Morning closures for I-40 start Friday
Starting Friday, July 10, blasting operations will cause temporary morning closures on a rural stretch of Interstate 40 in Haywood…
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Maggie moves forward with or without Ghost Town
Illuminated neon lettering indicated full occupancy on many of the hotels in Maggie Valley during the Fourth of July weekend.…
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Swain residents want common sense animal control
Swain County is one of only two counties in North Carolina that doesn’t have any type of animal control ordinance,…
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Jackson NAACP holds vigil for victims of Charleston massacre
Nearly 100 people gathered on June 24 below the steps of the old Jackson County courthouse in Sylva for a…
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Mini-park comes to Mill Street
Begonias are blooming and umbrella-shadowed tables awaiting lunchtime as the finishing touches go into the newly renovated Depot Park in…
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Jackson tourism agency considers director hire
Jackson County’s getting closer to having a director in place to handle the day-to-day needs of its tourism agency with…
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Oil cleanup in Cherokee to be a long process
A riverside petroleum leak in Cherokee has had cleanup crews scrambling since contamination was first discovered in April — and…
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Webster looks to highlight town history with walking tour
Webster may be just a little town of fewer than 400 people, but its buildings tell the tale of a…
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Man dead after taking shots at Franklin officers
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations is conducting an investigation after a man was killed during a June 30…
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Three Sylva sites identified for possible homeless shelter
A plan to create a homeless shelter next to Mark Watson Park in Sylva is dead, but Jackson Neighbors in…
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New signs will bring greenways under one banner
Finding the patchwork of greenway paths scattered across Haywood County is a bit like a scavenger hunt.
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Ghost Town will remain closed for 2015
Despite aiming for a July opening, Ghost Town in the Sky will stay closed for the entire 2015 season.
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Three on the ballot so far in Sylva elections
Signups for town elections opened Monday, but as of Tuesday afternoon only three people had put their hat in the…
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Main Street Realty ends 33-year run, merges with Beverly-Hanks
Main Street Realty, one of the oldest and last remaining independent real estate firms in Haywood County, is closing its…
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Franklin outdoors camp helps military kids heal from loss
It was an intense few days for Virginia Beach, Virginia, resident Seth. Eight miles of hiking, 4.5 of those bushwhacking,…
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Election talk starts in Sylva
When election candidate sign-ups begin next week, at least one town board member plans on putting her hat in the…
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Sylva wheel lock ordinance OK, state says
Sylva police can now start enforcing a town ordinance aimed at paring down the number of unpaid parking tickets, thanks…
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Call me maybe: Catchy case of indecision circulating among Waynesville candidates
There’s a unifying theme among candidates in the Waynesville town board election: “maybe-ism.”
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Buckle up: N.C. may no longer require driver education
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern Young drivers in North Carolina may no longer be required to take driver education to…
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Younger candidates encouraged to run for Franklin board
It was clear from the 2013 election results in Franklin that voters wanted change. The 2015 Franklin election will determine…
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Longtime aldermen seek second term in Bryson City
Two longtime Bryson City aldermen plan to run for another term in office, and so far only one possible name…
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Jackson tourism board discusses how to improve new grant award system
Jackson County’s tourism association has had a lot of things to figure out since its formation in 2012. Not least…
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Swain increases budget, maintains same tax rate
Swain County Board of Commissioners approved a $14 million budget last week with little discussion or debate.
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Making it matter: the new paradigm behind Haywood’s tourism grants
There was something markedly absent from the nearly $300,000 in tourism grants awarded by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority…
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Sylva to take public comment on two-way Main Street
Ask around downtown Sylva, and it’s not hard to find someone with an opinion about traffic. Main Street should be…
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Some alcohol permits could now be allowed in Cherokee
In Cherokee, alcohol could soon be available in more places than just Harrah’s Cherokee Casino following Gov. Pat McCrory’s signature…
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Jail suicide investigation on D.A.’s desk
An investigative report looking into the March suicide of Steve Ross, who at the time was incarcerated at the Jackson…
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The golden children: Bolivian orphanage fosters international bond with Western North Carolina
It’s 6:30 in the morning when 24 hours of travel ends with the plane’s landing in Bolivia, but even through…
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The joy of cooking
That last full day in Tacachia, I didn’t have energy for much besides sinking into my wooden chair while waiting…
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U.S. Mint to launch Blue Ridge Parkway quarter
Join officials from the United States Mint and the National Park Service for the launch of the quarter honoring Blue…
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Building a home: A timeline of Kory Wawanaca
2003 Carrie Blackburn Brown, who eventually founded Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home, graduated from Appalachian State University with degrees in dance…
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Roller derby a big hit in the mountains
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern No hitting, punching, elbowing or tripping people — and definitely no biting or yelling at…
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Rep. Meadows ousted from chairmanship
U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, recently paid the political price for not toeing his party line.
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Cashiers cell tower application pulled
A week after a contentious planning board meeting discussing the merits of a proposed new cell tower in Cashiers, the…
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Jackson approves audit contract for code enforcement office
Questions about how well the Jackson County Permitting and Code Enforcement Department has been executing its responsibilities prompted commissioners to…
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Schools feeding more students for free
Free lunch is becoming a more common phenomenon around Western North Carolina as school systems start adopting a new federal…
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Maggie Valley welcomes new restaurant
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern When his restaurant doors are open, Chris Chagnon keeps busy, playing the role of owner,…
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Candidates call for a Canton comeback
After two years of getting a feel for Canton politics, two Canton aldermen hope to continue their work for another…
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Maggie mayor may have competitor in election
The political dynamics in Maggie Valley have definitely changed in the last two years.
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Legislature weakens voter ID requirement
In an unexpected turn of events, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation last Thursday that will allow people to…
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Wrong bear killed by rangers following Smokies attack
A bear euthanized following an attack against a backpacker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was not the right…
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Shining Rock charter announces change in location for coming school year
A new charter school slated to open in Haywood in August has been scrambling the past few weeks to find…
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Big boots to fill: Beloved backcountry trailblazer dies during solo hike
A wonderful writer. A fearless explorer. A fascinating person. An endless optimist.
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A painful problem: Haywood teams up to fight prescription drug abuse
Recently recovered from rotator cuff surgery, Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher hasn’t popped a single prescription pain pill since the…
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Enrollment numbers down for Haywood charter school
A new charter school opening in Haywood County has downwardly revised its projected student count for the coming school year.
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Canton Planning Board considers building maintenance ordinance
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern The Canton Planning Board is considering a building maintenance ordinance that would regulate downtown commercial…
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Fireworks on for Sylva
For the first time in seven years, Sylva residents will be able to watch Fourth of July festivities from downtown.
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Proposed Cashiers cell tower draws debate
A proposal to put in a new cell tower a half-mile from the Cashiers crossroads has sparked heated debate between…
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Student housing development gets the green light in Cullowhee
After nearly four years of trying, a Charlotte-based development company has gotten the OK to build a high-end student housing…
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Epsom salt empire rising: Giles Chemical plans new warehouse
Business is booming for a Waynesville factory that mixes and packages Epsom salt. Giles Chemical has doubled its employees over the…
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