Jackson assesses cell tower regulations
A conversation has begun in Jackson County regarding the revision of the county’s regulations pertaining to cell phone towers. “We’re…
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Schoolhouse standoff: Macon County teachers sound off to Sen. Davis
Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, faced a group of 50 Macon County teachers and staff last Tuesday in the library of…
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Haywood GOP faction loses bid to oust chair
An ongoing tug-of-war for control of the Haywood County Republican Party reached a finale last week. A faction of conservative…
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Budget dilemma forces time of reckoning for Waynesville
Waynesville leaders will face a tough choice in coming weeks: either raise the property tax rate by 3 cents or…
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Tourism task force rolls up its sleeves
A task force charged with inspecting the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is attempting to reshape the county’s approach to…
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Drilling, fracking bill speeds through legislature
Natural gas drilling is one step closer to becoming reality after the North Carolina General Assembly delivered a newly ratified…
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Craigslist alligator finds a home
A young alligator is on its way to a new life after the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission discovered it being…
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Haywood jail inmates rack up big medical bills
A rash of medical complications hit inmates in the Haywood County jail over the past year, socking the county with…
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Riding to remember: Cherokee cyclists retrace tribe’s forced removal
On a muddy Friday afternoon they gathered at Kituwah Mound, the Mother Town. Preparing for the journey. Offering up…
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Jackson tourism board weighing executive director option
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority is still in the early stages of determining whether to hire an executive director.…
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Macon County tightens retirement benefits
In its quest to cut the fat ahead of the looming county revaluation, Macon County is turning to its retirement…
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Rep. Presnell sponsors de-annexation bill
It’s only eight lines long, but a de-annexation bill Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, has filed with the General Assembly’s Government…
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GOP to get relaxing respite from Raleigh rallies
When North Carolina Republicans arrive at Harrah’s in Cherokee the first week of June for their annual convention, they will…
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Drexel site master plan in the works
The former Drexel manufacturing plant site in Whittier is a step closer to its future. Jackson County was recently awarded…
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Strength in numbers: WNC environmental groups plan merger
Economy of scale tends to lean toward effectiveness of action, and that’s a fact that three environmental advocacy organizations in…
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Haywood commissioners, schools stick to funding formula
Haywood County Schools will see a slight budget increase from county commissioners next year, although it will fall far short…
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Cracking the room-tax nut
Critics of tourism-related economic development in Haywood County have joined forces with a conservative think tank from Raleigh to question…
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NCCAT searches for salvation in Raleigh
The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching is sweating out the legislative short session. Gov. Pat McCrory didn’t…
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Ministries gear up to convert state prison
Plans are moving forward to convert the old state prison in Hazelwood to a resource center for the hurting, homeless…
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‘God is not fair’: Former Waynesville pastor talks themes of mercy and fairness in pages of new book
For George Thompson, the struggle to understand how a supposedly good God could be so unfair began with his birth.…
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GOP comes to Cherokee for state convention
The North Carolina GOP generally holds its annual conventions in places like Raleigh or Greensboro. This year, state Republicans will…
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Evergreen paper mill, union in negotiations
Union employees at Evergreen Packaging’s Canton and Waynesville factories are currently engaged in contract negotiations.
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Jackson County looks to neighbors in search for nonprofit funding policy
From animal shelters to free clinics to food banks, nonprofit organizations of all stripes make a yearly knock on county…
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Flat budget recommended for Macon schools
As this year’s budget talks kicked off, Macon County Schools presented its petition for a $500,000 funding increase to pay…
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Schools grapple with three doors and a tough choice
Haywood County Schools may have a tough choice to make in coming weeks: add additional teachers or give existing teachers…
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Grant recipients announced in Haywood
The first grants from the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund, established by their family last July, have been announced…
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WCU campus leaders explore WNC from Murphy to Asheville
Thirty campus leaders from Western Carolina University crisscrossed the mountains of Western North Carolina for a weeklong tour May 12-16…
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Maggie Valley amusement park shoots for June opening
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and Ghost Town in the Sky still appears much as the name implies.…
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A trip back in time: New heritage museum tells the story of Swain’s people, by Swain’s people
The Smoky Mountain News recently got a sneak peek of the new Swain County Heritage Museum and Visitor’s Center. Leading…
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New visitor center to serve as tourist magnet for Swain
The new Swain County Heritage Museum slated to open in downtown Bryson City this weekend not only honors Swain County’s…
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Back to the future: Preppers learn old-time skills to ready themselves for times ahead
Fire, smoke, and efforts to make more of both fill the event pavilion at Haywood County Fair Grounds on a…
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State stance on more Medicaid for the poor unlikely to shift
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are standing by their controversial decision last year to deny Medicaid expansion to 500,000 low-income…
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Two unfortunate consequences: a one-two punch for hospitals and the working poor donut hole
Hospitals in North Carolina face a catch-22 of the worst kind: the $600 million kind, the kind they have no…
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July 4 Fireworks fizzle in north Jackson
The northern portion of Jackson County will go without fireworks again this Fourth of July. Last year’s display in Dillsboro…
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SCC seeks DENR input in shooting range management
Southwestern Community College is gearing up for some soil testing following a meeting with Robin Proctor, environmental chemist with the…
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Vandals spur Sylva to put more cameras in parks
Vandalism is apparently still a problem in Sylva public parks.It’s a problem that cost the town about ten grand last…
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Education funding tops legislature’s short session list
North Carolina legislators have returned to Raleigh for the General Assembly’s short session. In the weeks ahead, lawmakers will wrestle…
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Local educators cheer ruling: Judge declares 25 percent law unconstitutional
Local school leaders and educators are celebrating last week’s court ruling declaring a 2013 law that doles out a small…
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Voucher program still in play
School vouchers are back on the table for the 2014-15 school year following a ruling in the North Carolina Supreme…
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Local NAACP chapters elect officers
Both the Haywood and Jackson county chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have elected officers. …
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Macon considers $50K for REACH
REACH of Macon County won’t find out for another month or so whether its application for a $909,000 grant toward…
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Money on the books: Jackson libraries request increased funding
Jackson County Librarian Tracy Fitzmaurice recently pitched her first proposal for library funding before county commissioners. She asked for a…
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Feature film to shoot in Haywood
Three Haywood County towns will be used as filming sites for an upcoming feature movie. The film — a Catalyst…
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ConMet to lease old Tuckaseigee Mills building
The mostly vacant Tuckaseigee Mills factory in Jackson County will soon become a warehouse and shipping site for ConMet, a…
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Hope is on the horizon for partial Road to Nowhere settlement
A $4 million payment to Swain County for the so-called Road to Nowhere cash settlement may soon be freed of…
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Capital from the crowd: Artists, entrepreneurs go online for a financial head start
A soda bottling operation. An original children’s book. A new music album. A mural downtown. Pallets and pallets of Mason…
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Dog survives shot, Canton man charged
A Haywood County terrier is earning points for toughness after surviving a gunshot to the face. “The dog is alive…
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Student jailed following alleged threats at Tuscola High
It was a pretty normal Wednesday morning was for most students at Tuscola High School last week, but as the…
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Grid failure sparks shooting, car chase
A man shot up the outside of a Verizon Wireless store in Waynesville last week following a town wide outage…
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WCU athletic professor gets top honor
James Scifers, professor of athletic training at Western Carolina University, received the North Carolina Athletic Trainers’ Association Educator of the…
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