Waynesville’s newest co-working space is not a corner suite or a cubicle farm — Root & Rise, located on South Main Street, is designed to be welcoming, affordable and collaborative, with a purpose that extends beyond laptops and lattes. 

For many of us, pets are family. They greet us at the door, comfort us when we are sad and offer love without judgment.  

As a mental health clinician specializing in animal-assisted therapy, I have witnessed the deep, healing bonds that can exist between humans and their animals. Companion animals are more than just pets. They often serve as family, as emotional support and at times as the only source of wholehearted love in a person's life.  

Mary Garrison and her husband, Fairview Fire Department Battalion Chief Tony Garrison, awoke around 4 a.m. on Sept. 27 to a darkened home with no electricity, torrential rainfall pounding the ground and high winds from Hurricane Helene screaming through their tiny, isolated Craigtown community. 

Join Haywood County’s Misfit Mountain Animal Rescue for the second-annual Pigs & a Blanket Festival & Campout this weekend.

The event will be held from 1-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the animal rescue at 922 Incinerator Road in Clyde.

A “community passport” program with the goal of increasing tourist visits and overnight stays by spotlighting businesses that pledge to fight racism, prejudice and discrimination will roll out in September, and the organization charged with implementing the program is looking to spread the word.  

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) will unveil its latest exhibit, “Pets,” with an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 7, at the Haywood Handmade Gallery at the HCAC in Waynesville. 

Summer camp. Memories of the great outdoors, new friends, fun adventures. But around Misfit Mountain in Haywood County, the rescue’s Summer Camp Program means something entirely different, and that vital service may have just saved Frankie Scott’s life, if not his dog, Koda’s. 

 In an effort to raise funds for Misfit Mountain, there will be a special art showcase and sale through March at Panacea Coffee Company in Waynesville. 

The holiday season is among the toughest times in the animal rescue world. Adopting pets isn’t always front of mind for people, and harsh weather can create a sense of urgency when rehoming furry friends.