Shape of N.C. 107 plans set, DOT says
The time to tweak plans for Sylva’s controversial N.C. 107 project is past, residents were told during a well-attended town…
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New housing planned for Sylva
Five families could find themselves in a brand new home in Sylva if a planned endeavor by Mountain Projects comes…
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New voting machines demonstrated in Haywood
Election officials from across the region gathered in Haywood County last week to be among the first to witness public…
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Election Day in Cherokee: Voters speak at the polls
Election Day dawned clear and sunny in Cherokee Sept. 5, with polls opening at 6 a.m. for voters to choose…
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Lockdown lifted at SCC
A lockdown at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson County campus has been lifted after law enforcement determined that students who reported…
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Incumbents sweep Cherokee election
Principal Chief Richard Sneed produced a decisive victory in Cherokee’s Sept. 5 election, pulling in 55.11 percent of the vote…
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Hospital leaders reflect on five years with LifePoint
In 2014, Duke LifePoint Healthcare purchased three hospitals in Western North Carolina with the promise of drastically improving rural health…
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Land sale could offset cost of recycling center relocation
Jackson County hopes to offset the cost of moving its Dillsboro recycling center with proceeds from selling a piece of…
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Court says gerrymandered NC districts must change, immediately
A ruling handed down by a North Carolina court last week declared N.C.’s legislative districts to be illegal partisan gerrymanders…
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Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Rep. Corbin
A powerful voice for Western North Carolina in the North Carolina General Assembly is about to pop the kickstand on…
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BI-LO’s transformation to housing moves forward
First steps are being taken on a major new residential development proposed for the site of a former grocery store…
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Shining Rock surges, Haywood Schools slips again
After a tumultuous year that saw all manner of controversy — from parental complaints to illegal meetings, transparency issues, secret…
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Waynesville’s Masonic Temple building ready for tenants
After years of disuse, a hidden gem in the heart of Waynesville’s downtown is finally ready to reclaim its rightful…
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Sneed wins chief election
Richard Sneed will remain the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for four more years following an…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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Jackson plans for growth
Last year was a good one for the tourism industry in Jackson County, with visitor spending in 2018 increasing by…
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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,…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,”…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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