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Fire department funding debate heats up in Jackson
 

Fire department funding debate heats up in Jackson

Jackson County commissioners may be looking to change how fire departments are funded.
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Drawing the line between panhandling and charity at Franklin’s intersections
 

Drawing the line between panhandling and charity at Franklin’s intersections

A group of folks allegedly raising funds on behalf of an out-of-state church have sparked complaints and questions from Franklin…
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Duke rate hike beats the drum of fossil fuel power production
 

Duke rate hike beats the drum of fossil fuel power production

Well raise my electric bill … again. Duke Energy is looking to hike its rates by nearly 10 percent.
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Beloved amusement park brought back to life one piece at a time
 

Beloved amusement park brought back to life one piece at a time

Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park is scheduled to kick off its 2013 season Memorial Day weekend, thanks to…
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Will Holder Branch hold? Double landslides make residents uneasy
 

Will Holder Branch hold? Double landslides make residents uneasy

Twice in one week, the mountainside along Holder Branch Road in Canton slid away — and that was twice too…
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Landslide protocol: a muddied affair
 

Landslide protocol: a muddied affair

The tragic death of a railroad worker investigating a fresh landslide along a rail line last week highlighted the hidden,…
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Cherokee casino hits earning milestone
 

Cherokee casino hits earning milestone

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort’s bottom line is improving steadily each year as the nation continues to recover from the…
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The long and short of it: Space crunch leads to cosmetology waiting lists
 

The long and short of it: Space crunch leads to cosmetology waiting lists

About 30 cosmetology students stand at their individual workstations cutting, coloring and chatting; they are elbow-to-elbow and back-to-back, cramped as…
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Macon commissioner duo wants to spend down savings to bring on tax cuts
 

Macon commissioner duo wants to spend down savings to bring on tax cuts

Two tight-pocketed Macon County commissioners, who have voted consistently against all sorts of new government spending, have decided to go…
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Cashiers sewer plant at capacity, but only on paper
 

Cashiers sewer plant at capacity, but only on paper

Sewage and what to do with it has posed a complicated set of problems for the community of Cashiers —…
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Upfront costs don’t deter plans for Cashiers ABC store
 

Upfront costs don’t deter plans for Cashiers ABC store

Jackson County leaders are moving ahead with plans to open a liquor store in Cashiers, despite up to $200,000 in…
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Macon School leaders ask county for bailout, or harmful cuts are imminent
 

Macon School leaders ask county for bailout, or harmful cuts are imminent

Macon County Schools are facing a $2 million budget shortfall and are hoping the county will come to the rescue.…
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Walmart debate prompts Sylva to consider more flexible sign rules
 

Walmart debate prompts Sylva to consider more flexible sign rules

Walmart in Sylva was asking for the town board to grant them an exemption for a larger storefront sign. But…
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HCC makes pitch for continued building plan
 

HCC makes pitch for continued building plan

Haywood Community College has asked for more than $1.4 million from the county for building and renovations projects on campus…
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News notes from Cherokee
 

News notes from Cherokee

State of housing in Cherokee to be surveyed A federal study researching housing conditions on Indian reservations across the U.S.…
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Price tag inches up on Cherokee jail and justice center
 

Price tag inches up on Cherokee jail and justice center

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Tribal Council took issue with a construction budget increase for the tribe’s…
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Walking the dog: The trials and tribulations of being homeless in Haywood
 

Walking the dog: The trials and tribulations of being homeless in Haywood

Standing next to Louis “Louie” Bing, you’d never know he was homeless. While waiting for a cup of coffee at City Bakery…
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Cops in schools offer more than peace of mind
 

Cops in schools offer more than peace of mind

At first blush, Officer Nan Tritt looks like any other cop. She wears a badge and a gun, and the…
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Haywood weighs cost-benefit of more school cops
 

Haywood weighs cost-benefit of more school cops

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners have made it clear that without a property tax increase, funding is unlikely for…
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MedWest-Haywood board change averts potential for tie votes ahead of controversial decision
 

MedWest-Haywood board change averts potential for tie votes ahead of controversial decision

The 10-person Haywood Regional Medical Center board will now include an 11th member. The Haywood Board of Commissioners Monday approved…
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Bring on the tourists
 

Bring on the tourists

This week is Travel and Tourism Week in Haywood County. The Haywood County Board of Commissioners Monday officially dubbed May…
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Bill would weaken newspapers as conduit for government oversight
 

Bill would weaken newspapers as conduit for government oversight

Haywood County commissioners weighed the merits of saving money versus government transparency this week. State law requires counties and towns…
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New courthouse landscape to be less lush, more spartan
 

New courthouse landscape to be less lush, more spartan

A new landscape plan for the Haywood County historic courthouse is mostly devoid of large shade trees, in stark contrast…
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Landslide kills railroad worker
 

