2018: A look back
Before we ring in the New Year, The Smoky Mountain News likes to look back and reflect on the last…
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Fake News FREAKOUT!! Part Three
This is my third Christmas as a member of The Smoky Mountain News staff, and this is also the third…
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Common ground found in Green Hill Cemetery spat
Long-established rules and regulations created by the Town of Waynesville that proscribed periodic cleanup of the town’s historic Green Hill…
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Polar Express wraps up another magical season
Hearing the joyful sound of a small silver jingle bell from Santa’s sleigh — it’s what separates those who believe…
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Sylva food pantry to get new roof
The Community Table in Sylva will get a new roof to the tune of $18,000 after Town of Sylva and…
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Macon County completes 2019 revaluation
Macon County commissioners may be looking at a possible higher tax rate next year after hearing a presentation on the…
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Homeless services strained in Jackson
The homeless shelter in Jackson County is full up with a waiting list 12 deep, shelter managers told Jackson County…
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Farm Bill offers little relief for American agriculture
American agriculture is experiencing a tougher time than ever, and that includes farmers in North Carolina. But as the latest…
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Haywood Schools will buy land adjacent to Tuscola
It took a while, but after a surprise addition to the Haywood Board of County Commissioners’ agenda, no small amount…
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Resolution passed to dissolve Qualla Housing
The Cherokee Tribal Council took the first step toward dissolving the Qualla Housing Authority with a resolution passed Thursday, Dec.…
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Cooper’s voter ID veto overridden
Legislation implementing North Carolina’s first-ever voter ID requirement passed both the House and the Senate Dec. 6, but a veto…
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Sylva shakes up TWSA board
Sylva commissioners voted Dec. 13 to remove former mayor and longtime Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority board member Brenda Oliver…
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Renewed push for Historic Haywood County Hospital redevelopment
An ongoing effort to qualify for tax credits that would make redevelopment of the county-owned Historic Haywood County Hospital more…
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Cherokee election ordinance nears finish line
Efforts to overhaul Cherokee’s election ordinance will come down to the wire following Tribal Council’s unanimous decision to table a…
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Stalemate leaves homeless caught in the middle
Not far from the historic homes nestled along Waynesville’s Church Street sits a small plot of land that’s home to…
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WCU trustees approve fee increases for 2019-20
Western Carolina University students will likely see only a modest increase to their cost of attendance following the Board of…
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AG looks to protect WNC’s interest in Mission sale
Attorney General Josh Stein recently issued a press release discussing his ongoing review of HCA’s proposed $1.5 billion purchase of…
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Drug trafficker gets 37 years, $1 million fine
On Nov. 28, Matthew William Ray, 25, of Waynesville, was found guilty of trafficking in opiates by possessing and transporting…
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DA’s office highlights guilty pleas in Macon
Newman R. Sigman, 55, of Franklin, pled guilty to first degree arson and driving while impaired and was sentenced to…
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Haywood schools Robothon inspires coding and creativity
More than 150 Haywood County Schools fourth- and fifth-grade students chased after zooming robots at the Wolfpack Robothon on Friday,…
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Storm delays N.C. 107 planning process
Snow and ice caused the Asheville Design Center to cancel a planned public hearing on the N.C. 107 project in…
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Store closes following roadwork dispute
Just over a year after opening its doors at a new location, Caney Fork General Store is closed, though likely…
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Franklin looks at greenway connection
Now that the N.C. Department of Transportation has completed a new bridge over the Little Tennessee River in downtown Franklin,…
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Franklin board split on future of ABC board
A couple of Franklin Town Councilmembers want to explore future changes to the ABC store and ABC board while other…
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Wintry weather tests regional response to those seeking shelter from the storm
As many residents of Southern Appalachia stocked up on necessaries in advance of a powerful winter storm that ended up…
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Little candies make for big friendships
Somewhere on the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio, about 18 months ago, Waynesville resident Peg Harmon — who notes her first…
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SCC SWAT robot donated to sheriff
After a year-long process of designing, SCC Mechatronics student Scott Mitchell donated his SWAT Robot project to Jackson County Sherriff’s…
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Bethel Rural Community Organization works to preserve the past
After nearly 245 years, Haywood County’s Bethel community remains just a small part of a relatively small county, but the…
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Haywood Meme lawsuit escalates with arrival of First Amendment attorneys
Months ago, just after he finished mopping the floor with pro se defendant Eddie Cabe, Haywood County attorney Rusty McLean…
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Sunburst — a short history
It was a struggle from the start — getting in, getting people and supplies up and getting the lumber down…
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Jackson swears in commissioners, sets meeting schedule
The Jackson County commissioners said goodbye to a longtime member, welcomed a new member and changed their meeting schedule during…
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State releases annual economic tier rankings
Macon and Jackson counties will be considered less economically distressed in 2019, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
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Casino profits set records
Tribal members received the largest per capita distribution ever released from casino profits when payments of $7,007 were released Monday,…
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Lambert not giving up on future run for chief
Patrick Lambert was removed from office following a controversial impeachment process in 2017, but with the 2019 election season underway…
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ACLU files suit against state for ADA violations
A magistrate judge recently recommended that a federal district court judge order the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to…
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Pay for court-appointed lawyers remains stagnant
Under the Sixth Amendment every criminal defendant has a constitutional right to legal representation — and if you can’t afford a…
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Historic Haywood commission sworn in
It was fitting that District Court Judge Donna Forga was on hand Dec. 3 to swear in the two new…
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Ghosted: Clock runs out on latest Ghost Town redevelopment plan
The strange saga of Maggie Valley’s Ghost Town amusement park has more twists and turns and more highs and lows…
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Campaign rhetoric criticized in Jackson
A May blog post titled “Chairman Mao or is it Chairman Mau?” was the topic of an impassioned statement Jackson…
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The essence of power is a towel
There, in Sumter County, Georgia, not far from the Alabama line lies the tiny town of Plains (pop. 784), a…
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Cherokee loses treasured tribal elder
Cherokee has lost its second honored member in the space of a month with the Nov. 24 death of Amanda…
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Macon wants out of flat fee defense program
While the North Carolina Legislature included Macon County in a pilot program to change the way court-appointed lawyers are paid,…
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Drake takes Macon airport under its wing
Drake Enterprises is spreading its wings further into the community as it takes over management of the Macon County Airport. …
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Sylva residents speak out against road plans
A Sylva town meeting this month drew a crowd of people to speak against the N.C. 107 road plan, but…
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TWSA to develop ideas to help displaced businesses
With the N.C. 107 project continuing to move forward, the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority is beginning to talk about…
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Contractor selected for SCC health building
The Michigan-based Christman Company will carry out a $17.66 million contract to construct a new health sciences building at Southwestern…
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Lawyers needed for pretrial pilot program
The success of a pretrial release program being piloted in Jackson and Haywood county’s judicial district hinges on a handful…
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Health departments investigate cases of Legionnaires
The Jackson County Department of Public Health and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Public Health and Human Services are…
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Homeless in Haywood: the journey continues
It was a journey I thought would last three days but has already lasted a year, with no signs of…
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Inventory of life: Twenty-year effort to count Smokies species adds 1,000 to science
By late November, the trees at 5,000 feet are mostly bare, once-green leaves covering the forest floor like a brown…
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