Fired jail employee says he warned of relationship between murder suspect and jailer
The Swain County sheriff and jail administrators were warned that a jailer who freed a double murder suspect March 21…
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Haywood proposes incentives for green business
Economic development officials have adopted a policy that will give business incentives to clean, renewable energy projects that locate in…
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Canton has new town manager: Lengthy search ends back where it started — with interim manager Matthews
After a search that has dragged on for more than a year, the Canton Board of Alderman has finally selected…
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New Sylva manager’s salary below state average of similar-sized towns
Though some are complaining that the salary for the recently hired Sylva town manager is high for her level of…
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New face on Waynesville board: Funeral home director fills Kenneth Moore’s seat
One would be be hard-pressed to find someone uttering anything but praise for new Waynesville Alderman Wells Greeley. The 6-foot,…
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Tight budget forces libraries to trim hours
In the latest tangible consequence of countywide budget cuts, the Haywood County Library system is scaling back hours at each…
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Haywood tourism board debates ‘Smokies’ slogan
Haywood County is having a bit of an identity crisis. The Tourism Development Authority touts the county as a place…
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Job hunt gets harder under double digit unemployment
Sitting in the Job Link site in Sylva looking for jobs on a computer database, Kathleen Codon of Cullowhee hit…
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Swain residents lock and load in wake of escaped murder suspect
Swain County residents are locking their doors and loading their guns after a suspect in a double homicide escaped from…
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Civil suit following toddler’s death blames DSS for failing to intervene
A lawsuit filed against the Haywood County Department of Social Services charging the agency could have prevented the death of…
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Heath Shuler: Too conservative for his party or right on the money?
He was endorsed by the Family Research Council for his pro-life stance and by the NRA for his support of…
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Ghost Town coaster opening faces big hurdles
Ghost Town investors are banking on finally getting the park’s Cliffhanger rollercoaster up and running in order to attract visitors…
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Cause of quarry slide undetermined
Federal investigators with the Mine Safety and Health Administration have still not determined the cause of a slide last week…
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New Sylva town manager brings planning background to the table
The Sylva Town Board on Friday voted 3-2 to hire a new town manager with a background in planning. The…
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Precarious boulder prompts creative action by DOT
There’s a big problem looming over a rural Swain County road — literally — and exactly how to solve it…
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Macon eyes steep slope ordinance
The Macon County Planning Board is in the beginning stages of developing an ordinance that would regulate development on steep…
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Macon runway likely to clear hurdle of cash shortfall
It appears an $853,000 shortfall facing the Macon County airport runway extension may be covered with additional state and federal…
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Airport officials hold private meeting about runway
Local, state and federal officials involved in the controversial Macon County Airport runway extension held a private meeting last week.…
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Duke Energy, Jackson argue cases in court
Duke Energy and Jackson County appeared in court Monday (March 16) to argue over permits related to the removal of…
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WCU announces faculty layoffs
Under a budget cut scenario announced last Friday (March 13), 31.75 employees will be laid off from Western Carolina University…
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Agencies, departments reeling from county budget cuts
Non-profit agencies and county departments in Haywood County are still reeling from massive budget cuts announced by commissioners last week.…
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Troubled park hopes to get back on feet
The dire state of finances at Maggie Valley Ghost Town in the Sky led the amusement park to file for…
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Jackson ponders solutions to dry wells
A Jackson County task force appointed last fall to develop solutions to water shortages caused by the drought presented its…
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Runway extension faces funding shortfall
The Macon County Airport Authority is short about $853,000 of what it needs to pay for a controversial runway extension,…
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Moonshiner dead in apparent suicide
Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, 62, was found dead of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a car near his Parrotsville, Tenn., residence,…
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Board members confused about McDevitt contract
Questions continue to follow former Smoky Mountain Center for Mental Health director Tom McDevitt — who resigned amid scrutiny last…
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Swain pushes Bryson fire department aside in turf war
Prominently displayed in the window of the Bryson City Fire Department last week were several signs with the same defiant…
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Churches pool to offer refuge for homeless in Sylva, Waynesville
A homeless shelter has opened in Sylva to provide an escape from the frigid nights. The shelter, located at Lifeway…
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Waynesville mourns passing of long-time alderman
Waynesville Alderman Kenneth Moore passed away Monday (March 2) after a heart attack. He was 74. Moore was the former…
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Canton town manager search drags on
There are just two candidates left in the bid to be Canton’s next town manager, but Mayor Pat Smathers said…
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Franklin man banned from bringing knife to church
A member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Franklin is prohibited from bringing his hunting knife to church after another…
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Artifacts endangered by airport project
When Neal Hoppe dies he wants his body cremated and his ashes spread over the Macon County Airport. “When I…
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Canton stuck in bidding quagmire
A flawed bidding process for a demolition job that left a local company out of the loop is causing a…
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Airport runway battle heats up in Macon: Cherokee fight to save artifacts from destruction
Emotions are sizzling over a plan to extend the Macon County Airport runway over Cherokee burial grounds and artifacts. At…
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New polling place to end Cherokee voters’ commute to Bryson
People in Cherokee will no longer have to drive or hitch rides into Bryson City to cast ballots during early…
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Angry residents call nuisance ordinance ‘a bunch of garbage’
A proposed Haywood County ordinance that prohibits various kinds of waste and junk was harshly criticized by speaker after speaker…
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MedWest celebrates local athletes
MedWest Health System will recognize outstanding athletes from Haywood, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and the Cherokee Reservation. The…
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Corbin to replace Davis on Macon board
Kevin Corbin has been named by the Macon County GOP to fill the seat on the county board of commissioners…
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Haywood book recognized by statewide historian society
“Haywood County: Portrait of a Mountain Community,” was awarded the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award and the President’s Award…
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Local leaders try to protect small farms
By Quintin Ellison and Colby Dunn William Shelton knows one positive aspect about losing his bid for re-election to the…
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Public input sought in chancellor search
Members of the public will have an opportunity to have their voices heard by the search committee that will help…
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Mast helps share the warmth this winter
With many neighbors being unemployed or underemployed and winter on the horizon, there’s even more need to share the warmth…
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Around and around they might go — Macon County eyed for roundabouts
It’s a dizzying prospect, but a group looking at future traffic patterns and demands in Macon County is considering including…
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Haywood Realtors weighing merger with Asheville board
It’s no secret that real estate isn’t what it used to be. It would be difficult to find an industry…
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Press Wars: Community newspapers thrive despite stagnant economy
It’s a Monday night in early November and the meeting is, in one word, boring. As a result of the…
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Luncheon changes locales due to interest
The Healthy Haywood Substance Abuse Action Team will hold a Prescription Drug Abuse Lunch and Learn from noon to 1:30…
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Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho it’s off to home we go
Farewells and hellos from Commissioner Tom Massie highlighted this week’s lame-duck county board meeting in Jackson County. The ousted elected…
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Waynesville adopts conditional zoning at Ingles’ request
Ingles is now one step closer to giving their Waynesville store a revamp, thanks to a decision taken by the…
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Does working for the government give workers a free pass to carry a gun?
Chances are, the identity of your garbage truck driver doesn’t always cross your mind. You probably give him a friendly…
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Dillsboro Cat-Dash, Nov. 18
Guided by tweets and freshly made maps, Western Carolina University students will race against the clock, and each other, in…
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