Haywood sheriff investigating two deaths in Fines Creek
 

Haywood sheriff investigating two deaths in Fines Creek

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office detectives continue to investigate two deaths that occurred in the Fines Creek area.
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Haywood’s assistant county manager resigns
 

Haywood’s assistant county manager resigns

In a statement issued by Haywood County moments ago, the resignation of Assistant County Manager Talmadge “Stoney” Blevins was announced.…
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Macon League of Women Voters disbands: Members reflect on 27 years of work toward a well-informed community

An aging membership, the inability to recruit younger members, a lack of civic engagement and a shift away from nonpartisanship…
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Asheville LWV chapter picking up steam

While the Macon County League of Women Voters had to disband this year due to low membership and community involvement,…
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Spread of opioids puts strain on sheriff resources

On any given day, the Haywood County Detention Center is full of people suffering from substance abuse and/or mental illness…
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Sheriff receives grant to hire four new deputies

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $480,963 grant that will allow the department to hire four full-time…
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Canton Confederate Christmas controversy quashed

When Canton Alderman Dr. Ralph Hamlett recently proposed a parade entry policy that would limit inappropriate speech during the town’s…
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Pride of a nation: Cherokee wins first-ever state football championship

Pride-filled pandemonium reigned in Cherokee Saturday night, Dec. 8, as the victorious Cherokee Braves football team returned to town. Police…
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Mission back in network for BCBS policyholders

After a months’ long battle, Mission Health hospitals and its affiliates will be back in Blue Cross Blue Shield’s network…
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Franklin council, mayor sworn into office

Franklin’s new and returning councilmembers were recently sworn into office and immediately started conducting business during the December regular meeting.
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Brunch Bill one step closer to reality in Maggie Valley

As the town’s former police chief and also as a woman of faith, Maggie Valley Mayor Saralyn Price said last…
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Freshman retention dips at WCU

After years of steady upward progress, the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate at Western Carolina University dipped slightly for students who enrolled…
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Admissions interest rises at Western

When Chancellor David Belcher asked Sam Miller, Western Carolina University’s vice chancellor for students success, to tell the Board of…
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Haywood School Board to fill vacancy

After submitting applications, one of three men will be selected to fill a vacancy on the Haywood County School board…
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New home for Nudge City?

The Town of Waynesville solved one problem Nov. 28 by deciding where, exactly, video gaming parlors may in the future…
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Tribal Council removes alcohol commissioner

In a split decision, the Cherokee Tribal Council voted Dec. 7 to remove a member of the Tribal Alcoholic Beverage…
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Homeless in Haywood for the holidays

I don’t really want to go into the domestic circumstances that led up to it, but even though I had…
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Beyond words: WCU community overflows with gratitude for Belcher’s leadership

Business as usual was a difficult thing to achieve at the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees meeting Friday, Dec.…
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Art of Music Festival gets boost from tourism agency

Balsam Range will be beefing up its annual Art of Music Festival next year thanks to a $35,000 grant from…
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TDA makes funding decisions for Haywood zip codes

After receiving recommendations from the 1 percent subcommittees, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has made final decisions on which…
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Term ends for TDA chairman

After leading the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority through what will likely become four of the most formative years in…
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Ramsey Center to get new skin

The black glass Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center is an iconic structure on the Western Carolina University campus, but…
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New book chronicles African American history in WNC

An oral history project documenting African American history in the far western reaches of North Carolina is now a book,…
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Every Day is Veterans Day at the Pigeon Center

Although honoring veterans each Nov. 11 is a substantial gesture by the grateful citizens of this country, a new program…
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Season of Light celebration comes to Pigeon Center
 

Season of Light celebration comes to Pigeon Center

The Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center will host an inclusive holiday celebration complete with music, snacks and desserts from 5…
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Lake Junaluska decorates for Christmas

A crew of more than 50 volunteers from the community decorated Lake Junaluska for the holiday season, including the Rose…
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Bridge across Lake Junaluska Dam could reopen in 2018

Ka-chunk, ka-chunk … Ka-chunk, ka-chunk…. For over a century the sound of wheels on wood have greeted residents of and…
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Jackson ponders pool repairs

The Sylva pool saw $100,000 in repairs before opening this summer, but more work is on the way to get…
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Shooting range sound spurs complaint

Located behind the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority treatment plant off North River Road, Southwestern Community College’s shooting range is…
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Jackson commissioners OK 185-foot radio tower

A unanimous vote from the Jackson County commissioners will allow construction of a 185-foot radio tower in Cullowhee to move…
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Sarge’s photo contest

Sarge’s Pet Photo Contest is back and it’s a holiday theme. Enter printed photos of your pets in costume or…
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Cancer battle causes WCU chancellor to step down

After battling brain cancer since April 2016, Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher announced Nov. 27 that his treatment…
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Trio of Haywood efforts to bolster economic development

Three complementary actions taken by the Haywood County Board of County Commissioners Nov. 20 show that despite changing conditions in…
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WCU seeks waiver on tower regulations

What began as an effort to give Western Carolina University’s campus radio station broader coverage could end with construction of…
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Waynesville wastewater woes warrant study redux

If you don’t like what you hear, get a second opinion — at least, that’s what the Waynesville Board of…
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New plan for Walnut Street met with satisfaction

After a series of contentious public hearings almost a year ago resulted in outcry from nearly all quarters of Waynesville,…
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Jackson to merge health and social services departments

Jackson County will pursue a plan to consolidate its health and social services departments following a special-called commissioners meeting held…
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A decade in, Balsam Range stands atop WNC music

I’ve lived in Haywood County 1,931 days. It’s also the exact number of days I’ve known Balsam Range. Within the…
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Jackson Brunch Bill decision will wait until spring

A final decision on whether to allow Sunday morning alcohol sales in Jackson County won’t come for several months following…
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Sheriff looking for suspect in Bethel Elementary break in
 

Sheriff looking for suspect in Bethel Elementary break in

Investigators with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office are seeking the public’s assistance with identifying a person who broke into Bethel…
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Waynesville warns against scam
 

Waynesville warns against scam

Several residents have notified the Town of Waynesville that they have received calls from someone posing as a town representative…
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Roundabout for Walnut Street?

The obtuse angles of the intersection at Waynesville’s North Main and Walnut streets may soon become graceful curves — or…
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Confederate flag flies on lightning rod in Canton

When a policy that would prohibit the display of the Confederate flag in a tiny mountain mill town’s municipal parades…
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Release date nears for movie shot in Sylva

Film fever is hitting Sylva as the release of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” draws closer.
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Franklin looks to draft a noise ordinance

The town of Franklin will be going back to the drawing board to find the best way to address complaints…
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Franklin to implement Main Street parking changes

After paying for several engineering studies over the years, the town of Franklin is moving forward with a plan to…
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Impeachment attorney faces allegations of misconduct

The attorney who argued for the impeachment of former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert has been issued an order from the…
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Catamount School embarks on its first year

It’s hard to find a place inside Western Carolina University’s Catamount School that isn’t buzzing with activity.
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North Carolina Republican Party bans four of ‘Haywood Five

In what appears to be the culmination of a strange saga that has played out from Haywood County to Raleigh…
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Tourism authority changes subcommittees

Based on recommendations from a consultant, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority voted to change the makeup of the 1…
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