WCU students hope new athletic director will turn the tide
 

WCU students hope new athletic director will turn the tide

Randy Eaton has been selected Western Carolina University’s new athletics director and the man designated with rescuing the school’s floundering…
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From purple ties to Liz Claiborne handbags, purple apparel all the rage at WCU
 

From purple ties to Liz Claiborne handbags, purple apparel all the rage at WCU

Just one day after being named Western Carolina University’s athletics director, Randy Eaton was shopping for purple-colored clothing at the…
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Hooper House gets historic designation
 

Hooper House gets historic designation

The Hooper House on West Main Street in Sylva has received Jackson County’s first designation as a Local Historic Landmark.…
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Haywood has low infant mortality rate
 

Haywood has low infant mortality rate

Haywood County has a lower infant mortality rate than the state as a whole, according to a report given at…
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Chamber hopes to regain footing with new director
 

Chamber hopes to regain footing with new director

After several years without a full-time promoter, the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce plans to bring back an executive director…
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Folkmoot statue could get new home on Main Street
 

Folkmoot statue could get new home on Main Street

A whimsical sculpture that honors the Folkmoot international dance festival will find new prominence at a different spot on Main…
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Group prepares for Panama relief trip
 

Group prepares for Panama relief trip

A group of residents and students from Western North Carolina will embark in early March on a trip to the…
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Students will need to dig deeper to cover costs
 

Students will need to dig deeper to cover costs

Western Carolina University students likely will shell out an additional $399 in tuition and fees to attend school next year,…
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Ignore the rumors: The Coffee Shop isn’t closing
 

Ignore the rumors: The Coffee Shop isn’t closing

Rumors of an impending closing to the contrary, The Coffee Shop in Sylva is not shutting down, owner Phyllis Gibson…
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Free throw contest this month in Waynesville
 

Free throw contest this month in Waynesville

The annual Elks National "Hoop Shoot" Free Throw Contest will take place at the Waynesville Recreation Center on Friday, Dec.…
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Closing of Cope’s Superette in Sylva marks end of an era
 

Closing of Cope’s Superette in Sylva marks end of an era

It’s 8 a.m. and the everyday regulars — Sylva’s working class Janes and Joes — are stopping by Cope’s Superette…
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Historical Society commemorates Pearl Harbor anniversary
 

Historical Society commemorates Pearl Harbor anniversary

The Jackson County-Webster Historical Society commemorated Pearl Harbor’s anniversary on Dec. 7 at its first public meeting in the renovated,…
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Slope work alters landscape of Waynesville’s main corridor
 

Slope work alters landscape of Waynesville’s main corridor

When bulldozers began demolishing trees on a hillside overlooking Waynesville’s main commercial thoroughfare this summer, Byron Hickox was bombarded by…
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WCU prepares for graduation ceremonies
 

WCU prepares for graduation ceremonies

Western Carolina University will honor its fall graduating class and recognize a group of graduates who received their degrees after…
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State to Bryson City Fire Department: respond to false alarms
 

State to Bryson City Fire Department: respond to false alarms

Bryson City Fire Department failed its state mandated insurance inspection last week for failing to respond to false alarms. The…
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WCU announces new athletic director
 

WCU announces new athletic director

After a five-week search, Western Carolina University has found its new director of athletics. Randy Eaton, former senior associate director…
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What price athletics? WCU football costs mount as university pursues wins
 

What price athletics? WCU football costs mount as university pursues wins

The price tag of transforming Western Carolina University’s losing football team into a winner — or anything less than a…
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Catamount comeback: Can new athletic director turn Western football around?
 

Catamount comeback: Can new athletic director turn Western football around?

Western Carolina University hired a new athletic director this week who will face the daunting challenge of turning the college’s…
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Chancellor fields football question
 

Chancellor fields football question

SMN: The $300,000 to the football coach represents at least three professors’ salaries. Is this cost worth trying to have…
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Late-breaking idea to merge gym and auditorium proves short-lived
 

Late-breaking idea to merge gym and auditorium proves short-lived

An expected rubberstamp by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners to build a new auditorium and gym at Smoky Mountain…
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Commissioners bounce subdivision regs back to Jackson planning board
 

Commissioners bounce subdivision regs back to Jackson planning board

Jackson County’s subdivision ordinance is destined for more tweaking by the planning board. The planning board spent several months revising…
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Radio station wants loan from Jackson County
 

Radio station wants loan from Jackson County

Prospective buyers of an AM radio station in Sylva could land a $289,000 loan from the Jackson County economic development…
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Haywood Chamber holds holiday networking event
 

Haywood Chamber holds holiday networking event

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce will host a Holiday Open House from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 14…
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New Republican group formed
 

New Republican group formed

A new Republican women’s group in Western North Carolina also has a new name, “Smoky Mountain Republican Women.”   The…
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Ceremony to celebrate veterans
 

Ceremony to celebrate veterans

A candlelight service to honor soldiers and veterans who have served in the Iraq war from Swain County will be…
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Shuler to face challenger in Democratic primary
 

