Keeping commissioner on hospital board lends accountability
The joint board that will run the eventual Haywood Regional Medical Center-WestCare affiliation needs to have a sitting Haywood County…
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Three seek two seats on Maggie Valley board
The Town of Maggie Valley has a town board with four aldermen/alderwomen and a mayor with voting power. Each official…
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Drill mimics real disaster, right down to tunnel collapse
A drill simulating the collapse of a tunnel on Interstate 40 in Haywood County tested and prepared the full gamut…
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WCU raises $50 million for endowment
Western Carolina University last week announced that the first comprehensive fundraising campaign in university history has netted a grand total…
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Unfinished hotel mars Sylva landscape
The fate of an unfinished Clarion Inn in Sylva is up in the air after a bank foreclosed on the…
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Most make extra effort to hear public
As Haywood County commissioners grapple with a surge in this public input at their meetings, largely from the same crowd…
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Election guaranteed to bring new leadership in Dillsboro
This November, the Town of Dillsboro will elect all five members of its town board, along with a new mayor…
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Haywood again looks at old Wal-Mart for DSS building
Haywood County commissioners are once again considering the abandoned Wal-Mart shell for a new Department of Social Services building. The…
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Haywood says state shirking responsibility
Haywood County commissioner sent a strong message to Raleigh this week, chastising state government for not stepping in to help…
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Maggie hopefuls say tourists and locals important
If there’s a buzz word for Maggie Valley’s town board elections this year, it’s “balance.” Alderwoman Saralyn Price said she…
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Robust citizen input vexes public officials
Johnnie Cure said she never expected to become a local celebrity when she started speaking up during the public comment…
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Marc Pruett earns praise from all sides for his work
When Haywood County commissioners convened this week to discuss the fate of the county’s erosion control program, they were met…
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The mystery of Judaculla Rock
Located in a field in the rural Caney Fork community of Jackson County is Judaculla Rock, a soapstone boulder covered…
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Cherokee immersion school aims to save language
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians praised the new Kituwah Language Academy for the cultural renaissance that’s now unfolding within…
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In the running
The Town of Franklin has a town board with six aldermen/alderwomen and a mayor who votes only to break ties.…
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Oconaluftee Institute chooses Queen as program coordinator
Joel Queen has been named the new program coordinator and instructor at the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts in Cherokee.…
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BMP’s problems not apparent
At first glance, it is hard to see why Balsam Mountain Preserve has been unable to satisfy the lenders behind…
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Swain auditor warns that drastic measures needed
An auditor for Swain County had a clear-cut message to pass on to commissioners this week: make drastic cutbacks in…
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Saving Judaculla Rock: Preservation work begins on local artifact
By Julia Merchant • Contributing writer Priceless artifacts often end up tucked safely away behind the protective glass cases of…
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Treadway, Reidmiller run unopposed
This year’s elections in Bryson City will be a cinch for Alderwoman Stephanie Treadway and Alderman Tom Reidmiller. Both are…
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Most like plans for Russ Avenue makeover
A proposed redesign of Russ Avenue, the main commercial thoroughfare in Waynesville, received strong public support among those who attended…
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New and improved appraisal method aims to better calibrate property values
An analysis of property values in Haywood County aims to reduce disparities between the value listed on the county’s tax…
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Amid tough times, DSS director denied raise
After much deliberation, Swain County commissioners voted 3-2 against an $8,800 pay raise for the Department of Social Services director…
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Collins, Scott battle for mayor’s post in Franklin
Tensions are rife as Franklin Alderman Bob Scott and Mayor Joe Collins butt heads over the prize of a mayor…
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One of area’s first mega developments in trouble
Balsam Mountain Preserve, a mega development on 4,400 acres in Jackson County, has defaulted on the terms of a $19.8…
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New plan aims to corral chaotic thoroughfare
A plan to redesign Russ Avenue would dramatically alter the appearance and traffic flow along the frenzied main commercial artery…
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Maggie pins hopes on director to turn corner on festival grounds
The Town of Maggie Valley is moving closer toward hiring a festival director to market its struggling festival grounds. Aldermen…
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Libraries see increased usage as recession lingers
Local libraries report that more people are streaming through their doors as a direct result of the recession. Area residents…
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Angel Medical continues to stand alone
While neighboring hospitals count down the days until an affiliation is finalized, Angel Medical Center in Franklin continues to stand…
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Angel CEO says hospital investing in its future
When Tim Hubbs stepped down as the CEO of Drake Software, a Franklin firm that writes accounting software, he thought…
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Hazelwood clings to its post office under threat of closure
Hazelwood seems to be getting the short end of the stick these days. Once an independent blue-collar town boasting a…
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Price tag on land a deal killer for Jackson greenway
Despite their conceptual support for a greenway along the Tuckasegee River, Jackson County commissioners expressed hesitation about purchasing land to…
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Loss of transparency likely for Haywood under new hospital joint venture
Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare are in the final stages of forming a partnership, with plans to launch a…
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Duke’s rate hike request is poorly timed, not needed
The state should turn down Duke Energy’s request for a nearly 13 percent hike in utility rates and instead encourage…
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Task force wants final crack at honing road list
Dueling solutions for relieving traffic on N.C. 107 in Sylva are poised to make the final cut in the long-awaited…
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Bridging the divide: Maggie struggles to find new identity among tourists, second-home owners and year-round residents
Home to 3,000 motel rooms yet only 1,610 year-round residents, Maggie Valley can’t exactly escape the term “tourist town.” Anyone…
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Maggie chases festivals as ticket to tourism
When the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen purchased land for a town festival ground in 2002, it had high hopes…
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Graham and Swain part ways over Deal’s Gap debate
Graham County delivered yet another jolt to the three-month debate over who should provide emergency services to Deal’s Gap, a…
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Cat lovers quietly care for wild colonies
Move over rabbits, it’s cats that multiply like crazy in Haywood County. According to the Haywood Animal Welfare Association, there…
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Swain at last makes foray into animal control
Swain County Manager Kevin King has an ambitious idea for finally addressing the years-old issue of animal control, or lack…
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What’s in a name? Tourism web site succumbs to proper spelling
The Haywood Tourism Development Authority announced some good news last week for all those miffed by the incorrect spelling of…
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Shortchanged again, WNC demands highway dollars back
Western North Carolina has steadily lost out on tens of millions in federal highway dollars over the past decade, despite…
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Task force declared finished as draft plan advances for public review
Some members of the Jackson County Transportation Task Force feel like the list of road projects bearing their name has…
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Duke faces stiff opposition to proposed rate hike
Duke Energy’s rate hike request met strong opposition at a public hearing before members of the N.C. Utilities Commission in…
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Lasting precedent doubtful as county closes books on erosion suit
Developers looking for shortcuts around erosion laws won’t find amnesty in a recent court case between a landowner and Haywood…
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Corridor K inches forward
A road project known as Corridor K will boast the longest tunnel in the state of North Carolina if built…
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Webster scrambles to drum up candidates for town board
When voters head to the polls to elect town leaders in Webster this fall, the choices will be slim. Mighty…
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Local restaurants support Haywood County farmers
Local chefs are proving to be some of the best supporters of Haywood County farmers. “The Buy Haywood project is…
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Expert offers tips to keep downtown businesses kicking
Small business expert Tom Shay told local store owners in Franklin, Sylva and Waynesville that recessions are good for one…
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Buck Knob residents, officials seek fire protection compromise
After years of fruitlessly demanding fire protection from a local volunteer fire department, homeowners on Buck Knob Island in the…
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