N.C. 107 meeting postponed
A meeting to discuss possible solutions to the N.C. 107 issue in Sylva scheduled for today was postponed due to…
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Smokies closed for winter weather
Normal operations at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park resumed for the first time since Dec. 22 on Saturday, Jan.…
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When, not if: The case for and against cannabis in NC
With the recent actions of Michigan and Vermont, 72 million people in 10 U.S. states — 23 percent of the…
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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 purchase a 5.61-acre…
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Local officials weigh in on legal marijuana
On Jan. 15, The Smoky Mountain News contacted almost every elected official in Haywood County for whom an email address…
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Cannabis legalization under study in Cherokee
As states across the nation loosen restrictions on cannabis products, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is launching a study…
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From the ground up: Appalachian Growers digging into hemp industry
It may look like marijuana and it may smell like marijuana, but it’s not marijuana. Without the THC component, the…
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WCU chancellor search narrowed
The committee leading the national search for the next chancellor of Western Carolina University has narrowed the pool of candidates…
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Federal Shut-Down Food Drive
The Federal Shut-Down is, or soon will be, affecting federal workers, federal and local food assistance deliveries, food-insecure citizens, and…
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Jackson to re-examine health, DSS organization
With the one-year anniversary of Jackson County’s decision to consolidate its health and social services departments looming, commissioners are now…
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Entegra Bank merges with SmartFinancial
Entegra Bank, which has locations throughout Western North Carolina, will soon merge with SmartFinancial, Inc., the parent company of SmartBank…
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Qualla Housing ordinance tabled
An ordinance that would have codified a laboriously passed December resolution abolishing the Qualla Housing Authority was tabled during the…
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HRMC limits visitation due to flu cases
Haywood Regional Medical Center has begun limited visitation at the hospital due to the increased number of positive flu cases…
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Mission Health sale cleared by AG Josh Stein; Contract negotiated to address concerns
Those who were unhappy with the original terms of the proposed sale of Mission Health to a for-profit heathcare giant…
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Waynesville steps up to address affordable housing crisis
Like the region’s opioid crisis, if Western North Carolina’s affordable housing crisis could have been solved by meetings, panel discussions…
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Park visitor centers to reopen for MLK weekend
Friends of the Smokies announced Thursday that it will temporarily fund the reopening of Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tenn.,…
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Donation will open Smokies visitor centers for holiday weekend
Despite the ongoing government shutdown, two visitor centers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be open over Martin…
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Jackson inmate found unresponsive
A Jackson County Detention Center inmate is currently at Mission Hospital in Asheville after having been found unresponsive.
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WCU chancellor interview process begins
In a search that is now entering its second year, Western Carolina University’s Chancellor Search Committee is preparing to interview…
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Pigeon Center seeks donations after fire
A small kitchen fire caused big problems at Waynesville’s Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center Jan. 8, prompting the organization to…
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Park to restore accessibility, visitor services
Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced that recently closed areas of the park were once again accessible to visitors beginning…
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Semi-trucks still a hazard on Highlands Road
More signage and stricter law enforcement could be the solution to keeping tractor trailers off Highlands Road.
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Effort underway to make WNC counties ‘Blue Zone’ certified
On the Greek island of Ikaria, its population of 10,000 people live an average of 10 years longer than Americans,…
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Good Samaritan’s last good deed
For 20 years, Good Samaritan Clinic provided much needed health care services to people of Haywood County. Even though the…
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Scarcity, rising prices drive affordable housing crisis
A booming real estate market brings with it many benefits and is a sign of a thriving economy, but some…
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Town to take action on homeless encampment
A beef between the Town of Waynesville and local property owner Ron Muse over an ersatz dwelling on an otherwise…
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Tribe petitions Meadows to end shutdown
The ongoing federal government shutdown is having a negative effect on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and last week…
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Work begins on alternative N.C. 107 plan
More than 100 people filled the Jackson County Public Library’s Community Room Jan. 14 to help kick off the Asheville…
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Entegra Bank mergers with SmartFinancial
SmartFinancial, Inc., the parent company of SmartBank, and Entegra Financial Corp., the parent company of Entegra Bank, jointly announced Tuesday…
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Community steps up to care for parks during shutdown
The National Park Service is closed. Sort of. When the clock struck midnight on Dec. 22, 2018, the latest continuing…
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Cruising the Smokies under shutdown
It’s just after 11 a.m. on a weekday, and while a road sign at the Cherokee entrance to the Great…
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The lowdown on the shutdown
There are plenty of misconceptions about the federal government shutdown — what it is, who it affects, how it happens,…
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SBI investigates threats to Swain sheriff, deputies
Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran recently called upon the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to investigate alleged threats against…
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Clyde trailer park without water for a month
The residents at M&M Trailer Park in Clyde were without water for nearly a month after the Junaluska Sanitary District…
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Haywood swears in first new county attorney since Nixon administration
Not for nearly half a century has anyone been able to say, “Haywood County has a new county attorney,” but…
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Commissioners wrestle with Haywood Schools’ office dilemma
After a minor delay due to the concerns of a newly-elected commissioner, Haywood County has again decided to move forward…
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Financing decisions finalized for SCC health building
Quarter-cent sales tax money in Jackson County will be available sooner and in greater quantities than previously planned due to…
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Tribe considers ginseng regulations
An alarming decrease in the population of ginseng on Cherokee tribal land is prompting the tribe to look at cracking…
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WCU athletics on the upswing
Randy Eaton isn’t a fortune teller, but the Western Carolina University athletic director sees a winning future for WCU teams.
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It’s election season again, already
That’s right. It may seem like election season just ended, but it’s also just beginning, and in less than 300…
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Boojum, Evergreen seek county development incentives
A pair of public hearings for a pair of local businesses — one old, one new, one small and one…
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Harris hospital welcomes first 2019 baby
Harris Regional Hospital is ringing in 2019 with the year’s first bundle of joy. Weighing 8 pounds and measuring 19.5…
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Working 9 to 5 (plus nights and weekends)
Unemployment rates are about as low as they’re going to get in Western North Carolina and there are jobs to…
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TWSA to wait on forming N.C. 107 policies
Developing policies to help business owners affected by the upcoming N.C. 107 road project will go on the Tuckaseigee Water…
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10 transformations at Lake Junaluska in 2018
In 2018, Lake Junaluska invested more than $5 million into transforming its facilities and grounds. These improvements will help thousands…
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Cherokee debates ability to protest Council decisions
An ordinance seeking to broaden the ability to protest decisions of Tribal Council is under discussion, with Tribal Council narrowly…
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Nurse family program provides resources
How does someone prepare for one of the most important jobs of their life, the job of being a mother?…
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Hospitals still in negotiations with UnitedHealth
UnitedHealthCare and local Duke LifePoint affiliated hospitals have not yet worked out a new contract agreement, which could mean higher…
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Cherokee passes election ordinance
After months of work sessions, tabled votes and debate, Cherokee has an updated election law.
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Partial government shutdown continues; National parks still accessible to visitors
Congress’s failure to approve a discretionary spending budget led to another partial government shutdown beginning Dec. 21, and Western North…
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