New dental clinic should bring a smile to WNC
Citing a statewide shortage of dentists, East Carolina University is opening 10 clinics across North Carolina with the mission of…
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Downtown discord prompts call for renewed collaboration
Both sides in a downtown Franklin dispute have pledged to work together after publicly locking horns in recent weeks. “It…
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Franklin merchants run afoul of festival planning protocols
Some downtown merchants in Franklin have clashed with town leaders in recent weeks over a perceived lack of support for…
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On the job with Franklin’s Main Street director
Franklin’s Main Street Program has found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight in recent weeks as Franklin merchants have complained that…
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Newspaper says advertising was pulled after critical news coverage
A side drama playing out in the downtown Franklin fracas involves an unusual public display of the tension that often…
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County leaders ponder whether Cashiers could support ABC store
A Jackson County resident has taken it upon himself to show county decision-makers that a Cashiers ABC store is a…
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Despite student pleas, WCU hikes tuition again
Western Carolina University’s Board of Trustees approved an 8 percent increase in tuition next academic year — much to the vexation…
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Professors struggle with increased class sizes
While Western Carolina University’s budgets have been shrinking in recent years, its class sizes have been growing.
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Most Bryson City business owners OK with county financing train improvements
Most Everett Street business owners support Swain County’s pending investment in the privately owned Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, but some…
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WCU earns grant to train family nurses
Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing is the recipient of nearly $700,000 in federal grant funding to help address a…
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Work grant to train poker dealers
Southwestern Community College will launch a training program for live game dealers, in conjunction with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort,…
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Feds help local students stay in school
Southwestern Community College has been awarded a nearly $1.3 million grant under the Upward Bound Programs from the U.S. Department…
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Adopt a pet, hang a stocking at animal shelter
Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation is holding its “Home for the Holidays” promotion, in which “Youth For Sarge’s” members make Christmas…
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HCC hopes to finally choose president in January
The Haywood Community College Board of Trustees will meet on Dec. 19 to interview eight candidates who hope to be…
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Rewarding students with fast-food coupons raises concerns
Some schools are thinking twice about the long standing practice of passing out fast-food coupons to children as rewards.
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Confederate group refuses to surrender
The ongoing Confederate flag tug-of-war in Haywood County took an unusual turn last week.
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Heating assistance applications needed
One-time assistance with heating expenses is now available for low-income disabled or senior citizens through county social services departments. The…
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Fate of liquor stores in Maggie Valley in holding pattern for now
Maggie Valley’s ABC Board has put any plans to close one of its two liquor stores on the backburner for…
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ABC store diverts money that schools once got
Haywood County Schools will lose about $30,000 in yearly revenue now that the Waynesville ABC Board has decided build a…
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Will two pay off? Waynesville to break ground on ABC store
Construction on a new ABC store in Waynesville could begin as early as January at the cost of $1.3 million,…
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Cherokee banks brace for rush when casino checks go out
Twice a year, Dorothy Posey arrives for her job at Mountain Credit Union in Cherokee knowing one thing: the lines…
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Nonprofits getting creative for funds
From charity golf tournaments to bluegrass concerts to spare change jars, nonprofits lending a helping hand with heating costs for…
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Struggle to afford heating costs hits new high
It looked like any wood yard, piles of tree trunks in various stages of processing: long logs still bearing their…
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New Jackson tourism agency launches
After more than a year of wrangling, a new Jackson County tourism authority was finally created this week, its board…
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Parents urged to use diligence when in public with children
When a strange man approached an 11-year-old girl in Waynesville’s Walmart more than a week ago and asked her to…
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Candler man arrested in Walmart stalking case
Ryan Scot Davis, 48, was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child following an incident at the Waynesville Walmart…
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Haywood to sort its own recycling again — this time with machines
Haywood County is making plans to bring recycling operations back in-house — a move that would eventually mean dollar signs…
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Vying for foot traffic: The Holy Grail of downtown commerce
Try scaring up a parking space, hunting down an empty bench or pushing a double-stroller along the crowded sidewalks on…
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As Black Friday morphs into Grey Thursday, shoppers trade in the turkey in hopes of huge savings
Before the gravy had turned cold and the Thanksgiving Day turkey had been packed away in Tupperware, shoppers were already…
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From down-and-out to up-and-coming, former factory town undergoes transformation
Patty Atkinson took a short break from helping the constant flow of customers at a local family pharmacy in the…
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Political events
Governor-elect to headline holiday dinner North Carolina Governor-elect Pat McCrory (R) will be the keynote speaker at the 20th annual…
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Lack of shelters leaves transit riders out in the cold
For the elderly, disabled and carless residents of Haywood County, the public transit bus is an indispensable resource that keeps…
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Jackson County seeks input in crafting a recreation wish list
Jackson County is crafting a new long-range recreation master plan to set priorities and guide spending for its parks, open…
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Billboard ban could stymie scenic byway in Jackson
A group of Western Carolina University students are leading a charge to get N.C. 107 from Cullowhee to Cashiers designated…
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WCU has its fair share of misdemeanors, but thankfully devoid of violent crime
Although college for many is an oasis of learning, fun and social interaction, it is also a sprawling crime scene…
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Congressman Shuler trades U.S. House for Duke Energy job
Congressman Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, who is stepping down this year after spending six years in D.C., announced his next career…
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In a Main Street mood: Shoppers trade Black Friday chaos for downtown charm
She is every Main Street merchants’ dream. With a penchant for the eclectic and a passion for supporting independent businesses,…
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Student shuffle creates space crunch at Pisgah High
A $2.5 million expansion at Pisgah High School in Canton will relieve chronic overcrowding and a classroom shortage that forces…
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Former FBI agent shares exploits with students
Traveling around the world, taking down bad guys and helping exonerate the wrongly accused, Steve Moore’s life sounds glamorous — and…
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Calculated gamble Waynesville intersection takes leap of faith to make it across
It’s a dreaded intersection for anyone who frequents downtown Waynesville behind the wheel. You slowly edge the nose of your…
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Macon eyes 50-acre site for league-caliber softball complex
“Take me out to the ballgame,” is how the old song goes. But the question for Macon County residents in…
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Ousted by road widening, restaurant hopes to recreate historic log cabin feel
Waynesville seafood restaurant Maggie’s Galley will soon be forced to move from its longtime location at the intersection of Howell…
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Tribe tightens the financial spigot for Sequoyah National
Sequoyah National Golf Course, a signature course built and operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is slowly being…
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Flying club trying to takeoff again
The Smoky Mountain Flying Club is trying to get some wind under its wings again with a campaign to attract…
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Off-color graffiti hits Swain recreation area
A riverside park in Swain County was plastered with graffiti two weeks ago, with several cans of spray paint unleashed…
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Fatal heart defect passed down in one family plagues a fourth generation — and counting
When Monica Manrique was four months pregnant with her first child, her feet got so swollen with fluid she took…
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WCU lines up against the Crimson Tide, for good or ill
Down by six touchdowns to the University of Alabama at halftime, Western Carolina University head coach Mark Speir never gave…
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Creating a cohesive vision for WNC’s future
Six months after meeting with Haywood County residents to discuss ways to improve the community, a group called GroWNC is…
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Funeral home buys old Mountaineer press building
Wells Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Waynesville has purchased a large building downtown that once housed The Mountaineer Publishing…
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Haywood leaders likely to clamp down on Confederate flag displays
The Haywood County Board of Commissioners seem poised to adopt a policy that would severely limit the display of Confederate…
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