Swain jail being investigated for excessive force
One deputy is under investigation while another has resigned after allegations surfaced regarding excessive force being used on inmates at…
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Macon library supporters rally for more funding
Macon County commissioners weren’t exactly sure what to expect when they saw Thing 1 and Thing 2 sitting in the…
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Public expresses support for voter ID rules, not the law
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern The North Carolina State Board of Elections held a public hearing last Thursday to allow…
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Lake Junaluska merger still stuck on a roller coaster in Raleigh
The merger of Lake Junaluska with the town of Waynesville cleared a critical milestone in the N.C. General Assembly last…
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DNA confirmation still pending for euthanized bear following attack
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park hope a bear they caught and killed last week is the same…
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Ghost Town aims for July 2 opening
After lying dormant for the winter, Ghost Town in the Sky was once again showing signs of life last week…
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Ghost Town lacks ride inspections in advance of July opening
The clock is ticking for Ghost Town in the Sky entertainment park in Maggie Valley to get its humble trio…
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UPDATED: Rangers hope to hunt down bear involved in weekend attack
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shot a bear Tuesday that they believe is the same one that…
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Lost hikers home safe
A mother and son are back to safety after spending a night lost in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. …
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Bus driver scares shooters away from school
If Alice Bradley hadn’t been warming up her school bus at 5 a.m. last Thursday before heading out on her…
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Lambert comes out ahead in Cherokee primaries
As results poured in from the Primary Election for an open chief’s seat, Patrick Lambert’s campaign came out a clear…
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Swain sheriff requests $20,000 pay raise
Swain County Commissioners denied a $20,000 pay raise request from Sheriff Curtis Cochran during a recent budget workshop.
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Father, son escape after bear attack in the Park
A father-and-son backpacking expedition in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park took a terrifying turn when the teenage boy was…
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Confusion surrounds events of unprovoked bear attack
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern A bear attack that happened Saturday night in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has…
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Bear hunters’ claims of entrapment gain traction, congressional inquiry launched
The tactics of state and federal wildlife officers in a multi-year undercover sting targeting bear hunters continue to come under…
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Term of WCU trustee comes to a close
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern Teresa Williams’ eight years on Western Carolina University’s Board of Trustees has come to a…
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High cost estimate likely to sideline ag center project
A plan to turn the old Drexel furniture factory in Whittier into a Mecca of resources for small-time farmers and…
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Jackson considering contract for landslide mapping
Four years after a state landslide mapping project for Jackson County was axed midstream, the commissioners are moving toward a…
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Swain officials want more face time with park superintendent
Swain County officials are hoping new leadership in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park means the start of a new…
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Local NAACP members still fighting for voters
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern It may be too late to change North Carolina’s new voting laws, but it’s not…
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Cherokee tribe signs instructional agreement with UNC
Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will have free opportunities to attend UNC Asheville as part of an…
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Cherokee Preservation Foundation director resigns
Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, submitted her resignation to the board and staff effective July…
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Dispute over Cherokee pay raises headed for court
A group of Cherokee people angry over Tribal Council’s decision last fall to give itself a 15 percent pay raise…
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Jail deficiencies in November suicide, report finds
Following discovery that a March suicide in the Jackson County Detention Center had occurred during an 85-minute gap in jailers’…
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Swain asks SCC for more programs, better communication
In addition to wanting more curriculum classes offered for residents, Swain County commissioners want better representation on the Southwestern Community…
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Swain to beef up courtroom security
Swain County commissioners know they need to address security concerns at the county administrative building in Bryson City, but they…
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All eyes on promised parley between Frog Level merchants and Open Door
Waynesville town leaders plan to broker a sit-down between Frog Level merchants and the Open Door soup kitchen in coming…
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WCU students charged in off-campus fight
A pair of Western Carolina University fraternity brothers are facing assault charges after student Zach Denson left an off-campus party…
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Four arrested for illegal fishing
Four men from Buncombe and Henderson counties are facing a slew of Class 3 misdemeanor charges after officers with the…
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Angel Medical takes over mental patient supervision
Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland has found some recent budget relief since Angel Medical Center took over supervising mental health…
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Better communication a must for Main Street, Sylva merchants say
Improving communication between the Main Street Association and downtown merchants was the goal of a survey sent out to merchants…
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New restaurant hopes to bring foot traffic back to downtown Canton
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern A great restaurant at a great location in a great town — it’s all part…
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WCU students react to NC voting law changes
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern Some opponents of North Carolina’s new voting law claim it negatively impacts college students because…
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Be prepared at the polls: Voting changes are coming in 2016
The days of simply walking into a polling place and casting a ballot are over.
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Waynesville walks the line at budget time
The town of Waynesville has rolled out a budget plan for the coming fiscal year that’s nearly identical to the…
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Large declines in animal volume question need for new shelter
A new animal shelter is in the works in Haywood County despite a major decline in the number of stray…
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Paradigm shift afoot as Haywood plans new animal shelter
A new $3 million animal shelter on the horizon in Haywood County has become a catalyst for a philosophical shift…
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One tote at a time: Waynesville woman takes aim at human trafficking — by selling tote bags
Two short years ago, Fay Grant was living on the other side of the country, a professional music editor for…
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A new bistro opens in Dillsboro
By Katie Reeder • SMN intern A taste of Greece arrived in Dillsboro last week with the opening of Coach’s.
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District judge receives HCC alum award
District Court Judge Donna Forga received Haywood Community College’s Outstanding Alumni Award for 2015.
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Jackson budget focuses on school spending, savings and personnel
Jackson County residents will avoid a tax hike for one more year, if commissioners choose to adopt the proposed budget…
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Lower values lead to higher taxes in Macon
Macon County property taxes will be going up next year as the value of property values has decreased by almost…
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Western could get largest share of proposed state infrastructure bond
Of all the constructions on Western Carolina University’s campus, the distinctly non-glamorous Natural Sciences Building might have seemed like an…
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Raleigh comes to Sylva in support of historic tax credit bill
If traffic seemed a bit slow through downtown Sylva on Friday (May 22), it probably had something to do with…
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Filling Station scales up: Owners eye expansion opportunities
If you’re going to do something, do it right. That is Barry and Helene Tetrault’s motto, and that is exactly what…
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Oasis Shriners celebration coming to Maggie Valley
The Oasis Shriners will be taking over Maggie Valley next weekend as they hold their Spring Ceremonial at the festival…
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Fire tax approved for southern Jackson County
Mark Jones has never voted for a tax increase before, but the Jackson County Commissioner joined the rest of the…
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Jackson to contract audit of permitting department
Jackson County Commissioners were upset to discover last week that no one’s been enforcing the county’s mountain and hillside development…
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Taking the good with the bad
Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick remembers many Haywood County budget hearings in which the public was absent from the process, but that…
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