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Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:29

Council expands free book program to Cullowhee

After successful programs in Cashiers, Glenville and Sapphire, the Literacy Council of Cashier expanded its Dolly Parton Imagination Library to Cullowhee. Children, from birth to age 5, can register to have a free age appropriate book mailed to them each…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:24

Waynesville welcomes new town manager

After nearly six months of searching nationwide, Waynesville found a new town manager close to home from the town of Black Mountain. Marcia “Marcy” Onieal recently inked a contract with town leaders to become Waynesville’s new town manager, the first…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:23

Business notes

Foundations Express, a new five-week business-planning course, will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesdays starting March 27 at the Mountain BizWorks office in Sylva. Designed for current and prospective entrepreneurs who are willing to complete a business plan quickly…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:21

Business news

Cherokee woman recognized for leadership potential Juanita Wilson, Southwestern Community College’s program director for The Right Path Adult Leadership Program, has been selected to the national Circle of Leadership Academy. The goal of the 18-month leadership development academy is to…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:21

News in brief

Lake Junaluska will hold its second-annual Beautification Day Thursday, April 12. Members of the community are asked to join the Lake Junaluska staff and residents in an effort to add to the natural beauty of Lake Junaluska through the completion…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:19

Public input counts, but for how much, in road ranking

There’s no clear winner in a complex and multifarious new system for ranking roads projects when it comes to the ongoing debate over Sylva’s main commercial drag. In just-release road rankings, redesigning N.C. 107 out ranked the competing proposal to…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:17

Maggie man wants out in bid to undo annexation

A Maggie Valley man wants to extract himself from the town limits, claiming the services he gets from the town don’t warrant the taxes he pays. He stands to save $2,450 a year in town property taxes if successful in…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:17

Local veterans asked to participate in Memorial Day Parade

Haywood County will again honor its men and women who have served in the military with a Memorial Day Parade at 11 a.m., May 28, on Main Street in downtown Waynesville. The parade will feature several National Guard and Reserve…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:16

Get help with business development

A workshop designed to help businesses develop and market their products and services is set for 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, at the Fryemont Inn in Bryson City. The North Carolina Division of Tourism and the…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:16

WCU event welcomes the community

Western Carolina University will throw open the doors to campus and invite residents in on Thursday, March 29. “Community on Campus” is designed to provide residents of Western North Carolina a chance to discover the range of entertainment, cultural, health…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:15

Belcher to take oath during WCU ceremony

David Belcher will be installed as chancellor of Western Carolina University during a traditional ceremony, capping a week of activities in late March designed to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of the university’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners.…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:14

Political opportunities abound to meet candidates

The political season is in full swing with a slew of campaign forums and meet-and-greets taking place. The biggest event will feature candidates running for U.S. Congress from 7 to 9 p.m. April 4 in Haywood Community College’s Charles Beall…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:13

Cherokee and Governor massage live dealers deal

Gov. Bev Perdue and leaders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have headed back to their respective sides of the negotiating tables to tweak the landmark agreement that would permit table games, real cards and live dealers at Harrah’s…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:12

WCU faculty make collective, although not unanimous, stand on same-sex unions

Western Carolina University’s faculty senate took on the hot button statewide political issue last week of Amendment One, the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages and civil unions. The faculty senate passed a resolution opposing the amendment, which…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:11

Jackson, Haywood settle tug-of-war over mental health agency jobs

The mental health agency Smoky Mountain Center will not be buying and moving into Waynesville’s former Department of Social Services office building after all, leaving Haywood County back at Square One trying to unload the large, dated, four-story brick complex…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:10

WCU asks professors for input on budget. Their surprising answer? Education.

