Smart pharmacist receives Macon entrepreneur honor
 

Smart pharmacist receives Macon entrepreneur honor

After years of education and learning the pharmaceutical ropes, Jacob Reiche had just about reached the end of his.
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Sales tax shuffle
 

Sales tax shuffle

What the bill says: The method of doling out sales tax to towns and counties would be changed to give…
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Statewide issues
 

Statewide issues

Hunting on Sundays What the bill says: The Sunday hunting ban would be lifted on private land. (House bill 640)
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Local Issues
 

Local Issues

Lake Junaluska annexation What the bill says: Lake Junaluska would become part of the town of Waynesville pending approval by…
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Haywood budget burdened by higher costs of doing business
 

Haywood budget burdened by higher costs of doing business

The give-and-take of crafting a budget is in full throttle in Haywood County, but what will be cut and what…
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Haywood commissioners ponder property tax hike to give county workers raises
 

Haywood commissioners ponder property tax hike to give county workers raises

Haywood County commissioners are contemplating a property tax increase to pay for raises for county employees.
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WNC entrepreneurs win at WCU innovation conference
 

WNC entrepreneurs win at WCU innovation conference

Entrepreneurs and owners of existing small businesses from around Western North Carolina shared $7,000 in prize money to help launch…
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Last man standing: Waynesville makes history with an untidy ending to an untidy war
 

Last man standing: Waynesville makes history with an untidy ending to an untidy war

Union Col. William Bartlett tried to keep his cool as he watched his bitter, battle-hardened Confederate enemies riding down Main…
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Chief candidates weigh in on issues
 

Chief candidates weigh in on issues

It’s election season in Cherokee, and with the long-time chief Michell Hicks opting not to seek re-election, five candidates are…
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N.C. Superior Court judge to double as tribal court justice
 

N.C. Superior Court judge to double as tribal court justice

Bradley Letts will have to keep his day job, but the Superior Court Judge will soon begin serving as a…
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Swain forms animal control committee
 

Swain forms animal control committee

Swain County commissioners are moving forward with their plan to address the lack of animal control by putting together an…
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Swain commissioners: False alarm law needs common sense approach
 

Swain commissioners: False alarm law needs common sense approach

Swain County Commissioners are moving forward with a false alarm ordinance with the understanding that the sheriff’s office will enforce…
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Jackson’s planning director departs after a short but good run
 

Jackson’s planning director departs after a short but good run

In a mere four years, Jackson County Planner Gerald Green has wrestled with just about every controversial land-use issue you…
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Sid’s on Main closes: New restaurant moving in
 

Sid’s on Main closes: New restaurant moving in

After a solid three-year run in Canton, Sid’s on Main is closing, leaving a huge vacancy in downtown.
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Evacuation at Tuscola: All OK after threatening email sent to high school
 

Evacuation at Tuscola: All OK after threatening email sent to high school

Things are back to normal at Tuscola High School after an emailed threat prompted a complete evacuation of the school…
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Franklin approves Siler road apartments
 

Franklin approves Siler road apartments

Plans for a 60-unit apartment complex in Franklin are moving forward after Workforce Homestead received approval for a special permit…
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Franklin mayor warns of tough budget year
 

Franklin mayor warns of tough budget year

Now that town aldermen have a preliminary budget in front of them, the Franklin leaders are ready to begin an…
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Macon schools request $7.9 million from county
 

Macon schools request $7.9 million from county

As the Macon County budget process gets under way, education spending will be one of the meatier items up for…
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Fracking regulators served with lawsuit
 

Fracking regulators served with lawsuit

A section of legislation giving the Mining and Energy Commission the authority to decide which local ordinances are OK and…
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Jackson County comes up short on $4.8 million ask from school district
 

Jackson County comes up short on $4.8 million ask from school district

Leaking roofs, technology needs and impending state cuts prompted Jackson County Schools to put out a hefty ask to the…
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Haywood Schools prepare for the worst as it awaits funding word from state
 

Haywood Schools prepare for the worst as it awaits funding word from state

Haywood County Schools will cut its budget by $900,000 next year, plus tap its cash reserves to the tune of…
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Bringing the past to life
 

Bringing the past to life

When Kim Sutton puts on his Civil War attire, he’s immediately transported to an era when a national conflict held…
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Civil War commemoration attracts history fans
 

Civil War commemoration attracts history fans

For 10 years, museum curator Jackie Stephens has prepped The Shelton House for Civil War commemorations.
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Take a Civil War tour in Haywood County
 

Take a Civil War tour in Haywood County

With the help of Civil War enthusiasts in Haywood County, The Shelton House Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts has put…
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The Fall of Will Thomas
 

The Fall of Will Thomas

William Holland Thomas, a self-made, prominent businessman, a revered chief in the Cherokee tribe, a politician and a colonel in…
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Like a Good Neighbor: The Eastern Cherokee and the Confederacy
 

