WCU professor studies healthy eating demographics
Green space and gardens dominate much of the Western North Carolina landscape, but what determines whether people here actually eat…
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Car charging stations to be installed in Waynesville
Electric car owners will soon have the option of charging their vehicles in downtown Waynesville.
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Waynesville looks to diversify fuel use
The town of Waynesville plans to convert half of its fleet of police cars — 15 in all — to…
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Law enforcement lobbies for speedy, dependable fleets
Equipment replacement schedules were some of the first line items on the chopping block for local governments when the economy…
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Parks and rec grants decrease across state
Macon County can count itself lucky for landing a $500,000 state recreation grant to help pay for a softball and…
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The quest for perfection: Smoky Mountain basketball team heads into playoffs 24-0
There is no “I” in team for Jimmy Cleaveland. “Listen, I don’t know where you’re going with this story,” he…
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Fired Swain DSS director steered aid to relatives
A wrongful firing suit by Tammy Cagle, the former director of Swain County Department of Social Services, has shed light…
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What was said: take a drive-by tour of some steep slope comments
“A hundred years from now everybody in this room will have passed on but the mountains will still be baring…
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Born to care: Olson looks back on 40 years of nursing
When Becky Olson first began making house calls, she was barely old enough to walk. She spent her childhood following…
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Pisgah student persists, forms secular club
A club for non-religious students is being formed at Pisgah High School after a freshman enlisted the help of a…
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Maggie businessman charged with child sexual abuse
A Maggie Valley restaurant owner who was also a figure in town politics has been charged with sexually abusing two…
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Macon sheriff wants more money for drug buys
Sheriff Robert Holland is looking to ramp-up his department’s crackdown on drug dealers in Macon County, requesting that the county…
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Group hatches a plan for local products co-op in Sylva
A group of Jackson County locavores is hoping to bring the Ramp-Berry Community Market Co-op, a store that will sell…
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Sapphire knows how to throw a ‘potty’
Sitting on a toilet, Kyle Iezzi is ready for victory. “The main thing is that I hope we go straight,”…
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New NAACP chapters spawned by protests against Raleigh legislation
Political backlash against the new conservative policies of state lawmakers has given rise to two local chapters of the National…
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Jackson eyes courthouse expansion
Just shy of a decade after county offices moved into a brand-spankin’ new Haywood County Justice Center, Jackson County is…
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Macon County requests auditing assistance
As the State Bureau of Investigations continues to probe embezzlement allegations in Macon County, the county is calling in the…
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Jane Hipps officially kicks off Senate campaign
Jane Hipps of Waynesville will officially kick off her campaign to run against Sen. Jim Davis at an “Announcement Celebration”…
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CCC gives out annual Community Pride Awards
The Commission for a Clean County (CCC) has announced the winners of its annual Community Pride Awards program, who will…
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Jackson and Macon poised to lose their cash cow in wake of second-home real estate crash
When inflated real estate values in the second-home market came back down to earth, the touchdown wasn’t gentle. It was…
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Steep slope redux: A pocket guide to proposed revisions in Jackson’s steep slope ordinance
Limits on mountainside development and standards for steep slope building are once again in the spotlight in Jackson County. The…
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Jackson fire tax goes up in smoke
Jackson County commissioners have nixed the idea of making volunteer fire departments financially autonomous.
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Farm Bill secures 2014 payments for counties home to federal land
County leaders in Western North Carolina breathed a collective sigh of relief after the 2014 Farm Bill was signed into…
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Cherokee Bear Zoo fined by OSHA
Cherokee Bear Zoo has been fined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violating worker safety regulations. Cherokee…
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Wild ride with a log splitter leads to larceny arrests
Four Asheville residents were arrested after an attempt to steal a logsplitter from Lowe’s in Waynesville drew the attention of…
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2014 election filing season opens
The 2014 election season officially got underway this week. Candidates could begin signing up to run for office on Monday.…
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Franklin merchants want bigger voice in gazebo make-over
By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent A design for a new gazebo on the town square in downtown Franklin has been…
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Ghost Town gunfight negotiations finalized
A compromise has been reached between Ghost Town in the Sky and state inspectors over a violation and fine stemming…
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Eighth Macon school officer position goes to Nantahala
Robert Holland has been pushing to place a resource officer in every school for years — long before the Sandy…
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Districts grapple with directive to identify top 25 percent of teachers
Usually, you’d expect a school system to jump at the chance to give its teachers a raise, but superintendents statewide…
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Melange of the Mountains caters to food fans with bigger lineup
Restaurants in Haywood County are being encouraged to jump on the Melange of the Mountains train, which will return this…
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Canton debates alcohol policy at armory
A request to serve keg beer at an event in the Canton Armory prompted a broader discussion of the town’s…
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Mixed feelings among residents on new plans for old prison
By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Haywood County leaders have all but signed off on plans by a pair of faith-based…
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Steep slopes on the rocks: Relaxed building rules try to strike a balance
David Brooks grew up dirt poor. His dad farmed corn, apples and tobacco, always with a plow and mule, never…
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Macon election office assesses damage in emergency meeting
After discovering $50,000 worth of unauthorized checks had disappeared from its budget and placing director Kim Bishop on paid investigatory…
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Moving forward: Commissioners express support for use of old prison by trio of ministries
A plan to turn the old state prison campus in Hazelwood into an epicenter for changing lives is moving forward…
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Step up and be counted: Public could tip scales in steep slope rewrite
Who shows up and speaks out at a steep slope public hearing in Jackson County next week could alter what…
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For some pet owners in rural west, round-the-clock vet care out of reach
By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Years have passed since Jack McJunkin’s dog was struck and fatally injured by a car…
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Macon County reviews policies as embezzlement investigation continues
Three weeks after the State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into possible embezzlement at the Macon County Board of…
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Finding a culprit behind parking crunch in Canton
Free parking has its drawbacks, at least for the Country Music and Dance Parlor in downtown Canton.
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Private schools, public money, heated discourse: School stakeholders debate new N.C. voucher program
It’s been six months since the N.C. General Assembly passed a budget earmarking $10 million for school vouchers to low-income…
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SBI probes embezzlement allegations at Macon County Board of Elections
By Holly Kays & Becky Johnson • Staff writers An embezzlement investigation at the Macon County Board of Elections locked down…
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The Kudzu Cocktail, Cat Catch and other bright ideas from WCU students
Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent For as long as he can remember, Austin Brown’s fascination with plants has remained rooted in…
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Waynesville lands free property for new in-town greenway section
Waynesville will soon have a new section of walking path along Richland Creek and, if all goes as planned, public…
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County mulls best way to dispose of old DSS building
Haywood County leaders have substantially lowered the asking price for the empty, run-down, old hospital — it’s now free.
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Maggie leaders debate how much to underwrite festival grounds event
Maggie Valley town leaders are questioning the amount of money the town plows into its festival grounds each year and…
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What to do when winning means closing: Parent wants discussion about football-related school closure in Swain
Swain County students may have been cheering when the high school football team’s trip to the state semifinals meant everyone…
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Sales of Smokies plates increased in fourth quarter
Sales of the Friends of the Smokies specialty license plate in North Carolina increased in the fourth quarter, benefiting priority…
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Elected leaders to push again for room tax hike in Haywood
Haywood’s elected leaders plan to invite their three General Assembly representatives to a March meeting in hopes of reviving a…
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Neediest waiting more than three months for benefits: N.C. food stamp delays ‘alarm’ feds
Time has nearly run out for the beleaguered N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to fix the systemic problems…
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