Longtime Canton board members reelected

The Town of Canton’s governing board has been through a lot in the last four years — with the 2021 flood and the 2023 closure of the town’s largest employer — but they must be doing a good job managing the chaos, as voters decided overwhelmingly to return Mayor Pro Temp Gail Mull and Alderman Ralph Hamlett for another term.

For Canton, challenges are opportunities

Despite all the important elections taking place in Western North Carolina this fall, there’s probably no other town with more on the line than Canton. 

Rotary clubs collect food for children in need

Haywood County’s three Rotary Clubs collected non-perishable food on Sept. 30 at the Canton and Waynesville Ingles locations.

Research to test for contamination near Canton mill property

A research project aiming to understand contamination levels outside the fence line of the now-shuttered Canton paper mill is likely to draw more than a quarter-million dollars in state funding to test soil, water and air samples nearby. 

Paper mill logs new violation: Investigation continues into black liquor seep

The now-shuttered paper mill in Canton has received a new violation for exceeding permit limits on toxicity for water released from the plant, continuing a pattern established over the last two years of averaging more than one notice of violation every two months. 

Plott-tober Fest to draw national competitors

Plott hound enthusiasts and their pups from across the United States will assemble to compete in bear bay and coon treeing contests, as well as a sanctioned UKC bench show as part of Plott-tober Fest in Canton from Oct. 5-8.

Haywood art studio tour

The Haywood County Arts Council’s annual “Haywood County Studio Tour” will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24. 

Help out with the Haywood Fair

The Haywood County Fair is coming up Sept. 28-Oct. 1, and the Home Economics Division is looking for volunteers to help handle the more than 350 entries expected for contests in preserved foods, home furnishings and more.

Down home radio: WPTL celebrates 60 years on the air

In the winter of 1978, Terryll Evans was a ninth grader in Orlando, Florida. But, by March, she and her family would pack up everything and move hundreds of miles away to the mountains of Haywood County — an unknown landscape for the teenager. 

Tillis looks towards the future in Canton

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis has taken a particular interest in Canton over the past few years, making multiple appearances in town after flooding in August 2021 and acting as a federal liaison during the ongoing paper mill shutdown saga. 

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