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Wednesday, 23 May 2012 20:06

Creative arts building back for more contingency funds

A feeling of déjà vu swept over the Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday as they reviewed more than $19,000 worth of changes to the Haywood Community College’s creative arts building project. These were not the first, or even…
Wednesday, 23 May 2012 20:04

Model HCC childcare center to get model playground

It might be a day late, but it’s certainly not a dollar short. A $235,000 playground is coming to the daycare center at Haywood Community College, a long-awaited capstone on a project that was heralded as a model child development…
Wednesday, 23 May 2012 20:03

Business community lends a hand with start-up grants

Two businesses — Copper Pot and Wooden Spoon, and Belle on Main Salon and Spa — came out winners during the Haywood Chamber of Commerce’s seventh annual Business Start-up Competition this year. Thirteen entrepreneurs contended for the $10,000 prize purse this…
Wednesday, 23 May 2012 20:01

Maggie Valley wants to know: what should its future hold?

Business owners needs to put aside their bickering and resentments for the good of Maggie Valley, Mayor Ron DeSimone emphasized last week. “This community has been divided for a long time,” DeSimone said at a Maggie Chamber of Commerce meeting…
Wednesday, 23 May 2012 20:00

The calling card of tourism pays off in the mountains

In addition to the obvious benefits of tourism — jobs and revenue for the county — tourism dollars save Haywood County residents a few hundred dollars in taxes every year. Steve Morse, a mathematics professor at the University of Tennessee, presented…
Wednesday, 23 May 2012 19:59

Fate of live dealers hinges on state House

The quest to bring live table games to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino faces a final political hurdle. Both the Governor and N.C. Senate have given live table games their blessing, with the N.C. House of Representatives now the lone hold-out. Harrah’s…
Wednesday, 23 May 2012 19:57

Annexation and fracking and voter ID, oh my! A look at the General Assembly’s short session

While arguments over the state budget are likely to dominate everything in Raleigh as the General Assembly convenes for the next six weeks, there are certain bills and aspects of the budget making their way through the chambers that are…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:52

‘Wild West’ chamber drive saddles up

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce has launched its 2012 membership campaign, which will run through June 14. The campaign will reach out to over 1,000 businesses in the Haywood County area that are not yet benefiting from membership with…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:52

Hospice house now open in Haywood

MedWest Health System opened its new $3.4 million inpatient hospice unit in Haywood County, The Homestead, with an open house and dedication ceremony in March. The Homestead is a new six-bed facility that offers specialized end-of-life care to patients and…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:51

BizWorks offers merchandising course

Mountain BizWorks will host Merchandising WOW, a new merchandising course, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for three consecutive Wednesdays starting May 30.   Students will learn merchandising skills from an expert, discover what makes effective merchandising ignite sales, learn…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:50

SCC Employment lab to coach job seekers

Southwestern Community College is offering a free Employability Lab designed to help unemployed people obtain jobs. It will be held on the Jackson Campus from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:49

Flourish expo embraces women’s well-being

A wide variety of healthcare speakers are headlining the second annual Flourish Women’s Expo put on by MedWest Health System on Saturday, May 19, at Harrah’s Cherokee Events Center. The event is intended to support women’s mind, body and spirit,…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:48

Start-up business grant winners to be announced this week

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce will host their annual Business Start-Up Competition Luncheon to honor this year’s recipients of up to a $10,000 business grant from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 17. The Chamber Business and Community…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:48

Business notes

Angel Primary Care added a new doctor to their practice. Dr. Donald Dewhurst graduated from Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem in 1975. Dewhurst has been a family physician in Franklin since 1980 and has served in various capacities…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:47

WCU to expand DNA sequencing capabilities

Western Carolina University’s Forensic Science Program has acquired two state-of-the-art pieces of DNA sequencing instruments to help it establish a DNA sequencing core facility on campus. “We will be able to offer a multitude of DNA sequencing services to institutions…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:45

GroWNC inspires neighboring counties to think like a region

Haywood is banding together with Transylvania, Buncombe, Henderson and Madison counties under a project titled GroWNC, designed to get the region thinking collectively about ways to develop the economy with a focus on sustainability. GroWNC is currently holding meetings in…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:43

