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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Attorney with strong GOP ties to seek judge’s seat
A fifth attorney has added his name to the list of possible nominees for an open District Court judge position…
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Computing for the future
Waynesville residents will soon be reaping the benefits of an information technology makeover at town hall. While town employees will…
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Reforming lives on a wing and a prayer
A proposal to convert a closed-down state prison into a halfway house and homeless shelter in Haywood County is gaining…
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Changing of the guard in store for Haywood tourism board
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will see unprecedented turnover on its board this month, with five of the 12…
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Local churches lift the lives of homeless, incarcerated
On Sept. 12, Jeff Clontz walked out of Haywood County Jail a free man. It wasn’t his first time, though.…
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Grant to bring advanced manufacturing training to Swain
The Golden LEAF Foundation and Duke Energy recently funded a trio of advanced manufacturing training grants, totaling $1.3 million, to…
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HRMC labor and delivery unit to be remodeled
The Haywood Regional Medical Foundation has donated $400,000 to MedWest Haywood for a remodel of the fourth floor, which includes…
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Stepping down: Aumen’s departure marks end of an era for Haywood TDA
Editor’s note: Alice Aumen has been a major voice in Haywood’s tourism landscape for more than half a century —…
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Jackson TDA hires trio of marketing firms for trial period
After a split vote that followed nearly an hour of discussion, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority hired three different…
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Hunters upset about ‘Something Bruin’ tactics
Hunters from all over the mountains came together last weekend to speak out against the tactics used by undercover wildlife…
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In Waynesville, meter readers going the way of milkmen
Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Some homeowners in Waynesville might have started wondering why a certain visitor who had routinely appeared…
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McCrory to appoint Holt’s successor, but could ignore bar’s counsel
Attorneys in the seven western counties will to be called on in the coming weeks to weigh in on their…
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And, goal: WNC soccer players train with Olympics in mind
Jacob Flannick & Holly Kays • Correspondent/Staff writer When Scott Cline graduated from Swain High School in the mid-1990s, the community…
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Forum aims to create new vision for Canton
When Heidi Dunkelberg first entered the town of Canton, she couldn’t imagine ever living there.
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A winter rescue: Rangers trek into frigid, snowy darkness to save hikers
By 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 2, the sky had long gone dark and rain was turning to snow. It was…
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Hipps brings work ethic to race
When Jane Hipps began toying with the idea of running for state Senate as a Democratic challenger, a wave of…
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Robinson says WNC voters need representation in Raleigh
Ron Robinson thinks a state senator should represent all of his constituents.
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Battle for state Senate seat begins to take shape
The North Carolina Senate seat for the seven western counties could be one of the few swing races in the…
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Negotiations in progress over Ghost Town gunfighter incident
Nearly six months after a staged gunfight left a Ghost Town gunfighter injured, the incident is still not resolved. Ghost…
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Mayor’s mandate for change in Franklin searching for traction
Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent He campaigned on the promise of making Franklin fertile ground for new ideas and encouraging more…
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New Canton board to hold public forum on vision, direction for town
Canton residents will have the chance to weigh in on the town board’s yearlong search for a town manager at…
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Jackson County has a new slogan; now what?
Jackson County tourism leaders are weighing the best way to get their message to the masses.
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Laxer steep slope rules head for public hearing in Jackson
Controls on mountainside development in Jackson County could be loosened following a year-long line-by-line rewrite of steep slope rules by…
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Folkmoot to finally get title to old school
An old elementary school in Waynesville that serves as a giant bunkhouse for troupes of international performers during the signature…
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