Closed sessions easily accessible in Jackson
Of all the local governments in The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage area, Jackson County has some of the most complete…
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Detail varies in Sylva minutes
Of the nine closed-session discussions Sylva commissioners held last year, only three — all attorney-client privilege conversations related to an…
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Bryson City tackles personnel issues in closed meetings
Personnel issues have been the only reason why Bryson City Aldermen have held closed meetings in 2018.
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Swain uses closed meetings for contract talks
Swain County commissioners typically hold two meetings per month, and it’s not unusual for them to have a closed session…
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Franklin business rarely out of public view
Of all the town and county governments in The Smoky Mountain News coverage area, the Franklin Town Council had the…
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Closed meetings the norm in Macon
A vast majority of Macon County Board of Commissioners meetings end with a closed session. In fact, commissioners spent more…
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Development, personnel drive Haywood closed sessions
As the largest local government unit in The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area, Haywood County sees more action —…
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Waynesville closed sessions boring, but by the book
The Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen meets every two weeks, or about 24 times a year, depending on the…
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Small-town closed sessions few, far between
Haywood County’s five local governments more or less fall into two tiers — there’s the county and there’s Waynesville, and…
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Judge Letts to retire: Superior Court will see vacancy four months after Election Day
Amid widespread speculation about plans to run for principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Superior Court Judge…
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Slide shifts traffic on U.S. 74
A slide on the westbound side of U.S. 74 on Sunday morning in Jackson County temporarily diverted traffic just west…
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I-40 slide cleanup causes closure
Cleaning a rockslide on Interstate 40 near the Tennessee State lane will require the N.C. Department of Transportation to keep…
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Animal shelter planning to start in Jackson County
Jackson County is facing a plethora of capital projects over the next several years, and a new animal shelter will…
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Shining Rock head of school fired
Barely a year after he was hired, Nathan Duncan is out at Shining Rock Classical Academy.
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Citizens Police Academy still seeking applicants
Not long after retired U.S. Air Force officer and former teacher Mary Ford moved to Waynesville with her husband, she…
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Congress votes to reauthorize Land and Water Conservation Fund
Congress has voted to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund following a 363-62 vote of the U.S. House…
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Smokies records highest-ever visitation in 2018
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park set a new visitation record for 2018, welcoming 11.4 million visitors to its 816…
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Jackson County chews on $12 million Green Energy Park campus proposal
Last week Jackson County commissioners got their first look at what a re-imagined Green Energy Park campus might cost, with…
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Hospital foundations find new mission
Following HCA Healthcare’s purchase of the Mission Health System, the nonprofit foundations that have supported Mission’s hospitals for so long…
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Macon, Franklin work on greenway connection
Macon County and the town of Franklin are working on a collaborative project to create a new greenway connection on…
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African-American history at Sunburst oft overlooked
In a county as old as Haywood, there exist all manner of half-remembered places and faces long gone from the…
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Mission CEO takes job with HCA
According to an internal email leaked to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Mission’s CEO Dr. Ron Paulus will be leaving his post…
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Dogwood hires search firm to find director
As all of Mission’s legacy foundations establish their new mission and board of directors, Dogwood Health Trust is in the…
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Spate of new downtown Waynesville businesses emerges
With his thick Brooklyn accent, Danny Mannlein isn’t exactly the type of “local” most Haywood County residents are used to…
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Room price, capacity drive TDA revenues
As the Great Recession recedes further and further into the rear-view mirror, most local economic indicators in Western North Carolina…
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HCC offers free tuition to needy Haywood students
Financial aid and scholarships are a great way to pay for college, but not everyone qualifies. For those who do,…
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Race against time for Waynesville homeless camp
The longstanding brouhaha over a makeshift dwelling near Frog Level has escalated to the point where enforcement action is likely…
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Cell tower proposed for Sylva
A proposal to build a new cell tower off of Skyland Drive in Sylva will go before the Jackson County…
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Constitution proposed for Cherokee
Cherokee voters will have the chance to give their nation a long-awaited constitution if Tribal Council approves a referendum question…
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Medicaid on their minds at Rep. Queen’s town hall
Four-time freshman legislator and recently re-elected Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, launched into this year’s legislative session by hosting a…
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The table is set: Pancake Day is free to community this year
The table is set — all you have to do is come sit down and be served.
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Woman from the west, for the west: Hipps remembered for her passion, commitment
On the campaign trail, Jane Hipps of Waynesville was often called the “woman from the west, for the west.” With…
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Waynesville woman, child reported missing
UPDATE: The missing woman and child have been located and are safe. Detectives with the Haywood County Sheriff’s office are…
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Grandfather Mountain sets new wind speed record
LINVILLE, N.C. — On Grandfather Mountain, breaking records is a breeze. Around 4 a.m. on Feb. 13, the nonprofit nature park’s…
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Déjà vu: N.C. 107 planners struggle to find solutions to road dilemma
After taking input from the more than 100 people who attended a Jan. 14 public forum and carefully combing their…
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Haywood schools again ask for calendar flexibility
North Carolina’s rigid school calendar law has been in place since 2004, but over the past few weeks, a pair…
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Cherokee artifacts at Plott Creek? Maybe so, maybe not
During the protracted approval process of a proposed development that would bring around 200 new apartments to a 41-acre parcel…
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HCC president announces her retirement
Haywood Community College President Dr. Barbara Parker announced her intent to retire, effective Dec. 31, 2019, at the college board…
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Budget talks get underway in Macon
It’s likely to be another tough budget year as Macon County commissioners are faced with a growing list of capital…
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Tribe votes for Plott Balsam conservation
An effort to conserve 912 acres along the Plott Balsam ridge in Jackson County cleared the final hurdle of a…
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Records shed light on Jackson jail death
While unanswered questions remain in the recent death of 49-year-old Franklin resident Melissa Middleton Rice, which occurred on Jan. 18…
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Sylva man arrested following stabbing
A Sylva man has been charged with assault after Jackson County deputies responded to a Feb. 7 call and found…
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Threat prompts Canton Middle evacuation
Haywood County Schools officials at Canton Middle School learned that a threatening message (bomb threat) was written on a restroom…
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‘Effort like they’ve never had to give’: Farmers get older and fewer, but hope remains for ag’s future
Zac Guy grew up on the back of a tractor. His father worked in sales and his mother was a…
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HCC president announces her retirement
Haywood Community College President Dr. Barbara Parker announced her intent to retire, effective Dec. 31, 2019, at the college board…
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Domestic violence organization forming in Jackson
Seven years have passed since REACH of Jackson County suddenly shut down operations due to financial issues, leaving the county…
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Face to face: Local homeless remain elusive
Huddled together in the dark near an old wood stove beneath an elaborate rigging of tarps and tents on a…
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Dogwood Health Trust now in operation
With the completion of Mission Health System’s sale of assets to HCA Healthcare, Dogwood Health Trust is now officially operating…
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Fresh eyes, fresh ideas: Haywood budget process begins
It’s not Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead’s first budget, but it is his first budget in Haywood County.
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Cherokee approves early gaming disbursements for housing
Young Cherokee tribal members could soon be able to use their gaming allocations to pay for housing following a unanimous…
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