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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New electoral maps OK, says court
Following months of public hearings across the state where voters from all sides decried racial and partisan gerrymandering, the Republican-dominated…
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Campground, RV moratorium passes in Maggie Valley
Anyone looking to create a new campground or RV park in Maggie Valley is out of luck. For the next…
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Maggie Valley board walks back food truck decision
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen walked back a decision it made Jan. 11 denying Harvest Moon Crepes food truck…
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Unexpectedly high bids could clog up Waynesville sewer project
There’s been no more pressing issue in Waynesville during the past two administrations than the replacement of the town’s aging…
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Resident debate: Student, professor field death threats amid debate on diversity training
Since a Western Carolina University student took to national news this month to air her concerns about the school’s gender…
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Canton aims for all-abilities playground
As Canton focuses on rebuilding town facilities damaged by the flood, elected leaders there aren’t just looking to put things…
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Waynesville will explore establishment of social districts
A piece of legislation passed last year has given rise to a novel idea that could liven up outdoor festivals…
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Winter Storm Diego prompts state of emergency in Haywood County
Around a foot of heavy, wet snow that started yesterday afternoon and continued through the night brought down trees, snapped…
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Mountain Projects to receive major gift
The effort to bring more workforce housing to Haywood County will receive a significant boost thanks to an anonymous donor’s…
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Up in the air: Challenges await Canton in the coming year
By the summer of 2021 things seemed to be on the up-and-up in North Carolina, and in Haywood County’s microcosm…
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State grants available for homeowners with flood damage
Some homeowners who received limited insurance or FEMA assistance to help repair damage associated with Tropical Storm Fred may now…
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NC Scottish Rite donates to WCU summer reading program
The Western Carolina University Speech and Hearing Clinic will be expanding its recently launched summer reading program to reach a…
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Mentoring organization recruiting volunteers
January is National Mentoring Month, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County is celebrating those who are already volunteering…
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