Green efforts earn HCC national recognition
 

Green efforts earn HCC national recognition

Haywood Community College has received a silver rating through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). STARS, which was…
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Waynesville coffee hotspot emerges from woes after hiatus
 

Waynesville coffee hotspot emerges from woes after hiatus

When sewage began flooding out of the floor one January Saturday at Waynesville’s Coffee Zone, Coni Bishop knew things were…
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Community funding pool to aid nonprofits
 

Community funding pool to aid nonprofits

Macon County non-profit organizations have until July 30 to apply for grants through the Macon County Community Funding Pool. Organizations…
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Construction begins on Canton urgent care
 

Construction begins on Canton urgent care

MedWest Health System has started construction on an urgent care center along Interstate 40, at Exit 31, in Canton. The…
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New database puts criminal files at law enforcement fingertips
 

New database puts criminal files at law enforcement fingertips

Law enforcement officers and court officials are being trained on how to use a new $17 million state database that…
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Teacher training center fighting for survival
 

Teacher training center fighting for survival

The General Assembly’s budget would cut funding for a professional development center for teachers in Cullowhee by nearly half what…
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State budget showdown: Perdue vetoes budget, but GOP poised to override it
 

State budget showdown: Perdue vetoes budget, but GOP poised to override it

Governor Beverly Perdue nixed the $19.7 billion state budget put on her desk by the General Assembly Sunday, winning herself…
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Swain commissioners retool strategy in fight over Fontana dam payments
 

Swain commissioners retool strategy in fight over Fontana dam payments

Swain County commissioners have taken back a request made to the General Assembly in February, in hopes of bolstering their…
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The science and art of cadaver dog training
 

The science and art of cadaver dog training

“A dog is an amazing thing,” says Orval Banks, smiling wryly and adjusting his faded gray ballcap. He’s explaining the…
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Ag breakfast set for farmers, chefs and others
 

Ag breakfast set for farmers, chefs and others

Haywood County’s first Friends of Agriculture breakfast will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Friday, June 17, at…
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Cherokee chief candidates debate tribe’s dependency on Harrah’s
 

Cherokee chief candidates debate tribe’s dependency on Harrah’s

Diversify is the buzzword in Cherokee, where candidates in the upcoming primary are facing off over how to move away…
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‘Free condoms’ replaced by patch
 

‘Free condoms’ replaced by patch

In Swain County, free condoms aren’t particularly controversial. But the words “free condoms” on a billboard certainly are. At least…
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Learn about food preservation June 9
 

Learn about food preservation June 9

A free class covering the basics of food preservation will be offered at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library from 1 …
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Lunch and learn in Macon County
 

Lunch and learn in Macon County

This month’s lunch with the League of Women Voters of Macon County will focus on a presentation discussing the background…
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Jackson Paper scholarship awarded
 

Jackson Paper scholarship awarded

The Jackson Paper Manufacturing Company has awarded a $500 scholarship to Candace Erin Ridley, a senior at Smoky Mountain High…
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Sponsor or volunteer at Cherokee golf tournament
 

Sponsor or volunteer at Cherokee golf tournament

Registration is open for the Meet Me in the Smokies Open at Sequoyah National Golf Club. The event will have…
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Discuss world wars with WCU professor
 

Discuss world wars with WCU professor

Those interested in the history of world wars can join a new discussion group launched by Western Carolina University history…
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Few find anything to like  in Haywood budget proposal
 

Few find anything to like in Haywood budget proposal

Haywood County residents told commissioners just what they thought of funding reductions at a hearing last week over the county’s…
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Building named after Bardo
 

Building named after Bardo

After a decade-and-a-half of stable leadership — a situation almost unheard of within the greater University of North Carolina system…
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Cashiers rec center gets green light
 

Cashiers rec center gets green light

The Cashiers Recreation Center is back on track following a unanimous vote this week by Jackson County commissioners to move…
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Town wants parking scofflaws’ fees to benefit bottom line
 

Town wants parking scofflaws’ fees to benefit bottom line

Tired of watching a source of possible town revenue end up in the state’s coffers, Sylva wants to start collecting…
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Interim no more – Wooten to remain Jackson manager
 

Interim no more – Wooten to remain Jackson manager

Jackson County commissioners this week voted unanimously to keep Chuck Wooten on for at least another year as county manager.…
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Money available for railroad, if commissioners ink deal
 

Money available for railroad, if commissioners ink deal

No actual decision was made, but County Manager Chuck Wooten told commissioners this week that they have $95,176 set aside…
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Canton’s Imperial grill set for July opening
 

Canton’s Imperial grill set for July opening

A merger is afoot in Canton that will bring together two staples of the town’s downtown scene. Soon, the Canton…
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Noise ordinance in Sylva getting tweaked tighter
 

Noise ordinance in Sylva getting tweaked tighter

Sylva leaders are looking to tighten the town’s noise ordinance on the heels of complaints by one of their own.…
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Reid Brown under investigation for work in district attorney’s office
 

