Dr. Brandon B. Herndon Joins Haywood Regional Medical Center

Haywood Regional Medical Center announced that Dr. Brandon B. Herndon has joined its staff and will be offering services in…
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Republican mayoral candidates drop out in Maggie Valley, Waynesville

With less than two months until Haywood County municipal elections are held, two candidates who filed to run back in…
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Hicks wins fourth term as Cherokee chief

Cherokee looked back for its future in today’s General Election, with an overwhelming majority of voters electing to oust incumbent…
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School board approves Higdon property lease

After months of back and forth, the Macon County School Board has approved a lease agreement for the Higdon property,…
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Film to highlight the ‘grit and wit’ of Gary Carden

A film about one of Western North Carolina’s most revered literary figures will make its world premiere in a free event…
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Get ready for Sylva Pride

The third annual Sylva Pride Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at Bridge…
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WCU Cherokee Language Program’s ECHT Project receives $64,905 grant

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Sara Snyder Hopkins, assistant professor and director of the Cherokee Language Program at…
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Harris Regional Hospital & Swain Community Hospital announces New CEO

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital, Duke LifePoint hospitals, announced the appointment of Ashley Hindman as the new chief…
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Summit breaks ground on new high school building

After graduating its first senior class in the spring of 2022, Summit Charter School has broken ground on phase II…
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Police shooting defendants reply to lawsuit

Tribal officers in Cherokee County shooting say they thought victim was armed
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Waynesville arch nears fundraising goal

The replica of a decorative arch that once spanned Main Street in Waynesville but was removed in the early 1970s…
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Tribal Council approves referendum for cannabis vote

After a narrow passage in Tribal Council, the September ballot is expected to ask Cherokee voters whether they support legalizing…
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Cherokee chief candidates make their case: Tribal finance, business ventures key issues in 2023 race

As voters ponder the ballot for executive offices within the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians next month, they’ll be looking…
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A voter guide for Painttown Tribal Council

Cherokee’s June 1 Primary Election whittled the field of candidates for Painttown Tribal Council down to four, and they will…
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A voter guide for Big Cove Tribal Council

During the General Election Thursday, Sept. 7, Big Cove voters will weigh in on who they want to see represent…
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A voter guide for Snowbird/Cherokee County Tribal Council

Only three candidates are running for the two Tribal Council seats representing the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ farthest-flung township,…
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A voter guide for Birdtown Tribal Council

Cherokee’s June 1 Primary Election whittled the field of candidates for Birdtown Tribal Council down to four, and they will…
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A voter guide for Yellowhill Tribal Council

During the General Election Sept. 7, Yellowhill voters will choose two of the four names before them to be their…
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A voter guide for Wolfetown Tribal Council

This year’s race for Wolfetown/Big Y Tribal Council is an unusual one, with the two incumbents having held their seats…
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Exhibition celebrates Lambert Wilson’s legacy

In 1972, Lambert Wilson’s life changed forever.
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Above the law: Sheriffs largely silent on sovereign group’s meeting

A controversial law enforcement association that holds a fringe interpretation of the Constitution and has ties to white nationalism, the sovereign…
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The rebirth of mountain chic: Waynesville Inn & Golf Club tees up its second century

When old Jack Welch sold his Waynesville dairy farm to Jim Long in the early 1920s, he probably couldn’t have…
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Moody, Dever sentenced in sovereign citizen ‘phony writs’ case

Two defendants who pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in communicating threats to dozens if not hundreds of…
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Smoky Mountain News nets 38 NCPA awards

The staff of the Smoky Mountain News won 18 advertising awards, including three first-place honors, as well as 16 editorial…
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New book details history of manufacturing in Jackson

When Jason Gregory presented his new book on the history of manufacturing in Sylva at the Jackson County Public Library…
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Tillis looks towards the future in Canton

