Athletics upgrades on the way at WCU: University to ask legislature for help with $130 million to-do list

Western Carolina University is gearing up to take its first bite out of an estimated $130 million in needed upgrades to its athletic facilities, with the Board of Trustees recently hiring a construction manager to oversee the first chunk of projects, worth at least $30 million. 

Jackson TDA announces new cycle for tourism capital project fund

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA) will reopen its cycle for tourism capital projects Jan. 1, 2024. $600,000 is available for projects that benefit visitors and residents alike. Applications for this cycle are due June 1, 2024. 

I’ll be supporting Waynesville incumbents

To the Editor: 

Regarding the Oct. 25 article, “The heart and soul of Waynesville is on the ballot,” I was born in Hazelwood, am a lifelong resident of Haywood County and owned a small business on Main Street for many years.

School board approves Higdon property lease

After months of back and forth, the Macon County School Board has approved a lease agreement for the Higdon property, purchased by the county earlier this year for use by the school system. 

Cannabis Control Board budget approved in Cherokee

The Cherokee Tribal Council has approved $946,000 in tribal dollars to go toward the Cannabis Control Board’s budget for the 2024 fiscal year starting in October. 

Cherokee chief candidates make their case: Tribal finance, business ventures key issues in 2023 race

As voters ponder the ballot for executive offices within the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians next month, they’ll be looking at a list of familiar names. 

Macon passes budget, maintains lowest tax rate in state

After weeks of heated discussion and back and forth over both revenue and expenditures, the Macon County Commission approved the 2023-24 budget with just a few deviations from the draft version proposed last month. It maintained the proposed tax rate that will be the lowest property tax rate in the state of North Carolina for the coming fiscal year.

No tax increase likely for Jackson

‘Lowest tax rate in North Carolina’: Macon County budgets for revenue neutral tax rate

The U.S. just can’t really ‘budge it’

The national budget is often compared to that of a family. We are told to “Live within your means just like the average family has to do.” But that only applies if the family in question is about 330 million extended relatives with President Mom and Vice President Dad (or vice versa). The national budget is not like a family. It is more like a corporation in that it can borrow money for quite a while as long as its revenue stream (taxes and borrowing) keeps it afloat. But I’ll use my “mega family” metaphor here. 

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