Reid Brown under investigation for work in district attorney’s office

The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether Reid Brown, a former assistant district attorney in Waynesville, handled any cases…
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Jackson’s new library might be economic boon
 

Jackson’s new library might be economic boon

Set high on a mountaintop above Sylva, the historic courthouse has long been a focal point in this Jackson County…
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Swain DSS to meet to discuss director’s possible dismissal
 

Swain DSS to meet to discuss director’s possible dismissal

For now, Swain County Department of Social Services Director Tammy Cagle still has her job. But that might soon be…
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Doctor: Authorities did not do enough
 

Doctor: Authorities did not do enough

About two years ago, a sting was set to take place at a party in the Hickory Knoll area outside…
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Haywood Schools’ leaders claim call for education reform misdirected
 

Haywood Schools’ leaders claim call for education reform misdirected

Above national average. Above state average. Highest regional composite ranking. These are a few of the phrases that stand out…
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News in brief
 

News in brief

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner and year in review is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on June 2.…
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Swain citizens might get seat at the table as North Shore money trickles in
 

Swain citizens might get seat at the table as North Shore money trickles in

After a decades-long battle to get it, the first interest payments on Swain County’s North Shore Road settlement are finally…
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Maggie festival grounds still trying to prove its mettle
 

Maggie festival grounds still trying to prove its mettle

When the town of Maggie Valley bought a grassy field to serve as a town festival grounds in 2005, the…
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Cashiers, Glenville show their pull in the polls
 

Cashiers, Glenville show their pull in the polls

The three new Jackson commissioners — Jack Debnam, Charles Elders and Doug Cody — owe their victory last fall in…
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Will WCU ever see Kimmel pledge fulfilled?
 

Will WCU ever see Kimmel pledge fulfilled?

Six years ago, amid great fanfare, Joe Kimmel pledged $6.9-million dollars to Western Carolina University. Based on that pledge, with…
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Cashiers recreation center might finally become reality
 

Cashiers recreation center might finally become reality

Jackson County commissioners say it’s high time Cashiers gets its due: an $8 million recreation center as pay back for…
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Living at the top has some down sides
 

Living at the top has some down sides

Living in Cashiers has certain perks: There is a beautiful lake to play on, gorgeous homes to live in and…
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Cherokee hopes for dealers as casino expansion debt looms
 

Cherokee hopes for dealers as casino expansion debt looms

Principal Chief Michell Hicks hinted last week at a renewed effort to bring live dealers to Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and…
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HVO donates medical supplies to global relief organization
 

HVO donates medical supplies to global relief organization

Haywood Vocational Opportunities has donated 103,500 black medical table covers to AmeriCares, a global disaster relief organization that delivers medicine…
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MedWest urgent care centers opening in Sylva, Canton
 

MedWest urgent care centers opening in Sylva, Canton

MedWest Health System is expanding its access to health care to the communities served by its hospitals in three counties.…
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Solar panels helping to power foot and ankle clinic
 

Solar panels helping to power foot and ankle clinic

The rooftops of both offices of Smoky Mountain Foot and Ankle Clinic are now equipped with solar electric modules that…
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Waynesville woman receives innovative pacemaker
 

Waynesville woman receives innovative pacemaker

Two cardiologists with MedWest Health System now offer the first pacemaker designed, tested and approved by the Federal Drug Administration…
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Insurance to decrease for Clyde residents
 

Insurance to decrease for Clyde residents

Clyde Fire Department recently underwent a state inspection that improved their insurance rating. The businesses and homeowners in the Clyde/Central…
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Sylva might save struggling  group by hiring director itself
 

Sylva might save struggling group by hiring director itself

The fate of the organization tasked with marketing and promoting downtown Sylva remains in flux, but it appears positioned to…
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Fight over planning continues to boil in Macon
 

Fight over planning continues to boil in Macon

If you visit Macon County, keep your head down — there’s a war over property rights in progress. In this…
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Cause of infant’s death ‘undetermined’ by autopsy
 

Cause of infant’s death ‘undetermined’ by autopsy

Hypothermia is a possible cause of death for Aubrey Kina-Marie Littlejohn, a 15-month-old Cherokee baby who died in January, according…
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Green Energy Park completes upgrade
 

Green Energy Park completes upgrade

A blower upgrade to the landfill gas system that helps power Jackson County’s Green Energy Park has been completed. The…
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New president named at SCC
 

New president named at SCC

 Southwestern Community College this week got a new president, Donald Tomas of Aledo, Texas, who takes over July 1. Tomas…
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HCC offers day camp
 

HCC offers day camp

A summer day camp for children from the ages of 6 to 12 will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30…
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Minority business owners sought for awards
 

Minority business owners sought for awards

Know someone, maybe yourself, who should be minority businessperson of the year? The Minority Enterprise Development Week Committee is now…
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