Former deputy pleads guilty to obstructing justice
 

Former deputy pleads guilty to obstructing justice

A former Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing justice following an Oct. 25 party…
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Chief candidates square off: Debate gets candidates on record about issues
 

Chief candidates square off: Debate gets candidates on record about issues

Whether from a seat in the auditorium or at home on the couch, more than 1,000 Cherokee people blocked out…
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Haywood’s Good Samaritan Clinic to benefit from golf tournament
 

Haywood’s Good Samaritan Clinic to benefit from golf tournament

The annual Golf and Gala event hosted by Haywood Healthcare Foundation on Aug. 25 and 26 will feature five separate…
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Waynesville’s Russ Avenue gets rework of concrete bumper
 

Waynesville’s Russ Avenue gets rework of concrete bumper

Love it or hate it, the concrete median down the middle of Russ Avenue in Waynesville on the approach to…
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Maggie officials not pleased with DOT report
 

Maggie officials not pleased with DOT report

Maggie Valley leaders aren’t taking no for an answer after the North Carolina Department of Transportation said nothing could be…
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Food trucks offer different flavors
 

Food trucks offer different flavors

Mobile vending is no longer limited to fast food staples like pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs.
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Jackson hires new attorney position
 

Jackson hires new attorney position

After more than four years as Jackson County’s attorney, Jay Coward will soon yield his spot as the county’s legal…
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Feds arrest Sylva businessman
 

Feds arrest Sylva businessman

A longtime Sylva business owner was arrested on federal charges after agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and…
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Jackson County approves additional greenway bridge costs
 

Jackson County approves additional greenway bridge costs

Jackson County commissioners approved moving forward with the installation of the Locust Creek pedestrian bridge even though the cost is…
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The steep slope rewrite, now a shadow of its former self, is back for a final chapter in Jackson
 

The steep slope rewrite, now a shadow of its former self, is back for a final chapter in Jackson

The rollicking steep slope debate in Jackson County may finally be put to rest next month after three years of…
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Cherokee court hands out first-ever sentence to non-Indian
 

Cherokee court hands out first-ever sentence to non-Indian

What in most courts would have been a simple case of violating a domestic violence protective order was a landmark…
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Shining Rock hires local lawyer for land negotiations
 

Shining Rock hires local lawyer for land negotiations

Despite resistance from surrounding landowners, Shining Rock Classical Academy is moving forward with plans to set up Haywood County’s first…
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Charter school enrollment a moving target as opening day approaches
 

Charter school enrollment a moving target as opening day approaches

The guessing game of how many students will jump ship from Haywood County Schools to attend a new charter school,…
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Shining Rock hit with ‘no trespassing’ order
 

Shining Rock hit with ‘no trespassing’ order

A damaged corn crop and a no trespassing order from a farmer’s lawyer could thwart Shining Rock Classical Academy’s goal…
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Charter school to face opposition over special use permit for new location
 

Charter school to face opposition over special use permit for new location

Neighbors who live near the proposed site of a new charter school in Haywood County plan to oppose a special…
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Murphy casino on track for September open
 

Murphy casino on track for September open

A new casino under construction outside of Murphy is coming along on schedule and on budget, according to General Manager…
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Horseplay results in fired Jackson detention officer
 

Horseplay results in fired Jackson detention officer

A Jackson County detention officer was fired this summer after firing a Taser gun on a coworker.
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Gas station annexation approved in Franklin
 

Gas station annexation approved in Franklin

Plans for a new gas station on the outskirts of Franklin will be moving ahead now that the town board…
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Planning board takes another look at indoor gun ranges
 

Planning board takes another look at indoor gun ranges

Allowing indoor gun ranges within the Franklin town limits is still on hold as the town planning board has been…
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Maggie mayor seat won’t be filled until election
 

Maggie mayor seat won’t be filled until election

The mood was somber at Maggie Valley town hall last Wednesday as Alderwoman Saralyn Price called a special board meeting…
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Demand grows for off-duty officers to work special events
 

Demand grows for off-duty officers to work special events

The rising tide of triathlons, foot races and cycling events in Haywood County is stretching the capacity of spare deputies…
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Sylva considers fencing in Scotts Creek
 

Sylva considers fencing in Scotts Creek

To build a fence or to not build a fence?  It might not seem like such a portentous question, but…
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Criminal past overlooked for latest hero named to Jackson Sports Hall of Fame
 

Criminal past overlooked for latest hero named to Jackson Sports Hall of Fame

A new plaque coming soon to the Jackson County Sports of Hall Fame will no doubt raise some eyebrows of…
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Missing Haywood man found dead
 

Missing Haywood man found dead

The body of a missing Haywood County man was found in Richland Creek near Lake Junaluska on Aug. 3. Johnnie…
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La Crosse Encephalitis case confirmed in Macon
 

La Crosse Encephalitis case confirmed in Macon

A child from Macon County has been diagnosed with La Crosse Viral Encephalitis according to Macon County Health Director Jim…
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Lake Logan triathletes bring a decade of tourism boost to Haywood
 

Lake Logan triathletes bring a decade of tourism boost to Haywood

It’s been 10 years since the Lake Logan Triathlon made its debut in Haywood County, drawing a field of 162…
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Warm weather causes toxic algae at Waterville Lake
 

Warm weather causes toxic algae at Waterville Lake

An algal bloom on Waterville Lake in northern parts of Haywood County has tested positive for a toxin with potential…
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Shining Rock leaders say transparency is goal
 

Shining Rock leaders say transparency is goal

Shining Rock Classical Academy, a new charter school opening in Haywood County next month, will pull in more than $2…
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Shining Rock off to rocky start: Did new charter school violate open government law?
 

