Higher pay the answer to high turnover among deputies
Hoping to combat a steady departure of officers, Haywood County entry-level deputies will see a 5 percent raise starting in…
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Mini library on Main Street promotes reading in Franklin
Those who frequent downtown Franklin may have noticed an odd-looking birdhouse taking up residence outside town hall in recent months,…
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Legal or not? Cherokee council votes themselves a pay raise, public protests
There wasn’t much discussion in the chamber Oct. 14 when Cherokee Tribal Council passed its budget for 2014-15. But as…
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Sylva’s police sensitive to national conversation
Sylva Commissioner Danny Allen had a question. He’d been watching what was happening with the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, and…
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Bust takes down gambling houses in east Haywood
A months-long undercover investigation led to a raid of three underground gambling parlors in Haywood County last week. The private…
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Glenville latest lake confirmed for walleye mercury contamination
A new health advisory was issued this month warning people about mercury levels in walleye fish in Lake Glenville. This…
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Scottish heritage alive in Franklin
Scotland’s roots run deep in Western North Carolina. Since before this country’s inception, Scottish immigrants have been migrating to these…
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WCU board approves tuition hike
The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees approved a schedule of tuition and fees for the 2015-16 academic year that…
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SCC releases SSNs
Southwestern Community College has inadvertently released students’ social security numbers to a private research company. The college is reporting that…
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Greasing the wheels: WNC residents trade petroleum for veggie oil
There’s nothing Adam Bigelow likes better than a full tank of gas in the summertime with an open road ahead.…
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Jackson schedules mercury meeting in Cashiers
The Jackson County Department of Public Health has scheduled a public meeting to discuss increased levels of mercury in walleye…
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Haywood Regional Medical Center hires new CEO
Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) announced today that Phillip L Wright has been named chief executive officer (CEO) for the…
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Operation Something Bruin backlash still simmering
Hunters who claimed they were unfairly targeted in an undercover wildlife poaching investigation will get a chance to share their…
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Scholarship endowment hits milestone
It’s been a while since the Southwestern Community College Foundation first received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of…
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Duke Energy gives $75,000 for WCU engineering
A $75,000 gift from the Duke Energy Foundation will allow Western Carolina University’s Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology…
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Tourism impact recalculated due to flaws in formula
A flaw in the economic model that calculates tourism impact in the mountains has been uncovered, resulting in a major…
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Evergreen works in nationwide effort to promote carton recycling
If you ask the average person what kinds of packaging can go in the recycling bin, you’ll probably get a…
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Jackson TDA considers streamlining
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority may be slimming down. Eventually. “It’s in discussion,” said Robert Jumper, chairman of the…
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Canton plans park for skateboarders
A skatepark is coming to Canton, possibly by early winter. “So, the skateboarders have a place to go,” said Town…
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Haywood gears up to fix old landfill contamination
Lingering underground contamination at an old Haywood County landfill in Waynesville has prompted the county to buy out a neighboring…
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Swain struggles with waste funding
It wasn’t the first time Swain County Manager Kevin King had to tell his commissioners that the numbers were off…
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Workshop touts low-impact, conservation development
The rolling hills of the Cullowhee River Club unfold beneath a heaven of blue sky as the Tuckasegee River rifles…
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Franklin ordinance regulates grease disposal in quest to prevent clogged pipes
The new wastewater treatment facility in Franklin cost the town more than $5 million to build, but within months of…
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New Haywood tax collector sidelined after hitting a bond snag
The newly elected tax collector in Haywood County has been benched indefinitely. Mike Matthews was supposed to take office Monday,…
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The magic number: is the tax collector’s higher bond prudent or punitive?
