Maggie logjam shows no sign of breaking ‘til fall election
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen have been mired in gridlock for nearly nine months.
With only four town board members at the moment — instead of the typical five — stalemates have ruled the day. From major issues to petty ones, the board has been marked by tie votes and split opinions. Infighting has become the typical interaction at meetings these days.
Beloved amusement park brought back to life one piece at a time
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park is scheduled to kick off its 2013 season Memorial Day weekend, thanks to the grit, passionate and determination of its new owner and longtime champion Alaska Pressley, who has slogged ahead with her dream despite hoops and hurdles.
Window is closing for stalled room tax increase in Haywood
A state bill that would raise Haywood County’s lodging tax is still sitting idly in committee in Raleigh with no signs of going up for a vote soon in the General Assembly.
Maggie aldermen bow out of business approval process
The Maggie Valley town board will soon divest itself from the role of both judge and jury for new businesses moving into the town’s commercial district.
Parsing out a majority in Haywood room tax debate proves murky
Without support from the Maggie Valley Lodging Association, a bill to increase the room tax in Haywood County could die in the N.C. General Assembly.
Tug-of-war continues in Maggie over tax hike
Maggie Valley leaders on opposing sides of the tourist tax hike both claim to have the majority in their corner.
Maggie Mayor Ron DeSimone presented a stack of letters of support from hotel owners to state legislators during a trip to Raleigh last week, urging them to shepherd the room tax increase to passage. DeSimone spent several days visiting lodging businesses in Maggie to see where they stood.
Maggie Valley contingent vehemently opposed to proposed room tax hike
A faction of lodging owners in Maggie Valley is hoping to derail a tax increase on overnight accommodations.
The money brought in — roughly $450,000 a year — would be dedicated solely to building tourism attractions or improving existing ones.
Some Maggie lodging owners get hackles up over room tax increase
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen got an earful from hotel and motel owners Monday during a nearly three-hour meeting held specifically to hear views about a proposed increase to the overnight lodging tax.
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority and the county board of commissioners both unanimously approved the idea of a hike in the lodging tax — from the current rate of 4 percent to 6 percent. The Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce has also written a letter of support.
Last week in Maggie: meeting melee, man banned from town hall and legal threats volleyed
A heated argument and near fight between two Maggie Valley residents — one of whom is banned from town hall — disrupted the town’s board of aldermen meeting last Tuesday.
New concert venue in the making for Maggie Valley
Carolina Nights, a closed-down dinner theater in Maggie Valley, could make a comeback as an entertainment venue under new owners.
A Haywood County couple with a track record as local business partners bought the building last month for $235,000.
