Metal-siding moratorium rejected in Sylva
 

Metal-siding moratorium rejected in Sylva

The town of Sylva will not be enacting a moratorium on metal-sided buildings in its downtown area in an effort…
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Gala to help Hazelwood prison project
 

Gala to help Hazelwood prison project

The Haywood Helps 2014 Gala Event will be from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 28. The event is a fundraiser…
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Round’n’round with Rep. Meadows
 

Round’n’round with Rep. Meadows

Recently, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows made the rounds in his district visiting with constituents. While in Haywood County, he…
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Franklin’s fracking forum
 

Franklin’s fracking forum

A fracking forum has been scheduled for Sept. 2 in Franklin. The forum, moderated by Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, will…
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The ‘Cullowhee idea’: Cullowhee institution traces evolution from a rural schoolhouse to regional powerhouse
 

The ‘Cullowhee idea’: Cullowhee institution traces evolution from a rural schoolhouse to regional powerhouse

It’s August, freshman move-in day, and Western Carolina University is welcoming a new class of freshmen to campus. It’s what…
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WCU: A timeline
 

WCU: A timeline

1889 — Cullowhee Academy opens with 18 students and 1 teacher
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Graduation and beyond: Local WCU alums reflect on university’s place in region
 

Graduation and beyond: Local WCU alums reflect on university’s place in region

Jackson County Manager Chuck Wooten arrived at Western Carolina University as a freshman in 1969. He remembers his college days…
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Journey to the 21st century: Two-room school transforms to major regional university
 

Journey to the 21st century: Two-room school transforms to major regional university

By Randall Holcombe • WCU  The little school that was the forerunner of Western Carolina University was called Cullowhee Academy. Its…
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House fails to pass $12 million in grants for Canton paper mill
 

House fails to pass $12 million in grants for Canton paper mill

A bill that would provide a $12 million incentive package to the Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton failed to…
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Rules of the game: Haywood firms up its facilities-use policy
 

Rules of the game: Haywood firms up its facilities-use policy

Youth sports teams will no longer be able to trade bags of fertilizer, free coffee for teachers or a fresh…
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Main Street managers meet in Waynesville
 

Main Street managers meet in Waynesville

The streets of downtown Waynesville will soon receive a look-see from a group of folks who really care about the…
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Jackson TDA explores executive director option
 

Jackson TDA explores executive director option

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority is pretty sure it needs to start searching for an executive director to help…
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Mission moving in: Haywood Regional facing battle over home turf
 

Mission moving in: Haywood Regional facing battle over home turf

Mission Health plans to expand its presence in Haywood County with a large medical complex housing doctors’ offices and a…
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Cell tower proposals denied in Macon
 

Cell tower proposals denied in Macon

A pair of proposed 180-foot cell phone towers met some adamant opposition at the Aug. 20 Macon County Commissioners meeting.…
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Macon residents take sides on fracking
 

Macon residents take sides on fracking

Fracking flooded the public comments section of the Macon County commissioners’ most recent meeting. As the meeting opened, people unable…
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A concessionaire’s conundrum: Pisgah Inn owner hoping NPS contract renewal yields 10 more years of local ownership
 

A concessionaire’s conundrum: Pisgah Inn owner hoping NPS contract renewal yields 10 more years of local ownership

By mid-August, there’s already a chill in the air outside Pisgah Inn. Employees and experienced guests walk around in pants…
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Western counties celebrate hospital sale
 

Western counties celebrate hospital sale

A visiting team from LifePoint Hospital network made the rounds to their newly acquired hospitals in Haywood, Jackson and Swain…
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State budget provides raise for teachers: Critics say raise is ‘phony’
 

State budget provides raise for teachers: Critics say raise is ‘phony’

It took nearly two months of conferencing, but a state budget bill is finally passed and signed. At the heart…
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Record enrollment expected as WCU classes begin
 

Record enrollment expected as WCU classes begin

The Western Carolina University community is making preparations to welcome what is expected to be a record number of students…
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Franklin, Forest Hills pass fracking resolutions
 

Franklin, Forest Hills pass fracking resolutions

Two more local governments in Western North Carolina have passed resolutions opposing fracking this month. Franklin and Forest Hills are…
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Hagan visits Cherokee, touts Native American Children Act
 

Hagan visits Cherokee, touts Native American Children Act

U.S. Senator Kay Hagan visited the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation Aug. 6, meeting with Chief Michell Hicks, Vice…
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Whiteside cell tower off table
 

Whiteside cell tower off table

The cell phone tower proposed for the Whiteside Cove area is off the table for now. Verizon has “indefinitely suspended”…
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Haywood’s detergent war: Schools opt for EcoLab over local supplier
 

Haywood’s detergent war: Schools opt for EcoLab over local supplier

A Haywood County businessman who has historically supplied dishwasher detergent and rinse agent for Haywood County school cafeterias lost his…
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Pitching ‘Play On’: Jackson considers who to woo and how
 