Cherokee crafts plans for tree-top canopy walk and family adventure park

The next five years could include the construction of an adventure park, a canopy walk and another casino for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, according to a preliminary outline of its 2012 economic development plan. Every five years, the…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:39

Voices of the Smokies to go live in oral project

Recordings made some seven decades ago of nearly 60 men and women who lived in what became the Great Smoky Mountains National Park soon will be made publicly available online. In 1939, a young graduate student by the name of…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:38

Low-income housing complex proposed in Franklin

A 60-unit affordable housing complex has been proposed in Franklin, but will depend on securing competitive state tax credits for low-income housing to come to fruition. The project has been proposed by Fitch Development, a group out of Charlotte that…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:37

Franklin balks at apology for killing mound grass

Franklin leaders declined last week to offer a formal apology to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for using weed killer on an ancient Indian mound. “I don’t think we did anything destructive,” said Franklin Alderman Sissy Pattillo. “And I…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:36

Queen still the winner after canvas in tight House race

A recount is likely in the race for N.C. House of Representatives between two well-known and prominent Waynesville Democrats, Danny Davis and Joe Sam Queen. The race came down to the wire on election night last week, with Queen emerging…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:34

Republicans must face off in second primary

When none of the Republican candidates for Congress garnered 40 percent of the votes during the May 8 primary, the election got more complicated. Rather than narrowing the long list of candidates to two — one Republican and one Democrat…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:33

Going once, going twice … office building anyone?

Haywood County is looking to off-load a few of its now vacant office buildings and is searching for help to do it. The county has been playing musical chairs with several departments during the past year, consolidating county functions once…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:31

Some in Cullowhee look to zoning in wake of alcohol vote

The advent of alcohol in Cullowhee is fueling efforts to implement some kind of land-use plan to guide growth in the community around Western Carolina University. Some speculate that development could be fast and furious in Cullowhee in the wake…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:31

WCU selects Angela Brenton for provost position

Angela Laird Brenton, dean of the College of Professional Studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been appointed provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Western Carolina University. She starts Aug. 1. The selection of Brenton,…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:30

Learn about end-of-life decision-making

A free community forum on planning and decision-making for end-of-life events is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 20, in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville. The forum is sponsored by Hospice & Palliative Care Services of…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:29

Swain uses money from first North Shore Road payment on special projects

While Swain County fights to secure the rest of the $52 million cash settlement its owed by the federal government for the North Shore Road, the $12.8 million already in the bank is generating hundreds of thousands in interest every…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:26

Shortchanged again? Swain’s cash settlement flounders in Washington budget bureaucracy

The National Park Service is refusing to let go of a $4 million payment Swain County is due as part of the cash settlement over the North Shore Road. The federal government is supposed to pay Swain County $4 million…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:25

Annie’s Bakery gets new life, new owners thanks to ‘locavesting’

When Annie’s Naturally Bakery closed down last November, among those mourning the loss of the beloved coffee, bakery and gathering place in Sylva was Annie’s faithful Charles King. Without a new owner, the fate of the long-time Main Street institution…
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:23

Appalachian born and bred: Downtown Waynesville, Haywood Tourism both launch locally made campaigns

The Jackson County farmers market had three or four vendors who regularly showed up each week to sell their homegrown goods in 2001. For the most part, the growers would sit around, chew the fat and trade produce. “It was…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 12:23

Cherokee Schools to craft new long-range strategic plan

Cherokee Schools has launched a year-long process to develop a new strategic plan, a move prompted by issues raised in a recent accreditation review of the school system. As a sovereign entity, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians operates its…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 12:18

Sylva native hired as new town manager

Sylva has a new town manager. Paige Roberson, 25, was promoted last week by the town board to the top leadership position. Roberson has clearly impressed the town after stepping in to a part-time job as the director of the…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:57

WNC cops frustrated by lack of drug, alcohol testing at regional crime lab

Waynesville Police Department is one of several law enforcement agencies hoping to see an expansion of the Western North Carolina crime lab in the next several years to speed up processing, trials and convictions of offenders. “Our evidence has to…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:56

