Harris ticket energizes rural NC voters, but will it be enough?
The long and winding road to the White House passes through North Carolina, but in this swing state of nearly…
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Jackson County approves new library agreement
The Jackson County Commission has approved a new version of the Fontana Regional Library interlocal agreement that contains some significant…
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Macon considers farmland protection plan
Macon County commissioners are considering the adoption of a farmland protection ordinance that would not only orchestrate cooperation between county…
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JCPS to open infant/toddler classroom
Jackson County Schools will continue to increase its capacity for early childhood education with the opening of an infant/ toddler…
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Cherokee decides how to use opioid settlement funds
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has approved a plan to use money from a settlement with opioid distributors and…
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Sylva proposes changes to fee schedule
The Sylva Town Council will vote next month on changes to its fee schedule regarding costs for renting out Bridge…
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Sarge’s 19th annual dog walk
Join Sarge’s Animal Rescue at 10 a.m. Sept. 7, for a fun-filled annual event at the Haywood County Courthouse in…
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Convicted felon sentenced for trafficking fentanyl
John Edward Bradley, 50, of Cherokee, was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release…
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Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter to meet in Clyde
The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 980 holds its regular meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at 5…
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Via Chicago: Day 4, ‘For our future’
Editor’s note: This is the final installment of “Via Chicago,” Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch…
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Via Chicago: Day 3, ‘A fight for our freedoms’
Editor’s note: “Via Chicago” is Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch from the 2024 Democratic National…
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Via Chicago: Day 2, ‘A bold vision for America’s future’
Editor’s note: “Via Chicago” is Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch from the 2024 Democratic National…
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Via Chicago: Day 1, 'For the people'
Editor’s note: “Via Chicago” is Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch from the 2024 Democratic National…
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Commissioners funds free lunches for all Macon students
The Macon County Commission decided last week in a split vote to fund a $200,000 request from the school system…
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Ahead of Trump’s Asheville visit, Democrats fight to maintain momentum
Seeing surging poll numbers and sensing strong momentum, Western North Carolina Democrats spoke out during a press conference in advance…
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Trump, light on policy but heavy on Harris attacks, visits Asheville
At his Aug. 14 rally in Asheville — billed as an opportunity to deliver remarks on the economy — former…
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Catamount School makes its move
“History repeats itself” and “Everything comes full circle,” are just two examples of a myriad of sayings that could describe…
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Macon passes soil erosion and sedimentation control ordinance revisions
Macon County approved revisions to its soil erosion and sedimentation control ordinance despite an outpouring of opposition from the public…
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Pheasant pleads guilty to 2013 cold case murder
Over a decade after Marie Walkingstick Pheasant’s body was found in a burned-out vehicle in Cherokee, the community has finally…
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Financing approved for Franklin’s new high school
Macon County is one step closer in the long march toward a new high school after commissioners approved financing for…
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Mountain Heritage Awards recognize Darnell Farms
Western Carolina University will present the 2024 Mountain Heritage Awards during the Mountain Heritage Day festival Saturday, Sept. 28, on…
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Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser in Bethel
The Bethel Rural Community Organization will hold a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at Jukebox Junction from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26…
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Haywood TDA revokes grant after vetting mistake
Clarification: In the original version of this story, SMN reported that TDA Executive Director Corrina Ruffieux said that IDEA of…
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Of parched corn and rank strangers: Ahead of new book, Gary Carden reflects on a lifetime of storytelling
So I walk into Gary Carden’s room in the ICU and the first thing he says to me in his…
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Sylva revisits panhandling ordinance
New changes are being proposed to Sylva’s panhandling ordinance, and although a public hearing is not required for the Sylva…
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As veterans with PTSD continue to die by suicide, FDA demands do-over for MDMA trials
Flying in the face of stats from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that say veterans continue to commit suicide…
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Pactiv seeks to change environmental permit for Canton mill
Pactiv Evergreen has filed a request with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to make “major” modifications to the…
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COVID mounts unforeseen summer surge
After a spring lull, the coronavirus has returned with a vengenance, leading to a surge in Western North Carolina that…
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Sylva approves Economic Development Advisory Committee
Last week, the Sylva Town Board approved rules and procedures for the new Economic Development Advisory Committee, an advisory committee…
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Visitor spending Increases by 3.4 percent to $468 million in Jackson County
Domestic and international visitors to and within Jackson County spent $468 million in 2023, an increase of 3.4% from 2022. The data comes from an annual…
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Haywood TDA’s destination master plan focuses on the future
Tourism remains a critically important component of Western North Carolina’s economy. To ensure it remains strong well into the future,…
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Diversity ‘passport’ seeks to boost Haywood businesses
A “community passport” program with the goal of increasing tourist visits and overnight stays by spotlighting businesses that pledge to fight…
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Pactiv doesn’t want to pay back grant
Since unceremoniously announcing its exit from Canton early in 2023, Pactiv Evergreen, owner of the now-shuttered 115-year-old paper mill, has…
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Stein visits Cherokee as part of gubernatorial campaign
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein spoke to members of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council Monday, during which…
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Strategic plan approved for Macon County Schools
Macon County Schools has spent the better part of a year undergoing a strategic planning process that charts a course…
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Macon maintains no for-profit use of school facilities
Macon County Schools decided last month to maintain a policy that had been in place — but until now had…
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New river gauge installation begins in Haywood County
The first of eight planned new river gauges will be installed in Haywood County this week. When complete the project…
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Asheville VA, Pardee, AdventHealth get top grades in latest Medicare hospital ratings
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual hospital ratings July 31, awarding top five-star ratings…
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Bethel Rural Community Organization rededicates historic marker
Nearly three years after a historic marker on Haywood County’s oldest continuously operating farm was damaged by Tropical Storm Fred,…
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Film looks at the disappearing American Chestnut
On Monday, Aug. 19, the series “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture,” will present a screening of the film,…
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WCU School of Nursing receives UNC System grant
To help address the critical workforce shortage in health care, nursing in particular, the University of North Carolina System initiated…
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Man sentenced to 15 years for extreme child abuse
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced that a Cherokee County man pleaded guilty to intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily…
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Tillis' funding request for Canton fire station moves forward
The effects of deadly flooding in 2021 are still being felt in the town of Canton, but thanks to a…
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Swain County's Leibfarth medals at Paris Olympics
Bryson City’s Evy Leibfarth is now an Olympic medalist after finishing in third place and taking home the bronze medal…
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Leibfarth falls short of Olympic medal
Bryson City Olympian Evy Leibfarth will leave Tokyo without a medal, but the 17-year-old is already setting her sights on…
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Democrats hit the campaign trail in rural North Carolina
Old-school campaigning is back in rural North Carolina, and this time it’s the Democrats leading the charge. In the 2020…
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‘Bridging the gap’: Macon school board to request county funding for school meals
In the face of rising prices for school lunches, the Macon County Board of Education is set to request funding…
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Franklin High School cracks down on attendance, tardiness, vaping
The Macon County Board of Education approved revisions to student and staff handbooks for several schools at its July 22…
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Swain mulls what to do with opioid settlement funds
As fiscal year 2024-2025 begins, North Carolina’s county governments are receiving their third installment of the Opioid Settlement Fund. This…
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KidzCare partners with WNC Farm to Table to provide food to families in need
KidzCare Pediatrics Sylva announced a partnership with WNC Farm to Table to provide weekly food bags for patients and their…
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