No contest in Bryson City race

The Bryson City Board of Aldermen race had little interest this year with only three candidates signing up to run…
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Contests in Haywood are few, but important

The races for this fall’s municipal elections are set, and depending on where you live, things could get interesting. 
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Six sign up to run for Sylva commissioner

Unless someone else signs up to run for Mayor of Forest Hills by noon on Friday, July 26, the Sylva…
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Full slate of candidates in Franklin

Now that the sign-up period is over, there’s a full slate of candidates running for seats on the Franklin Town…
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Cost increases for Skyland Drive sidewalks

The price tag on a project to install sidewalks along Skyland Drive in Sylva has more than doubled, with town…
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Park Service seeks information regarding man’s death

Investigators with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch are trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of David…
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‘Casino Night’ fundraiser might be illegal

The Haywood Healthcare Foundation relies on its annual Casino Night fundraising event to be able to support the many unmet…
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Haywood foundation focuses on health

The Haywood Healthcare Foundation has put nearly half a million dollars back into the community since August 2014 when Haywood…
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Not the same ole song and dance: Folkmoot finds success in year-round programming, preserving legacy

In its 36th year of cultural exchange through song and dance, Folkmoot remains a moving target, one that constantly evolves…
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Wolf Tales: Man and his wolf pack combat misunderstandings about America’s wild dog

Rob Gudger shares his Haywood County homestead with three canines and a housecat, but of the four the feline is…
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Queen: Dems ‘won’t cave’ on budget veto, Medicaid expansion

North Carolina’s budget standoff shows no signs of ending, weeks after Gov. Roy Cooper, D-Rocky Mount, followed through on a…
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Millions and billions — Correction from last week’s guest column

By Joe Sam Queen • Guest writer When it comes to talking about millions and billions, getting tongue-tied or misquoted…
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More candidates needed in Webster and Forest Hills

With just three days to go before election filing closes, there is still a dearth of candidates for open seats…
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Haywood candidates slow to sign up

With the deadline to file for municipal office fast approaching — noon on July 19 —Haywood County voters may end…
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Candidates sign up for Franklin race

Only two candidates have signed up to run for four open seats in the Franklin Town Council as of Tuesday…
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SCC design students display work

Seven students in Southwestern Community College’s Advertising & Graphic Design program formally presented their work during Portfolio Day in the…
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Survey results bode well for indoor pool in Jackson

A survey aimed at gauging support for an indoor swimming pool in Jackson County came down favorably for pool proponents,…
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Year of study yields little change for N.C. 107 project

After putting nearly 300 hours and just short of a year toward an effort to develop an alternative vision for…
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Canton to revamp archaic pool hall ordinance

A pair of local entrepreneurs will soon open a billiard hall in downtown Canton, so long as substantial changes are…
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Undocumented students still eligible for free tuition at HCC

Haywood Community College’s “tuition-free guarantee” seems to be off to a solid start but the school also wants residents to…
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No negligence in Jackson jail death, DA says

After reviewing a State Bureau of Investigation probe into the January death of Melissa Middleton Rice, who at the time…
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Study shows benefits of building river park in Bryson City

The Tuckasegee River Alliance is looking at possible ways to increase access to the Tuckasegee River as it runs right…
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Sediment violation found at student housing development

A development on Western Carolina University’s Millennial Campus in Cullowhee has been cited by the state for violating North Carolina’s…
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Frog Level flora flap finished

It’s been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but after an overzealous brush-clearing operation behind…
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Sports betting bill passes N.C. House

Sports betting is likely to come to Cherokee following the N.C. House of Representatives’ July 15 vote to pass a…
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Tribe to purchase 198 acres in Tennessee

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will enter into a $13.5 million contract to purchase 197.62 acres of land along…
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Motorist dies on Clingmans Dome Road

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers responded to a single-car motor vehicle accident on Clingmans Dome Road at approximately 12:30…
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Deceased man found in Smokies identified

The identity of a man whose remains were found in an off-trail area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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Medicaid: what it is and what it does

There’s a good reason President Lyndon B. Johnson traveled to Independence, Missouri on July 30, 1965, to sign the legislation…
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Why Medicaid expansion is not the answer

There’s perhaps been no greater ideological clash in American government over the past century than the extent to which the…
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Vecinos program receives grant

Vecinos Farmworker Health Program, a community service partner with Western Carolina University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, has received…
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Sylva to get new board member this fall
 

Sylva to get new board member this fall

With the first two days of election filing in the books, only three people have signed up to run for…
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Haywood candidates begin filing for office

Incumbents wasted little time in declaring their intentions to defend their seats after municipal candidate filing opened at noon on…
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Franklin mayor has challenger

Franklin Mayor Bob Scott has signed up to run for re-election and so far has one challenger — current Councilmember Barbara…
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WCU and TWSA to consider merging water systems

Western Carolina University and the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority will explore the possibility of combining their water systems following…
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Membership under consideration for Jackson’s health, social services boards

After more than a year in flux, Jackson County’s health and social service boards are likely to be re-established within…
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WCU, A-B Tech sign admission agreement

Leaders of Western Carolina University and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College met Monday, July 8, to sign a memorandum of understanding…
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Grappling with growth: Waynesville comprehensive plan unveiled

The Town of Waynesville took another big step toward plotting its long-term future with the draft release of an update…
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Better together: FUMC Waynesville welcomes LGBTQ members

The congregation at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville isn’t changing who they are following a controversial vote taken at…
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Vice chief candidates make their case

After more than a decade working together as members of Tribal Council, Alan “B” Ensley and Jim Owle are vying…
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Few surprises on first day of candidate filing

Incumbents wasted little time in declaring their intentions to defend their seats after municipal candidate filing opened at noon today,…
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Rural WNC fights for Medicaid expansion

Only $80 stands between Sylva resident Carrie McBane and affordable health care coverage. If she made $80 less she would…
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Frustrations mount over health care access

Carrie McBane of Sylva was at the end of her rope a year ago. She knew something was wrong and…
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Chief candidates square off in debate

Principal Chief Richard Sneed and challenger Teresa McCoy will face off at the ballot box this September as Cherokee voters…
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Shining Rock remains shrouded in secrecy

Transparency and accountability have long been concerns at Shining Rock Classical Academy — since before the troubled taxpayer-funded school even…
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Shining Rock hires new head of school

Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series of stories on Haywood County’s public charter school, Shining Rock Classical…
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Canton board seat will remain open, for now

The three remaining members of the Canton Board of Aldermen/women have decided not to appoint anyone to a board seat…
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Budget standoff hinges on Medicaid expansion

Calling the $24 billion state budget passed by North Carolina’s Republican-led legislature “an astonishing failure,” Gov. Roy Cooper, D-Rocky Mount,…
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Gerrymandering ruling leaves NC districts in place

A June 27 Supreme Court decision not to get involved with politically gerrymandered congressional districts in Maryland and North Carolina…
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Cherokee recognized for leadership in healthcare

In a ceremony held at the Cherokee Indian Hospital today, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was awarded the Redefining…
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