For the first time perhaps in its 123-year history, faculty, staff and students at Western Carolina University are helping develop a priority list that will shape the coming year’s budget. “This has been a first pass at a new, and…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:09

Sylva radio station owner offers up personal real estate to land county loan

The $289,000 loan from Jackson County to the new owner of Sylva radio station WRGC has finally gotten the green light, meaning the popular local station could be back on the air early next week. “I think everything is in…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 20:08

Metrostat situation gets murkier as leaders hunt for silver lining

The fallout from Metrostat Communication’s going belly up keeps getting more complicated, with Jackson County commissioners learning this week that an Asheville company owns some of the defunct company’s fiber optic line. Metrostat, a high-speed Internet and phone service company…
Wednesday, 28 March 2012 19:46

Macon’s highway paved in gold, is a gambling parlor paradise

A huge former antique mall in Macon County will soon become the largest private gambling operation outside of Cherokee when Jokers Wild, a sweepstakes parlor featuring 65 video machines, opens next month. And, there’s plenty of floor space left to…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:57

Maintenance work scheduled at dog parks

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will reseed both dog parks located in the recreation park in Waynesville. However, each of the two parks will be seeded at different times so there will always be a dog park available. Dog…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:57

Historical and Genealogical Society meeting

The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society will meet on in March 30 in the dining hall of the First Baptist Church on Haywood Street in Waynesville. Dinner will start at 6 p.m. followed by a program presented by Curtis…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:57

Haywood job fair coming

Job seekers can participate in an event from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 29, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Haywood Community College’s Student Services building lobby and auditorium. Those participating will be given extra professional preparation…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:56

Bridges to be replaced

Bridges in Jackson, Macon, Swain and Cherokee counties will be replaced under a $2.8 million contract with a Georgia company. Work could begin as early as April 2 and is scheduled for completion by Nov. 1, 2014. The contract includes…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:56

Need help with job hunting? Here’s a window

Southwestern Community College will hold a job fair from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29, on the Jackson Campus in the Balsam Building auditorium. More than 50 employers will be represented at the free event. Those attending the…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:53

Open-space in Jackson attracts attention

Jackson County’s planning board will continue weighing proposed changes to open-space regulations for a few more weeks before passing them on to commissioners for their thumbs up or thumbs down. Jackson County is one of the few mountain counties with…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:52

Dolly’s sister offers to lend a hand for Ghost Town comeback

Ghost Town in the Sky owner Alaska Presley has recruited singer and longtime friend Stella Parton to help her draw tourists to Maggie Valley. Presley spoke to the town’s Board of Aldermen last week about the idea of hosting at…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:50

Do festivals and Fido mix? Sylva leaders ponder banning dogs from downtown street carnivals

Prospects that Rover might one day find himself banned from attending events and festivals in traditionally pooch-friendly Sylva has left some dog owners here feeling like they are on the end of an increasingly short leash. Town commissioners recently considered…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:48

One night, two murders, three years ago: the untold story

When a two-day partying and gambling binge left five Atlantans broke and out of drugs, a mission to replenish their stash and an off-kilter moral compass triggered a deadly and chaotic sequence of events — one that culminated in a…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:40

Murder victims’ family faces daily struggle to cope

To hear Diane Wiggins tell it, her little brother Scott Wiggins and little sister Christie Jones were spoiled, got away with everything and always caused trouble. “It’s like they were always into something. I never got away with anything. You…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:39

Woman convicted in Swain County murders

The three-week trial of Tiffany Marion for her role in the 2008 murders of two Swain County men ended with a guilty verdict this week, despite Marion’s claims of being a bystander along for the ride. Marion, 28 of Decatur,…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:37

Cullowhee emerges as Jackson’s hotspot for growth

If numbers truly tell the tale, then there are a lot of people living in Cullowhee who care a great deal about the future of that community. More than 100 of them turned out last week for a meeting at…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:35

New chancellor makes inherited vision for Millennial Campus his own

The driver for growth at Western Carolina University and the Cullowhee could come via the Millennial Campus, but what to do with the 344-acre tract across the highway, and how to do it, remains elusive. When the university bought the…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:32

Retired WCU chancellor still on the payroll

During the past four years Western Carolina University has been hit with $30 million in cumulative budget cuts, a university lobotomy of sorts that has resulted in larger class sizes, consolidation of some academic programs and restructurings of certain departments.…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 20:31

WCU’s former chancellor makes $280,000 this year for research project

John Bardo, former chancellor of Western Carolina University, is being paid $280,000 this year to retool for a return to the classroom and to conduct academic research. Bardo wrote that his research concerns the relationships between higher education, the economy…
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 19:46