All aboard! New trolleys to circuit shopping districts of Waynesville

The same trolley that used to lead the New York Marathon and transport students at New York University from place to place has found a home in Waynesville. Starting this Saturday, the diesel trolley will traverse downtown Waynesville, Frog Level…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:55

Good Old Time Summer Camp for kids at WCU

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, Department of Art and Hunter Library are joining forces to offer the Good Old Time Summer Camp for children ages 9 through 13. Participants will attend the camp from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:55

Get help building your home

Haywood Habitat for Humanity is holding an open enrollment through this month for people interested in purchasing a home through the agency. Requirements for participants include being a resident of Haywood County and having an annual household income between $20,400…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:54

BBQ sack lunches to benefit skate park project

There will be a barbecue fund-raiser for the Waynesville Skate Park from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. The cost is $5 per sack lunch, which will contain a sandwich, chips and…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:53

Fun Kids Day to benefit PAWS

P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter will celebrate children and animals of all ages with a day of fun and games at the second Annual “PAWSitively Fun Kids Day” festival starting at 10 a.m. on May 12 at Rivermont Park in downtown Bryson…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:52

Logjam broken on live dealers for Cherokee, but not a done deal yet

A political impasse over live dealers and table games at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino has been resolved, but the tribe still has some heavy lifting to go before it can close the deal. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians needs the…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:51

Home Expo planned in Waynesville

The Haywood Home Builders Association is having its 2012 Spring Home Expo May 11-12 at the Waynesville Armory. Those looking for a contractor, ways to update their home, or a way to update their landscaping should attend the Spring Expo.…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:50

Talk to cover Gettysburg ‘Mystery Unit’

Randal Garrison will be the guest speaker at a meeting of the Western North Carolina Civil War Roundtable at 7 p.m. on May 14 at the Mountain Heritage Center Auditorium on the campus of Western Carolina University. His topic will…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:50

Angel upgrades stroke treatment capability

Angel Medical Center will unveil new technology aimed at improving its treatment of stroke victims during a demonstration from 2-3 p.m. on May 15 in the hospital dining room. “The Telestroke Robot is cutting edge technology that will allow the…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:49

Former chancellor Bardo lands new job after a year of lingering on WCU’s payroll

John Bardo, the former chancellor for Western Carolina University, has gotten a job. He will take over as the new chancellor for Wichita State University in Kansas in July. Bardo retired last summer from Western Carolina University after 16 years…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:47

SCC seeks county dollars for commons area, restaurant

The idea of a restaurant and a commons area where students could meet and eat sounds like a good one to Angie Stanley, a student in Southwestern Community College’s medical respiratory program. “That really would be nice,” the Sylva resident…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:46

Evergreen, environmental groups settle river temperature issue

Evergreen Packaging has reached a partial settlement with environmental groups over pollution from the Canton paper mill in the Pigeon River. Environmental groups had challenged the mill’s pollution permit, claiming that the standards weren’t tight enough. There were two bones…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:45

Letter carriers food drive is May 12

The annual national Letter Carrier’s “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive is May 12, and postal customers are reminded to leave bagged food and other non-perishable items at their mail boxes. The drive is the largest one-day food-collection event in the…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:44

Church library training coming to Waynesville

The North Carolina Baptist Church Library Team will host a library workshop for Western North Carolina at First Baptist Church in Waynesville on May 19. This field training is aimed at greatly reducing the time and cost of training for…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:44

Former Miss America coming to Junaluska

The United Way of Haywood County and The Haywood Volunteer Center are hosting an evening with Jeanne Robertson at 7 p.m. on June 7 at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. Who is Jeanne Robertson? She is North Carolina’s own 6-foot,…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:41

Emergency workers learn to jump hurdles to gain entrance to gated communities

As an aggressive spring thunderstorm brewed over Waynesville this March, causing power outages around town, Erika Stansbury received a frantic call from her elderly in-laws who had lost power at their gated apartment complex. “Grandma’s on oxygen, and she gets…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:40