Haywood County commissioners are being accused of partisan politics for upping the liability bond for the county tax collector, although…
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The local deal: Small businesses look for their share of holiday shoppers
There are a few time-honored traditions on Thanksgiving. Like turkey and stuffing, or football and napping. Or, increasingly more over…
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No oath of office for new Haywood Tax Collector: County in holding pattern after elected tax collector couldn’t get bonded
The newly elected tax collector in Haywood County was unable to take office Monday as scheduled after failing to secure…
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Waynesville SWAT competes in national tourney
The Waynesville Special Response Team recently went up against dozens special ops units and SWAT teams from across the county…
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Business briefs
Canton biscuit maker finishes strong Canton resident Chris Sellers competed recently in the final round of Bojangles’ 18th annual Master…
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Measuring the intensity of college football rivalries
David Tyler, assistant professor of sport management at Western Carolina University, and colleague Joe Cobbs, assistant professor of sports business…
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Project shines lights on prescription drug scourge in Jackson
A community campaign to combat prescription drug abuse known as Project Lazarus will be discussed from 6 to 7 p.m.…
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Macon considers monument for Cherokee gravesite, funding request
Construction on the Parker Meadows sports complex is moving forward, but with some alterations to the original plan following the…
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Plans in the works for Jackson homeless shelter
For the past four years, Jackson County Neighbors in Need has been footing the bill to put people lacking winter…
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Homeless shelter underway for Macon County
Things have been moving quickly for New Hope Center in Franklin. Just a few months ago, the homeless shelter was…
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Mapping Maggie’s recreational needs
Trails top the list of Maggie Valley’s recreational needs, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the…
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Sylva explores stiffer penalties for stiffing parking citations
Quite a few parking tickets have gone unpaid in Sylva. Since 20011, a total of $7,585 worth of parking citations…
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Proposed Cullowhee development standards get revised
Following a pair of community input sessions in October, proposed planning regulations for the Cullowhee area have been tweaked a…
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Mechatronics program to prepare new-age manufacturing workers
Most ribbon cuttings are routine. Bland, even. But then, most ribbon cuttings aren’t executed by a robot. “You’ll note there’s…
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One year in, Macon manager gets contract, praise from commissioners
A surprise agenda item at this month’s Macon County Commissioner’s meeting put a smile on County Manager Derek Roland’s face.…
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Newly elected Haywood tax collector races to get bonded in time to take office
The clock is ticking for the newly elected tax collector in Haywood County to get bonded before his first day…
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New management at Cherokee golf course
Sequoyah National Golf Club has come out in the red every year since it first opened in 2009, but the…
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Body of missing teenager found in Nantahala National Forest
The search for missing 17-year-old Alec Lansing came to a tragic end when searchers found the teen’s body in Nantahala…
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Back to the future: Historic movie marquee crowns Waynesville’s Main Street once more
An iconic symbol of downtown Waynesville’s glory days is back. A quintessential movie marquee for The Strand theater was hoisted…
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Turkey drive for Haywood county’s needy in full swing
Thanks to community generosity, many of Haywood County’s neediest families will eat a hot turkey dinner this Thanksgiving. The Maggie…
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Economic summit participants point to regional approach as key to success
The key to economic and community development in Western North Carolina is for leaders of the public, private and nonprofit…
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Haywood Pathways welcomes first guests, continues renovation
At T-minus three days until the scheduled opening day for Haywood Pathways Center, Nick Honerkamp still wasn’t sure how to…
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Atlanta teen missing from wilderness therapy program
It’s been more than a week since Atlanta resident Alec Lansing, 17, walked off from the group he was camping…
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Swain sheriff alarmed over false alarms
The Swain County Sheriff’s Office responds to its share of security alarms. Between January and the middle of November, the…
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Maternity care landscape evolves: Additional OB practices increases choices, competition
A shake-up in the medical world of maternity care and childbirth means more choices for pregnant women in Jackson, Swain…
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It’s just a Bojangle’s, but that’s a step up for Waynesville’s South Main
The commercial revitalization of South Main Street in Waynesville has taken another step forward this month with the bulldozing of…
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