Lake Junaluska wades gingerly into discussion of merging with Waynesville

In the coming months Lake Junaluska residents will weigh in on whether to become part of the town of Waynesville. For Waynesville, the move could mean a million or more dollars in additional property taxes each year and the benefits…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:38

Waynesville eyes Walmart site for new ABC store

After more than a year of will they or won't they, Waynesville's ABC Board will soon decide whether to open a second liquor store in the Super Walmart complex. "Right now, we still don't have everything approved," said Earl Clark,…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:35

Haywood college students hit big time with their CSI skills

When a person was found dead in a hotel room recently, six students in Haywood Community College's criminal justice association were put on the case. They studied fiber samples, scoured for finger prints and analyzed what was amiss in the…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:34

Macon planner makes move to town post

Macon County Planner Derek Roland will leave his post to become the Town of Franklin's planner. Current Franklin town Planner Mike Grubermann will retire this month. "Derek has been awesome," said Lewis Penland, chairman of the Macon County Planning Board.…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:30

Eye of the storm: Macon’s Lewis Penland speaks out

Lewis Penland doesn't attempt to deny he's a stubborn man, or soften the suggestion that he digs in the heels of his work boots ever deeper the more people try to push him around. "The only people I care about…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:29

Girl Scouts celebrate its 100th birthday

Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont will join other Girl Scouts across the nation this week to celebrate Girl Scout Week and the group's 100th Anniversary. During the week, Girl Scouts of all ages celebrate by demonstrating leadership and commitment…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:27

Candidates to appear at meet and greet

Two Republicans running for state and federal office will be at Ryan's Steak House in Sylva on March 15 for a Meet the Candidates event. Jeff Hunt, a candidate for the 11th District GOP nomination to fill retiring U.S. Rep.…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:26

Congressional candidate holds public forum

Vance Patterson, a candidate for U.S. Congress, will hold a town hall meeting Thursday, March 15, from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Haywood County Library.
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:26

Open house scheduled for The Homestead

An open house for The Homestead inpatient hospice unit on the MedWest-Haywood campus will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 18. The Homestead is the only inpatient hospice unit west of Asheville and is open to patients…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:25

Information on first aid

Get up-to-date information on first aid at a 2 p.m. Thursday, March 15, Live and Learn session at Lake Junaluska. The program will feature David Roberts, supervisor for the Haywood County Rescue Squad, and Jason Hampton, crew chief for the…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:23

From Cherokee to DC, local coffee debuts at Smithsonian

For musicians, it's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For football players, it's the Super Bowl championship rings. For Natalie Smith, having her signature coffee blends featured at The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., is…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:20

WCU calls on Sylva and Dillsboro to paint their towns purple

Sylva might not exactly be your classic college town — it's certainly not Chapel Hill or Boone. But efforts to bind this community with Western Carolina University have taken catamount-like bounds forward recently. The evidence? First, there's a "paint the…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:14

WCU nearing the finish line on visioning process

A new strategic plan for Western Carolina University that will guide the institution's overall direction for the coming decade will be unveiled at a public forum next month. WCU Chancellor David Belcher appointed a 36-member committee last fall to develop…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:06

Corridor K debate going nowhere

Will it decimate mountain beauty or open the economic flood gates? Either way, the costly missing link of a four-lane highway through the remote southern mountains has hit a startling and potentially insurmountable roadblock. State and federal agencies are reluctant…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:04

Mental health agency considers move to Haywood’s former DSS building

The mental health agency Smoky Mountain Center is considering moving its headquarters from Sylva to Waynesville, taking with it some 60 jobs and the prospect of dozens more as the agency expands during the coming two years. The prospect pleases…
Thursday, 15 March 2012 03:00

Swain murder trial gets under way

Tiffany Marion remained stoic as witnesses recounted their version of events and attempted to recall more than three-year-old conversations surrounding the 2008 murder of two Swain County residents. It wasn't until an audio recording of a police interview with her…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:54

