Swain commissioners oppose removal of boathouses
 

Swain commissioners oppose removal of boathouses

Swain County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution last week opposing the Tennessee Valley Authority’s proposal to remove all boathouses from…
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Development being considered in Forest Hills
 

Development being considered in Forest Hills

The sleepy village of Forest Hills could look a good bit different over the coming years if a handful of…
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New CEO in the cards for Haywood Regional
 

New CEO in the cards for Haywood Regional

The CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center stepped down suddenly last week, effective immediately.
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Foot chase by Waynesville police thwarts pharmacy break-in
 

Foot chase by Waynesville police thwarts pharmacy break-in

A foot chase by a Waynesville Police officer through downtown Hazelwood just before dawn last week ended with police nabbing…
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Budget cuts for assistant coaches reconsidered following backlash
 

Budget cuts for assistant coaches reconsidered following backlash

Budget cuts impacting assistant coaches at the middle and high school level will likely be restored in Haywood County Schools…
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WCU chancellor diagnosed with brain tumor
 

WCU chancellor diagnosed with brain tumor

Western Carolina University’s well-liked leader Chancellor David Belcher has been diagnosed with a small brain tumor, he announced last week.
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Political and racial discussions continue at WCU
 

Political and racial discussions continue at WCU

Sidewalk chalk was all anyone was talking about as campus woke up Thursday morning (April 21) at Western Carolina University.…
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A 21st century library: Waynesville renovation to address public demand for Internet access
 

A 21st century library: Waynesville renovation to address public demand for Internet access

Howard David Glawson was tucked in to his usual spot at the public computer bank at the Waynesville library last…
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Haywood leaders asked to endorse Waynesville library renovation
 

Haywood leaders asked to endorse Waynesville library renovation

Preparation and planning for a $6 million renovation and expansion of the Waynesville library have been playing out behind the…
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Late campaign finance report traced to state computer glitch
 

Late campaign finance report traced to state computer glitch

N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, is inadvertently 43 days late on his latest campaign finance reports due to a computer…
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Emergency management changes move forward
 

Emergency management changes move forward

Haywood County is continuing with efforts to update and improve its emergency management ordinance — a local regulation that came…
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Haywood Schools aim to keep standards high despite budget challenges
 

Haywood Schools aim to keep standards high despite budget challenges

Haywood County commissioners are once again standing by their commitment to public education, making good on a long-standing pledge to…
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Sylva leaders cheer affordable housing proposal
 

Sylva leaders cheer affordable housing proposal

Sylva’s leaders are applauding a plan to build a new apartment complex across the road from Harris Hospital as a…
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Vandalism at Judaculla: Leaders discuss how to protect Cherokee landmark
 

Vandalism at Judaculla: Leaders discuss how to protect Cherokee landmark

When Jerry Parker walked by Judaculla Rock on March 26, he saw that some newer markings covered the rock’s millennia-old…
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Haywood County passes outdoor shooting range rules
 

Haywood County passes outdoor shooting range rules

New rules are now in place to govern commercial outdoor gun ranges in Haywood County.
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TVA calls for removal of all houseboats
 

TVA calls for removal of all houseboats

The Tennessee Valley Authority has proposed doing away with more than 1,800 houseboats that occupy various lakes under its jurisdiction.
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Houseboat owners fight to keep their property
 

Houseboat owners fight to keep their property

Scott Collins’ family has owned a houseboat on Fontana Lake since 1965 — that’s five generations that have made lasting…
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Maggie Valley town center faces opposition
 

Maggie Valley town center faces opposition

There was a palpable sense of excitement in the air when Maggie Valley first unveiled its town center master plan.…
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Charting a new course: Upstart schools face animosity that usually softens over time
 

Charting a new course: Upstart schools face animosity that usually softens over time

A small group of parents had been working quietly for about three years to get the first charter school established…
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Franklin hires new fire chief
 

Franklin hires new fire chief

Kevin Rohrer, a captain with Morrisville Fire and Rescue Department, has been hired as Franklin’s fulltime fire chief to replace…
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Sylva board faces inevitable property tax increase
 

Sylva board faces inevitable property tax increase

As Sylva’s leaders work toward a new budget for the new fiscal year, there’s one big question on everybody’s mind…
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Casino board member under investigation
 

Casino board member under investigation

A member of Cherokee’s Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise board is under investigation following a public uproar surrounding her alleged behavior…
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Cherokee debates captive bear laws
 

Cherokee debates captive bear laws

Days after a judge ruled that conditions at Cherokee Bear Zoo, while “not ideal,” fall within federal regulations, the Eastern…
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Cherokee Bear Zoo survives lawsuit
 

Cherokee Bear Zoo survives lawsuit

After two-and-a-half years of litigation, the verdict is in on the Cherokee Bear Zoo — the case is dismissed, and…
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Public hearing set for emergency management changes
 

