County approves half of Sylva’s municipal grant application

After pressing the brakes on Sylva’s municipal grant application, county commissioners have decided to approve a portion of the grant,…
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Government, union prepare for impact of mill closing

The initial shock of Pactiv Evergreen’s announcement that its Canton paper mill would soon cease operations hasn’t quite worn off for…
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Mill receives water quality violation

Pactiv Evergreen has received a notice of violation from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality after a water quality measurement…
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New attorney selected for Jackson County

Jackson County is losing long-time county attorney Heather Baker, but it has already selected a new attorney to serve as…
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Sylva aims to expand role of Main Street director

Sylva taxpayers may be looking at a one-cent tax increase in the coming 2023-24 fiscal year. In return for that…
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Pattillo settles into new role as Bryson City town manager

Sam Pattillo has been in leadership roles for some time now, but his latest move to become Bryson City’s town…
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WCU’s first chief diversity officer accepts new position

Ricardo Nazario-Colón, Western Carolina University’s inaugural chief diversity officer, has been appointed by the State University of New York’s Board…
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Big changes coming for Waynesville’s governing board

The Town of Waynesville’s municipal governing board has taken steps to modernize its operations by proposing amendments to its charter…
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Moth brawl: A little moth is causing big problems in Cruso

Last week, more than a hundred people turned up to an informational meeting about a North Carolina Department of Agriculture…
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Word from the Smokies: Training Essential to Park’s Search and Rescue

On a mid-September morning, 14 men and women gather at an abandoned quarry off U.S. 441 a mile or so…
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Canton’s government ponders austerity measures

Administrators from the Town of Canton’s various departments met with Mayor Zeb Smathers and members of the town board March…
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11 Female-Driven Businesses in Downtown Canton, N.C.

It’s been a little over two weeks since Pactiv Evergreen Packaging made the announcement to close early this summer, and…
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Where Two Worlds Touch

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble contributor | One Saturday morning my parents called me and my sister down to the kitchen…
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Ava & Arden

By Stefanee Sherman • Rumble Contributor | Ava & Arden is a small, women-owned boutique on Main Street in Waynesville. The…
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Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

By Stefanee Sherman • Rumble Contributor | This recipe is another favorite in our house for a couple of reasons. One…
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Putin’s indictments: Maggie man who’s prosecuted war crimes weighs in

Last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was indicted on a war crime related to his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Personal Finance: What I Wish I’d Known in My 20s

Recently, I was asked what types of personal finance advice I would give to a woman in her twenties. In…
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Sponsored: Who is Laura Lynn?

Question: I’ve recently moved to NC and just started shopping at a nearby Ingles Markets. Who is “Laura Lynn” and…
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N.C. mussel listed as threatened
 

N.C. mussel listed as threatened

A mussel found in Western North Carolina will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act following a decision…
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Word from the Smokies: Discover Life in America presents conservation author on Earth Day

Doug Tallamy had been teaching at the University of Delaware for a quarter of a century when he had an…
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Invasive species workday planned in Bryson City

Help root out invasive species from Island Park in Bryson City 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, March 29. 
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Shuttle companies will offer rides to Smokies trailheads

Six shuttle companies will offer rides to and from popular trailheads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year,…
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Rock Gap Shelter replacement complete

Visitors to the Nantahala Ranger District have a new Appalachian Trail Shelter to visit thanks to months of work from…
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Former state rep named new Audubon N.C. policy director

Brian Turner, a four-term member of the N.C. House of Representatives who left office in January, will serve as the…
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Something better: Billingsley to headline Salvage Station

In the sacred realm that is rock-n-roll music, the formation of the power trio remains iconic. On paper, it’s a…
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Pactiv Evergreen will begin to mail out WARN notices tomorrow

A March 21 letter from the general manager of Pactiv Evergreen’s Canton and Waynesville operations, John McCarthy, says the company…
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Canton to host 5K Saturday; proceeds to go toward all-abilities playground equipment

