Florence’s gas gouging passes WNC
While Hurricane Florence spared much of The Smoky Mountain News coverage area when it rolled through the region last week,…
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Haywood detective fired for theft
The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to conduct a…
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Political or not, Haywood tax collector issue won’t go away
More than a year after a contentious public comment session during which the Haywood County Board of Commissioners weighed the…
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WCU chancellor search resumes
While the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors has yet to release a revised search process for Western Carolina…
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Housing shuffle planned at WCU
Student housing at Western Carolina University will see a massive shuffle over the coming years as university leadership looks to…
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Allegations of fraud, failure haunt Ghost Town developer
For months, Valerie Oberle has been the public face of the three-person partnership supposedly taking shape at the long-shuttered Ghost…
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Macon sheriff candidate gets Giglio order
Accusations of dishonesty and inappropriate behavior lodged against Macon County sheriff candidate Eric Giles have led the district attorney’s office…
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State of emergency in Haywood, Canton, Maggie Valley
Early on Sept. 14, a flurry of press releases from Haywood County, the Town of Maggie Valley and the Town…
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Hurricane Florence resources for Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina may not be over-“Flo”-ing with water just yet, but the region is awash in information about available…
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Ghost Town sale still not final
Slow progress and a string of broken promises from new Ghost Town operator and former Disney exec Valeria Oberle haven’t…
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WCU breaks enrollment records — again
Western Carolina University’s enrollment hit an all-time high this fall for the seventh out of the past eight years, with…
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Franklin board holds off on hospital purchase input
Franklin Town Council members decided to hold off on providing input to the attorney general regarding HCA Healthcare’s impending $1.5…
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Hurricane prep begins in Western North Carolina
As The Smoky Mountain News went to print Tuesday, a potentially catastrophic storm was barreling down on the Carolinas, with…
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LEADing the way: Jail diversion program aims to address opioid crisis
Between 1999 and 2016, more than 12,000 people in North Carolina died from opioid overdoses. Not only are families losing…
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Peer specialists go inside jail to assist inmates
Being incarcerated and not knowing what your future may hold is a terrifying experience, but being released from jail and…
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Cherokee strengthens free press law
Free press law in Cherokee got a little more free following Tribal Council’s passage of amendments to the tribe’s Free…
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McCoy alleges political motivation in marriage fraud prosecution
While the federal marriage fraud case that’s been the topic of much discussion on the Qualla Boundary over the past…
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SCC health building gets $2 million grant
Southwestern Community College’s planned health sciences building has earned recognition for its economic development potential — with dollar signs attached.
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Haywood County tax office fiasco continues
Recent uproar over dozens of tax payments improperly waived by Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews seemed to be quieted…
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Trooper saves drowning woman
A North Carolina State Trooper and a few good Samaritans helped save the life of a woman caught in rapids…
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Slight slip for Haywood Schools rank
Achieving high academic performance levels is one thing, but maintaining them is quite another, and after two straight years ranked…
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THE MILL VS THE HILL: Small town high school football in the rural South
Doug’s in Clyde is a typical manifestation of a stereotypical small-town barbershop in the rural American South. Its wooden walls…
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Falling into photography: the art of Bill Killillay
When you take in the totality of photographer Bill Killillay’s work, you might think it comes as the result of…
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Jackson health, DSS organization will be an election issue
After nearly a year of public hearings, votes and contentious meetings, Jackson County’s health and social services departments are back…
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Mission reaches purchase agreement with HCA Healthcare
Mission Health’s Board of Directors and HCA Healthcare have entered into a definitive agreement for HCA to acquire Mission Health.
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Haywood Tax Collector will pay for own mistakes
A slew of county tax penalties waived by Tax Collector Mike Matthews’ office will have to be re-added to some…
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Folkmoot honors inmates
It takes a lot of work throughout the year to produce the Folkmoot festival; much of that work goes on…
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Sylva to look for alternative N.C. 107 plan
The Town of Sylva will take MountainTrue up on its offer to look for a better design for N.C. 107,…
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Keil Nathan Smith - Friday Night
It's gameday in Haywood County! Here, for the first time anywhere, is Canton-based singer/songwriter Keil Nathan Smith's ode to one…
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Zoning snafu means redo in Waynesville
The Town of Waynesville dropped the ball on a minor procedural change to how some zoning decisions are made, but…
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Bullock murder case remains unsolved after 55 years
Ronnie Evans tries to remember his cousin as the beautiful and spunky woman pictured on the cover of his new…
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Suicide prevention training to be held Sept. 10
Many among us have been touched by the tragedy of suicide, and in the age of social media, many more…
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Bail bond industry a strong lobby in Raleigh
With widespread reports of abuse and fraud, the bail bonds industry in the U.S. doesn’t have the best reputation.
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First impressions: Stamey discusses his role as a magistrate judge
A magistrate judge is often one of the first people you’ll come into contact with when you find yourself entangled…
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Taxpayers fined by Obamacare can get their money back
One of the key stipulations in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is that those who go without health care…
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A seat at the table: Organized labor remains strong in Haywood County
For more than a century in the tiny Haywood County town of Canton, the sun has risen and set —…
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Town gives up rights to Fry Street
After years of controversy and debate, the town of Bryson City has finally approved relinquishing its right of way to…
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Lake walking trail closed temporarily
The Francis Asbury trail along the Lake Junaluska Walking Trail and a portion of Lakeshore Drive will be closed the…
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Franklin to award economic grant to ‘Project Wayah’
Franklin Town Council called a special meeting for Aug. 21 to discuss a couple of mundane business items — street…
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McCoy sentenced to probation in marriage fraud case
After pleading guilty to involvement in a marriage fraud scheme, Ruth Marie Sequoyah McCoy, of Cherokee, was sentenced to two…
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Speir, Cats excited about 2018
By Todd Vinyard • Special to The Smoky Mountain News Taking over a football program coming off five wins in the…
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Jackson abolishes consolidated health, DSS agency
Jackson County commissioners are back to square one after voting to abolish the newly consolidated human services agency and its…
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The damage done: finding needles in a haystack
Lindsay Regner and Megan Hauser tromp down an old railroad line, their steady pace creating a predictable beat of feet…
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History through story: Cherokee storyteller seeks to preserve historical memory with filming project
Kathi Littlejohn can get lost in stories. Especially Cherokee stories. Their origins are often moored in worlds long past, but…
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Haywood County announces new manager
After nearly a year without a permanent county manager, Haywood County commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 20 to extend an offer…
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Knibbs' toxicology report released
District Attorney Greg Newman confirmed Monday morning that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of North Carolina released its…
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‘Mocking memes’ matter moves forward
Although none of them were personally in room 3A of the Haywood County Courthouse, pornographer Larry Flynt, Rev. Jerry Falwell,…
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Ghost Town sale, ride inspections still haven’t happened
Amid high hopes for a rejuvenated Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park, it’s looking more and more like the…
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Cat museum stretches its legs: As visitation grows, museum plans for larger location
Now well into its second year of operation, things are purring along at the American Museum of the House Cat…
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A place where everyone can play
Most playgrounds aren’t accessible to children with physical or cognitive challenges; what’s worse, those kids are often left on the…
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