Pitching ‘Play On’: Jackson considers who to woo and how

The type of visitors being eyed by Jackson County tourism officials fall into various categories. Each one of those “types”…
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Round three: Haywood County takes on political adversary in property value dispute
 

Round three: Haywood County takes on political adversary in property value dispute

A challenger in the Haywood County commissioner race lost ground last week in a fight with the county over his…
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Taking matters into their own hands
 

Taking matters into their own hands

It promised to be one of the most riveting nights of the year for members of the Jackson County Genealogical…
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Outbid or passed over? Haywood businessman questions school contract for cleaning supplies
 

Outbid or passed over? Haywood businessman questions school contract for cleaning supplies

A well-known businessman in Haywood County is questioning why school officials would steer a contract for cleaning supplies to a…
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Greenway bridge hits a $350,000 snag
 

Greenway bridge hits a $350,000 snag

A new 1.2-mile greenway section along the Tuckasegee River in Cullowhee has encountered higher-than-expected costs as it nears completion. The…
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Whiteside cell tower on the table
 

Whiteside cell tower on the table

A public hearing over a controversial cell tower in the scenic Whiteside Cove area of Cashiers will be held at…
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Focused on Franklin: Residents pack in to sound off at town hall meeting
 

Focused on Franklin: Residents pack in to sound off at town hall meeting

The boardroom in Franklin’s town hall was so packed last Wednesday that town employees had to scavenge chairs from the…
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Haywood to spend millions sealing old landfill
 

Haywood to spend millions sealing old landfill

The old Francis Farm Landfill in Waynesville has been closed for nearly 20 years, but its ghost continues to haunt…
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Haywood makeover of old prison lands cash and celebrity muscle
 

Haywood makeover of old prison lands cash and celebrity muscle

It’s official — TV personality Ty Pennington is coming to Waynesville, and Haywood Pathways Center has secured $50,000 of its…
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Haywood tourism board talks strategy
 

Haywood tourism board talks strategy

After contracting with Magellan Strategy Group in May to come up with a five-to-ten-year marketing and management strategy, the Haywood…
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Maggie Valley mudslide lawsuit settled on the eve of trial
 

Maggie Valley mudslide lawsuit settled on the eve of trial

A lawsuit casting blame for a massive landslide in Maggie Valley four years ago was settled at the 11th hour…
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Wells event center opens  in downtown Waynesville
 

Wells event center opens in downtown Waynesville

The music inside Wells Event and Reception Center is noticeably different than next door at Wells Funeral Home. Instead of…
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A good ‘move’ for Swain farmers market
 

A good ‘move’ for Swain farmers market

The Swain Farmers Market is enjoying its new location near the Tuckasegee River in downtown Bryson City on Island Street.…
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Recreation node added along the Tuck, this time down Whittier’s way
 

Recreation node added along the Tuck, this time down Whittier’s way

Jackson County will soon get a new park at Barkers Creek. County commissioners approved a lease this week for a…
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The need to achieve: Western counties work to satisfy state law, get young readers on track
 

The need to achieve: Western counties work to satisfy state law, get young readers on track

Carson Angel is excited to show off her reading skills as she waits outside East Franklin Elementary for her mom…
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Tapping the trough
 

Tapping the trough

A wall calendar edged with hot-pink swirls seems out of place in the Junaluska Sanitary District, where the back door…
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Snowbird youth club gets a home
 

Snowbird youth club gets a home

A dream eight years in the making met reality earlier this month when the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians cut…
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Hospital sales on track to close this week
 

Hospital sales on track to close this week

The sale of the MedWest hospital trio in Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties will go through on July 31, in…
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Folkmoot festival inspires Waynesville leaders to restore town funding
 

Folkmoot festival inspires Waynesville leaders to restore town funding

After oscillating on how much money to give Folkmoot USA during annual budget machinations last month, Waynesville town leaders have…
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Canton debates public alcohol ordinance
 

Canton debates public alcohol ordinance

A new push to change the public alcohol consumption and possession law in Canton has not come without controversy.
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Big dreams, but no money: A new library in Swain searches for funding
 

Big dreams, but no money: A new library in Swain searches for funding

A day earlier the room was full. Wall-to-wall children and snakes. “That was in this room,” said Swain County Librarian…
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Junaluska merger plan sidelined until next year
 

Junaluska merger plan sidelined until next year

Lake Junaluska homeowners have suspended their push to merge with the town of Waynesville until next year due to political…
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Maggie Valley mudslide lands in court
 

Maggie Valley mudslide lands in court

A lawsuit casting blame for a massive landslide in Maggie Valley four years ago is headed to a jury trial…
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WCU launches lifelong learning program
 

WCU launches lifelong learning program

Western Carolina University is launching a new lifelong learning institute aimed at people age 50 and older across Western North…
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Cullowhee development standards get reviewed
 

Cullowhee development standards get reviewed

The Cullowhee Community Planning Advisory Committee will meet July 31 to review proposed development standards for the area. The proposed…
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