Slight slip for Haywood Schools rank
Achieving high academic performance levels is one thing, but maintaining them is quite another, and after two straight years ranked…
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THE MILL VS THE HILL: Small town high school football in the rural South
Doug’s in Clyde is a typical manifestation of a stereotypical small-town barbershop in the rural American South. Its wooden walls…
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Falling into photography: the art of Bill Killillay
When you take in the totality of photographer Bill Killillay’s work, you might think it comes as the result of…
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Jackson health, DSS organization will be an election issue
After nearly a year of public hearings, votes and contentious meetings, Jackson County’s health and social services departments are back…
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Mission reaches purchase agreement with HCA Healthcare
Mission Health’s Board of Directors and HCA Healthcare have entered into a definitive agreement for HCA to acquire Mission Health.
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Haywood Tax Collector will pay for own mistakes
A slew of county tax penalties waived by Tax Collector Mike Matthews’ office will have to be re-added to some…
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Folkmoot honors inmates
It takes a lot of work throughout the year to produce the Folkmoot festival; much of that work goes on…
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Sylva to look for alternative N.C. 107 plan
The Town of Sylva will take MountainTrue up on its offer to look for a better design for N.C. 107,…
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Keil Nathan Smith - Friday Night
It's gameday in Haywood County! Here, for the first time anywhere, is Canton-based singer/songwriter Keil Nathan Smith's ode to one…
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Zoning snafu means redo in Waynesville
The Town of Waynesville dropped the ball on a minor procedural change to how some zoning decisions are made, but…
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Bullock murder case remains unsolved after 55 years
Ronnie Evans tries to remember his cousin as the beautiful and spunky woman pictured on the cover of his new…
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Suicide prevention training to be held Sept. 10
Many among us have been touched by the tragedy of suicide, and in the age of social media, many more…
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Bail bond industry a strong lobby in Raleigh
With widespread reports of abuse and fraud, the bail bonds industry in the U.S. doesn’t have the best reputation.
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First impressions: Stamey discusses his role as a magistrate judge
A magistrate judge is often one of the first people you’ll come into contact with when you find yourself entangled…
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Taxpayers fined by Obamacare can get their money back
One of the key stipulations in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is that those who go without health care…
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A seat at the table: Organized labor remains strong in Haywood County
For more than a century in the tiny Haywood County town of Canton, the sun has risen and set —…
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Town gives up rights to Fry Street
After years of controversy and debate, the town of Bryson City has finally approved relinquishing its right of way to…
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Lake walking trail closed temporarily
The Francis Asbury trail along the Lake Junaluska Walking Trail and a portion of Lakeshore Drive will be closed the…
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Franklin to award economic grant to ‘Project Wayah’
Franklin Town Council called a special meeting for Aug. 21 to discuss a couple of mundane business items — street…
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McCoy sentenced to probation in marriage fraud case
After pleading guilty to involvement in a marriage fraud scheme, Ruth Marie Sequoyah McCoy, of Cherokee, was sentenced to two…
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Speir, Cats excited about 2018
By Todd Vinyard • Special to The Smoky Mountain News Taking over a football program coming off five wins in the…
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Jackson abolishes consolidated health, DSS agency
Jackson County commissioners are back to square one after voting to abolish the newly consolidated human services agency and its…
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The damage done: finding needles in a haystack
Lindsay Regner and Megan Hauser tromp down an old railroad line, their steady pace creating a predictable beat of feet…
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History through story: Cherokee storyteller seeks to preserve historical memory with filming project
Kathi Littlejohn can get lost in stories. Especially Cherokee stories. Their origins are often moored in worlds long past, but…
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Haywood County announces new manager
After nearly a year without a permanent county manager, Haywood County commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 20 to extend an offer…
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Knibbs' toxicology report released
District Attorney Greg Newman confirmed Monday morning that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of North Carolina released its…
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‘Mocking memes’ matter moves forward
Although none of them were personally in room 3A of the Haywood County Courthouse, pornographer Larry Flynt, Rev. Jerry Falwell,…
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Ghost Town sale, ride inspections still haven’t happened
Amid high hopes for a rejuvenated Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park, it’s looking more and more like the…
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Cat museum stretches its legs: As visitation grows, museum plans for larger location
Now well into its second year of operation, things are purring along at the American Museum of the House Cat…
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A place where everyone can play
Most playgrounds aren’t accessible to children with physical or cognitive challenges; what’s worse, those kids are often left on the…
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Jackson human services board votes to delay director hire
Eight months have passed since the Jackson County Commissioners voted to merge the county’s health and social services departments, but…
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My friend: Big Brothers Big Sisters fills youth mentorship needs
“When I was matched with Ann in fourth grade, I had grown up with some difficulties in my life,” said…
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One-way ticket to kid world
My car is usually something of a mess, a magnet for loose papers, empty food wrappers and an impressively random…
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Flag flap far from finished
Just weeks after a violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville last August, complaints arising from the display of Confederate…
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Opinion split on middle school
A public input session on the question of whether Jackson County should form a middle school drew split opinion during…
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WCU, Morris partnering to provide high-speed internet to Cullowhee Valley
Western Carolina University has reached an agreement with Morris Broadband to expand high-speed internet service to rural, underserved areas of…
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Train offers land in exchange for street closure
The debate over whether the town of Bryson City should relinquish its right of way on Fry Street has resurfaced,…
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Clean Slate Coalition gives hand up to women
Marsha Crites doesn’t believe in tough love. She believes in second chances — and even third and fourth chances if that’s…
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Cherokee looks to increase retirement vesting period
Pension plan double-dipping is prompting the Cherokee Tribal Council to consider tripling the number of years required to draw from…
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SCC’s health building aims for fall groundbreaking
Southwestern Community College is moving forward with plans for a $20 million health sciences building, having accepted applications from 11…
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Missing the mark: protestors, congressman differ on VA reform
Last August, three-term Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows held his fourth Veterans Solutions Seminar in Waynesville. Last week, he held…
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Renaissance on South Main Street
Near the end of 2016, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced plans for an $18 million makeover of Russ…
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Savannah Park will cost more than planned
Establishing a park in the Savannah community of Jackson County will be more expensive than originally anticipated, with commissioners voting…
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Catch him if you can: David Joy releases highly-anticipated third novel
If you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t even notice him. Sitting by himself at the counter of the Innovation Station…
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Tribal member sues over alleged workplace hostility, harassment
A Cherokee woman who successfully fought off disorderly conduct charges earlier this year has filed suit against nine parties in…
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Tribe to expand casino parking
New parking is coming to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino following the Cherokee Tribal Council’s unanimous vote Aug. 2 to transfer a…
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Regulations on use of cultural terms discussed in Cherokee
A brief conversation in Tribal Council Wednesday, Aug. 1, was the first public discussion on how the Eastern Band of…
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Sylva community turns out in force to oppose N.C. 107 plans
Sylva Town Hall was filled beyond capacity as Mayor Lynda Sossamon called a public forum on the redevelopment of N.C.…
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No mystery behind hotel incentives
As first reported in The Smoky Mountain News more than four months ago, Waynesville’s getting a new hotel, and that…
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Funding the fight
With a net pickup of four seats in the House or six in the Senate, North Carolina Democrats could break…
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