Swain passes moratorium on utility projects
The setting may have been humble –– a nondescript meeting room in a county administration building –– but the Swain…
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Maggie may get on board with county erosion control
The Town of Maggie Valley recently transferred the responsibility for building inspections to Haywood County. Now, Maggie is considering handing…
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Library friends reveal interior design plans
The construction of the new Jackson County Main Library has been a community-driven project all along, and last week the…
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Sewer dispute could help redefine TWASA’s mission
A Sylva sewer line that overflowed on a residential property last month has sparked a difference of opinion between the…
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Plans underway for second Waynesville ABC store
Buying alcohol will become a lot more convenient for residents in Haywood County. For the first time in 43 years,…
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Ghost Town faces June deadline to stave off foreclosure
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park could be foreclosed on as early as June unless investors step forward with…
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Elder abuse case shines light on larger issue
If you believe people usually get what they deserve, then the recent conviction of a Jackson County man on elder…
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Cherokee hospital uses art to build community
When the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians took over the Cherokee Indian Hospital from the Indian Health Service in 2002,…
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Cullowhee school grows beyond expectations
Landmark Learning based in Jackson County offers 80 courses a year providing wilderness medical training to 2,000 people across all…
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Haywood health board gets more than it bargains for
A proposed health board rule in Haywood County has reignited a debate about how far officials can go when it…
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Sylva woman shares experience of Chile earthquake
Sylva resident Susannah Patty thought her trip to Chile would be an adventure, but she didn’t count on living through…
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Volunteers fight to save animals from euthanasia
Thousands of animals end up in the shelters of Western North Carolina each year, and a small group of volunteers,…
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No relief for crowded schools
Despite using every nook and cranny available, Swain County schools are still struggling to track down classroom space for its…
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Sylva pedestrian plan takes shape
The Town of Sylva finalized an agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation last week that clears the way for…
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Fighting hunger, one bowl at a time
Fill a bowl, feed a soul, and help fight hunger with a warm heart and a full stomach. The second…
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Tract with road side views of Cowee Mound conserved
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee has saved a key tract from development along the Little Tennessee River near…
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Sylva board blesses Community Table move
Community Table, Sylva’s nonprofit community kitchen, has outgrown its existing facility and is targeting a move to the town’s now-vacant…
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Maggie Valley to compel Ghost Town to stabilize lingering slide threat
Ghost Town is far from off the hook for repairing the latest landslide in Maggie Valley. The Rich Cove slide…
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Waynesville on target with sidewalk construction
Waynesville is a leader when it comes walkable communities, according to a consultant hired to develop a long-range pedestrian plan…
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Dixie dog transport saves lives
With the euthanasia rate at area shelters fluctuating between 50 and 70 percent, animal rescue advocates are literally going the…
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SBA spreads the wealth wide and far in I-40 rockslide loans
The U.S. Small Business Administration plans to hand over more than $1.4 million in disaster relief loans to a host…
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County reluctant to foot the bill for Maggie landslide clean up costs
Haywood County commissioners are reluctant to hand over taxpayer money to stabilize the latest landslide in Maggie Valley — even…
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Landowner dismayed N.C. 107 bridge widening will claim archaeology site
A Cherokee archaeological site spanning from at least 6,000 years ago to the 18th century stands in the way of…
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Sylva may be stuck with cell tower
The Sylva Town Board opposes the construction of a 195-foot-high cellular communications tower on the main commercial drag of N.C.…
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Beating bugs the natural way
It all started with a stranger’s death. At the time, Carl Hughes was working as a construction supervisor for the…
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Budget cuts put fairgrounds in a bind, forcing county back to the table
With a large loan payment looming and not enough money to pay it, the fairgrounds turned to Haywood commissioners this…
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Swain County moratorium could stop Duke substation
Swain County has entered the fight over Duke Energy’s proposed electrical substation that would mar views in a rural farming…
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Tapping the power of the sun
Progress Energy customers can now claim a fraction of their power comes from the sun. A new solar farm is…
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Family hopes elder abuse case will help future victims
The conviction of former Jackson County employee Marc Hawk on elder abuse charges last month closed the book on a…
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Delays in rock slide cleanup push back I-40 opening
Harsh winter weather has delayed the reopening of Interstate 40 until late April, according to the North Carolina Department of…
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DOT plans ahead to stave off slides
Rather than continuing a reactive approach to rockslides on Interstate 40, the DOT is making a widespread effort to prevent…
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Rickman Store celebrates 85 years
A community-wide open house celebration featuring a full day of entertainment and cultural events will mark the 85th anniversary of…
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EPA takes aim at Canton paper mill
A water pollution permit for the Canton paper mill has come under fire by the Environmental Protection Agency. The pollution…
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Macon Airport runway extension faces more questions
Macon County Airport Authority members are confident their application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving forward, but…
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Maggie debates how steep is too steep for cyber sweepstakes fees
Business owners with cyber sweepstakes machines in Maggie Valley received both good and bad news last week. Luckily for them,…
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Sylva market changes local foodscape
Armed with an e-newsletter and an indefatigable entrepreneurial spirit, Eric Hendrix is determined to bring the fruits of the ocean…
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Rare confluence of events sets the stage for courtroom shake up
It’s a watershed year for the legal community in Western North Carolina as attorneys gear up for a hotly contested…
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County and architect cross wires on library fee
Last week a confused set of Jackson County commissioners learned their new library may cost more money than they thought,…
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Trash down, recycling up
The recession has been good news for landfills. Due to the economic downturn, less trash was thrown in landfills in…
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Landfills hustle to catch tainted rain water before it seeps away
When it comes to landfills, rain isn’t just inconvenient — it’s dangerous. In 2009, the White Oak landfill in Haywood…
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Duke, Cherokee meeting opens dialogue over Kituwah site
After a day of discussions between the leadership of Duke Energy and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the dispute…
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Report shows Duke considered impact on Kituwah
In the wake of the controversy surrounding the company’s proposed substation, Duke Energy representatives claimed they were unaware of the…
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Landslide damages financially-strapped Jackson development
A landslide at the Waterdance development in the Tuckasegee area of Jackson County washed out a road and dumped a…
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Macon slope committee hands off proposed building regulations
After months of hard work, Macon County’s steep slope committee shared its recommendations with the county’s planning board last week.Now…
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Swain starts to budge on Deal’s Gap debate
Despite Graham County pledging to end all emergency services to Deal’s Gap starting Jan. 1, its EMS director has already…
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The nuts and bolts of the bench
The starting salary for a judge is $109,000, but can climb much higher for judges with a long tenure thanks…
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Judicial candidates
There are three district court judge seats up for election this year. Candidates must designate which seat they are running…
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Bench holds tradition of balanced temperament
Steve Bryant was fresh out of law school and just learning his way around the courtroom when the judge hearing…
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Free wireless in downtown Waynesville a hit or miss affair
There’s free wireless up for grabs to anyone ambling down Main Street in Waynesville, but it’s so obscure that even…
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Duke Energy president agrees to meet with Cherokee chief
A disagreement over Duke Energy’s placement of a power substation near Cherokee’s most significant cultural site has instigated a meeting…
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