Shining Rock off to rocky start: Did new charter school violate open government law?

As a public entity receiving public dollars, Shining Rock Classical Academy — Haywood County’s first charter school — is required…
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Bryson City alderman running for Congress
 

Bryson City alderman running for Congress

Rick Bryson, a current alderman in Bryson City, has his eyes on Washington, D.C., as he plans a run to…
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Macon Health to offer primary care to limited number of residents
 

Macon Health to offer primary care to limited number of residents

A new program will enable a limited number of Macon County residents to seek primary medical care at the health…
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Leaders plot the future of domestic violence advocacy in Jackson
 

Leaders plot the future of domestic violence advocacy in Jackson

It’s been two-and-a-half years since cash flow problems forced Jackson County’s domestic violence and sexual abuse resource center to close…
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Landscape shifts early in the game in Waynesville’s mayor race
 

Landscape shifts early in the game in Waynesville’s mayor race

A candidate for mayor in Waynesville is dropping out of the race, although his name will still be on the…
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Canton celebrates keeping its clinic
 

Canton celebrates keeping its clinic

Within six months, a primary care medical clinic for Evergreen Packaging employees went from being on the chopping block to…
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Haywood County awards grants to local charities
 

Haywood County awards grants to local charities

Three grants have been awarded by The Fund for Haywood County, totaling about $7,000.  This fund is an affiliate of…
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Haywood veteran honored at pinning ceremony
 

Haywood veteran honored at pinning ceremony

Francis “Jack” James was recognized on June 26 by the “We Honor Veterans” program for his years of military service. …
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Chief candidates to debate in Cherokee
 

Chief candidates to debate in Cherokee

Candidates for the two chief offices up for election this year will square off in a pair of debates at…
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Finding common ground
 

Finding common ground

Standing in the back of The Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley last week, several languages could be heard in every…
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A spoonful of improv helps the glitches go down: Nimble feet are behind Folkmoot’s recipe for success
 

A spoonful of improv helps the glitches go down: Nimble feet are behind Folkmoot’s recipe for success

There’s a secret ingredient behind the bright lights, splashy costumes and glossy programs of Folkmoot: for every two parts planning,…
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Preserving to persevere: Relating to one another through music and dance
 

Preserving to persevere: Relating to one another through music and dance

Each year international groups from all over the world travel abroad to share their traditional folk dances and songs with…
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Mayor remembered for reshaping Maggie’s future
 

Mayor remembered for reshaping Maggie’s future

There are two types of mayors — the ones who show up to shake hands and kiss babies and the…
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A life full of love: Family and friends honor DeSimone’s memory
 

A life full of love: Family and friends honor DeSimone’s memory

As family members and friends took turns paying tribute to Ron DeSimone at his memorial mass on Tuesday, one word…
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Write-in likely to run for mayor in Maggie following tragic death
 

Write-in likely to run for mayor in Maggie following tragic death

The tragic accident that killed Mayor Ron DeSimone last week has left a hole in upcoming town elections this fall.
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DeSimone dies in construction accident
 

DeSimone dies in construction accident

Last Friday started out just like many other workdays for Maggie Valley Mayor Ron DeSimone.
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Political posturing once again waylays vote on Lake Junaluska, Waynesville merger
 

Political posturing once again waylays vote on Lake Junaluska, Waynesville merger

A bill paving the way for the merger of Lake Junaluska with the town of Waynesville was blocked at the…
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Family mourns much-loved victim of unsolved hit-and-run
 

Family mourns much-loved victim of unsolved hit-and-run

Lisa Preston Clark wasn’t surprised to see the CD amid the items recovered from Cole Preston’s crashed car. The disc…
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Balsam Mountain Trust Nature Center caught in foreclosure quagmire
 

Balsam Mountain Trust Nature Center caught in foreclosure quagmire

Homeowners in the high-end Balsam Mountain Preserve development are trying to strike a deal with an investment lender from New…
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Tribal Council explores possibility of elected police chief
 

Tribal Council explores possibility of elected police chief

There’s talk in Cherokee of making the chief of police’s job an elected position following a resolution introduced by Travis…
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Five candidates seek Maggie board seats; two mayoral  candidates step forward
 

Five candidates seek Maggie board seats; two mayoral candidates step forward

The town of Maggie Valley is small and only an average of 300 residents vote in any given election, but…
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Canton election gets two newcomers
 

Canton election gets two newcomers

Two new candidates have signed up to run against incumbent candidates Gail Mull and Ralph Hamlett for the Canton Board…
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