Franklin welcomes motorcycle masses to rendezvous on downtown streets

To hear Franklin Alderman Bob Scott tell it, fellow town leaders and tourism experts haven’t begun to adequately plan for and consider what an influx of some 4,000 bikers could mean to a small town of 3,500 residents. Franklin will…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:54

Public records workshop at WCU

“Full Disclosure,” a public records workshop, will be held from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, in Room 144 of WCU’s Stillwell Building. The workshop will provide information on the existing laws and advice on drafting a request for…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:53

Meeting on proposed N.C. 107 changes set for March 17

The transportation department will hold a citizens’ informational workshop from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15, about a proposed project to improve N.C. 107 from north of Old Cullowhee Road in East LaPorte to N.C. 281 in Tuckaseegee in…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:53

Sarge’s photo contest under way

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation is accepting pet photographs for its Pet Photography Contest sponsored by Ellen Schattie, owner of Bocelli’s Italian Eatery in Waynesville. Entry forms are available on Sarge’s website at www.sargeandfriends.org and at the following locations: The Dog…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:52

Good Samaritan Clinic is subject of talk

Kristin Gruner, of the Good Samaritan Clinic, will speak to the Bethel Rural Community Organization at 7 p.m. at the community hall in Bethel. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. Gruner will be updating the community on the fundraising…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:51

Girl Scout volunteers needed

Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont will host “Information Hours” for new volunteers at the Haywood County Library in Canton from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, March 12. This is also a time for current troop leaders, parents and…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:51

Spring Break camp at Waynesville Rec Center

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer “Spring Break Camp” from April 16 - 20. This will take place at the Waynesville Recreation Center each day from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The camp will include games, movies, swim…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:50

Democrats rally in support of pre-K education

Haywood County Democrats will hold a rally to support public funding for pre-K education and to oppose privatizing it. The event will take place at noon on Friday, March 16 on the Historic Courthouse lawn in Waynesville. 828.452.9607 or haywooddemocrats.org.
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:50

Organizing for America to host kickoff event

Organizing for America volunteers are hosting the kickoff for the Haywood County campaign to reelect President Barack Obama at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, at Sid’s on Main in Canton. Food and drink will be available for purchase. The…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:49

Sudden resignation by water and sewer director in Jackson

Joe Cline, executive director of the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority, has suddenly voluntarily resigned without publicly specifying why. TWSA board Chairman Randall Turpin said Cline tendered his resignation during a closed session. Turpin is temporarily overseeing the agency until…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:48

Swain leaders OK Cherokee early voting site after weeks of uncertainty

The Swain County Board of Elections has decided to continue running a satelite early voting site in Cherokee, but to the chagrin of some nixed for now the idea of an additional site in the rural Alarka community. The Swain…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:47

Room tax increase sails to passage in Swain

With little brouhaha or fanfare, the Swain County Board of Commissioners voted last week to nudge its room tax up 1 percent, less than two months after the idea was first floated publicly. “We felt like it would be a…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:46

WCU’s Gender Research Conference set for March 15

Derreck Kayongo, a former child refugee who now serves as the senior advocacy coordinator in the Southeast for the CARE International relief organization, will deliver the keynote address at Western Carolina University’s the 11th annual Gender Research Conference on Thursday,…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:45

Local Post members to mark anniversary

The American Legion will observe its 93rd anniversary March 15-17, and Legionnaires of Jackson and Swain counties will celebrate that milestone at their regular 7 p.m. meeting at William E. Dillard Post 104, Sylva, on Monday, March 12. Founded in…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:44

Medical marijuana backers try to make their cause heard

Margaret Wakefield is not a college student nor does she sport dreadlocks and Birkenstocks while chatting about how the world should focus more on peace and love. Wakefield has short dark hair, pink fingernails and silver heart-shaped earrings. Wearing a…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:42

Sylva finds it easy being green Solar panels and passive heating find their places in new police, fire stations

The Town of Sylva, in a quiet way, is busy setting a green example for its Western North Carolina neighbors. First the fire department, and now the new police department, incorporate green, environmentally friendly components. Sylva’s police soon will take…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:39

Did you miss it? Local lost and founds include some odd, poignant items

Courtney Hall pawed through a cardboard box wedged in the corner of the utility closet at Panacea Coffee Shop bearing cut-out letters from a magazine pasted in an artistic rendition of the infamous words: “Lost and Found.” Inside was the…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:38

Shopping for a high-speed fiber network to call your own?

