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A resolution that would have negated a 2007 vote to up Tribal Council’s pay by $10,000 was withdrawn last week…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
The present pains for drivers on Interstate 40 in Haywood County are temporary.
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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
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
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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