African-American history at Sunburst oft overlooked

In a county as old as Haywood, there exist all manner of half-remembered places and faces long gone from the…
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Mission CEO takes job with HCA

According to an internal email leaked to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Mission’s CEO Dr. Ron Paulus will be leaving his post…
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Dogwood hires search firm to find director

As all of Mission’s legacy foundations establish their new mission and board of directors, Dogwood Health Trust is in the…
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Spate of new downtown Waynesville businesses emerges

With his thick Brooklyn accent, Danny Mannlein isn’t exactly the type of “local” most Haywood County residents are used to…
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Room price, capacity drive TDA revenues

As the Great Recession recedes further and further into the rear-view mirror, most local economic indicators in Western North Carolina…
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HCC offers free tuition to needy Haywood students

Financial aid and scholarships are a great way to pay for college, but not everyone qualifies. For those who do,…
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Race against time for Waynesville homeless camp

The longstanding brouhaha over a makeshift dwelling near Frog Level has escalated to the point where enforcement action is likely…
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Cell tower proposed for Sylva

A proposal to build a new cell tower off of Skyland Drive in Sylva will go before the Jackson County…
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Constitution proposed for Cherokee

Cherokee voters will have the chance to give their nation a long-awaited constitution if Tribal Council approves a referendum question…
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Medicaid on their minds at Rep. Queen’s town hall

Four-time freshman legislator and recently re-elected Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, launched into this year’s legislative session by hosting a…
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The table is set: Pancake Day is free to community this year

The table is set — all you have to do is come sit down and be served.
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Woman from the west, for the west: Hipps remembered for her passion, commitment

On the campaign trail, Jane Hipps of Waynesville was often called the “woman from the west, for the west.” With…
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Waynesville woman, child reported missing

UPDATE: The missing woman and child have been located and are safe. Detectives with the Haywood County Sheriff’s office are…
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Grandfather Mountain sets new wind speed record

LINVILLE, N.C. — On Grandfather Mountain, breaking records is a breeze. Around 4 a.m. on Feb. 13, the nonprofit nature park’s…
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Déjà vu: N.C. 107 planners struggle to find solutions to road dilemma

After taking input from the more than 100 people who attended a Jan. 14 public forum and carefully combing their…
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Haywood schools again ask for calendar flexibility

North Carolina’s rigid school calendar law has been in place since 2004, but over the past few weeks, a pair…
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Cherokee artifacts at Plott Creek? Maybe so, maybe not

During the protracted approval process of a proposed development that would bring around 200 new apartments to a 41-acre parcel…
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HCC president announces her retirement
 

HCC president announces her retirement

Haywood Community College President Dr. Barbara Parker announced her intent to retire, effective Dec. 31, 2019, at the college board…
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Budget talks get underway in Macon

It’s likely to be another tough budget year as Macon County commissioners are faced with a growing list of capital…
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Tribe votes for Plott Balsam conservation

An effort to conserve 912 acres along the Plott Balsam ridge in Jackson County cleared the final hurdle of a…
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Records shed light on Jackson jail death

While unanswered questions remain in the recent death of 49-year-old Franklin resident Melissa Middleton Rice, which occurred on Jan. 18…
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Sylva man arrested following stabbing

A Sylva man has been charged with assault after Jackson County deputies responded to a Feb. 7 call and found…
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Threat prompts Canton Middle evacuation
 

Threat prompts Canton Middle evacuation

Haywood County Schools officials at Canton Middle School learned that a threatening message (bomb threat) was written on a restroom…
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‘Effort like they’ve never had to give’: Farmers get older and fewer, but hope remains for ag’s future

Zac Guy grew up on the back of a tractor.  His father worked in sales and his mother was a…
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HCC president announces her retirement

Haywood Community College President Dr. Barbara Parker announced her intent to retire, effective Dec. 31, 2019, at the college board…
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Domestic violence organization forming in Jackson

Seven years have passed since REACH of Jackson County suddenly shut down operations due to financial issues, leaving the county…
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Face to face: Local homeless remain elusive

Huddled together in the dark near an old wood stove beneath an elaborate rigging of tarps and tents on a…
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Dogwood Health Trust now in operation

With the completion of Mission Health System’s sale of assets to HCA Healthcare, Dogwood Health Trust is now officially operating…
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Fresh eyes, fresh ideas: Haywood budget process begins

It’s not Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead’s first budget, but it is his first budget in Haywood County. 
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Cherokee approves early gaming disbursements for housing

Young Cherokee tribal members could soon be able to use their gaming allocations to pay for housing following a unanimous…
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Major new Haywood schools facility proposed

It’s $13 million now, or $40 million later, according to a presentation by Haywood Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bill Nolte…
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Meth, not bear attack, caused death in park, autopsy says

An autopsy recently completed on a man who died in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last September determined that…
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Macon leaders attend legislative goals conference

Macon County Commissioners Jim Tate and Ronnie Beale and County Manager Derek Roland recently joined voting delegates from counties throughout…
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HCA completes purchase of Mission Health

HCA Healthcare, a leading healthcare provider with 185 hospitals and approximately 1,800 sites of care in 21 states and the…
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Women’s March embarks on third year; Organizers strive for inclusivity for all women

This year marked the third annual Women’s March on Asheville — part of a national movement to rally for equal rights…
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Halfway home: pink hat marchers soldier on

A little over two years ago, I woke up in Alexandria, Virginia, less than 24 hours after the inauguration of…
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Habitual felons convicted in Haywood
 

Habitual felons convicted in Haywood

According to the District Attorney's Office, it’s gotten quieter in the Dutch Cove community near Canton since Matthew Dillon Smathers,…
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Run, Forest, run: Lt. Dan declares for governor

An architect by training, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest became only the second Republican in the last 120 years…
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Ice rink in Maggie Valley opens next week

It’s a perplexing dichotomy. Maggie Valley has been portrayed as a town that rolls up the sidewalks once the leaf-lookers…
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Tuscola sports classification not all fun and games

Grumblings about Tuscola High School’s athletic reclassification from 2A to 3A seem to have fallen on deaf ears, but administrators…
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EBT funds for March still up in the air

The federal shutdown didn’t have as much of an effect on Haywood County’s social services as one might think, but…
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Jackson will not buy Pepsi property

Following a series of closed session discussions, Jackson County has opted to cancel its $500,000 contract to buy a 5.61-acre…
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Downtown Waynesville Association sets ambitious plan

The organization charged with maintaining and revitalizing Waynesville’s downtown core is setting an ambitious plan of work for 2019, to…
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Author with Bryson City roots publishes RBG biography

Born of the same generation but in different parts of the country, Jane Sherron De Hart and Ruth Bader Ginsburg…
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SBI investigating Jackson jail death

The recent death of a Jackson County Detention Center inmate has spurred a probe from the N.C. State Bureau of…
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Plan presented for Green Energy Park makeover

Jackson County got its first glimpse at what a reinvigorated Green Energy Park campus might look like when a preliminary…
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HRMC to host emergency drill

Haywood Regional Medical Center will host a public service training and emergency response simulation with local law enforcement and emergency…
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Habitual felons convicted in Haywood

According to the District Attorny's Office, it’s gotten quieter in the Dutch Cove community near Canton since Matthew Dillon Smathers,…
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WCU's MLK speaker promotes inclusion through effort

Diversity and inclusivity are easy goals for a university to set, inclusion educator Aminata Cairo said during her keynote address…
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Untreated sewage discharged in Clyde

The Junaluska Sanitary District experienced a discharge of untreated sewage from a blockage in a manhole due to mop heads,…
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