Forest Hills mayor race down to the wire, but not in the way you might think
The clock was ticking. There were just two days to go for mayor candidates to step up to the plate in the small village of Forest Hills — and still no takers.
Tie match called in Jackson visitor center firestorm
After a tumultuous start to hashing out a blueprint for this year’s finances, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority reached a moment of harmony last week when its members unanimously adopted a budget.
Jackson County to build new emergency ops hub
Jackson County plans to build a $1.6 million state-of-the-art 911 call center and emergency headquarters along U.S. 441 south of Dillsboro.
Will Forest Hills residents chip in to buy old, overgrown golf course?
Presented with a tempting yet expensive offer, the Village of Forest Hills has to choose whether to buy an abandoned golf course in the center of its small community, or stand by and watch it be developed.
Heinzelmannchen Brewery asks TWSA to tweak water and sewer fees
What goes in must come out: that’s the basic premise behind your water and sewer bill. Sewer fees simply mirror the water bills.
DOT decision could finally lay the Southern Loop to rest
I’m not sure it represents a new philosophy or perhaps is just an acknowledgement of reality, but the decision by the state Department of Transportation to hold off on any further planning for the massive Southern Loop project in Jackson County was certainly welcome news.
It was September 2001 when the controversy over this proposed bypass erupted in Jackson County and made its first appearance in the pages of The Smoky Mountain News. Malcom MacNeil, the former owner of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, was circulating a petition from the very outset that garnered more than 500 signatures to get the state to back off the project.
Talks break off on railroad deal, but door not closed
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County reached an impasse on an economic development agreement last week after two years of negotiations.
Railroad, Jackson leaders at impasse on plan to bring train back to Dillsboro
The news of stalled talks between the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County was met with mixed feelings in the little village of Dillsboro, which once served as the hub for the bustling scenic railroad.
Southern Loop on hold
A decade-long tug-of-war over what to do about Sylva’s congested commercial strip of N.C. 107 took an unexpected turn last week.
More bang, less buck: Jackson to convert public transit shuttles to propane
It’s not quite the Jetsons’ flying car, but Jackson County is moving toward its own fleet of new-age vehicles powered by the emerging alternative fuel propane.
