DC dispatch: Saturday, Jan. 21
What a difference a day makes. After a Friday that left both protestors and police bruised and bloodied – and…
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Public survey could make or break Haywood library expansion
Hopes for a major renovation and expansion of the Waynesville library were temporarily shelved by county commissioners last year and…
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DC dispatch: Friday, Jan. 20
Hillary Clinton emerged from the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building this morning, clad in white and looking out…
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DC dispatch: Thursday, Jan. 19
Amidst heavy security and a conspicuous law enforcement presence, Washington, D.C. is hoping for the best but preparing for the…
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Missing Clyde man found deceased
A Clyde man who has been missing since Jan. 3 has been found deceased.
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Sylva shoe duo upholds the last of a dying trade
Mike Fitzgerald rarely skipped a beat as he darted spryly between his cobbler’s bench and the vintage, grime-coated machines anchoring…
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Macon urges proper disposal of used needles
Sanitation workers in Macon County are worried about dangerous items that could be lurking in the household trash bags being…
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Increased density coming to Howell Mill Road?
An oft-repeated concern expressed during meetings of the Haywood County Affordable Housing Task Force is the scarcity of buildable land…
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Bryson City removes trees on Everett Street
Many Bryson City business owners were caught off guard last week when they noticed massive holes all along Everett Street…
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Street trees replaced in Sylva
The streets of downtown Sylva are newly treeless after town crews excavated the red maples earlier this month, but the…
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Town to pursue Calvary Street purchase
The town of Waynesville will move forward with plans to purchase three vacant, blighted lots straddling Calvary Street, despite interest…
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Russ fuss prompts resolution
After holding two public hearings that drew large crowds of opposition, Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown and the board of aldermen…
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Painting helps Swain County artist heal
Barbara Robinson can find artistic inspiration wherever she may be. Sometimes it’s looking out over Frye Mountain from her art…
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Illegal dumping plagues Swain
Swain County recently spent more than $350,000 in order to better secure its trash site and cut down on sanitation…
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Former gaming enterprise chairwoman to rejoin board
The Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise’s newest member will be anything but new to the business of casino management when she…
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Cherokee hospital will see funding cut due to infection rates
According to a recent ranking from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority is one…
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Board member removed from TWSA mid-term
Joe Ward’s term on the Tuckasegee Water and Sewer Authority board came to an abrupt end last week when newly…
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SMN reporter to cover Presidential Inauguration
Starting this week, The Smoky Mountain News will begin issuing a steady stream of coverage from the nation’s capital as…
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Still time to sign up for ACA insurance policy
The planned repeal of the Affordable Healthcare Act doesn’t seem to be impacting the numbers of people in Western North…
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Rally to ‘save health care’ draws crowd to downtown Sylva
A crowd of more than 150 people took to the streets of downtown Sylva Sunday joining protestors in cities across…
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Haywood struggling to retain teachers
For months now, a committee created by the Haywood County Board of Education has been looking for ways to entice…
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Central Elementary generating interest from buyers
The building that once housed Central Elementary School may soon find new life in the private sector, if and when…
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Another runway extension in the wings for Macon airport
With the last Macon County Airport runway extension project barely in the rearview, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has…
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Dilapidated structures plaguing Franklin
Overgrown brush, rotting floors, collapsing roofs, vermin and asbestos. Dealing with deteriorating structures isn’t a new issue for the town…
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Haywood Habitat accepting homeowner applications
Haywood Habitat for Humanity is seeking qualified homeowners for homes located in Haywood County.
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Honor MLK with day of service
Citizens recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day since it was established in 1986, are encouraged to volunteer on the third…
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Franklin facelift: Changes are coming to downtown Franklin
Downtown Franklin will be undergoing plenty of changes in 2017 and for the next few years as the town works…
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Volunteers, athletes sought for Special Olympics
Haywood County Special Olympics officials are forming a Local Program Committee so that the program can reach more potential athletes…
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WCU professor gets award for archaeological excellence
Western Carolina University’s Ben Steere, assistant professor of anthropology and co-director of Cherokee Studies Programs, is recipient of the Principal…
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To tax or not to tax? Waynesville considers adding another tax-exempt parcel
It isn’t often that citizens avail themselves of the public comment session offered by local governments.
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Only opposition heard for Walnut Street widening
Although work on the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s proposed improvements to Russ Avenue won’t begin until 2022, Waynesville residents…
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Canton dives in to pool project
Town of Canton officials faced a “sink or swim” moment Jan. 3 when, in a special public hearing, they had…
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Neglected Canton dogs still need homes
In a case that stunned Western North Carolina residents last November, 137 dogs were found being kept in varying states…
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Sequoyah Fund embezzler sentenced
Embezzling nearly $1 million from The Sequoyah Fund in Cherokee will land the organization’s former executive director in federal prison…
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Jackson commissioner drops lawsuit
Recently elected Jackson County Commissioner Mickey Luker has dropped a lawsuit he filed in June contesting a permit denial handed…
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Timeline for Mill Street lane reduction will depend on town budget
Mill Street in Sylva will go from two lanes to one when a 2016 decision from the Sylva Board of…
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Lost hikers rescued from Shining Rock Wilderness Area
Two hikers lost in the Shining Rock Wilderness area in Haywood County were rescued Saturday evening thanks to the efforts…
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Downtown vacancies prompt concern
An unusual number of “for rent” signs have been cropping up in downtown Sylva lately, and the vacancies have town…
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Quilting group donates to sheriff’s office
Members of the Blue Ridge Mountain Quilt Guild in Canton stopped by the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office recently to drop…
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Interim director of Lake Junaluska Singers hired
Lake Junaluska has announced new leadership of the Lake Junaluska Singers, a choral group that has been part of Lake…
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Bryson City Bicycles receives small business grant
Bryson City Bicycles will use a $20,000 grant to expand its online presence and to provide a fleet of bicycles…
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WCU to form school for primary grades
Western Carolina University will soon be opening a school serving primary grades — likely in Jackson County — after a state mandate…
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Sylva appoints public art committee
Sylva’s town leaders were so excited to see the number of applications they received from prospective members of a public…
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Community Health Center to open in Sylva
Health services emanating from the Good Samaritan building in Sylva are set to expand this year as Good Sam moves…
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TWSA reviews water shortage plan following drought
As the drought of 2016 progressed, flows of streams and rivers dwindled region-wide — and the Tuckasegee River, water source for…
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Haywood water systems join forces to aid each other in times of need
From the control room of Canton’s water plant, a steady barrage of numbers flash across the computer monitors.
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In the wake of the drought, Haywood towns besieged by water shortage search for answers
As days slid by without rain last fall, and the days stacked into weeks, Neil Carpenter watched the water gauge…
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Showdown looms over Russ Avenue project
News of a historic portion of Walnut Street’s inclusion in the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s plan for the widening…
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Mountain legislator to be sworn in
It took Bryson City Republican Mike Clampitt three tries over six years to finally become a member of the North…
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