Haywood County employees given first dibs on new money in budget

During budget discussions earlier this year, Haywood County commissioners were adamant about their commitment to give county employees a boost after three years of no raises and frozen retirement contributions. Commissioners stayed true to their word, based on a proposed…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:38

Haywood lends helping hand to schools, but not enough to make up the gap

Haywood County commissioners have increased funding to the county school system this year for the first time in four years, but with cuts in state and federal funding, the boost from the county won’t be enough to help plug the…
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 20:37

Haywood grapples with medical costs for inmates

Marty Stamey, like any county manager, takes pride in crafting a water-tight budget: one that squares up the minutia of how many reams of computer paper and tanks of gas county employees will use on one side of the ledger…
Friday, 04 May 2012 12:10

Readers get creative and submit their own slogans

Thanks to our dear Smoky Mountain News readers, some excellent ideas for slogans poured in through our Facebook site over the past week. We snuck a few of our own in as well. Enjoy! Waynesville Your home away from Florida…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:24

Registration under way for golf tourney

Registration is under way for the inaugural Bob Buckner Endowment Golf Tournament, an event to help raise financial support for a newly created fund in honor of the recently retired longtime director of Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:23

LEGO focus of upcoming workshop

Kids can learn more about LEGO building projects from 9:15-11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12, at Western Carolina University. The LEGO Clubs at Cullowhee Valley and Fairview Schools are holding this free community event for children from kindergarten through eighth grade…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:22

Women in business luncheon, May 15

A program titled “Two Sides of the Leadership Coin, a Male and Female Perspective” will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. on May 15 at the Gateway Club in Waynesville, sponsored by the Greater Haywood County Chamber of…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:20

New regulations send planners back to the drawing board

The Macon County Planning Board has been given one simple task: review the subdivision ordinance with the intention of making it more user friendly. The directive came in a relatively brief get together and make-pretty joint meeting with the Macon…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:19

Program on Cherokee mounds in Jackson

Ben Steere will discuss Cherokee pre-history and archaeology at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library. Steere is the principal investigator for the Western North Carolina Mounds and Towns Project, which is…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:16

Stewardship of Macon Indian mound questioned

A move by the town of Franklin to spray the ancient Nikwasi Indian Mound with weed killer is not sitting well with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Principal Chief Michell Hicks last week described himself as “appalled” and called…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:15

Haywood leads state in electronics recycling

Haywood County leads the state in electronics recycling, based on a new survey released in March by the N.C. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. The survey, which was presented during the recent Carolina Recycling Association annual conference, indicated that…
Thursday, 03 May 2012 01:11

South Main plan dredges up old parking debate

The Waynesville Board of Aldermen approved a revitalization plan for South Main Street last week despite a dispute over one aspect of the proposed design scheme. The town hired Rodney Porter, a consultant with LaQuatra Bonci in Asheville, last year…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:24

Caught in the crosshairs: Doctors struggle for footing in a shifting health care landscape

MedWest leaders are struggling to hold a fledgling joint hospital venture together in the wake of recent physician turmoil, but there’s likely no easy fix for the identity crisis faced by Jackson County’s medical community. Fearing the sanctity of Harris…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:19

Jackson doctors fear underdog status in MedWest venture

When a team of moving men showed up in the surgery suite of MedWest-Harris two years ago and rolled a specialized spinal surgery table out the door, down the hallway and into a truck, acting on orders to haul the…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:14

What’s in a name? Image is everything when it comes to slogans

Tee Coker and his company recently learned firsthand something they probably already suspected about creating brands and taglines for towns. Forget about pleasing everyone: it can be an insurmountable challenge to please anyone at all when it comes to developing…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:12

Swain County property values looking up

Tim Cain has a bird’s eye view of Swain County’s real estate market, and from where he sits, the news looks good. Cain was hired to oversee the countywide appraisal of every home, lot and tract of land in Swain…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:10

Trash shuffle prompts Canton to privatize garbage pick-up

Canton and Waynesville’s paths have diverged when it comes to the most cost efficient way to haul trash to White Oak Landfill. Both towns will face higher costs to dump residents’ trash starting this summer when the county closes a…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:09