Selling off a high-speed internet system of fiber optic lines in Sylva that belonged to the now-defunct Metrostat Communications is coming up short. The 10-year-old company provided Sylva high-speed Internet and phone service until going under late last year. Metrostat…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:36

Jackson County starts up floundering economic commission in hopes of spurring job growth

Jackson County, two failed attempts to the contrary, looks poised to once again hold hands with the county’s four towns when it comes to crafting a new economic development strategy. How this will actually look and play out isn’t yet…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:34

Primary for state House seat attracts new Republican field

When it comes to the election season, 2012 has turned into a bellwether year for North Carolina, and Republicans are clammoring to claim state and federal seats currently held by Democrats. Even the popular N.C. House Democrat Ray Rapp, who…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:33

Grant to help trout farm fish for new markets

Sunburst Trout Farms in Haywood County plans to add jobs and expand its operations thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The farm received a nearly $300,000 Value Added Producers Grant from the USDA to help expand…
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:31

Mountaintop statue of Jesus part of long-range plans for Ghost Town revival

Driving down Maggie Valley’s main drag, it’s hard not to notice the gauntlet of signs offering cheers of support for Ghost Town in the Sky’s new owner Alaska Presley. Business owners on both sides of U.S. 19 have rearranged the…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:47

Program offers inspirational look at being a foster parent

A performance and program on the role of foster parents titled “Ellen Foster and Friends: A Look at Foster Care,” will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 3, in the auditorium of the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:46

Economic efforts in Macon focus of luncheon

Tommy Jenkins, who oversees economic development efforts in Macon County, will give a talk on economic development plans and projects at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, at the League of Women Voters in Franklin. Jenkins will speak about efforts…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:45

School of Nursing to host education fair

Prospective nursing students can find out about prospective career opportunities at an education fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 10, in the Haynes Center on the Enka campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. The event is sponsored…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:45

Chinquapin development likely to get green light

An older development in Cashiers operating under a new name is likely to get Jackson County go-ahead for putting in, over time, 200 house lots on 2,000 acres. A public hearing is set for March 5. The Chinquapin development near…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:45

Business notes

The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a Lunch and Learn seminar at 11:30 a.m. March 8 at the Boiler Room Restaurant. Tax professionals will give brief talks on topics such as how to distinguish employees versus independent contractors,…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:44

Swain County’s tourism website goes mobile

Swain County tourists can now get information via the mobile site m.GreatSmokies.com using their smartphones. “In 2011, 10 percent of our website visitors were using some sort of mobile device,” said Karen Wilmot, chamber director. “And that was a 300…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:44

Free guide available from Jackson County

A comprehensive 36-page guide for Jackson County visitors is now available. The guide provides details on hiking, waterfalls, fly fishing, rafting and other leisure activities. There’s also information about hotels, inns, cabin rentals, shopping and dining in Jackson County’s popular…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:43

Sharron Donnahoe named Main Street champion in Waynesville

Sharron Donnahoe of Waynesville has been named a Main Street Champion through the N.C. Main Street Annual Awards program. Donnahoe was nominated by Downtown Waynesville Association for her contributions to the downtown revitalization process. Donnahoe was elected to the board…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:43

Forest Service fights large fire in Nantahala; smaller one in Cullowhee

Nearly 40 U.S. Forest Service and North Carolina Forest Service firefighters battled a 750-acre wildfire in the Tusquitee Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest this week. The fire started Sunday and had spread 60 acres by Monday. Its large…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:42

Cullowhee community hosts town growth meeting

A community meeting to explore “What will Cullowhee look like in 10 years?” will be held at the Cullowhee Valley School library at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13. Cullowhee is the fastest growing and largest township in Jackson County.…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:42

