DOT land could go to Haywood schools
Parking may get easier and safer for Junaluska Elementary School parents if a bill introduced by Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson…
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New Maggie police chief brings experience, focus
The straightforward Russ Gilliland is a fifth-generation Haywood County resident, but his path to becoming Maggie Valley’s newest police chief…
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Get a peek behind the curtains of Maggie Valley government
A new program by the Town of Maggie Valley offers citizens a candid look at what the town does, how…
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School libraries install STEM stations
In many of Haywood County Schools’ media centers, including North Canton Elementary School, media specialists are working with teachers to…
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An uphill battle: Without parental support, finishing college is hard
Sophia Calhoun was 9 years old the day the world changed. Her mother died, leaving her dad to care for…
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Student center aims to reach parentless students, increase graduation rates
On virtually any college campus, they’re there — students who have recently exited foster care, are homeless, wards of the…
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Mystery Meadows challenger identified?
A “Mark Meadows Town Hall” meeting on health care in Waynesville April 23 doesn’t promise U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows will…
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Meadows supports Appalachian Regional Commission
North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, is known as a staunch fiscal conservative, opposing expansive federal fiscal policy set forth…
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Meadows’ message on ACA is heard loud and clear
“More for less” — that’s the message Western North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, is trying to send to Congress…
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Back to Dillsboro? Railroad considers moving Polar Express from Bryson City
While rumors are flying around town about the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad looking to move its Polar Express event from…
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Swain Democrats endorse replacement for Monteith
The Swain County Board of Commissioners now has a vacancy after the sudden and saddening loss of longtime Commissioner David…
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NC Republicans introduce anti-gay marriage bill
UPDATE: House Speaker Tim Moore has said the “Uphold Historic Marriage Act” will not be heard in the North Carolina…
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Showdown at GOP gulch: Tracing the origin of turmoil in the Haywood Republican Party
A shake up in the Haywood County Republican Party has pitted mainstream party members against an ideological “patriot” faction. The…
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Auto emissions testing in Haywood to go?
Residents of Haywood County stand to save at least $1 million a year if relaxed emissions standards become law —…
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New rural fire districts coming to Waynesville
Widespread inequality in the rates Haywood County residents pay for fire protection is about to come to an end.
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Mainspring projects to transform East Franklin
Mainspring Conservation Trust has several cleanup projects in the works that once completed will transform East Franklin for the better.
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Joint initiative to create Nikwasi-Cowee corridor
Much of Western North Carolina’s native history is hidden in plain sight along the Tennessee River Valley from Otto to…
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Folkmoot's Cultural Conversations: At the intersection of inequality
Cultural bias and conflict aren’t new to Western North Carolina; chattel slavery and Cherokee removal still leave a deep and…
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Canton seeks input on bike and pedestrian plan
Cycling enthusiasts who want to help steer the direction of Canton’s proposed Comprehensive Bicyclist and Pedestrian Plan may want to…
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Lake Junaluska wins six awards
Lake Junaluska has won six awards from the United Methodist Association of Communicators for video production, publications, social media, photography…
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Haywood GOP leaders overthrown
A power struggle has embroiled the Haywood County Republican Party over the past several months, culminating in the mass overthrow…
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Patriot faction of Haywood GOP blindsided by ousting
Eddie Cabe suspected something big was afoot in the weeks leading up to the annual precinct gathering of the Haywood…
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Resolution targets Presnell partisan bill
After expressing his outrage early last month over a bill that would make school board elections partisan in Haywood County,…
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Cost could keep Franklin aldermen from changing their name
“What’s an alderman?” is a common question town officials hear when trying to explain what they do to members of…
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Strange bedfellows emerge in HB2 ‘repeal’
An admittedly imperfect compromise that could end the tempest of controversy surrounding North Carolina’s HB2 has been reached, but not…
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More Trump budget cuts hit home
Renewed concerns about the local impact of President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts and his attempts to repeal the Affordable…
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Jackson ponders $20 million health building
A new health sciences building at Southwestern Community College would allow an additional 288 students to prepare for in-demand health…
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Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations: Identifying identity
Hundreds, if not thousands of “civic ambassador” programs begin each month in cities and counties across the nation, including in…
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Town denies train’s request for Fry Street closure
Kim Albritton was visibly shaken up when she walked out of Bryson City Town Hall on Monday night.
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Election season begins for Cherokee council race
The race for Cherokee Tribal Council will feature 45 candidates competing for 12 seats around the horseshoe table when the…
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Sylva to vote on funding for Mill Street lane reduction
A plan to turn two-lane Mill Street in Sylva into a one-lane road will soon move forward if town commissioners…
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High hopes in Hazelwood hang on revamped parking lot
A small assortment of businesses in the 400 block of Hazelwood Avenue have been flourishing of late despite suffering through…
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Dillsboro river park gets unanimous approval
A new river park in Dillsboro is no longer just a proposal after the Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously April…
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Out of sight: Macon, Swain departments largely off-cam
Smaller cities and counties with smaller tax bases can’t always afford the capital expenses of their wealthier neighbors — it’s…
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Haywood cop cam use low, may grow
A variety of law enforcement agencies serve the 60,000 residents speckled about the 555 square miles of Haywood County, and…
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Jackson law enforcement navigates new age of police video
On Aug. 9, 2014, an encounter between Officer Darren Wilson and 18-year-old Michael Brown on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri,…
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The tools of truth
As the digital revolution proceeds unabated and technology exponentially shrinks in size and cost, law enforcement agencies have more tools…
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Police cameras in WNC
The increasing use of body-worn and dash-mounted police cameras in Western North Carolina has sparked privacy concerns from citizens and…
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Memorial service planned for Rev. Jimmy Carr
Lake Junaluska will hold a memorial service for Rev. Dr. Jimmy Carr at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 30, in Stuart…
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Dillsboro river park vote planned in Jackson
With an April 3 vote on a proposed river park in Dillsboro just days away, all five members of the…
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Consolidated health department under discussion in Jackson
The Jackson County Commissioners got some food for thought during a meeting last week exploring the possibility of consolidating some…
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Following Tribal Council decision, former vice chief’s widow will lose her home
The widow of former Vice Chief Bill Ledford is refusing to move after Tribal Council’s January vote to strike the…
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Classroom size uncertainty to impact budgets
School systems in Western North Carolina were hoping a proposed piece of legislation regarding class size requirements would make it…
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Meadows in the middle of repeal and replace
Republicans under President Barack Obama voted more than 40 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no luck. Now,…
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App-alling: Trump budget gut shot to down-and-out Appalachia
Many rural Americans who voted for Donald Trump last November did so based on his promise to cut the federal…
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Empowering women to run for office
Women have a lot of internal dialogue when considering a run for public office — I don’t have time. I…
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Search for new Canton town manager begins
The sudden but amicable resignation of Canton Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss came as a surprise to many, but as the…
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Tapping Western North Carolina: Local craft breweries spill onto economy, culture
By all accounts, the craft beer business continues to boom in Western North Carolina. And that’s not just in Asheville…
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WCU’s physical therapy clinic expands
Western Carolina University’s student-run Mountain Area Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic has set a goal to expand the availability of…
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The tales the tombstones tell
High atop a knobby bald in central Haywood County sits lonely Dix Hill Cemetery, just yards from Jones Temple AME…
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