Strapped by budget cuts, Haywood schools suffer from building upkeep backlog

When the maintenance director for Haywood County Schools received news that a transformer at Pisgah High School stopped working last Thursday, it seemed apropos given the grim portrait of the schools’ budget he and other education officials would paint for…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:07

HCC makes pitch for bigger budget to county commissioners

Haywood Community College officials have requested an additional $380,000 in county funding this year — all of which would help pay for renovations and new construction on campus. Similarly to Haywood County Schools, the college has been strapped by recession-drive…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:07

Franklin public workshop set for truck-turnaround proposal

A public workshop on a proposed truck turn-around and information station on U.S. 64 in Franklin will be held from 4-7 p.m. at the Franklin Town Hall boardroom. The turn-around and station would be located between U.S. 23/441 in Franklin…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:07

Sports clinic scheduled at Macon health center

A sports physical clinic for school athletic programs will be held from 4:30-7 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Macon County Public Health Center. The clinics are open to rising seventh grade to 12th grade students who plan to participate…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:06

Eastern Band to retrace portion of Trail of Tears

A retracing of the northern route of the Trail of Tears will be held May 18-26 in a collaboration of the Eastern Band and the United Keetoowah Band and Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 19:06

No changes recommended to how Mission does business

The state has not recommended any changes be made to how Mission hospital does business under its Certificate of Public Advantage, or anti-trust regulations that govern this regional healthcare leader. The regulations date to Mission’s merger with St. Joseph’s 15…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:52

Old Edwards Inn CEO bilked upscale resort in fraud, kickback scheme

The former chief executive officer and general manager of the Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands was recently convicted on federal charges of masterminding kickbacks and of illegally billing his company for an addition to his own home. Mario…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:50

Fundraising unveiled in down-to-the-wire Congressional race

The litany of Republicans from Western North Carolina running for Congress haven’t taken any cues from their counterparts on the presidential stage, where the once robust field of candidates has slowly been picked off until there was just one man…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:49

Canton urgent care center holds open house May 2

MedWest-Haywood will hold an open house from 4-6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2, at the newly constructed MedWest Urgent Care Center in Canton. The community can get a preview of the new facility during the open house. MedWest Urgent Care…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:48

Selling Haywood a collective effort

Departing from the normal talks of budget cuts and tightening belts, Haywood County commissioners asked a group of tourism and town leaders how the county could pitch in to help bring visitors or new second-home owners to the county. The…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:46

Soup kitchen to serve double role for farmers

The Community Table, Sylva’s nonprofit soup kitchen for the needy, is within weeks of moving its digs from its cramped existing facility to the town’s now-vacant senior center. The county built a new senior center, freeing up space in the…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:46

Property owners keep asking to be booted out of Maggie’s town limits

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen’s split decision to de-annex someone who didn’t want to be in the town limits anymore — or pay town taxes any more — seems to have brought a trickle of other unsatisfied residents making…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:45

Swain and Graham settle county line dispute with big bucks on the hook

After two years of lawsuits and two mediations, Swain and Graham counties have finally agreed on where to draw the county line signifying their portions of the Fontana Dam. Fontana Dam straddles the two counties. How much of the dam…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:42

Interchange construction in Haywood could take three years

The Lowe’s interchange in Haywood County will finally get re-structured but not for a couple more years. N.C. Department of Transportation plans to start reconstructing the exit onto N.C. 209 and leading to Paragon Parkway and Hospital Drive in summer…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:41

Cullowhee community holds second meeting

Residents and business owners of Cullowhee and Jackson County are invited to attend a community meeting from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1, at the Cullowhee Valley School library. This is a follow-up to the March 13 meeting when community…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:39

Tuckasegee bridge to be replaced

A $3.4-million contract to replace the T. Walter Middleton Bridge on N.C. 107 over the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County has been awarded to a Whittier company. Owle Construction Co. will build a new bridge that will be widened from…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:38

Two signs to Cherokee after all: Tribe rents billboard

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is taking matters into its own hands in the tug-of-war over the best route to Cherokee. A tribe-purchased billboard on Interstate 40, heading west of Asheville, will soon tout two possible routes to Cherokee.…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:36

