Bank robbery suspect caught
The Waynesville Police Department responded to the report of a robbery on Feb. 17 at Entegra Bank located at 2045…
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Behind the scenes: Artist brings theater productions to life
Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville is fortunate to be one of few theaters to have a talented scenic artist…
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Sylva begins budget talks
Sylva is just starting budget planning for 2017-18, but this year’s process promises to be less arduous than last year’s,…
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Community ready for a fight
Macon County commissioners heard impassioned cries for help last week from families that have lost loved ones to addiction.
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Two elk found dead on Jonathan Creek dairy farm
A technician with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission was out for a routine check of an elk fence installed at…
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Calendar change could affect some Haywood school workers
A 2012 change to a law that lays out requirements for yearly school calendars has the Haywood County School Board…
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Canton board faced with growing needs, shrinking budget
Canton officials and town staff met for four hours Feb. 16 to discuss achievements and goals, but will have to…
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Outdoor adventure park proposed in Dillsboro
Construction on an outdoor adventure park offering everything from rafting to ropes courses could begin in Dillsboro as early as…
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Tribal Council calls chief’s hotel contract into question
Opponents of Principal Chief Patrick Lambert are crying foul over a $5.6 million contract between the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise…
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Haywood Commissioners decide on tax collector issue
The rift between Haywood County commissioners and the last remaining elected tax collector in North Carolina — Mike Matthews —…
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Public safety, transportation top Haywood budget wish list
Budgeting for the 2017-18 fiscal year is underway across the state, but in Haywood County, a decrease in property tax…
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Spikes found in Pinnacle Park, runner injured
In a bizarre discovery, over 50 intentionally placed spikes have been identified and removed from the popular trail system at…
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In front of the lens: Tax collector faces uncertain fate
Haywood County Commissioners are locked in an increasingly bitter power struggle with elected Tax Collector Mike Matthews over his job…
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Public comment session at next commission meeting
The next meeting of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, inside…
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Unfair collection practices in tax collector’s office?
A Smoky Mountain News inquiry into collection procedures in the Haywood County tax collector’s office shows that some county GOP…
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Richard Reeves receives service award
Richard Reeves has been awarded the N.C. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service and the Elaine Kuhl Volunteer Service Award for…
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Applicants needed for Swain broadband committee
Swain County commissioners are accepting applications from community members to serve on a newly formed Broadband Advisory Committee.
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Haywood man convicted of voter fraud
A Haywood County jury recently convicted Dewey George Gidcumb, 52, of Haywood County of felony voter fraud for voting twice…
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Cherokee man sentenced in murder case
Joshua Daniel Calhoun, 22, of Cherokee, was sentenced Feb. 14 in Swain County Superior Court to a maximum of 38…
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Comparing tax collections under Francis, Matthews
Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews’ efficiency and his use of attachments to collect past due taxes have been called…
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Sylva will spend $25,000 on Fisher Creek Dam study
Sylva will have to spend $25,000 on an emergency action plan for Fisher Creek Dam, due to a 2016 state…
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Permanent tourism director hired in Jackson
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority has its first permanent employee following a unanimous vote from the Jackson County Commissioners…
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Fontana houseboat owner seeks TVA appointment
After a successful campaign to keep houseboats on Fontana Lake, floating homeowner Erik Sneed is now campaigning for a presidential…
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High-density apartment proposal a no-go for Sylva
Sylva’s leaders have long grappled with how to spur the town’s stagnant residential tax base and get more high-density housing…
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Macon schools reach full capacity
Macon County elementary schools are near, at or over capacity, and administrators can only shuffle students around so much before…
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Corbin introduces bill to help Macon’s K-12 schools
When Kevin Corbin decided to run for state representative, one of his main goals was to secure adequate funding allocations…
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Franklin hears proposal to one-lane Main Street
Franklin’s town board has been hearing different proposals for improving Main Street’s parking and appearance — and the latest proposal…
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Franklin bike walk plan lays out potential projects
A proposed comprehensive plan to improve Franklin’s pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure includes more than 20 recommended projects to fix the…
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New school opening in Sylva
Plans are crystallizing for a new middle school in Jackson County, but it’s a race against the clock for Western…
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Tourism tax hike for Haywood is DOA
Haywood County Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Lynn Collins has been making the rounds like a travelling saleswoman lately —…
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Raleigh Roundup: bobcats and beers edition
With the new session of the North Carolina Legislature underway, a flurry of bills has been filed in both the…
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Casino expansion nearly nixed: Tribal Council decides in split vote to continue with $250 million project
A newly approved expansion project at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort was nearly derailed when a resolution to kill the project…
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Get real: WNC real estate market comes back swinging
Within the residential real estate industry lies an interesting contradiction. SEE ALSO:• Haywood housing demand is high but inventory is low• Macon…
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Selling a mountain lifestyle: Haywood housing demand is high but inventory is low
Brian Cagle is vice president and managing broker at Beverly-Hanks in Waynesville. Beverly Hanks doesn’t sell real estate, however; Beverly-Hanks…
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Macon making sustainable growth in real estate market
It hasn’t been a quick or easy recovery, but Macon County real estate is back on the rise and Realtors…
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Real estate rebounding in Jackson: Double-digit growth in Cashiers area; steady increase elsewhere
With the recession nearly a decade in the rearview mirror, the real estate market is once more robust in Jackson…
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Mountain cabins in high demand in Swain
Sherry and Gary Patterson vacationed in Bryson City for the first time about 20 years ago and now they can’t…
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Bryson Senior Living breaks ground
Affinity Living Group held a groundbreaking ceremony recently for its new assisted living community, Bryson Senior Living. Pictured moving the…
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Proposed room tax hike already in jeopardy
A renewed effort to increase Haywood County’s room occupancy tax from 4 to 6 percent has already run into almost…
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Shining Rock receives grant for outdoor classes
Shining Rock Classical Academy will be able to construct an outdoor classroom on its campus this year thanks to a…
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Recreation improvements coming to Waynesville
The active, outdoorsy lifestyle favored by residents of Western North Carolina has long been fostered by the Town of Waynesville,…
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Haywood looks to turn tax collector into appointed position
Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews has been a lightning rod for controversy since before he narrowly defeated veteran incumbent…
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Swain hospital: ‘ER is open 24/7’
Swain Community Hospital is still trying to overcome misperceptions in the community regarding its recent emergency department changes as well…
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FBI raids Qualla Housing Authority
A team of 26 FBI agents descended on Cherokee Feb. 2, filling the Qualla Housing Authority building and wheeling entire…
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‘Indivisible’ citizens group forms in Sylva
There will be a meeting of the Indivisible Sylva NC group at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Jackson…
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Haywood man arrested for murder
Wayne Littrell, 72, of the Coleman Mountain community of Haywood County, was arrested Sunday, Jan. 29, and charged with the…
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Cherokee council votes to impeach Chief Lambert
To the boos of an outspoken audience, the Cherokee Tribal Council voted 9-3 Feb. 2 to begin impeachment proceedings against…
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WNC progressive group gaining momentum
What started as a small group of like-minded people helping each other deal with aftermath of Election Day has now…
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Restoring hope for a community
Until last year, the old house languishing on Academy Street on Bryson City United Methodist Church’s property was seen as…
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Cherokee council considers results of investigation into chief’s administration
Rumors have been flying on the Qualla Boundary since an investigation into contract awards and human resources actions under Principal…
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