Haywood hospice volunteer training planned for March 19-22

In-depth volunteer training for hospice and palliative care will be held this month at Lake Junaluska First Baptist Church on March 19-22. This twelve-hour program will orient volunteers to the hospice philosophy and program and hospice volunteering. The essence of…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:41

Child fatality review in Swain case held up by state backlog

More than a year has lapsed since 15-month-old Aubrey Kina Marie Littlejohn died on the floor of an unheated single-wide trailer in Cherokee one frigid January night, but it could be several more months before the state conducts a child…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:40

NRA safety sessions aimed at students

The National Rifle Association will offer a seminar called “Refuse To Be A Victim” several times in coming weeks in Waynesville, focused on crime prevention and personal safety strategies for college bound students, such as mental awareness, preparation and avoidance…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:40

Speaker to address gun control March 5 at WCU

Gun control takes center stage at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 5, in the A.K. Hinds University Center Grandroom on the campus of Western Carolina University.   Scholar Gary Kleck will review research in the field of gun control in his…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:39

Guns and greenways don’t mix in Waynesville, but state may say differently

Waynesville leaders are looking for a way to keep guns out of town parks and recreation centers despite changes in the state’s conceal carry law that allow guns in more places than before. A new state law stipulating where concealed…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:38

Property owners push back against U.S. 441 development regs in Jackson County

A review of rules in Jackson County that guide development along the roughly five-mile stretch of U.S. 441 leading into the Cherokee Indian Reservation is steaming along but possible changes can’t come fast enough for some business owners and residents.…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:37

Jackson Commissioner race for Cashiers’ seat heats up

The battle of the Joneses is about to commence in Jackson County. County Commissioner Mark Jones will appear on the ballot alongside challenger Marty Jones in November. Mark Jones is a Democrat, Marty Jones a Republican. The Joneses will fight…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:36

Ghost Town looks to repair relations with inspectors

The ball is already rolling on repairs to the rides at the once-popular Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park in Maggie Valley, but a summer opening could hinge on the park passing muster with state inspectors. New owner Alaska…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:35

Are cops making a pest of themselves in Maggie Valley?

Complaints from business owners and customers have Maggie Valley leaders asking if its police presence in the small tourist-oriented town is a bit overbearing. Cruising along Soco Road — the single stripe along which Maggie Valley businesses have sprouted up —…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:34

Gear up for the Haywood Chamber’s business start-up competition

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce will offer Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning, a four-week business course, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from March 20 through April 12. This four-week course will enable entrepreneurs to…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:34

Physical education program grant implemented

The Haywood County School District was the recipient of a Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant worth up to nearly $1 million. Haywood County Schools was one of only 76 successful applications selected from a pool of 585…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:33

Motorcycle rallies rolling into Maggie jostle over weekend rights

Maggie Valley’s town board has decided not to play favorites when it comes to the growing number of motorcycle rallies revving up to claim a piece of the two-wheeled action at the town festival grounds. Maggie Valley will be home…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:31

Lottery money hardly a win for schools

Keeping a roof over the head of Haywood County’s nearly 8,000 students is getting harder every year as the school system grapples with funding cuts at both the state and county level. With 16 schools, it’s wise to stay on…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:29

Where do schools rank? With not enough money to go around, commissioners may have to choose between employee raises and schools

Schools got only a brief and passing mention by Haywood County commissioners during a brainstorming session last week on priorities for the coming year. Education came up near the end of a free-wheeling 90-minute discussion, with only two to three…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:29

Sen. Davis breaks ethics rules by using government email for campaign

State Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, violated state ethics rules this month by using his government email address for personal, but political, purposes. Specifically, Davis used his General Assembly email account to send out a campaign announcement saying he would run…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:28

Superintendent crosses swords, again, with Freedom from Religion group

Macon County Schools Superintendent Dan Brigman once again has landed squarely in the crosshairs of a group devoted to protecting that legally mandated chasm between state and church. Brigman sent a December email to his employees that included the line:…
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:21

Waynesville’s once-beloved O’Malley’s up for sale

RBC Bank is looking to offload the building that once housed O’Malley’s On Main Pub and Grill in Waynesville from its list of assets. A ‘for-sale’ sign has been posted in the window of the vacant building following a bank…
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