Case counts drop as families mourn COVID deaths

COVID-19 cases are dropping precipitously both locally and statewide, with hospitalizations now hovering just above the 3,000 mark after hitting…
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Macon firefighter injured on fire line

A Macon County firefighter was flown to the Augusta Burn Center in Georgia with severe injuries last week after flames…
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Rep. Pless looks back on 2021

It’s been a challenging year in Haywood County government circles, especially on the state level.
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First board members selected for Waynesville’s new downtown group

Goodbye, Downtown Waynesville Association. Hello, Downtown Waynesville Advisory Committee.
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Cherokee debates term limit referendum language

In an unusual sequence of events Feb. 3, the Cherokee Tribal Council passed a resolution outlining a set of referendum…
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JCTDA rolls out tourism capital project fund

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority will open applications for its first round of tourism capital projects funds this year. This…
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Sylva tables chicken discussion

After community members showed up in force to object to certain provisions of Sylva’s proposed updated zoning ordinance, commissioners tabled…
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Capital needs in Macon pit capacity vs. affordability

Macon County has a long, expensive list of capital needs over the next decade, and commissioners took nearly three hours…
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Sylva approves plan for open carry alcohol

Despite a strong public showing against the proposed social district at Sylva’s town meeting on Thursday, commissioners voted 3-2 to…
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Smoky Mountain Young Republicans seek members
 

Smoky Mountain Young Republicans seek members

Last week’s GOP congressional forum wasn’t hosted by the state party, some national media outlet or even a local county…
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Republicans off to the races in NC-14

The first Republican forum in the NC-14 congressional race may have been light on specific policy proposals, but the eight…
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Saving our lifesavers: Donaldson pleads for help

A comprehensive assessment of Haywood Emergency Management Services completed in 2019 suggested that aggressive shift schedules put employees at greater…
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Donations sought for Carden scholarship
 

Donations sought for Carden scholarship

Beloved Western North Carolina author, educator and storyteller Gary Carden has immortalized himself though his life’s work of preserving and…
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Sylva begins budget discussions

With budget season in full swing, Sylva commissioners have begun discussing their priorities for how to spend taxpayer dollars in…
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Clear trends emerge in partisan voter registration

Two years ago, The Smoky Mountain News took a look  at statistical data on the party affiliation of registered voters…
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HCS adopts shortened quarantine policy

Haywood County Schools will follow new COVID protocol, referred to as “5+5 COVID Guidance,” after a presentation from the Haywood…
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N.C. Supreme Court throws out maps

As expected, the North Carolina Supreme Court overruled  on party lines a unanimous Wake County Superior Court decision that upheld…
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Jackson, Macon schools address pre-K need

Families in Jackson and Macon counties are set to see a bump in pre-K capacity as both counties work to…
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Cherokee ramps up housing efforts

In response to a deepening housing crisis  and a growing  casino enterprise in need of workers, the Eastern Band of…
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Echoes From Civil War Reverberate In Challenge to Cawthorn Re-election

Does Constitution disqualify him for office? BY TOM FIEDLER, Asheville Watchdog To former Army Gen. Joseph C. Abbott, a candidate…
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In advance of midterms, Republicans fight for the soul of the party

With President Joe Biden’s disapproval ratings through the roof and a recent spate of setbacks in the Senate, Republicans appear…
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Omicron brings fewer deaths, more hospitalizations than previous variants

After case counts soared to unprecedentedly high levels throughout the month of January, the Omicron wave of COVID-19 appears to…
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Sylva considers creating social districts

After a bill allowing cities and counties to create their own social districts passed through the general assembly last September,…
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WCU enrollment dips

Enrollment at Western Carolina University is the lowest it’s been for any spring semester since 2018, according to student census…
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Canton begins to explore rebuilding flood-damaged facilities

In addition to the devastating loss of life and tremendous damage to private property, Tropical Storm Fred caused millions in…
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Canton may try vehicle tax again

Four years after the Town of Canton made an unsuccessful push to impose a vehicle tax to fund much-needed road…
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Cherokee man sentenced in child sex abuse case

Cherokee resident Forrest Cole Stamper, 28, will spend four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in federal court to…
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Missing persons cases aren’t always what they seem

Every so often — about 20 times a year — Western North Carolina’s social media networks flare up with impassioned…
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Author responds to Tuscola pulling ‘Dear Martin’

After Haywood County Schools administration pulled “Dear Martin” from a 10th grade English II class , The Smoky Mountain News…
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Grant could bring new life to historic Waynesville springhouse

Today, almost nothing remains of Waynesville’s majestic old Victorian-era hotel — except for some faded photographs and sepia-toned memories that…
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Cawthorn sues N.C. Board of Elections over attempt to disqualify him

On Monday, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district, filed…
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Black History Month gets underway at WCU

CULLOWHEE – A series of activities, exhibits and events are planned at Western Carolina University in recognition of February as…
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Macon Animal Services offers adoption special for dogs

Due to overcrowding, Macon County Animal Services has implemented an Adoption Special. The adoption fee for dogs, 6 months and…
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WCU history project is helping inform a whale documentary

When Vicki Szabo, associate professor of history, finished her 2008 book on medieval whaling, she quipped in the acknowledgements she…
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WNC students benefit from strong partnerships

The Southwestern Commission is working with partners around the region to help alleviate some of the challenges associated with broadband…
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WCU historian, class watch developing Russia-Ukraine crisis

CULLOWHEE – David Dorondo, an associate professor of history at Western Carolina University, is watching the escalating tension between Ukraine…
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COVID-Infected Workers Force Mission to Redeploy Dwindling Staff, Postpone Surgeries

By PETER H. LEWIS, Asheville Watchdog Staggered by COVID-19 infections, both among incoming patients and its own healthcare staff, Mission…
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‘Dear Martin’ pulled from Tuscola class

Students at Tuscola High School will no longer be able to read “Dear Martin,” (Crown Publishing Group, 2017) after administration…
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End in sight for long-running Haywood landfill debacle

Work to remediate a leaky, gassy mound just northeast of Waynesville that has been nothing but an expensive headache for…
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Haywood reboots economic development arm

Unaffordable housing, a lack of broadband infrastructure, a staggeringly low unemployment rate and a relatively high number of job openings…
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Growing pains: region reckons with development

Western North Carolina is growing, there’s no doubt about it. And as it does, there are bound to be growing…
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Broadband a vital factor in Jackson’s growth

Broadband will be an important part of any and all future growth in Jackson County. Now, reliable Wi-Fi is free…
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Development in Swain driven by tourism

Development for Swain County often looks much different than other counties, mostly because Swain has such a limited amount of…
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Retailers move into Franklin

Despite the pandemic, the town of Franklin has seen an influx of new retailers in the last year. 
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Jackson municipal grants approved

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners has approved three municipal grants for the towns of Sylva, Webster and Dillsboro. 
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Pisgah Bears unlikely to play on home turf this fall

There’s a 1% chance football will be played at Pisgah Memorial Stadium come fall. That is according to an estimation…
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Knife wielding suspect apprehended on Russ Ave

Waynesville Police Chief David Adams released details of an incident that occurred in the roadway this afternoon involving a female…
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Lt. Shell graduates jail administrator institute

Forty-one jail administrators from across the state, including Lt. Chris Shell with the Haywood County Sheriff's Office, graduated on Jan.…
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Franklin man convicted of starting fire on federal land

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced that a federal jury sitting in Asheville found Casey Lee Evans,…
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Free COVID-19 Testing Site Open in Haywood

Haywood County Health and Human Services is partnering with Optum Serve and Lake Junaluska Assembly to offer free COVID-19 diagnostic…
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