Like a Good Neighbor: The Eastern Cherokee and the Confederacy

Not all the Eastern Cherokee supported the Confederacy. Several served with the Union army during the Civil War and were…
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The case of Haywood’s missing students: a cause-and-effect story
 

The case of Haywood’s missing students: a cause-and-effect story

Haywood County Schools have been losing students slowly but steadily over the past decade. Despite high academic performance, the school…
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Cherokee members threaten to sue over raises, back pay for elected officals
 

Cherokee members threaten to sue over raises, back pay for elected officals

When the Cherokee Tribal Council voted to give itself a hefty pay raise last fall — $10,000 extra a year…
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Final round for Cullowhee standards
 

Final round for Cullowhee standards

Cullowhee residents crowded the basketball court at the Cullowhee Recreation Center last week for a chance to sound off during…
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Bryson businesses unite
 

Bryson businesses unite

There is power in numbers, and businesses in Bryson City are ready to join forces to have their voices heard. …
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If we build it, will they stay? Bryson City pedestrian plaza waiting for town approval
 

If we build it, will they stay? Bryson City pedestrian plaza waiting for town approval

The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad introduces new people to all that Bryson City has to offer throughout the year, yet…
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Wrench in the works: Haywood Schools grapple with enrollment wildcard
 

Wrench in the works: Haywood Schools grapple with enrollment wildcard

Haywood School Superintendent Anne Garrett came up with a novel approach for predicting how many students a new charter school…
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WCU LLC to spur economic development
 

WCU LLC to spur economic development

The Western Carolina University College of Business is establishing a new, for-profit limited liability company designed to provide entrepreneurial business,…
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Public hearing planned on fire tax for Cashiers-Highlands
 

Public hearing planned on fire tax for Cashiers-Highlands

A public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center will take the public’s temperature on…
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Republicans ask for more partisanship on ballots
 

Republicans ask for more partisanship on ballots

Voters could see more Ds and Rs on their election ballot in 2016 if Republicans push through legislation to make…
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Future unclear for planned Cullowhee development
 

Future unclear for planned Cullowhee development

Earlier this year, it looked like Monarch Ventures, a Charlotte-based company that’s been trying for years to build a high-density…
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Fraternity gets five-year suspension
 

Fraternity gets five-year suspension

The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity will be absent from Western Carolina University’s roster of Greek life opportunities until 2020, following…
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Haywood Regional Medical Center takes over Canton clinic
 

Haywood Regional Medical Center takes over Canton clinic

Haywood Regional Medical Center’s recent decision to purchase the Evergreen Family Medical Center in Canton will keep Evergreen employees from…
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New apartment complex in the works for Sylva
 

New apartment complex in the works for Sylva

Plans are under way to build a new apartment complex near — but not in — the town of Sylva,…
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Turning through the years: Community invited to Carolina Wood Turning Company reunion
 

Turning through the years: Community invited to Carolina Wood Turning Company reunion

The furniture manufacturer remembered as Carolina Wood Turning Company has been closed for more than 30 years, yet the smell…
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Haywood Schools performance climbs high in tandem with county funding support
 

Haywood Schools performance climbs high in tandem with county funding support

Haywood County Schools will get a modest 2 percent increase each year for the next three years in its student…
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HCC enrollment dips as economy improves
 

HCC enrollment dips as economy improves

Marlowe Mager isn’t an economist by trade, but a little-known data set at his fingertips puts him on par with…
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Exchanging students, exchanging cultures
 

Exchanging students, exchanging cultures

When Donna Bell invited the first exchange student into her home seven years ago, she had no idea the lasting…
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Haywood man fatally shot trying to rob marijuana growers
 

Haywood man fatally shot trying to rob marijuana growers

A man attempting to rob alleged pot growers and dealers in the Bethel community of Haywood County was shot and…
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Terrace Hotel renovation reaches finish line in time for spring conference season
 

Terrace Hotel renovation reaches finish line in time for spring conference season

About 200 people gathered for the ribbon cutting of a $3.2-million renovation of the Terrace Hotel at Lake Junaluska, the…
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It takes a village: Habitat for Humanity to build new community in Waynesville
 

It takes a village: Habitat for Humanity to build new community in Waynesville

As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child.
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Nibbling at the elephant: Plan to flip abandoned factory into community center inches forward
 

Nibbling at the elephant: Plan to flip abandoned factory into community center inches forward

The old Drexel furniture factory in Whittier isn’t producing much these days, unless you count bird nests and ivy vines…
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Is that a knuckleboom outside my window?
 

Is that a knuckleboom outside my window?

A new addition will soon be added to the town of Waynesville’s street fleet.
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House bill could make Cherokee a little less dry
 

House bill could make Cherokee a little less dry

Breweries could be built and alcohol served at special events in Cherokee, if a House bill currently awaiting hearing in…
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