Maggie visitor center to be taken over by tourism agency
Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce will be forced to close its visitor center after its major source of funding has…
Read More
Swain history, veterans will share spotlight in wall project
Swain County is permanently etching its history in stone. In the next couple of months, the first of about 60…
Read More
Barking dogs on short leash in Jackson
Faced by a rising tide of complaints about barking dogs, Jackson County commissioners indicated this week that they would consider…
Read More
Campaign to save specialty plates hits road block in the Senate
An effort to save those colorful specialty license plates has stalled in the N.C. Senate, which seems reluctant to take…
Read More
WCU strategic plan ‘thoughtful and ambitious’
Western Carolina University’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a new strategic plan — the 2020 Vision — at its meeting…
Read More
Inspired from above: Steeplejacks suspended over Sylva toil on church spire
As a third generation steeplejack, Tony Stratton is used to a view from the top. As one of a handful…
Read More
Jackson eyes possibility of new liquor stores in Cashiers, Qualla
On the heels of a vote that now allows alcoholic beverages to be sold countywide, Jackson County is considering opening…
Read More
Cullowhee bridge could demolish business
Chris Pressley, a third-generation owner of the 65-year-old Cullowhee Automotive Service, has been on edge since learning about plans for…
Read More
Hunger Free Haywood takes front row approach to food drive
Business, civic and government leaders from all over Haywood County gathered last week to officially kick off Hunger Free Haywood,…
Read More
Law violation reveals flaw in Jackson County email system
A public records request for Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe’s emails doesn’t tell much of a story — that’s because…
Read More
Highlands roadwork troubles some merchants
Repaving of the steep, windy, two-lane road from Franklin to Highlands has many merchants worried about whether this heavily tourism-dependant…
Read More
“Our State” editor speaking July 9 at Lake Junaluska
Leah Hughes, associate editor at “Our State” magazine, will be the guest speaker at 9:30 a.m. on July 9 in…
Read More
Worship series taking place this summer at Lake Junaluska
A Summer Worship Series is under way at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. Three worship services are being…
Read More
The Fund for Haywood County awarded $50,000 in grants
The Fund for Haywood County has awarded $50,000 in grants to area nonprofit organizations that provide critical services for economically…
Read More
Electric vehicle charging station comes to HCC
Haywood Community College has unveiled a new electric vehicle charging station, the only one west of Asheville. The station was…
Read More
Grant to help prevent elder abuse
The 30th Judicial District Domestic Violence-Sexual Assault Alliance, Inc. has recently been awarded a $25,000 Janirve Legacy Fund Grant from…
Read More
Meet the Telestroke Robot
Angel Medical Center in Franklin introduced the Telestroke Robot as their newest team member. The robot literally rolled in to…
Read More
New dog park opens in Franklin
Franklin has a new dog park on the town’s greenway adjacent to Big Bear Park. The park is fenced and…
Read More
New health initiative under way in WNC
Hospitals and health departments across Western North Carolina have partnered to develop WNC Healthy Impact, a regional initiative designed to…
Read More
Smart Start dollars focus of recent Raleigh trip
Supporters of Smart Start traveled recently to Raleigh to encourage the N.C. General Assembly to restore its funding. The group…
Read More
Priming the pump to cash in on casino’s trickle down
Business owners in Cherokee are making their own preparations for the influx of new visitors as a result of live…
Read More
Recession rebound: turnaround in progress at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino
After inching its way back from recession-driven declines during the past year, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel is back in…
Read More
All hands on deck: live gaming approved by state
After nearly a decade of negotiations and broken promises, the state finally approved an agreement that allows table games with…
Read More
With a nose for trouble, K9s are put on trial
By Paul Clark • Contributor • Norris Bunch called his dog Maxo to attention. Maxo, alert and ready, waited for…
Read More
Cataloochee Ranch announces tours of experimental American chestnut orchard
In contrast to its peaceful and stunning high-mountain setting, Maggie Valley’s Cataloochee Ranch has been at the forefront of a…
Read More
Franklin and Eastern Band try to make peace
