Main Street Champions recall changing face of downtown Waynesville
When LeRoy Roberson and his wife, Gale, opened an optometric business on Waynesville’s Main Street 35-years-ago, about a quarter of…
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Some Maggie lodging owners get hackles up over room tax increase
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen got an earful from hotel and motel owners Monday during a nearly three-hour meeting…
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Haywood flips for pancake day
It’s 6:15 a.m., and Woody Griffin is ready. “It’s the calm before the storm,” he chuckled.
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Wireless internet beamed into rural areas solves high-speed service conundrum
Jackson County could be going from zero to high-speed in no time. Two internet providers are laying plans to beam…
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Cork and Bean expansion boosts downtown Bryson dining scene
When a building on a town’s main street sits empty, either because a business closed down or moved away, it’s…
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With sequestration threat looming, Eastern Band preps for the worst
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians could see an estimated $2.2 million evaporate from its budget in March if Congress…
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Sylva and Jackson County can’t agree on joint ABC venture
Sylva and Jackson County are at an impasse on the creation of a single Alcoholic Beverage Control board to run…
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Isolated and remote, Macon spends a pretty penny to keep Nantahala School afloat
The far-flung Nantahala School in the remote reaches of Macon County is putting a financial drain on local coffers, prompting…
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Cherokee entertains idea of bear sanctuary
Tribal Council for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has postponed any action that would ban bear zoos from the…
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Conviction in toddler’s death just ‘one step’ on the families’ road to justice
A woman was sent to jail for nine years this week for her role in the death of toddler who…
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Clear sailing ahead for Haywood room tax hike
If anyone opposes an increase in Haywood County’s overnight lodging tax, they did not make their enmity known at Monday’s…
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Last week in Maggie: meeting melee, man banned from town hall and legal threats volleyed
A heated argument and near fight between two Maggie Valley residents — one of whom is banned from town hall —…
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New logo captures essence of Haywood Chamber
The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce debuted a new logo this week, showing off more than a year of work…
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Rescinded grant miffs downtown Sylva property owner
After spending $200,000 to build a new parking lot shared by five downtown Sylva businesses, the property owner lost a…
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From rap lyrics to bathroom graffiti, schools get tough on threats from students
In a new state of high alert, schools face tough choices when confronted by a threat from a student: is…
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Counties hammered with requests for more school resource officers
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office made a pitch to commissioners this week for four additional sheriff’s deputies to be placed…
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Jackson salutes its new flag
Jackson County is no longer a banner-less government. County commissioners selected an official county flag this week from a pool…
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Sparring or fighting? Swain high schoolers suspended for unsanctioned “fight club”
Swain County School administrators began an internal investigation Friday after videos surfaced of a “fight club” among ninth grade boys…
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So long, courthouse maples
The Haywood County Board of Commissioners voted to cut down the stately maples trees that grace the grounds of the…
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New defibrillators carry big price tag in Macon
Macon County emergency vehicles will soon be equipped with new state-of-the-art cardiac defibrillators. Commissioners voted 3 to 2 this week…
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A mixed bag of home building signals hope for 2013
It may still be too soon to declare an economic rebound, but recent construction data may point toward a housing…
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Stellar lumberjack team carves out a niche at HCC
Haywood Community College leaders are collecting donations to give its lumberjack club a facility worthy of its prestige.
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Waynesville resident celebrates life after transplant
Life Share of the Carolina’s and a local organ donation recipient are hosting a Transplant Party to celebrate the lives…
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River park could catapult Old Cullowhee revitalization
Champions of Cullowhee revitalization are chipping away at a lofty plan to create a vibrant college downtown centered on the…
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Growth prompts call for Cullowhee land-use plan
Cullowhee community members have been making their case for nearly a year now that this pseudo-college town needs land-use planning…
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Cherokee ups the ante for early landslide repairs to Smokies road
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the National Park Service are offering up to a $500,000 incentive for early…
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Swain County hits the jackpot with Golden LEAF grants
Swain County could receive as much as $2 million in , one-time grant funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation for…
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Brewery trademark battle may have bittersweet ending
Two breweries that nearly found themselves pitted against each other in a trademark lawsuit may soon make amends in the…
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Haywood wants to hike tourist tax to fund ballparks
Haywood County tourism leaders want to increase the tax on overnight lodging to fund special tourism-related capital projects, including a…
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Two Waynesville sweepstake parlors charged as industry guns for a court fight
A Waynesville sweepstakes operator was charged with a criminal misdemeanor last weekend when she refused to shut down her machines,…
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WCU hastens Millennial build-out
In an effort to speed development of its Millennial Campus, Western Carolina University plans to lease the 344-acre tract to…
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The end of the road? Park Service recommends cash instead of road
The National Park Service has finally chosen sides in the long-standing debate over whether to build a 30-mile road through…
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Cherokee dedicates first section of downtown greenway
A long-range plan to make Cherokee a friendlier place to walk, visit and shop moved forward last week with the…
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Library, senior complex win budget approval
Jackson County commissioners whittled down three construction projects on their wish list to two last week.
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Merger input sought in countdown to decision
Waynesville residents will get their first chance to weigh in on the possibility of adding Lake Junaluska to the town…
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Haywood Democrats won’t consider Republican for sheriff replacement
One of three candidates vying to be Haywood County’s next sheriff was eliminated from the competition in a preliminary round…
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Angel Medical eyes adjacent town property for memorial garden
Whether it’s a new dad catching a breather after his wife’s marathon labor or a grief-stricken daughter who just watched…
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Tourism branding to create slogan for Jackson County
The newly formed Jackson County Tourism Development Authority voted last week to enter into a $50,000 contract with a nationally…
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Batter up: Macon weighs costs and benefits of proposed recreation complex
A Macon County commissioner, who prides himself on fiscal conservatism, has been staking out his positions lately. After questioning the…
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Blue Ridge Heritage signage to make its debut
Ten years after the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area won federal designation, themed signs tying together 65 attractions throughout the…
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More money allocated to help the hungry in Jackson
Increased demand for Meals on Wheels services and daily meals for low-income seniors in Jackson County have led to a…
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Mom-owned business takes monogramming to a new level
Customers have asked Katie Seymour to monogram just about everything — from the typical towels or cloth purses to the…
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Jackson County asks towns to dissolve economic development commission
Before a crowded room of town officials this week, Jackson County Commissioner Jack Debnam announced, in so many words, what…
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State torn on driver’s licenses for children of illegal immigrants
It’s a right of passage for teens, the Holy Grail of high school, an iconic symbol of young adulthood freedom…
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Roughest, Toughest Brawl takes the ring in Haywood
Amateur boxers will square off at the Haywood County Fairgrounds to vie in the Roughest and Toughest Brawl this weekend,…
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Paddlers hit the river in wake of torrential downpours
The recurring deluge of heavy rains has brought paddlers out of hibernation and onto Western North Carolina rivers over the…
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Gripped by history: A one-woman mission to trace Waynesville’s early roots takes on a life of its own
Lately, it seems Ann Melton was born in the wrong century. During the past two years, Melton has spent more…
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Quaint new lampposts now grace Frog Level sidewalks
Nightlife in Waynesville’s downtown Frog Level district is brighter thanks to the addition of new lampposts along its two main…
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Cherokee bear zoo fined and suspended over violations
Federal regulators temporarily suspended operations at Cherokee bear zoo and fined its owners $5,000 for repeated animal welfare violations.
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Cherokee leaders make their case for a indoor adventure park
A $93 million family adventure park in Cherokee would likely turn a profit during its first year of operation, according…
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