Public hearing set for emergency management changes

It’s been a year since the Haywood County commissioners agreed to make changes to the county’s emergency management ordinance to…
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Election offices report smooth primary election
 

Election offices report smooth primary election

Local election officials say the March 15 primary election ran fairly smoothly despite having to implement the new voter ID…
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Jackson Commissioners grant football field funds
 

Jackson Commissioners grant football field funds

During their meeting last week, Jackson County commissioners granted additional funds needed to help replace the football field at Smoky…
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Sylva OKs outdoor alcohol sales
 

Sylva OKs outdoor alcohol sales

This year’s Crawfish Boil at Greening Up The Mountains will offer local brews to wash down the shellfish following a…
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Haywood residents favor land-use planning
 

Haywood residents favor land-use planning

Haywood County residents support land-use planning by a large margin, according to the results of a recent telephone survey.
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Board split on future of Franklin property
 

Board split on future of Franklin property

The town of Franklin has been sitting on about 13 acres of pristine greenway space for about 12 years with…
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Towns preach health message to hold down insurance rates
 

Towns preach health message to hold down insurance rates

Eric Messer only has one complaint about the health and wellness initiatives the town of Waynesville has been pushing with…
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Canton preps for economic success
 

Canton preps for economic success

Piece by piece, Canton is setting the stage for future economic success through a number of new initiatives.
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Bryson City to keep Fry Street open
 

Bryson City to keep Fry Street open

Alderwoman Heidi Woodard’s motion for the town to abandon the right-of-way on Fry Street was met with silence at Monday…
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Additional testing under way for SCC shooting range
 

Additional testing under way for SCC shooting range

The lead-contaminated shooting range at Southwestern Community College in Webster is in for another round of testing after the state…
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Bowling alley coming to Cherokee
 

Bowling alley coming to Cherokee

A family adventure park is not the only project in the works on the Qualla Boundary. In February, Tribal Council…
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Cherokee re-examines adventure park idea
 

Cherokee re-examines adventure park idea

After four years of hibernation, Cherokee’s plan to build a one-of-a-kind family adventure park is back on the table.
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Sylva considers loosened alcohol ordinance
 

Sylva considers loosened alcohol ordinance

Alcohol could start showing up at some downtown Sylva events if town commissioners approve an ordinance slated for public comment…
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Some say Sylva’s sign fees are too high
 

Some say Sylva’s sign fees are too high

For some people, spending free time cross-referencing town fee schedules would be as boring as watching paint dry. But for…
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Food trucks and festoon lights run afoul of building codes
 

Food trucks and festoon lights run afoul of building codes

When David Young pulled a food truck onto the lot of Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden in downtown…
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In search for new Waynesville town manager, acting skills are a plus
 

In search for new Waynesville town manager, acting skills are a plus

Town manager hopefuls wanting to run one of Western North Carolina’s largest, most progressive towns will need more than budget…
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Corruption found in preliminary Cherokee audit results
 

Corruption found in preliminary Cherokee audit results

Principal Chief Patrick Lambert bore the look of a man on a mission when he presented Tribal Council with a…
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Macon Bank acquires Old Town under new name of Entegra
 

Macon Bank acquires Old Town under new name of Entegra

Old Town Bank, a local start-up bank based Waynesville, is selling to Macon Bank, a regional bank headquartered in Franklin,…
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Swain County to sue federal government over North Shore Road settlement money
 

Swain County to sue federal government over North Shore Road settlement money

After waiting for years to get the money promised to them, the Swain County commissioners made a unanimous decision last…
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Commissioners under the gun to pass shooting range rules
 

Commissioners under the gun to pass shooting range rules

Rules governing where commercial outdoor shooting ranges can go in Haywood County would provide security and peace of mind for…
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Cherokee implements full-circle rehabilitation for drug recovery
 

Cherokee implements full-circle rehabilitation for drug recovery

It’s been a while since the old Mountain Credit Union building in Cherokee saw foot traffic from people looking to…
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Higdon, Gillespie move forward in Macon commissioner race
 

Higdon, Gillespie move forward in Macon commissioner race

Incumbent commissioner Paul Higdon and political newcomer Karl Gillespie will move on to the general election after winning the primary…
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Commissioner incumbents win Swain primary
 

Commissioner incumbents win Swain primary

Swain County commissioner incumbents Steve Moon and David Monteith received the vote of confidence in the Democratic primary election.
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Corbin sails to primary victory
 

Corbin sails to primary victory

By the time polls closed March 15, Kevin Corbin’s soles were feeling the pain from 12 hours of standing on…
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Haywood commissioner field narrows
 

Haywood commissioner field narrows

The primary for Haywood County commissioner showed clear and overwhelming support for a single front-runner from each party, and both…
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Community Kitchen moving to new facility
 

Community Kitchen moving to new facility

The Community Kitchen in Canton works hard to make sure no one in the community goes hungry, and now the…
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