Traffic footprint of Super Wal-Mart could reach far and wide
Brace yourself, West Waynesville: a new Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot complex due to open next summer will bring an…
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Despite delays, Macon SCC campus almost ready
Southwestern Community College officials anticipate holding classes this fall at a new satellite campus in Macon County, more than a…
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What should a new library look like?
The Sylva library is favorite destination for Kim Mathis and her four children. There’s just one problem. “The library has…
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Haywood commissioners still split on Mountain Projects deal
Haywood County commissioners continue to disagree on what kind of deal to give Mountain Projects on a tract of county…
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What the new road will look like
About $1.5 million in roadwork is planned to accommodate the increased traffic on South Main Street and Hyatt Creek Roads…
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Crowded field seek seats in Cherokee
Seven people have plunked down the necessary $500 filing fee required to campaign for principal chief of the Eastern Band…
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Legality of Job Corps votes questioned
When Mike Clampitt was making get out the vote calls during his campaign for Swain County commissioner last fall, he…
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Reasons for closing Jobs Corps still unclear
Three weeks after federal officials rolled into town and abruptly shut down the Oconaluftee Jobs Corps Center in Swain County,…
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Jackson planners consider open space for new developments
Developers in Jackson County could be asked to designate 25 percent of new developments as conserved open space under a…
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Ghost Town has a deluge of job applicants
When Ghost Town in the Sky recently held auditions to fill its entertainment needs, about 40 potential cowboys competed for…
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Clean and renewable, biodiesel takes off in WNC
When Greg Kidd saw his odometer hit 250,000 miles last spring, he knew he would reluctantly be catapulted into the…
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Still on the table
Jackson County planning board meetings likely will get even more interesting as members move on to the nuts and bolts…
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Service providers: As housing costs escalate, regional hospitality businesses look for ways to cushion the blow for the working class
When the well heeled are in need of a pampered retreat in Western North Carolina, they often look toward the…
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Old roots, new focus for soil and water district
For decades, soil experts like Duane Vanhook have been showing farmers how a crop of winter wheat can recharge soil…
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New market ignites biofuel expansion
Less than six months after cranking out their first batch of biodiesel, Alan Begley and Sam Gray have sealed the…
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Katie Couric can get help from local reporter
By John Armor Who are these people? Katie Couric used to be on the Today Show, then she fell off…
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Swain tourism board faces changes
Swain County commissioners are moving forward with a plan to reshape the county’s tourism board despite some opposition.
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Small town success: Retiring DWA Director Ron Huelster talks about his days on Capitol Hill, the scourge of malls, and his vision for small town America
By Michael Beadle When Waynesville Town Manager Lee Galloway meets fellow town managers from across the state, he inevitably hears…
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River island project raises concerns
The possibility that a 40-acre island in the Little Tennessee River might be developed has sparked outrage among conservationists and…
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Planning a new future for Jackson’s business growth
The town of Sylva is embarking on a smart growth plan that could reshape some of the town’s more unsightly…
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New director wants to grow Swain chamber
Lucretia Stargell, the new director of the Swain County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said her goals include…
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Grants aim to preserve and promote Cherokee culture
Cherokee Preservation Foundation has awarded 29 grants totaling $3.6 million during its spring cycle.
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A how-to crash course in smart growth
Ginny Faust, a professional planning consultant, posed a tough question to members of the Sylva Town Board and planning board…
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Brochure highlights militia’s march against Cherokee
A military expedition against Cherokee villages at the onset of the Revolutionary War has been documented with the publication of…
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Waynesville Recreation Center keeps abreast with growth
Jo Glover joined the Waynesville Recreation Center after moving to Haywood County from Alabama in December. She likes the recreation…
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Saying goodbye: Job Corps staff will miss their work
Sinquarious Graham, a 16-year-old Job Corps student from Alabama, was pulling on his coat to go to breakfast at 6:30…
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New Zealand group eyes Blue Ridge Paper
Blue Ridge Paper Products might have found a buyer — a New Zealand-based paper company called The Rank Group that…
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Hospital board appointments could be litmus test
Many in the community will be watching closely in April when the Haywood County Board of Commissioners appoint three members…
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Federal agencies long ignored needed repairs
The federal government has long been aware of run down buildings at the Oconaluftee Job Corps Center but failed to…
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Closing campus: Job Corps site slated to close
Local leaders and employees of the Oconaluftee Job Corp Center are questioning the motives behind a sudden shutdown of the…
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Life in the blogosphere
Go to scoopscott.squarespace.com on the Internet and you enter the world of Macon County resident Bob Scott.
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Cashiers librarian takes Sylva post
A new director has been hired for the Jackson County library system — Dottie Brunette, currently the head librarian at…
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Planners nearly done with subdivision ordinance: Steep slope draft expected to take longer
The moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson County might be over before the five-month time period originally estimated if the…
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Out of the frying pan, into the fire: Commissioners send meal deal to DA for investigation
The Swain County Board of Commissioners has formally asked the district attorney to investigate spending practices by former sheriff Bob…
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Massie: Library site still to be decided
The best location for a new library in Jackson County appears to be up for discussion once more — with…
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Haywood looking for best way to recycle glass
Haywood County’s new solid waste director intends for the county to dump the dubious distinction of being the only one…
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Franklin may move administrative offices to other end of Main Street
Franklin’s elected leaders will review how much it would cost to replace the siding on a town-owned building in downtown…
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Consultant will lead public planning process for library
What would you like to see in your new library?
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Two studies, two takes on moratorium’s effects
When County Commissioner Will Shelton gave up time on his farm and with his four young children to run for…
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Swain tourism leaders want to kill tax hike request
Tourism leaders in Swain County want county commissioners to withdraw state legislation requesting a 1 percent increase in the room…
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Planning office, advisory board to decide who keeps working
Jackson County planner Linda Cable has more than 60 applications on her desk from developers who hope the moratorium won’t…
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Haywood likely to hike room tax, change tourism board make-up
A proposed 1-cent increase in Haywood County’s tax on overnight lodging and a completely new make-up of its tourism board…
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Ghost Town begins selling tickets on-line
Ghost Town amusement park in Maggie Valley — slated to re-open on May 25 after five years — began selling…
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Countdown to killer bees
With the Africanized honeybee now established in Florida, experts say it is only a matter of time before the so-called…
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Compromise eases moratorium’s chill
Jackson County commissioners approved a five-month moratorium on new subdivisions in a 4 to 1 vote last week, but not…
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What commissioners said
Chairman Brian McMahan, lone “no” vote “I’ve thought long and hard about this process. I thought about what will the…
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Keeping of the bees: The changing face of apiculture
Hugh Gibby knows a little something about honeybees. He’s kept them for 63 of his 78 years, following in the…
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So you want to be a beekeeper?
If you want to keep bees, the best thing you can do is join a local beekeeping club. Here you’ll…
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Improving the science of development
When Bob Brannon saw a newspaper announcement last spring seeking developers to participate in a pilot mapping project, he already…
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New Macon library to become Fontana system’s showcase
It’s no small task moving a library.
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