Jackson five earn Governor’s Award
 

Jackson five earn Governor’s Award

Five Jackson County women were given the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service during a recent awards luncheon in Sylva.…
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Economic impact of methane project uncertain
 

Economic impact of methane project uncertain

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Translating the economic impact of Jackson County’s landfill gas recovery project into dollars and…
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Dillsboro misses out on lion’s share of flood relief
 

Dillsboro misses out on lion’s share of flood relief

It appears Dillsboro is getting the short end of the stick in state grant money intended to revitalize business districts…
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Recommended diversions
 

Recommended diversions

Cataloochee Our local ski mountain is just plain fun. My family enjoys nothing better than to make the trek through…
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Macon waiting on Peeks Creek decision
 

Macon waiting on Peeks Creek decision

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Streambank restoration along Peeks Creek in Macon County, where a massive landslide killed six…
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Bill McLarney: Peeks Creek trout population wiped out
 

Bill McLarney: Peeks Creek trout population wiped out

Local biologist and aquatic scientist Bill McLarney agreed with the Wildlife Commission’s revised recommendations to allow stream work, but for…
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Long time coming
 

Long time coming

Denver Blaylock has been prodded by enforcers for seven years to meet Haywood County’s junkyard ordinance. The sprawling complex houses…
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$6.9 million gift to WCU largest in its history
 

$6.9 million gift to WCU largest in its history

As industry experts warn of a worsening international shortage of construction professionals, Western Carolina University and one of the nation’s…
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Jackson considers grant requests
 

Jackson considers grant requests

Jackson County commissioners are weighing the merits of several municipal grant applications that will allocate a total of up to…
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Charters want cut of lottery money
 

Charters want cut of lottery money

Advocates of charter schools have launched a statewide campaign to correct what they claim is an inequality in the way…
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Blaylock tries to salvage business after Haywood court cracks down on junkyard ordinance
 

Blaylock tries to salvage business after Haywood court cracks down on junkyard ordinance

When Ricky Stokely pulled out of Denver Blaylock’s junkyard in Cruso last Friday afternoon towing a junk green Saturn, he…
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Study says water, sewer needs rising
 

Study says water, sewer needs rising

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The state’s water, wastewater and stormwater systems are faced with $6.8 billion in capital…
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School’s stormwater system will be state-of-the-art
 

School’s stormwater system will be state-of-the-art

A new elementary school under construction in Haywood County will serve as an environmental model for developers in the region.
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Land too valuable to conserve, residents say
 

Land too valuable to conserve, residents say

Nearly two years after Bryson City town leaders agreed to conserve 900 acres once used as the town’s drinking water…
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Trial forces widower to relive mountainside tragedy
 

Trial forces widower to relive mountainside tragedy

Almost two years ago, a retired couple from Florida was crushed in their home after the hillside behind their house…
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New laws should help curtail meth plague
 

New laws should help curtail meth plague

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Swain County Chief Deputy Jackie Fortner never thought he’d equate marijuana with more simple…
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Latest Ghost Town suitor eyes May 2006 opening
 

Latest Ghost Town suitor eyes May 2006 opening

The owner of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad has teamed up with a venture capitalist and an amusement operator to…
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Finishing well: Canton native dies in a war he didn’t support for the country he did
 

Finishing well: Canton native dies in a war he didn’t support for the country he did

By Michael Beadle Michael Parrott wanted to be in Iraq. He told his wife Meg about it every Sunday morning…
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Choosing replacement puts board, director at odds
 

Choosing replacement puts board, director at odds

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer There was a showdown at last Tuesday’s meeting of the Fontana Regional Library Board.…
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The body count keeps rising
 

The body count keeps rising

As of Nov. 20, the total number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom climbed to 2,083. Eleven more…
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Landslide death case ends in mistrial
 

Landslide death case ends in mistrial

A wrongful death lawsuit surrounding a landslide in Maggie Valley was declared a mistrial this week after a jury failed…
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HCC has new president
 

HCC has new president

Dr. Rose Harrell Johnson, currently working for the Virginia Community College system, has been appointed president of Haywood Community College.
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Macon residents worried about devlopment
 

Macon residents worried about devlopment

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A long-range study that analyzed perceptions about the mountain landscape among Macon County residents…
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Seeing nature through new eyes
 

Seeing nature through new eyes

When Mickey Henson looks at a creek, he sees a physics equation.
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Haywood, Maggie Valley chambers reach out to each other
 

Haywood, Maggie Valley chambers reach out to each other

The boards of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce and Maggie Valley Visitor Center and Convention Bureau met last week…
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In Forest Hills, the flip of a coin decides mayoral race
 

In Forest Hills, the flip of a coin decides mayoral race

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The Forest Hills mayoral election came down to the flip of a coin Tuesday…
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Finding wetlands in the most unlikely places
 

Finding wetlands in the most unlikely places

As Mickey Henson waded into a brambly thicket bordering a town park in Sylva, he stopped a few steps in,…
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Dealing with strays a hit or miss affair in Swain
 

Dealing with strays a hit or miss affair in Swain

Every Monday morning, Justin Mack roles through the Swain County dispatch office to pick up a list of the week's…
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County declines to consider limits on construction noise
 

County declines to consider limits on construction noise

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Jackson County residents will continue to suffer the bang and the clatter of a…
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Community activist faces embezzlement charges
 

Community activist faces embezzlement charges

A well-known Waynesville community leader has been charged with embezzling a $15,000 donation made to the Pigeon Community Development Club…
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Cell tower proposal splits White Oak neighbors
 

Cell tower proposal splits White Oak neighbors

Two Cingular cell towers proposed for the White Oak and Panther Creek communities - a rugged and rural part of…
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Public weighs in on methane project
 

Public weighs in on methane project

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Planning for Jackson CountyÕs landfill gas recovery project continued last week with a series…
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School systems work on changing the mentality of food intake
 

School systems work on changing the mentality of food intake

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Lunchtime at Smoky Mountain High School is like a swarm of orderly locusts, as…
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Sylva to get newcomers on board
 

Sylva to get newcomers on board

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Some might call Sylva’s upcoming town board and mayoral races an election of attrition.
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Challengers say changes are needed
 

Challengers say changes are needed

Mayor running unopposed • Jerry Walker, 69, retired from Blue Ridge Paper Products engineering and maintenance. Part-time security at Blue…
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Crowded Dillsboro race includes write-in campaigns
 

Crowded Dillsboro race includes write-in campaigns

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Mayor, pick one
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Smart growth, Main Street are hot issues in Franklin
 

Smart growth, Main Street are hot issues in Franklin

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Mayor, pick one
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Planning, affordable housing are issues in Highlands
 

Planning, affordable housing are issues in Highlands

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Mayor, pick one
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Maggie Valley candidates preach unity
 

Maggie Valley candidates preach unity

Town board, pick three
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