrastructure needs, Macon County Board of Commissioners approved spending up to…
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Commercial kitchen could be boon for Haywood entrepreneurs
A recent property donation to the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministries could help create jobs, add value to agricultural products…
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VRBO changes the way it remits taxes
The explosion of online vacation rental booking options like VRBO and Airbnb has completely changed the tourism industry, and while…
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Guiney joins Sylva board with a coin flip
For the second time in three election cycles, a coin flip decided the outcome of a Sylva town board race.
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Mau to challenge Queen in 2020
Jackson County Commissioner Ron Mau hopes to unseat Rep. Joe Sam Queen in the 2020 election, announcing before a gathering…
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BBB Warning: ‘Secret Sister’ gift exchange is illegal
Better Business Bureau is reminding consumers that the online “Secret Sister” gift exchange and similar invitations are illegal and should…
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