Learn from the experts: Tourism conference to focus on festival success
Tourism is a huge topic with a major impact on Western North Carolina’s economy. Western Carolina University will host the…
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Break-in reported at Swain election office
No personal voter identification information was found missing following a break-in at the Swain County Board of Elections Office in…
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Evergreen undergoes costly clean up of coal stacks under new air pollution rules
The smokestacks at Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton will be significantly cleaner within four years thanks to $50 million…
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Jail death sparks state investigations
It was about 5:15 p.m. on March 13 and Mark Leamon, a jailer at the Jackson County Jail, was in…
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SCC plans for Macon campus expansion
Dr. Don Tomas likes to be ahead of the curve. As Southwestern Community College celebrates 50 years, Tomas, who has…
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SCC celebrates 50 years; public invited to learn about programs
Southwestern Community College is celebrating its 50th year by inviting the public to see all the programs being offered to…
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Smoking now banned on Haywood property
All tobacco products will soon be banned from being used on county-owned property in Haywood County. Commissioners approved an amendment…
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Business is bustling in downtown Waynesville
Downtown Waynesville has had a flurry of changes lately. As previous tenants move out, new ones move in and improvements…
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Macon passes noise ordinance
Macon County commissioners realize they can’t make everyone happy, but they hope some residents can now get some sleep with…
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Macon dodges insurance fund deficit
More than 400 Macon County employees and their families will see a reduction in health care coverage and an increase…
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Haywood exempt from emissions tests
Emissions tests for cars and trucks are no longer necessary to protect air quality in more than half the counties…
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The Terrace at Lake Junaluska Grand Opening Celebration
The grand opening celebration for The Terrace at Lake Junaluska is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in The…
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Possum Drop returns to Raleigh
For the third year in a row, opossums are making their way to the political scene in the N.C. General…
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Sylva considers two-way traffic on Main Street
Town commissioners are once again mulling over the question of two-way traffic in downtown Sylva with the conclusion of a…
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From a mustard seed: Churches get gardening to fight hometown hunger
June Johnson’s foray into the world of gardening began in the dead of winter. A sunny January day last year…
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Waynesville pulls the plug on housing commerce, tourism agencies in old town hall
A plan to turn Waynesville’s old town hall into a visitor center and the headquarters for a suite of tourism,…
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Swain retirement dispute referred to state
When the Swain County Board of Elections didn’t get the response it wanted from the county commissioners, it decided to…
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Food trucks to roll into Canton
Tina Tuten was in tears when she left the Canton Board of Alderman meeting last week, but luckily for her…
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Teachers fight to restore public education funds
Third-grade teacher Carolyn Cope deals with many stresses day in and day out —making sure her students are happy and…
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New ER and operating rooms in the works for Jackson and Swain hospitals
Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital have finally settled on new names following the purchase of the hospitals by…
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Waynesville ditches Duke for new power supplier
Waynesville has emerged victorious in a nail-baiting quest for cheaper wholesale power to resell to its own electric customers.
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Race is on for tribal elections: Hicks not seeking re-election
Cherokee will have a new chief when Election Day concludes this September. Principal Chief Michell Hicks, who is serving his…
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Fracking fight ropes in national environmental organization
Jackson County Commissioners have voiced their opposition to fracking in the mountains loud and clear, and now they’ve signed an…
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Fracking rules go into effect
The way is now open for oil and gas companies to start drilling in North Carolina, but no wells are…
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Judge rules harassing emails not tantamount to cyber stalking in Haywood GOP drama
A Haywood County political operative and local government critic was cleared of alleged cyberstalking charges in court last week. Monroe…
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Conference digs toward the root of hunger in WNC
Sharing food can be a simple thing. Like passing a bag of trail mix to the hiking buddy who forgot…
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A noble cause on the surface, Waynesville’s smoking ban on sidewalks is fraught with what-ifs
Waynesville leaders are wrestling over how far to go with a smoking ban in public spaces. The proposed ban would…
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Haywood GOP insider charged with cyberstalking party volunteer
Editor's note: The cyberstalking allegations against Monroe Miller were dismissed by a judge following court testimony on March 24, 2015. Monroe…
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The logging legacy unchained: In Serena, Rash lays bare the real story of the Smokies timber boom
It’s been nearly a century since the logging boom swept across Appalachia, but the story is timeless, forever engraved on…
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SCC to give scholarships at open house
Free food, giveaways and the opportunity to win scholarships and other prizes will be a part of Southwestern Community College’s…
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Brett Woods named SCC Foundation director
Brett Woods has been hired to serve as director of the Southwestern Community College Foundation. Woods brings more than 15…
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Highlands-Cashiers Hospital receives new beds
Highlands-Cashiers Hospital has received a generous contribution to purchase five state-of-the-art beds that improve the care for patients at the…
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Waynesville to drop back and punt on no-smoking zones
A public hearing on whether to ban smoking in public spaces in Waynesville — including outdoors — was held Tuesday…
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Former Swain County clerk charged with embezzlement
Former Swain County Clerk of Court employee Rita Robinson Walls has been charged with embezzling $33,283 from the state in…
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School fundraiser gets family hiking
Nancy East, a member of Shining Rock Classical Academy’s board, has rallied her family to an experience-full fundraiser to gather…
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Charter school finds a home
After signing a five-year lease for a 29-acre property on Ratcliffe Cove Road, just past the traffic circle in Waynesville,…
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Front-door security coming to Jackson Justice Center
Security upgrades are on the way at the Jackson County Justice Center, but commissioners have decided to hold off on…
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Sylva parking rules land in the Legislature
A parking enforcement ordinance in Sylva is making an appearance in the state Legislature.
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Jackson County residents gear up for assault against unsightly roadsides
If Lisa Muscillo has a superpower, it’s probably her ability to zero in on roadside litter, no matter how well…
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Sidelined rewrite of steep slope rules not going anywhere fast
A stalled rewrite of Jackson County’s steep slope development rules will remain stalled for months, or even longer.
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Public gets chance to weigh in on noise proposal
Macon County commissioners appear to be amenable to the planning board’s proposed plan to deal with nuisance noise, but the…
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Macon to purchase additional landfill property
Macon County is taking the final steps to expand its landfill life expectancy by 60 years, likely the last expansion…
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Critics be damned, I’m watching it anyway
There are plenty of Ron Rash fans who have been waiting — and waiting — for “Serena” the movie to…
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Hollywood take on novel a flop?
Just because something looks good on paper doesn’t mean it’ll work in method. Case in point, the new Hollywood film…
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Serena a thrilling mix of history and fiction for locals in the know
Little bits of local lore riddle the pages of Ron Rash’s Serena. “As a fiction writer I know I am…
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Evergreen clinic, pharmacy open for another month
Evergreen Packaging Family Pharmacy and Family Medical Center in Canton announced that it has received an extension to stay open…
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Haywood’s paper mill emerges as the blue-collar mainstay
There’s good news in the marketplace for Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton.
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Trash or treasure?
Denver Blaylock sees nothing wrong with his junkyard that straddles U.S. 276 in the Cruso area of Haywood County.
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Food truck trend traveling to Canton
Downtown Canton could have more food options if the town board approves allowing food trucks to set up shop.
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Lake Junaluska merger bill racks up endorsements
Elected government leaders in Haywood County have lined up behind a state bill to add Lake Junaluska to Waynesville’s town…
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