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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Dogwood Health Trust hires CEO
Following a national search, Dogwood Health Trust, a private, non-operating foundation whose sole purpose is to improve the health and…
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KARE child advocacy center helps the county’s most vulnerable
Just off Waynesville’s North Main Street, in one of the town’s most blighted areas, on top of a small hill…
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Public protests N.C. 107 plans at town meeting
Nearly a year to the day since a standing-room-only crowd filled Sylva Town Hall for a forum on the proposed…
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Shining Rock refuses to discuss building project
Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series of stories on Haywood County’s public charter school, Shining Rock Classical Academy,…
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Shining Rock continues to struggle with transparency
Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of stories on Haywood County’s public charter school, Shining Rock Classical Academy,…
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Heavy rain causes rock slides, fatality on Spur
At approximately 3:00 p.m., the northern area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, TN, experienced extremely heavy rainfall…
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Forced to Fight: Opioid data puts local addiction in context
It was finally moving day, and that empty little Greensboro apartment must have seemed like a mansion to 29-year-old Clayton…
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The pulse of the community: Local pediatrician retires
Dr. Stephen Wall couldn’t have come to Waynesville at a better time. “There were four pediatricians in Haywood County, and…
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Libraries on Tap begins
Fontana Regional Library is stepping out of the stacks to bring “Libraries on Tap: Brewing Scavenger Hunt” to Jackson, Macon…
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Large meth seizure in Cherokee
The Cherokee Indian Police Department, Swain County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration…
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New health foundation hires director
The Nantahala Health Foundation, a newly formed, public 501(c)(3) organization, has hired its inaugural executive director, Lori Bailey.
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If these stones could talk: Friends work to restore Bryson City Cemetery
It’s quiet and peaceful on the hillside of Bryson City Cemetery. Overlooking the hustle and bustle of downtown, all you…
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Chief candidates speak on the issues
Over the last four years, Richard Sneed and Teresa McCoy have found themselves on the opposite side of many an…
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Shining Rock Classical Academy timeline
July 2015: Shining Rock Classical Academy, a brand-new taxpayer-funded public charter school governed by an unelected public board, violates closed-session…
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Shining Rock enrollment drops dramatically
Back-to-school time is here again, and at Shining Rock Classical Academy — Haywood County’s only public charter school — it…
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N.C. 107 relocation list still includes 55 businesses
Based on information presented at a joint government meeting in Jackson County July 23, The Smoky Mountain News reported in…
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Council gives $50 million to tribal LLC
The Cherokee Tribal Council voted to allocate an additional $50 million to Kituwah LLC, the tribe’s economic development arm, during…
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Search teams finds lost hiker near Cataloochee
After spending four nights lost in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Kevin Mark Lynch was found by…
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Updated relocation list released for N.C. 107 project
CORRECTION: Due to inaccurate information presented at the July 23 government meeting when the road project was discussed, the number…
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Elections director wins lawsuit
After years of fighting with county commissioners, a judge has ordered Swain County to fund retirement benefits for Elections Director…
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Sports betting legalized on Cherokee land
Sports wagering is now legal in casinos on the Qualla Boundary following Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature on Senate Bill 154…
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Tribal Council candidates speak on the issues
Cherokee’s Sept. 5 Election Day is coming up, and the 24 candidates running for 12 available Tribal Council seats are…
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‘Growing our gifts’: Retail hemp shop comes to Waynesville
That empty black and white building on the corner of Branner Avenue and Depot Street is about to be filled…
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WCU begins ‘Welcome Tour’ to introduce new chancellor
Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown is meeting with alumni, friends of the university and community members across North…
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Investigation finds ranger used illegal drugs
An investigation into a June 2018 incident involving the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Pisgah District Ranger Greg Wozniak concluded that Wozniak…
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Search operations amplify for missing hiker
Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers continue to search for 58 year-old Kevin Mark Lynch who went missing on Saturday,…
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New police chief chosen for Sylva
A successor has been chosen for Sylva Police Chief Tammy Hooper following a three-month search by a panel of Western…
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Park searching for missing person in NC
Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers are searching for a 58 year-old male near the Cataloochee Divide Trail in Haywood…
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Survey open for electric vehicle owners
Owners of electric vehicles are wanted to take a short survey aimed at assessing the challenges and benefits of electric…
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Unhealthy debate: Medical experts debunk claims by anti-vaccination advocates
Education, litigation, big pharm, little children, doctors, disease, disability, death — the debate surrounding vaccination thrives at the intersection of…
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High spirits: craft distilling bill will help the industry
A highly-anticipated reform bill that will open up new revenue streams for the state’s estimated 80 craft distillers has cleared…
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Budget stalemate drags on
Although Republicans still control both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly, Democratic victories in the 2018 legislative election stripped…
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State passes ‘Death by Distribution’ law
Gov. Roy Cooper signed the Death by Distribution Act into law earlier this month, making it easier for prosecutors to…
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Creating a recovery community: Cherokee holds fourth annual Rally for Recovery
By now, most everyone is familiar — often far too personally — with the toll of the opioid epidemic. Lost lives,…
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River Road not safe enough, citizens say
A group of residents living along South River Road in Jackson County say they’ve noticed an uptick in the number…
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Angel Medical Center project moves forward
Plans to construct a new Angel Medical Center in Franklin moved forward last week after the town planning board approved…
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Members appointed to Jackson health board
Eleven people were appointed to the Jackson County Board of Health on Tuesday, July 16, following a 4-1 vote from…
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