Doctors take a stand out of fear for MedWest-Harris’ future

When Dr. Bob Adams walked into a hospital-wide meeting of Jackson County doctors in early January, he believed he had finally mustered the critical mass to demand action, action that so far had been elusive despite a year of working…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:33

Carolinas affiliation catalyst for docs’ departure

When the Med-West venture was coined two years ago, the premise was an easy sell. Together the hospitals would be stronger than going it alone. Both Harris and Haywood hospitals had witnessed a troubling loss of patients to Mission —…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:30

Specialty plates to stay on North Carolina highways

The iconic black bear, the parkway’s winding scenic road and the Appalachian Trail’s solitary hiker have gotten a reprieve. A bill will be introduced next month to allow a version of the full-color specialty plates. They’d been facing a death…
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 12:14

Jackson gas stations on Cherokee’s doorstep now in the catbird seat as alcohol vote nears

Large, walk-in beer coolers are ready and waiting to be stocked at Dwight and Jamie Winchester’s Catamount Travel Center, a gas station directly across the street from the entrance to the Cherokee Indian Reservation on U.S. 441. They’ve been there…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:41

Haywood County commissioners to host work session

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 4 p.m., Thursday, April 19, at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. The purpose of the work session is to conduct a roundtable discussion with community leaders…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:40

Tuscola High School counters rumors that advanced courses have been curtailed

Despite rumors that cuts at Tuscola High School in Waynesville could reduce the number of advanced courses, academically gifted students will have just as many courses to chose from next school year. Tuscola will lose five teaching positions, which is…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:39

Sylva man gets seven years for 2008 murders

The last of six people accused of playing a role in the murders of two Swain County residents back in 2008 has been put away. Mark Goolsby of Sylva plead guilty to nine counts of accessory after the fact to…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:38

Learn how to sell, serve alcohol

The N.C. ABC Commission is holding a series of free Responsible Alcohol Seller/Server Program classes to educate businesses with alcohol permits and their employees about the responsible sales and service of alcoholic beverages. This is part of a region wide…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:36

Nursing scholarship available

The Judy Moore Memorial Scholarship Endowment Committee is accepting scholarship applications for 2012. The scholarship program for nurses was established in 1997 as a memorial to Judy Moore, a registered nurse who was killed in a car accident. At least…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:36

Wayesville finalist in favorite Main Street competition

Go online and vote for Waynesville as your favorite Main Street in the contest “Great Places in North Carolina.” A panel of experts chose six “People’s Choice” award finalists from the more than 40 nominations submitted by North Carolina residents.…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:35

Franklin sprays ancient Indian mound with weed killer

The use of weed killer to temporarily denude an ancient Indian mound in Franklin has some critics accusing the town of cultural insensitivity. Nikwasi Indian Mound, which is located within Franklin’s town limits and is tended to and maintained by…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:33

Dissension among the Jackson medical community spells trouble for MedWest

A group of Jackson County doctors say they want out of the two-year-old partnership with the hospital in Haywood County and instead would like to look toward Mission Hospital in Asheville as a future partner. There have been murmurings for…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:33

Forum to focus on Lake Junaluska’s future as a town or not

As Lake Junaluska weighs whether to become part of the town of Waynesville or form its own town, a public forum for residents to ask questions or share comments will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Bethea…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:31

Dusting the mothballs off Sylva’s ‘ghostel’

The shell of a vacant four-story hotel sitting partially finished on Sylva’s main drag for three years is finally going somewhere. Developers from Greensboro bought the vacant hotel along N.C. 107 for $850,000 and are promising to pump an additional…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 20:19

Cherokee voters say ‘no’ to alcohol sales

About two dozen people gathered outside the tribal council house broke into song with the words “Praise God, Praise God, Praise God,” after the final results of Cherokee alcohol vote were tabulated last week. The Cherokee Reservation will remain dry,…
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 19:58

Cherokee teens sue in class action for money lost in stock market crash

A class action complaint aims to hold the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians responsible for money lost when the stock market crashed in 2008 and eroded the personal accounts of Cherokee youth held in trust by the tribe. All 14,000…
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