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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 the more than $135 million-project last week. 

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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 the Ingles Blue Ridge Stage around midday.  

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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 in support of its benevolence fund, student scholarships, rural and historic preservation initiatives, educational programs and community pantry. 

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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 Haywood County was named on the signature line of the grant application along with Misfit Mountain. Documents provided by the TDA show that to be true for the initial application, but not the subsequent revised application, where no organizations are listed on the signature line. The story has been updated to reflect this information. 

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority voted unanimously today to rescind a $10,000 grant it had previously approved, citing its own failure to properly vet the grant application.

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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 sonorous growl is, “OK newspaperman, take this down. I want you to turn this into a story.” 

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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 Town Board to amend the ordinance that governs its streets and sidewalks, the town will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes next month after one board member urged the town to do so. 

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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 at higher rates than non-veterans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week declined to approve MDMA, a psychedelic compound, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. 

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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 discharge permit for its wastewater treatment facility in Canton.  

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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 experts didn’t expect. 

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