Pactiv’s request for a tax break is soundly rejected
It took all of about 25 minutes for the Haywood County Board of Equalization and Review to reject Pactiv Evergreen’s…
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Haywood Republicans to host election denier
On Thursday, June 8, the Haywood County Republican Party will host an elections “integrity” event featuring a discredited activist with…
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Smathers: ‘We will fight’ Pactiv’s tax break request
Officials on both the local and the state level have been adamant in demanding Pactiv Evergreen be held accountable for…
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'It didn't have to be this way': Former paper mill employees observe last whistle blow
It’s 11:57 a.m. Wednesday in downtown Canton. Daniel Gregg is standing on the Park Street bridge overlooking the Pigeon River.…
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Referenda on cannabis, mixed drinks considered for Cherokee
During Tribal Council Thursday, June 1, the body will consider resolutions seeking to legalize cannabis use for adults 21 and…
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‘Lowest tax rate in North Carolina’: Macon County budgets for revenue neutral tax rate
Macon County has experienced incredible growth over the past several years, both in population and property values. Despite this increase…
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Haywood Animal Shelter receives Petco grant
Haywood County Animal Shelter is set to receive a $12,500 grant investment from national nonprofit Petco Love in support of…
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Pless makes progress with collaborative rehab proposal
Elected leaders from nearly all of Western North Carolina’s local governments continue to express strong support for Rep. Mark Pless’…
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For whom the bell tolls: As local leaders look to heal, Canton mourns its mill
Nearly three months ago, Pactiv Evergreen unceremoniously announced that after more than a century in operation, the paper mill at…
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Senate budget includes large changes for WNC courts
Western North Carolina’s judicial system might get the help it’s needed for several years now.
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Senior prank leads to legal ramifications
A group of Smoky Mountain High School seniors could be facing criminal charges for what administrators see as taking a…
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Macon will address cryptocurrency mining
Macon County is the latest in Western North Carolina to address the rise in cryptocurrency and its disruptive mining practices…
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No tax increase likely for Jackson
The proposed 2023-24 Fiscal Year general fund budget for Jackson County totals just over $88.1 million, an increase of about…
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Proposal aims to replace Cherokee constitution adoption with Charter amendments
During its next meeting Thursday, June 1, the Cherokee Tribal Council is set to debate the future of a referendum…
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Following mistrial, settlement reached in Knibbs case
After five years of litigation the Macon County Sheriff’s Office and former Macon Deputy Anthony Momphard have agreed to settle…
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Lynch named superintendent of Macon County Schools
The superintendent of Macon County Schools announced his retirement earlier this year, and now the Macon County Board of Education…
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Pre-trial conference set for Bo Crowe assault case
A criminal case in the Cherokee Tribal Court involving former Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe appears to be headed for trial.
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Visions of leadership: Principal chief candidates debate the issues
The tribe’s financial future was the crux of the conversation when all six candidates in this year’s race for principal…
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Mill receives two air quality violation notices
As it prepares for permanent closure this spring, the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton has received two new notices…
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Waynesville will consider establishing a social district
After more than a year of consideration, the Downtown Waynesville Commission has voted unanimously to recommend the establishment of a…
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Sylva Police awarded grant for Community Care Program
Thanks to a set of grants, the Sylva Police Department will be able to continue its Community Care Program with…
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Cherokee Schools get new superintendent
The Cherokee Central Schools Board has chosen Consuela Girty, a 20-year employee of Cherokee Central Schools, as the school system’s…
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A health care coverage crisis is unfolding at Canton’s paper mill
That the American health care coverage system is broken shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, even proponents of the…
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Six vie to be Cherokee’s next principal chief
II In the most heavily contested race on the ballot in this year’s Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians election, six…
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Now, Pactiv Evergreen wants a tax break
Pactiv Evergreen’s announcement that it would shutter its century-old paper mill was devastating enough for the tiny mountain town of…
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Canton mill workers encouraged to explore health insurance options
Help is now available for Pactiv Evergreen Canton paper mill workers to determine how they can maintain health insurance after…
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Employees, debt at forefront of Waynesville budget
There won’t be a tax increase, and there won’t be any borrowing from fund balance, but that doesn’t mean the…
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Yellowhill Tribal Council candidates share their vision
FF Five candidates are running to earn a seat representing Yellowhill on Tribal Council 2023-2025, and the Primary Election Thursday,…
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Amid changing times, Haywood budget seeks solid ground
Strong growth across multiple revenue streams will help Haywood County government balance increasing costs for staffing, schools and vehicles in…
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Canton’s flood projects gaining momentum
The Town of Canton has made another big move toward recovery from Tropical Storm Fred by accepting advanced planning documents…
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Waynesville looks to maintain its architectural, cultural legacy
It’s that small town feel — the Normal Rockwell-esque Main Street dimly lit by vintage streetlights, the brilliant fall colors…
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Haywood event aims to shed stigma surrounding addiction
This weekend, The SHARE Project will host its third annual WNC drug awareness event — “Hope Not Stigma.”
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Drug Trafficker pleads guilty in Haywood
A Swanannoa man forfeited his vehicle and received a stiff prison sentence after pleading guilty in Haywood County Superior Court…
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Sylva approves brief road closure for Pride
An application to use Bridge Park and Main Street for the annual Pride event has led the Town of Sylva…
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Sylva budgets for future uncertainty
Town Manager Paige Dowling officially presented the proposed 2023-24 budget to the Sylva Board of Commissioners during its May 11…
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Sylva approves zoning request for workforce housing
Sylva has approved a zoning map amendment request in order to allow for the possible construction of an affordable housing…
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Haywood commissioners support tax hike to fund school resource officers
Absent any meaningful gun legislation by the North Carolina General Assembly or by Congress, the cost of protecting Haywood County’s…
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Old Kmart plaza sold
Less than two weeks after a story in The Smoky Mountain News revealed that a real estate marketing flyer along with…
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Abortion bill will test Republican supermajority
It’s been a little over a year since a draft of the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling was leaked, and a…
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Student wins WCU College of Business pitch competition
Avery Pittman, a first-year entrepreneurship and interior design major from Startown, won first place in the Western Carolina University College…
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Meetings set to discuss Waynesville historic preservation
The Town of Waynesville Historic Preservation Commission will host a pair of public meetings to discuss the preparation of a…
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Teen driver law changes take effect
Upon passage of a bill by the North Carolina General Assembly, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles announced changes to…
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Man pleads guilty to child sex crimes
A South Carolina man who used social media to groom then entice an underage teen to meet him in both…
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Car show reminds people to slow down and move over
Following her son’s death, a Haywood County mom is on a mission to get people to slow down and move…
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Birdtown Tribal Council candidates share their vision
fF Five candidates are running for a term representing Birdtown on Tribal Council for the next two years.
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Cannabis funding vetoed
UU Upholding a veto from Principal Chief Richard Sneed, on May 4 the Cherokee Tribal Council reversed an April decision…
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DA finds Lambert Wilson shooting was self-defense
M More than six months after beloved Swain County educator was shot and killed at his motel in Cherokee, District…
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Remembering the stolen: Gathering honors those lost to missing and murdered indigenous women epidemic
The fourth annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relative Walk and Vigil held in Cherokee Friday, May 5, aimed to do…
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‘Cornerstone of the community’: HCC budgets for the coming year
Haywood Community College has long been a foundation of education and job training in the region; the college will celebrate…
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Jackson approves juvenile crime prevention funding plan
Three Jackson County programs will receive funding from the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council to help reduce and prevent juvenile crime.
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