Haywood County native and Republican Rep. Mark Pless will return to the North Carolina General Assembly for a third term after voters in Haywood and Madison Counties — both hit hard by Hurricane Helene a month ago — propelled him over his Democratic opponent earlier this evening.

When Hurricane Helene slammed into the Gulf Coast on Sept. 27, the storm’s destructive capabilities instantly grabbed national headlines. Now, the storm is drawing international attention thanks to an Oct. 29 visit to Haywood County by Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon.

Members of the public interested in Western North Carolina court cases now have better access than ever to criminal and civil files. 

Buried deep within a 40-page regulatory reform bill that became law last week, a new policy handed down by the Republican-led General Assembly will require tax collectors in every North Carolina county and municipality to install a sign “in a conspicuous manner” on each parcel subject to a lien for delinquent property taxes. 

The public in Western North Carolina is about to have more access to the courts than ever before, assuming all goes to plan. 

The N.C. Department of Transportation recently awarded a contract to replace the two bridges on Interstate 40 over Beaverdam Road.

Drought has re-entered the western region, with the most recent drought conditions map labeling Transylvania and Henderson counties as experiencing moderate drought.

Western North Carolina courts are about to get a leg up, but it isn’t all that everyone hoped for. 

The replica of a decorative arch that once spanned Main Street in Waynesville but was removed in the early 1970s is closer than ever to being reinstalled, after more than two years of efforts by town officials and local civic groups to resurrect it. 

The candidate filing period for November’s municipal elections that opened on July 7 ends this coming Friday, July 21, at noon, and although things are starting to solidify in some races, there have been and may continue to be some surprises.