Landslide kills railroad worker

A Waynesville man who works for Norfolk Southern Railway was buried and killed by a landslide in the middle of…
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Canton residents trapped after landslide blocks road
 

Canton residents trapped after landslide blocks road

A landslide east of Canton took out a dirt road early Monday morning following two solid days of unceasing rains,…
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Some scarlet tanagers are orange
 

Some scarlet tanagers are orange

Last Saturday, I led a bird identification workshop for the Smoky Mountain Field School. We started out in the morning…
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Park reopens trails damaged by tornado
 

Park reopens trails damaged by tornado

Two trails that have been closed since 2011 after receiving extensive damage from a tornado in the western end of…
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Market vendors get shelter form the storm
 

Market vendors get shelter form the storm

The Haywood County Health Department pitched in and gave away tents, tables, coolers and other equipment to vendors at area…
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French Broad trail map comes online
 

French Broad trail map comes online

For paddlers looking to master the French Broad River, a new map is available online detailing the river’s paddle trail.…
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Get ready for 12 hours of Tsali
 

Get ready for 12 hours of Tsali

A grueling, 12-hour mountain bike race will be held from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the…
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Azaleas in full bloom in Stecoah
 

Azaleas in full bloom in Stecoah

The azalea garden at Stecoah Valley Center is in full bloom, but will only be for the next few weeks.…
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Volunteers needed at Pisgah wildlife center
 

Volunteers needed at Pisgah wildlife center

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is seeking volunteers to help at its Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education to accommodate a…
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Haywood soccer season kicks off
 

Haywood soccer season kicks off

Haywood County is now signing up players for its adult summer soccer leagues. 
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Park releases new species of predator beetles
 

Park releases new species of predator beetles

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is planning to release two new predatory beetles to stop the spread of the…
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Fishing class conjures images of Brad Pitt and leaping carp
 

Fishing class conjures images of Brad Pitt and leaping carp

Ever since I first watched Brad Pitt fly fishing in the film “The River Runs Through It,” I knew I…
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Water cents
 

Water cents

What falls freely from the sky, rumbles, swooshes, rolls, trickles across the planet; seeps into the earth beneath our feet…
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Advocates want to save little-known old growth pockets
 

Advocates want to save little-known old growth pockets

Hidden among the expanse of forestland in Western North Carolina are little-known pockets of trees that are several centuries old.…
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A rural bookstore that beat the odds
 

A rural bookstore that beat the odds

“Bookshops are magic.” This quotation, buried in the middle of Wendy Welch’s The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A…
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Thea & The GreenMan and artist reception planned in Bryson
 

Thea & The GreenMan and artist reception planned in Bryson

A folk concert and artist reception will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Swain…
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Find the perfect gem for Mother’s Day at Gemboree
 

Find the perfect gem for Mother’s Day at Gemboree

The Mother’s Day Gemboree will run from May 10-12 at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. Doors will be…
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A hopping weekend in and around Froglevel
 

A hopping weekend in and around Froglevel

Haywood Square to host block party A day of festivities for “Customer Appreciation Day” will be held from 10 a.m.…
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Haywood Art Council welcomes brass quintet for Sunday concert series
 

Haywood Art Council welcomes brass quintet for Sunday concert series

The Pyramid Brass Quintet will play at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville as…
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Waynesville Rec center to throw ‘Spring Fling’ kids’ bash
 

Waynesville Rec center to throw ‘Spring Fling’ kids’ bash

The annual “Spring Fling” will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Waynesville Recreation…
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Franklin celebrates ‘Airing of the Quilts’
 

Franklin celebrates ‘Airing of the Quilts’

The annual “Airing of the Quilts” festival will be held May 10-11 in downtown Franklin. The event will feature an…
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Habitat for Humanity recovers store treasure
 

Habitat for Humanity recovers store treasure

A valuable piece of the history of the Rickman General Store in Macon County is back in its original home…
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Jackson Arts Council contributes to musician fund
 

Jackson Arts Council contributes to musician fund

Jackson County Arts Council has arranged to donate the money collected in honor of the late Ray Menze to the…
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Craft beer and canines in Frog Level
 

Craft beer and canines in Frog Level

A Dogs and Suds fundraiser for Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 16,…
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WCU professor nominated for Tony Award
 

WCU professor nominated for Tony Award

Broadway star and Western Carolina University Musical Theatre Professor Terrence Mann was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his…
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Making crafts of the past come alive
 

Making crafts of the past come alive

In order to have a clear vision of the future, one must cherish the traditions of the past.  “Southern Appalachian…
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Sen. Davis going way too far to the right
 

Sen. Davis going way too far to the right

To the Editor: Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and his extreme right-wing partisans have no problem wasting taxpayer money as long…
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