Red, Wight and blue: campaign signs cause a stir

A spate of unusual campaign signs began popping up in Maggie Valley about a week ago and although the message…
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Report: minorities, poor in N.C. blame Trump, Congress

A recent report published by nonprofit advocacy group Down Home North Carolina says that changing demographics and their accompanying shifts…
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Primary election will determine next Haywood Clerk of Court

While some Haywood County voters will head to the polls May 8 asking themselves who they’re going to vote for,…
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NRA grants help local students learn safety

Recent efforts to enhance student safety by placing armed volunteers in the nation’s schools have resulted in predictable blowback from…
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Historic Hospital project inches forward

The next chapter in the saga of the historic Haywood Hospital is about to be written, but in the choose-your-own-adventure…
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Franklin considers options for alcohol at events

A music and beer festival planned for April 20 in downtown Franklin has hit a roadblock since a town ordinance…
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Lake Junaluska to begin restoring bridge over dam

Lake Junaluska has received a certificate of approval from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality authorizing construction activity to…
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Can Canton’s Colonial come back?

Many Fridays a small group of longtime Canton residents meet up informally at the town’s historical museum on Park Street…
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Greens make the grade: Ballot access boosts third parties

This fall, voters in North Carolina will be treated to a new choice at the polls come election day. 
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Supreme Court issues opinion in impeachment case

Nine months after arguments concluded in a dispute over the process used to impeach then-Principal Chief Patrick Lambert, the Cherokee…
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Renovated Labyrinth at Lake Junaluska
 

Renovated Labyrinth at Lake Junaluska

The outdoor labyrinth at Lake Junaluska has long been a place where people go to seek spiritual renewal. Recent renovations…
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Impeachment issue returns to Cherokee courts

While nearly a year has passed since former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert was removed from office, a court hearing March…
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Jackson sheriff candidates vie for win in Republican primary

Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall may be running unopposed in the upcoming Democratic primary, but two Republican candidates are competing…
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Bushyhead challenges Carson for chairman seat

After serving as chairman of the Swain County Board of Commissioners for two terms, incumbent Phillip Carson will be challenged…
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New principal at Smoky Mountain
 

New principal at Smoky Mountain

The Jackson County Public Schools Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Elliott, Superintendent announced Evelyn Graning as the new…
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Waynesville approves incentive package for unnamed business

Haywood County is suddenly a hot commodity for property developers; recent news of a proposed hotel in Maggie Valley was…
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Green Energy Park plan in development

A plan to re-imagine the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro as a campus for creativity, learning and animal…
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Rise Against Hunger: Junaluska Elementary students help feed the hungry

Random Act of Kindness Week at Junaluska Elementary School culminated on Friday when students and community volunteers gathered in the…
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Swain elections staff prepares for May 8 primary without sitting board

The Swain County candidate challenge against Sheriff Curtis Cochran is at a standstill until a new Swain County Board of…
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Haywood Christian Academy gets room to grow

Next fall, students at Haywood Christian Academy will all attend classes together in a new building that brings the two…
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Former Haywood manager rehired to lead HHS

Many people were surprised by the sudden resignation of Ira Dove from his position as Haywood County manager last October,…
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School threats continue in mass shooting aftermath

School systems in Western North Carolina continue to deal with a multitude of threats in the aftermath of the mass…
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Canton hires new police chief
 

Canton hires new police chief

The town of Canton has hired Robert “Shawn” Gaddis as its new chief of police effective March 31. 
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Agencies make child predator arrests
 

Agencies make child predator arrests

Over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday weekend, local, tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies conducted an operation that was…
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Cherokee bail bondsman pleads guilty in sexual extortion case

A bail bondsman who the FBI accused of accepting sexual favors in lieu of monetary repayments pleaded guilty to one…
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TWSA votes down expanded allocation rental

A proposal to extend the allocation rental option to all Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority users hit a dead end…
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Haywood Pathways on a roll

Haywood County’s only homeless shelter — and one of the very few in North Carolina west of Asheville — continues…
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Mission Health could become for-profit system

Mission Health, the largest health care provider in Western North Carolina, could soon become a for-profit health care system if…
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Loud and clear: Local radio rejuvenated

In almost every living American resides at least one sepia-toned memory embellished with song — that perpetual score to a…
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Swain sheriff responds to candidate challenge

Even though the Swain County Board of Elections can’t proceed with hearing a candidate challenge filed against Sheriff Curtis Cochran,…
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SCC sues DOT, construction company over damaged building

Southwestern Community College is seeking compensation for damage to the Balsam Center building that it believes resulted from the R-5000…
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WCU names Mark Prosser new men's basketball coach

When storied Western Carolina University men’s basketball coach Larry Hunter recently announced his retirement after notching his 700th career win,…
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Mission Health negotiating to join for-profit company
 

Mission Health negotiating to join for-profit company

Mission Health's Board of Directors today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to enter into exclusive…
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WNC students speak out on school safety

Last week, students across the country walked out of classrooms to acknowledge the 17 people shot to death at Marjorie…
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Dove hired back as Haywood's health and human services director
 

Dove hired back as Haywood's health and human services director

Joel Mashburn, Interim County Manager, announced today the appointment of Mr. Ira Dove as the Director of the Haywood County…
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A beer by any other name: Brewery’s naming choices cause protest in Cherokee

Over the past decade or so, the craft beer explosion has ricocheted throughout Western North Carolina, bouncing through the valleys…
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Alcohol referendum scheduled

A referendum vote asking enrolled members to approve a tribally owned package store and ABC store selling beer, wine and…
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Budget gap $3 million for Haywood County

Although it’s still early in the budget process, Interim Haywood County Manager Joel Mashburn told commissioners that requests for the…
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Haywood County revises public records policy

A flurry of contentious public records requests by a longtime local government watchdog has prompted Haywood County officials to revise…
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Major development looking toward Maggie Valley

A major hotel could be coming to Maggie Valley sooner rather than later after the town recently passed a pair…
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Request to increase future Sylva apartment complex’s size approved

Two years after Sylva leaders first cheered a proposal for a workforce housing complex across the road from Harris Regional…
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Students talk safety: Jackson’s high school students share insights

Hours after students in schools across the nation walked out of their classrooms to protest gun violence in American schools,…
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Religious community opposes Jackson Brunch Bill

If the two Jackson County commissioners considering a “yes” vote on Sunday morning alcohol sales were looking to the community…
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Former educator now leading Bryson City

After a 30-year career in public education, Regina Mathis is trying her hand in public administration as the new Bryson…
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MLK’s ‘Poor People’s Campaign’ revived in North Carolina

Two weeks ago marked the 53rd anniversary of a watershed moment in the civil rights movement — the Selma to…
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Franklin trying out new traffic pattern
 

Franklin trying out new traffic pattern

The town of Franklin will begin a 90-day trial of a new one block long parking plan for Main Street…
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Macon sheriff now able to seize digital forfeitures

Drug dealers are constantly finding new ways to protect their assets and the Macon County Sheriff’s office is trying to…
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Regional commission completes broadband study

With the results of a regional broadband survey now available, leaders have expansive data on the underserved areas in their…
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Brunch Bill hearing planned for Jackson
 

Brunch Bill hearing planned for Jackson

A public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, will give Jackson County residents a chance to weigh in on…
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Officials considering armed volunteers for schools

Columbine, Sandy Hook, Stoneman Douglas — those names ring out like the bullets that once flew through their hallways, stark…
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