Sylva business community organizes against N.C. 107 plans
Dismay over preliminary road construction plans that would force 54 Sylva businesses to relocate has sparked a revival of the…
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A seat on Main Street: Waynesville approves sidewalk encroachments
A long-standing informal agreement between the Town of Waynesville and Main Street merchants has now been formalized, clarified and expanded…
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Waynesville budget gumbo could be hard to swallow
Property owners, single-family homebuilders and any Waynesville residents who own a car will see their cost of living increase over…
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Finally! Swain County receives North Shore settlement money
It’s a day many in Swain County didn’t think they’d ever live to see, but last Saturday county leaders were…
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Whitner named Alumni of the Year
Bryan Whitner, 1998 Haywood Community College criminal justice graduate, was named Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award recipient for 2018.
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SCC student starts recovery podcast
A student in the Substance Abuse Treatment program at Southwestern Community College, Stephen Steen recently paired his passion for helping…
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A life stranger than fiction: Local author releases novel of true-life confessions
As Royal Phillips packs up her belongings that signify the last 20 years she’s spent in Waynesville and prepares for…
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New mental health crisis center to open in WNC
A new mental health facility in Asheville is set to open this summer to serve children and teens in Western…
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WNC celebrates life of David Belcher
For the son of a small-town Baptist preacher who studied to become a classically trained pianist — only to find…
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Waynesville workshop reveals vision, goals
Although the philosophical basis of the Waynesville comprehensive plan is rooted in academic concepts and professional standards related to long-term…
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Jackson committee to tackle affordable housing woes
A committee focused on increasing affordable housing options in Jackson County has been created following a unanimous vote of the…
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Meadows floats immigration fix
As House Republicans scramble to address the ongoing family separation issue on the nation’s southern border, several competing bills have…
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Cherokee tribes condemn family separations
The three Cherokee tribes joined voices last week to decry the recent surge of family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Rate increase for Duke Energy customers denied
When residents gave testimony back in January adamantly opposing Duke Energy Carolinas’ rate increase request to the North Carolina Utilities…
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Macon passes $51 million budget
Following plenty of public input, Macon County commissioners approved a final budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year that includes more…
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Pay to play: recreation spending a burden for some small towns
Among the various spending categories in many municipal budgets — general government, public safety and the like — one can…
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County could take over Canton sports complex
Taxpayers in the Town of Canton are about to again test political will, as the town has of late entered…
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TWSA closes the lid on 2018-19 budget
Hookup fees are set to plummet for water and sewer customers in Jackson County following adoption of the Tuckaseigee Water…
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DA: Trooper not at fault in deadly crash
District Attorney Ashley Welch has completed the review of the SBI investigation into the events of July 25, 2017, involving…
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A life that changed lives: WNC mourns death of WCU Chancellor David Belcher
From the moment Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher announced he’d been diagnosed with brain cancer — more than…
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Answers still wanted in Bryson City K9 death
It’s been several months since a young police K9, Kanon, died while in the possession of a Bryson City Police…
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‘Forever in our purple-and-gold hearts’
Outpourings of support and sadness were in ample supply once news of Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher’s death reached…
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Sidewalk seating could come to Waynesville’s Main Street
Customers of downtown Waynesville’s restaurants and bars may soon be told to “hit the bricks” — but in a good…
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Capacity use fees proposed for Waynesville
Infrastructure in municipal sewer and water systems isn’t cheap, but a debate recently settled in the General Assembly clarified what…
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Bumpy road for vehicle tax proposals
With municipal budget season coming down to the wire and those municipal budgets coming down to the penny, two Haywood…
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Input sought for Waynesville comprehensive plan
For months, town officials have been hard at work creating the framework and the process for updating the Town of…
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Central Haywood gym will come down
An engineering report issued to Haywood County Schools June 11 resulted in unanimous approval of a resolution by the board…
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Penalty for trespassing on Cherokee land to increase
Enforcing banishments could become easier for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians depending on the fate of a bill that…
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Laying down the law: Officers, DA explain challenges within the system
If you don’t have much experience within the criminal justice system, trying to navigate the system can be frustrating.
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TWSA to set new fee levels: Upfront fees will be less than current levels
Hookup fees are set to fall for water and sewer customers in Jackson County, but how much will depend on…
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Work begins for Green Energy Park makeover
An idea to turn the Jackson County Green Energy Park into a campus for creativity, learning and animal adoption now…
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Jackson passes $71.67 million budget
Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously June 18 to adopt a $71.67 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year, which starts…
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Tibetan tour connects women across cultures
Standing on a mountaintop ascending above 10,000 feet — an ancient farming village in the valley below and a Buddhist…
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Board can now begin quest to diversify tribal revenue
The Kituwah Economic Development Board is now ready to start pursuing expanded business opportunities for the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
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Chief Pontiac statue will leave Asheville
After 51 years standing high on a hill along Patton Avenue in Asheville, a 23-foot-tall statue of Chief Pontiac is…
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$100,000 reward available for information on Cherokee vote tampering
The reward for information leading to a conviction for ballot tampering in Cherokee’s September 2017 elections has been quadrupled from…
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Health and human services board member resigns
The tension that surrounded Jackson County commissioners’ decision to merge its health and social services departments wasn’t hard to sense…
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Swain sheriff suspends mutual aid to town; Opponent claims the move is purely political
Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran has suspended a longstanding mutual aid agreement with the Bryson City Police Department, though the…
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Survey to document local African American history
A cultural survey currently underway that seeks to document the legacy of an overlooked Waynesville community could add to the…
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Rep. Presnell revisits voter ID issue
North Carolinians will be asked this November to weigh in on the controversial issue of voter ID if a bill…
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Swain budget holds the line
Swain County’s proposed budget for 2018-19 will maintain the status quo without a proposed property tax increase or any major…
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Commissioners move to clear J-Creek dirt delays
Five months into the economic development partnership between the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Haywood County Chamber of…
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WCU unveils new economic tool
A new tool that compiles a mind-boggling array of economic and demographic data and presents it in a simple map-based…
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Macon schools faces drastic cuts without more funding
Macon County commissioners are considering contributing another $750,000 toward public education to prevent further drastic cuts to Macon County Schools’…
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Jackson finalizes proposed budget
When the Jackson County Commissioners met June 5 to discuss final changes to the proposed budget for 2018-19, they came…
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Over opposition, Waynesville passes controversial text amendment
A Gastonia-based developer’s request to change a small part of the Town of Waynesville’s zoning rules to allow for multi-family…
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Grants made for home repairs
Over the last couple months, there have been some grants made for home repairs to enable veterans, senior citizens, and…
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Sheriff warns of phone scam
The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has received several calls from concerned citizens regarding a phone scam that is very specific…
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Apply for Maggie Valley boards
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen is now taking applications for appointments for both the Planning Board and the Zoning…
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Waynesville seeks volunteer board applicants
The Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen is accepting applications to fill the following vacancies on various community boards and…
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