Franklin Mayor Joe Collins sent a letter to the chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee last week, personally apologizing…
Read More
Paddling downturn forces NOC to expand offerings
Of the many challenges faced by the Nantahala Outdoor Center during the past decade, one of the most troubling —…
Read More
Changing course while keeping afloat: NOC’s new owners try to improve bottom line while keeping core values
The Nantahala Outdoor Center rose rapidly from a scrappy operation spawned by idealistic river rats in the 1970s to one…
Read More
Sylva, Jackson eye resolution to new ABC operations
After a month of controversy surrounding the granting of alcohol permits, Sylva and Jackson County leaders have made it their…
Read More
ACLU probes Jackson County checkpoints allegedly targeting Latinos
The Jackson County Sheriff has denied allegations that his department setup traffic checkpoints to racially profile Latinos and find possible…
Read More
Sylva guts green amenities from police department project, price still over budget
The Sylva town board has trimmed the green energy features from its new police department project and boosted the proposed…
Read More
Couple alleges Canton not adhering to deed restrictions for Camp Hope property
Canton may end up defending its use of the property known as Camp Hope in court this August. John and…
Read More
Maggie looking to leave festival business, axes director position
Maggie Valley’s will no longer employ a festival director effective Sept. 5 — a decision that comes as no surprise…
Read More
NOC believes the future is in kids
Summer camp. It’s how generations of NOC paddlers got their first taste of whitewater, a fateful moment that ultimately grew…
Read More
Jackson board divided over restructuring of departments
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners narrowly passed a resolution that would allow county governments more flexibility in how its…
Read More
Exhibit opens at WCU
“Collecting for the Community,” a new exhibit at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, opened June 7 and will be…
Read More
WCU student receives UNC student government award
Sam Miller, Western Carolina University vice chancellor for student affairs, has received the John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award, the…
Read More
Amateur radio operators show off their skills for radio week June 23-24
The Haywood County Amateur Radio Club will construct an emergency station in the parking lot of the Employees’ Credit Union…
Read More
Free day at rec center on June 23
All Haywood County residents can get in to the Waynesville Recreation Center for free from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.…
Read More
Hunger Free Haywood to launch June 15
Haywood County businesses will join forces with MANNA food bank from June 15 to July 15 to help address hunger…
Read More
Ashe no longer holds thumbs-down power on temporary alcohol permits
Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe was stripped of his appointed role to render thumbs-up or thumbs-down assessments of businesses wanting…
Read More
Launching a legacy: Nantahala Outdoor Center ascends from a meager outpost to river prodigy
When Payson and Aurelia Kennedy quit their jobs in Atlanta, cashed out their retirement, packed up their four children and…
Read More
Walking on water: Aura of greatness takes root at NOC
When Nantahala Outdoor Center burst onto the whitewater scene 40 years ago, it became ground zero for a new world…
Read More
Horace Holden’s ‘hunch’ pays off
Horace Holden remembers the deal like it was yesterday. He set out from Atlanta with a few blank checks in…
Read More
Alcohol sales in Cullowhee off to slow start due to Jackson sheriff hang ups
Western Carolina University is remaining mostly neutral on the topic of alcohol coming to Cullowhee, at least officially. “The campus…
Read More
Haywood County wrangles over health care costs
Rising health care costs were the catalyst for two budget decisions by Haywood County commissioners, one that will hopefully save…
Read More
Cashiers to update ordinance following county alcohol vote
The advent of alcohol sales in Jackson County has prompted the Cashiers community to consider new land-use regulations to address…
Read More
Move to Amend shot down in Jackson again
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners once again declined to support a movement aimed at restraining corporate power, causing local…
Read More
Metal shop takes on artistic rendering of Smokies arch
The blueprint for a sign is punched into a computer, and the machine starts up. Sparks emit from the metal-cutting…
Read More
Summer camps for kids
Maggie summer camp The Maggie Valley Club will hold a Summer Kid’s Camp program from June 18-22 and from July…
Read More
