New law gives alcohol entrepreneurs a boost

Residents and visitors may soon be able to enjoy a mimosa or bloody Mary during their Sunday morning brunch. A…
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Youth movement: younger candidates seek office

As North Carolina’s candidate sign-up period approaches its midway point, preliminary indications in Haywood County point toward some big changes,…
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Dems getting along just fine: Party schisms a non-issue, Chair says

The schism between the Haywood County Republican Party and the Haywood Republican Alliance isn’t unique to this party, this county…
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Local GOP mum on closed session disloyalty resolution

Allegations made last week by a member of the Haywood Republican Alliance that the Haywood County Republican Party recently passed…
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Sylva considers food truck rules

More than a year after the food truck controversy in Waynesville prompted Sylva to review its own regulations, a proposed…
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Mission threatens to cancel BCBS contract

Mission Health System is threatening to cancel its contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina if they can’t…
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Bridge work to start on Moses Creek

The fruits of a yearlong bridge project will make it easier for residents of Moses Creek Road east of Cullowhee…
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Tribal Council talks salaries

A resolution that would have negated a 2007 vote to up Tribal Council’s pay by $10,000 was withdrawn last week…
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O’Malley’s closes, plans to reopen

Sylva’s pub-lovers got a shock this summer when a closed sign appeared on O’Malley’s Sports Bar and Grill June 2.
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Raleigh Roundup: Recess edition

During the long session of the North Carolina Legislature that recently concluded, hundreds of bills were again proposed, studied and…
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State charges dropped in Gatlinburg fires

State charges against the two teenagers arrested in connection with November’s deadly Gatlinburg fires have been dropped, but prosecution could…
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TDA fine-tunes its approach

Double-digit increases in both monthly and year-to-date tourist spending have the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority flush with cash, but…
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‘It’s five past five and time to jive’: Moonlighting mailman’s star won’t fade

As the sun rises over Papertown one bright morning in 1958, a 30-year-old African-American by the name of Nathaniel Lowery…
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Frog Level facelift: Funds flowing into streetscaping

With all the attention paid to downtown Waynesville’s bustling Main Street, the Frog Level Historic District is often overlooked by…
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Waynesville discretionary spending reveals trends

In each year’s budget, the Town of Waynesville makes discretionary special appropriations contributions to a plethora of local nonprofits that…
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Macon forms task force to fix fire service inconsistencies

Macon County Commissioners hope a newly established Fire Task Force will be able to create more consistency among the county’s…
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Forest management planning process moves forward

While a draft forest management plan is still nearly a year away, a group of recently released documents gives a…
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‘Disloyalty resolution’ allegedly targets five

In a story that sounds like it should have come out of Moscow in 1938 or Havana in 1961 rather…
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Election season begins for municipalities

As the candidate sign-up period for November’s municipal elections opens at noon on Friday, July 7, voters in most municipalities…
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Freshman enrollment at Western Carolina high for ‘17

The tuition reduction program N.C. Promise won’t go into effect until 2018, but its impending implementation could already be affecting…
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New traffic pattern on I-40 in Haywood County
 

New traffic pattern on I-40 in Haywood County

The present pains for drivers on Interstate 40 in Haywood County are temporary.
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STOP Act to combat opioid addiction
 

STOP Act to combat opioid addiction

The North Carolina Senate unanimously passed comprehensive legislation to combat the opioid addiction crisis that is plaguing the state.
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Celebrate Independence Day

Many generations of families look forward to the Fourth of July festivities at Lake Junaluska every year, and this year’s…
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Summit Charter plans $8 million expansion

Summit Charter School in Cashiers is planning to expand its K-8 operation to include high school as well, recently announcing…
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Armachain pleads not guilty

A bail bondsman who faces federal charges for sexual abuse of a minor has been detained at the Buncombe County…
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State budget fight comes down to the wire

Leaders in both the North Carolina House and Senate have reached consensus on a $23 billion fiscal year 2017-18 budget…
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Bellying up to the trough

Any local, state and federal budget typically includes what is technically called discretionary spending but is commonly known as “pork.”
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N.C. residents in for big tax cuts if budget passes

Assuming a legislative override of Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget veto — which happened as The Smoky Mountain News went to…
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Win some, lose some: State’s education spending gets mixed reviews

A legislative majority of House and Senate members have reached a state budget agreement, one that is providing nearly $700…
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Meadows fights for ARC

In what’s becoming a bit of a pattern for Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, he and his House Freedom Caucus aren’t…
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Senate health care bill panned by Meadows

The day after the Senate’s own version of a new health care bill came out, influential leader of the House…
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Waynesville’s serial entrepreneur: Richard Miller honored by chamber

Richard Miller may have received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce for 2017,…
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Cherokee considers needle exchange program

Cherokee hopes to combat the high Hepatitis C rates resulting from the heroin epidemic with a needle exchange program, aiming…
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Jackson awards $1.1 million contract for Skyland Services Center renovations

Work will soon begin on a remodel of Jackson County’s Skyland Services Center following commissioners’ unanimous approval of a $1.1…
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Meadows still pushing for North Shore funds

While Swain County pushes forward with a lawsuit against the federal government to collect $38.2 million it’s owed in settlement…
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Sinkhole in Sylva causes road closure

A leaking pipe in downtown Sylva has resulted in a sinkhole that’s had the road connecting the town’s main streets…
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Swain looks to Clampitt for help with capital funding

Swain County didn’t include any funding for capital projects in the 2017-18 budget, but commissioners are hopeful their state representative…
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FBI charges 12 with marriage fraud

Twelve people will face federal charges following an FBI investigation into an alleged marriage fraud ring based in Cherokee. 
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Moving the needle: Cashiers organizes to combat workforce development challenges

Spring can be a scramble at the High Hampton Inn and Country Club in Cashiers. Every year, after a long…
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Larger labor pool, longer season make Sylva hiring easier

With a bigger local labor pool and a tourism season that wraps around most of the year, hiring in Sylva…
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Help wanted: Haywood County employers need workers

Although Haywood County shares many economic similarities with Cashiers, it also sees challenges distinct from those of Jackson County.
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TWSA rates to rise

Customers of the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority will see their rates increase if the 2017-18 budget is adopted as…
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New Waynesville Publix development a go

A large-scale retail development featuring Lakeland, Florida-based grocer Publix as an anchor tenant moved forward without opposition after unanimous consent…
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New Haywood warning system a collaborative effort

Emergencies like the Gatlinburg fires of 2016 and simulated emergencies like last week’s Operation Vigilant Catamount in Canton have brought…
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Haywood extends manager contract
 

Haywood extends manager contract

Despite hiring challenges that persist across the region, Haywood County Commissioners had no trouble re-engaging a key employee June 19. 
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AMC earns awards for stroke care
 

AMC earns awards for stroke care

Angel Medical Center in Franklin is the recipient of three prestigious awards given by the American Heart Association and the…
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Macon commissioners split on budget approval

By Kurt J. Volker • Contributing Writer Following a somewhat contentious debate leading up to final budget approval, Macon County Commissioners…
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Fair, schmair — nonpartisan redistricting to forever languish?

Eminent figures have called for common sense, nonpartisan redistricting since even before Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry unwittingly lent his name…
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Swain budget hearing set for June 22

Swain County commissioners will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 22, to hear feedback from the community…
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