The Luc Gibson Foundation and the Town of Canton are hosting the Inaugural Cerebral Palsy 5K this Saturday, March 25…
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Snorkeling the mountains: New Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail will show off WNC’s vibrant streams

For most people, the word “snorkeling” conjures images of blue Caribbean waters, pink coral reefs and a rainbow of tropical…
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Lynda Bennett faces federal sentencing in June

Haywood County Republican and real estate agent Lynda Bennett will be sentenced in federal court on June 20 after accepting…
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Without tuition reimbursement amendment, Pless won’t vote for Senate’s Medicaid expansion bill

The North Carolina General Assembly is one step closer to approving Medicaid expansion after the bill passed out of the…
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Haywood commissioners reject lone jail construction bid

Haywood County still needs its proposed $21.5 million jail expansion, but an unexpectedly high bid from the lone construction bidder…
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Union at center of mill closing placed under administratorship

The union that represents most workers at Pactiv Evergreen’s Canton mill has been placed under control of its Pittsburgh-based international…
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Gov. Cooper: Pactiv Evergreen must pay back $12 million state grant if mill closes

In a letter sent by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to Mike King, CEO of Pactiv Evergreen, Cooper says that…
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Real (estate) problems: Concerns emerge over what Pactiv Evergreen might leave behind

The 185-acre paper mill at the heart of Canton is the most visible sign of Pactiv Evergreen’s corporate presence in…
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Unfinished business: Hal Weatherman steps out from behind the curtain

For the first time since 2008, North Carolina’s governor is termed out, meaning Democrats and Republicans will both have a…
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New grant funds PEARLS to help aging adults at risk of isolation and depression

Sixty-five-year-old Donna lived an active life until 2014, when her health struggles began. She soon felt isolated and depressed. Donna…
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Candidates certified for tribal elections

A total of 43 candidates have been certified to run for 17 offices up for election in the Eastern Band…
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Highlanders object to canceling school expansion 


Several Highlands residents converged on a recent Macon County commissioners meeting to voice their opposition to the county commission cancelling…
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Macon helps fund 
Franklin Skatepark

The start date for construction of the Franklin Skatepark is approaching quickly, and now the project has all the funding…
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Macon Superintendent announces retirement

After more than 30 years in education, Superintendent Chris Baldwin will retire from his position at Macon County Schools.
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Report shows literacy instruction deficiencies in UNC System teacher prep programs

North Carolina fourth graders are testing proficient in reading at the lowest level since 2009, and the University of North…
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After the final whistle: Papertown stands strong in the face of an identity crisis

To visitors, the noise seems strange and maybe even concerning. To folks in Canton, it sounds like home.
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Survey will study impact of mill closure

When Pactiv Evergreen shuts its doors in a few short months, about 1,000 employees will be out of work. And…
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Charges dropped against police shooting victim

Jason Harley Kloepfer left his home near Murphy on Dec. 13, 2022, with bullets in his body and criminal charges…
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Eating an elephant: Canton, county will solve huge mill problems by taking small bites

No one living can remember a time when there wasn’t a paper mill at the heart of Canton. Now, after…
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‘It means everything’: Former worker reflects on career amid Canton mill closure

At 94 years young, Ben Best is proud of several things in his long, bountiful life — a marriage of…
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Area manufacturers, colleges could help laid-off mill workers write their next chapter 


When the Pactiv-Evergreen packaging plant in Canton closes this spring, 1,000 people who thought they’d secured steady work to last…
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‘We’re still here’: Canton businesses, residents react to mill closure

It’s 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Southern Porch restaurant in the heart of downtown Canton. Less than 24 hours ago,…
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Canton mill will close by summer

After more than a century of serving as the cultural, economic and geographical center of the tiny Haywood County town…
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Schools support calendar flexibility

School boards across Western North Carolina are signing resolutions in support of flexibility and local control when it comes to…
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