Novice Jackson tourism board flounders over budget
The Cashiers Chamber of Commerce leaders claim they have been slighted their fair share of visitor center funding from the…
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Jackson planning board further refines steep slope rewrites
Jackson County Planning Board members discussed axing part of the steep slope rules aimed at protecting mountain viewsheds. The viewshed…
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Meadows keeps pledge to make time for constituents
In his brief five months in Congress, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has kept busy — voting on several pieces of…
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Feds to foot more of bill in Cherokee storm clean-up
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will receive more federal aid than originally promised after January’s rainstorms, flooding and mudslides.…
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Tribe settles suit over sewage spills
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has settled a civil lawsuit claiming overflows from the tribe’s sewage treatment plant were…
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Battle over degrees at WCU could heat up
Western Carolina University is grappling with whether to cut unpopular or obsolete majors, posing a conundrum as it and other…
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Haywood settles into budget norm of making ends meet
Haywood County’s budget will increase by more than $2 million next fiscal year, but it will still be nearly that…
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Did that used to be a tree? The tragic legend of the ‘Hazelwood haircut’
It’s got more names than the Bible. The “round-over,” the “lollipop,” and the “bob” to name a few. No matter…
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Maggie’s Achilles’ Heel: lack of curb appeal
Maggie Valley’s slow and steady decline as a tourist destination comes down to aesthetics, a consultant hired to assess Maggie…
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Balsam Range hitting for the home team in Haywood tourism messaging
Members of the nationally acclaimed bluegrass band Balsam Range are now the bona fide ambassadors of Haywood County.
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Gettin’ together and feelin’ alright
This summer, there will be a new scent wafting through Lake Junaluska.
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Cathey selected by art commission, will raffle off artwork
Renowned metal sculptor Grace Cathey has been selected to create an art piece by the Waynesville Public Art Commission. Entitled…
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Macon schools budget could soon face time of reckoning
Macon County Schools may be in store for some noticeable changes come the start of school this fall.
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Ghost Town falls short of summer opening target
Ghost Town in the Sky did not open to much fanfare last weekend because, simply put, it didn’t open.
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Most oppose Duke rate increase and reliance on fossil fuels
Most who spoke during a public hearing at the Macon County Courthouse on Duke Energy’s proposed rate increases were not…
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Play On, Jackson County
After weeks of back-and-forth debate, deliberation and nail-biting, members of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority have zeroed in on…
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Infrastructure repairs force Bryson City’s hand on tax hike
Despite cutting more than $50,000 from the town’s budget, Bryson City’s leaders plan to raise property taxes and town fees…
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Swain holds back on train deal as devilish details are firmed up
Swain County may soon seal a deal with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad to pay for the restoration of a…
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Waynesville’s wish of tourist railway derailed out of the gate
Since the advent of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, tourists flocking to Bryson City and Dillsboro to ride the scenic…
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Jackson urged to vet all options before dishing out railroad grant
A group of Jackson County residents have been making the rounds in recent weeks asking decision makers to think twice…
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Moving the chips of economic development in Haywood
An exploratory committee of Haywood County business leaders will examine in the coming months whether to reshuffle the county’s economic…
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Been there, done that
Haywood leaders are no strangers to overhauling their economic development strategy and structure. A major transformation played out just 10…
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Experts convene at rockslide response conference
When a rockslide shut down Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge in Haywood County three years ago, the N.C.…
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Cherokee tribal council candidates face primary election next week
Enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will head to the polls Tuesday, June 6, to vote in…
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Stopping voter fraud or just stopping voters?
A state bill mandating that voters show identification to cast a ballot has split opinions down the middle, with Republicans…
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WNC duo star on reality TV show
Lights, camera … Haywood County? During the past two years, a local reality show has become a phenomenon that’s being broadcast…
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Haywood room tax hike deep-sixed
Even though an “overwhelming majority” of community leaders in Haywood County support a lodging tax increase, a state bill that…
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Courthouse lawn to get spruced up in time for tourists
The Haywood County historic courthouse in Waynesville will be completely re-landscaped by the end of this week, just in time…
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Hospital for sale? All options on the table as MedWest hospitals contemplate future
Financial challenges faced by rural hospitals show no sign of a turnaround, prompting MedWest hospital leaders to consider what was…
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With lawsuit in the rearview, Canton plans to step up its game for public recreation
Canton leaders are already asking how they can do better making Camp Hope available to the public after a lawsuit…
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Jackson ‘Up to Good’ as it ‘Play(s) On’ with tourism branding messages
What’s it going to be for Jackson County — Just Do It; Got Milk?; A Little Dab’ll Do Ya? That…
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Social workers say student homelessness on the rise
The number of homeless school children in Haywood County has risen by nearly 20 percent this year compared to last.…
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Cherokee-run welfare office provides easier access to aid
From the outside, Sandy Cloer’s office doesn’t look like much — not even a real office, in fact. The three…
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The sticky wicket of downtown sandwich boards
Signs are businesses’ equivalent to nuclear weapons. “Everybody wants them, but you have to agree to live with them,” said…
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Speak up if you want high-speed internet in Jackson
Jackson County wants to bring high-speed Internet service to a greater number of residents, but doing so means convincing an…
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Filling the flood plain under debate in Macon
Macon County is weighing whether to relax its existing rules that ban fill dirt in the flood plain. The county’s…
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Maggie logjam shows no sign of breaking ‘til fall election
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen have been mired in gridlock for nearly nine months. With only four town board…
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Students draft business plan for health clinic
A 100-page business plan created by Western Carolina University seniors are helping guide development of a self-sustaining primary care health…
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Landslide protocol: a muddied affair
The tragic death of a railroad worker investigating a fresh landslide along a rail line last week highlighted the hidden,…
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Thanks to a mighty big carrot, Swain sets its sights on the future
Out of all the problems each county faces, how do you one narrow them down to focus on just three?
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Tax hike phobia trumps school request for officers, counselors
The Haywood County Board of Education has concluded that the cost of putting officers in elementary schools is not worth…
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Remembering Fontana’s sacrifice
The Proctor Revival Organization is hosting its third annual month long remembrance and celebration of the Proctor, Judson, Bushnell and…
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In-town shooting ranges weighed in Franklin
Franklin Town Board members have decided to put off action on whether to allow an indoor shooting range in town…
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Sylva gun shop brings Bullet Bunker online
A Sylva gun storeowner was given special permission to fire weapons in the town limits by town leaders this month.
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Tuscola dominates WNC welding competition
Tuscola High School students placed first and second in the Western High School Welding Competition May 11 at Tuscola. Keith…
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Macon and Jackson locked in a friendly feud over 1/10th of a cent
Who has the lowest tax rate in the state — Macon County or Jackson County? The answer is both, it…
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Fire department funding debate heats up in Jackson
Jackson County commissioners may be looking to change how fire departments are funded.
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Drawing the line between panhandling and charity at Franklin’s intersections
A group of folks allegedly raising funds on behalf of an out-of-state church have sparked complaints and questions from Franklin…
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Duke rate hike beats the drum of fossil fuel power production
Well raise my electric bill … again. Duke Energy is looking to hike its rates by nearly 10 percent.
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Beloved amusement park brought back to life one piece at a time
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park is scheduled to kick off its 2013 season Memorial Day weekend, thanks to…
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