Shuler to face challenger in Democratic primary

Despite his limited name recognition and his significantly smaller war chest, Cecil Bothwell is confident he can outrun U.S. Rep.…
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Helicopter helps with casino construction in a big way
 

Helicopter helps with casino construction in a big way

A heavy-lifting helicopter flexed its muscle in Cherokee Wednesday in the ongoing expansion and construction at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino &…
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Discover how to give back at Dec. 8 meeting
 

Discover how to give back at Dec. 8 meeting

Learn about programs and services in Macon County to help the less fortunate at the monthly League of Women Voters…
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HCC to orient high school students with college Dec. 19
 

HCC to orient high school students with college Dec. 19

An orientation session for high school students interested in taking classes at Haywood Community College will be held at 1…
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Macon planning board member from Highlands gets GOP nod for commission seat
 

Macon planning board member from Highlands gets GOP nod for commission seat

Macon County GOP leaders on Monday selected a Highlands landscaping company owner as their pick to fill a vacant slot…
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Forum encourages Smokies tourism players to band together for the greater good
 

Forum encourages Smokies tourism players to band together for the greater good

Niche marketing and regional cooperation were the reoccurring topics of this year’s Smoky Mountain Host meeting held in Cherokee last…
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Rec Center offers new after-school program
 

Rec Center offers new after-school program

An after-school program for sixth graders will be offered from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursday starting in January…
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Library opens collection for homeschoolers
 

Library opens collection for homeschoolers

The Haywood County Public Library has opened to the public a unique library collection to help meet the recreational and…
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In a business where profit margins are small, hotel owners fear larger tax will drive tourists elsewhere
 

In a business where profit margins are small, hotel owners fear larger tax will drive tourists elsewhere

Running a small hotel in Western North Carolina isn’t the easiest way to make a living, particularly not in these…
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Cashiers TTA briefs county on marketing efforts
 

Cashiers TTA briefs county on marketing efforts

The Cashiers Travel and Tourism Authority briefed Jackson County commissioners on some of their marketing campaigns from the year, responding…
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Do-over an option in Jackson tourism spat
 

Do-over an option in Jackson tourism spat

It’s not too late for Jackson County leaders to go back to the drawing board on a state bill that…
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Swain County High School  celebrates football championship
 

Swain County High School celebrates football championship

Swain County High School’s football players and coaches on Monday were in a different sort of huddle than usual. Instead…
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Local woman opens music lessons studio
 

Local woman opens music lessons studio

Deborah Horn, from Lake Junaluska, is now teaching music lessons out of her home studio. Horn has taught music lessons…
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Getting ready: Growing number of preppers work to ensure survival in case of societal collapse
 

Getting ready: Growing number of preppers work to ensure survival in case of societal collapse

At Carolina Readiness Supply in Waynesville you can buy freeze-dried macaroni and cheese by the 20-ounce can and a solar…
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Larger classes, higher fees, fewer professors: what the WCU budget cuts really mean
 

Larger classes, higher fees, fewer professors: what the WCU budget cuts really mean

Laurie Oxford’s department is getting smaller; some of her former co-worker’s offices sit empty. Oxford, an assistant Spanish professor at…
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New 911 technology could save critical seconds in emergency dispatch
 

New 911 technology could save critical seconds in emergency dispatch

Emergency agencies throughout Haywood County expect to be clocking in quicker response times soon. Fire, police and EMS divisions within…
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Haywood threatens lawsuits against lodging owners over room tax
 

Haywood threatens lawsuits against lodging owners over room tax

Businesses skirting Haywood County’s room tax laws should pay up or they could soon find themselves slapped with a lawsuit.…
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Furor prompts re-think over TDA funding in Haywood
 

Furor prompts re-think over TDA funding in Haywood

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority board backed down from plans to cut grant funding for long-celebrated events such as…
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Maggie Park to get facelift
 

Maggie Park to get facelift

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen approved the construction drawings for a pavilion and restrooms to be located at Parham…
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Fired up over Devil’s championship run
 

Fired up over Devil’s championship run

If you want to talk high school football in Swain County there’s plenty of options. But one of the most…
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WCU Talent Search wins grant, becomes Project Discovery
 

WCU Talent Search wins grant, becomes Project Discovery

The Educational Talent Search program at Western Carolina University recently was awarded a five-year, $1.7 million grant to serve 780…
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Maggie festival grounds line up five events in 2012
 

Maggie festival grounds line up five events in 2012

The Town of Maggie Valley approved a five-year contract for five events to be held at the Maggie Valley Festival…
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WCU hosts ‘Cuts Hurt’ forum Dec. 5
 

WCU hosts ‘Cuts Hurt’ forum Dec. 5

A discussion titled “The Western Carolina University Cuts Hurt Education Forum: Collaborating Toward the Success of North Carolina Education” will…
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Sylva’s WRGC could get bigger, cover from Haywood to Swain
 

Sylva’s WRGC could get bigger, cover from Haywood to Swain

Sylva might hear its local AM radio station WRGC back on the air — but the company involved wants a…
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GOP set to pick McClellan substitute
 

GOP set to pick McClellan substitute

The 36-member executive committee of the Macon County Republican Party will meet next week to nominate a replacement for county…
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