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis has taken a particular interest in Canton over the past few years, making multiple…
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TDA 2.0: Haywood’s tourism authority takes bold steps under new leadership

She’s only been on the job for a few months, but the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority’s new executive director…
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Cherokee fair plans for 111th year

The Cherokee Indian Fair will return Oct. 3-7 for its 111th year, but in a new location. This year’s event…
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Sylva reinstates civil penalties for discharging firearms, Molotov cocktails

The Town of Sylva has reinstated misdemeanor charges for discharging a firearm or a Molotov cocktail in town limits after…
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WCU set to recognize education champions Phil and Connie Haire

To recognize their exemplary contributions to Western Carolina University and the local and regional community, WCU’s Board of Trustees is…
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Elizabeth Waldroop joins Southwestern Community College’s Board of Trustees
 

Elizabeth Waldroop joins Southwestern Community College’s Board of Trustees

 Elizabeth (Betty) Waldroop’s ties to Southwestern Community College go way back to the very beginning and they run deep. 
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Union Academy transforms to Bartram Academy

Union Academy, an alternative high school in Macon County, will henceforth be known as Bartram Academy, home of the Explorers.
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Cherokee man sentenced in meth case

A Cherokee man will serve more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a charge of possession with…
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Legal Aid of NC uplifts domestic violence survivors
 

Legal Aid of NC uplifts domestic violence survivors

Legal Aid of North Carolina announced it has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission, the chief…
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Sylva Pride Pageant event elicits threats, controversy

The 2023 Mx. Sylva Pride Pageant wasn’t all glitz, glamour, pomp and pageantry, as social media threats and agitated protesters…
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More than a football game, much more: Pisgah High kicks off season amid continued community heartache

It didn’t matter that Pisgah High School defeated neighboring Brevard 24-10 last Friday night. What mattered most were the kids…
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Lacking landlords: Short-term rentals squeezing out Section 8 tenants

The effect of short-term rental properties on the availability and affordability of workforce housing has been well-documented in Haywood County. 
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Placement of pedestrian islands in Maggie Valley causes concern

A construction project on the five-lane road in Maggie Valley is aimed at improving pedestrian safety, but some are also pointing…
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Accountability, remediation focus of DEQ secretary’s Canton mill visit

Elisabeth Biser, secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, made her second visit to Canton last week, touring Pactiv…
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Madison elections go partisan, Haywood spared

Over the past two years, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) has made multiple attempts to bring partisan municipal elections to the…
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HCC’s first class of truck drivers looks down the road

Six months ago, the eight men gathered on the auditorium stage at Haywood Community College’s Regional High Technology Center were…
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Crane works to lower smokestacks at mill

The appearance of a bright yellow construction crane towering over Pactiv Evergreen’s shuttered Canton paper mill prompted questions from citizens…
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Jackson tables FRL governance change

With the Fontana Regional Library agreement up for its 10-year review, Jackson, Macon and Swain county commissions are taking a…
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Local partnership to impact regional housing needs

A new collaboration is poised to make a large impact by providing new housing options for Jackson County seniors, low-income…
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BBB warns about paving scams
 

BBB warns about paving scams

BBB Scam Tracker has numerous reports of unscrupulous contractors who trick homeowners with supposedly good deals.
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A call to hate: victims speak out over false allegations

Tow people assigned female at birth who visited the Waynesville Recreation Center and followed the letter of the law but…
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High bids put Highlands Middle School project on hold

The Highlands Middle School renovation project went out to bid in May, but after two rounds in which only one…
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Partisan elections bill passes, with one major change

Just two hours after Senators failed to concur on a bill that would have forced Haywood and Madison counties to…
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Partisan elections bill pushed by Pless is down, but not out

After months of pushing for partisan municipal elections in the counties he represents, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) has again come…
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Inside Fontana Dam: Rare tour inspires awe and reflection on a complicated history

It was one of the best opportunities I’d been given since I became a journalist and moved to Western North…
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