After having their Haywood County home destroyed by three separate floods, Michelle Lee, her husband Roger and their son Cheyenne have found new digs on higher ground. 

The land they had lived on was in the Lee family for generations. Roger’s 71 years have played out on the wooded patch near a normally calm creek that slipped its banks and wreaked havoc on the property three times — in 2004 when Hurricanes Frances and Ivan arrived; in 2021, Fred; and in 2024, Helene. 

Following a heated campaign, Mark Mease has defeated incumbent Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke in the Republican Primary Election.

Incumbent John Shearl has won the Republican Primary Election and will proceed to the November election in his bid to represent District 1 in Macon County, which includes Highlands, on the county commission.

Kellie Burns and Dylan Castle have emerged from a crowded Republican Primary field to advance to November’s General Election.

Jackson County Sheriff Doug Farmer cruised to reelection, winning the Republican primary against Brandon Elders.
Farmer, who first took office four years ago, took home over 72% of the vote.

Voters have reelected Brent Holbrooks to serve a second term as Macon County Sheriff.

Holbrooks, a Republican, won his first sheriff election in 2022 following the retirement of Robbie Holland. In that election, Holbrooks faced several challengers. Among those challengers was Bok Cook, who was the lone opponent for Holbrooks this year.

Many counties around Western North Carolina are working to address a host of similar issues — rapidly growing populations, a housing stock that can’t keep up, aging infrastructure and struggles filling staffing vacancies. Macon County boasts the second-lowest property tax rate in the state, but with capital projects on the horizon and pay raises demanded for several county departments, tough choices will need to be made by whoever is elected to the board in November. 

Few Primary races across the region have drawn the attention that the contest for Haywood County Sheriff has seen. 

Squaring off for the position in the Republican Primary are incumbent Sheriff Bill Wilke, who has made reform a cornerstone of his first term in office, and Mark Mease, a former HCSO captain who promises to bring back a level of integrity and professionalism he said has been absent the last three-plus years. 

Following his first four years as Macon County’s sheriff, Brent Holbrooks is facing a primary challenge as he seeks a second term. 

Following former Sheriff Robbie Holland’s announcement that he wouldn’t seek reelection in 2022, Holbrooks emerged from a crowded Republican primary field that included multiple candidates who worked in high-level positions in Holland’s office.

A week and a half after Fontana Regional Library Director Tracy Fitzmaurice tendered her resignation, the board is moving forward to find a replacement. 

At a specially called Feb. 9 meeting at the Jackson County Library’s community room, the board went into a closed session to discuss details. 

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is providing updates on measures to maximize trout stream stocking in the western part of the state after Hurricane Helene destroyed the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery in September 2024. 

Fontana Regional Library Director Tracy Fitzmaurice has tendered her resignation letter.

The seeds of chaos sown into the fertile soil of the embattled Fontana Regional Library system over the last few years have sprouted. 

The FRL Board of Trustees has struggled to function over the last year, but things have come to a head the last couple of weeks as trustees, local media and a former librarian all received anonymous emails riddled with misinformation and threats. All the while, the board is still without an attorney, and now, that lack of representation is holding up crucial decisions.

The forecast for this weekend’s winter storm, dubbed Fern, is not entirely clear yet, but it seems certain that Western North Carolina is bound for some rough weather. Light precipitation is expected to move in Saturday and intensify Sunday.

While initial tracks indicated the storm could dump over a foot of snow in some parts of the region, newer forecasts point to less snow in favor of a large ice accumulation, which in many senses could prove more devastating. Along with making most roads untravelable for a longer period, ice accumulation can weigh down and snap branches, leading to property damage and widespread power outages.

Ron Rash has never been to an opera. But later this month, he’ll sit down to enjoy an opus based on stories and poems he wrote about the Southern Appalachian mountains he calls home. 

“Shelton Laurel: An Appalachian Opera” takes place over a few years around the Civil War. The opera, which will see its world premiere later this month, tells the tale of farmers in Madison County’s Shelton Laurel, not far from Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee where the work will be performed. 

The Nikwasi Mound in Franklin is one step closer to being transferred back to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a process almost a century in the making. 

At a Franklin Town Council meeting Jan. 5, the board voted unanimously to transfer the deed for the property, which is just south of downtown near the Little Tennessee River, from the Noquisi Initiative, a nonprofit formed for this very purpose about a decade ago, to EBCI. 

Following a presentation discussing the results of a feasibility study, the Franklin Town Council has withdrawn its offer to buy the property where the Angel Medical Center used to sit for $910,000. 

The medical center came under the control of Hospital Corporation of America when HCA purchased the Mission Health System in 2019.

The Smoky Mountain News is hosting a forum for the three candidates running for Haywood County Sheriff in 2026. 

Sheriff Bill Wilke was first elected to the office in November 2022 and will run as an incumbent. Challenging Wilke in the primary is fellow Republican Mark Mease, who served under former Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher, and Waynesville Police Department Detective Tyler Howell, a Democrat who is running unopposed in the primary. 

Candidates will offer opening and closing statements, in addition to answering a series of questions, which will not be provided ahead of time. Candidates will also have chances to provide rebuttals.

The forum, moderated by SMN News Editor Kyle Perrotti, will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Haywood County's historic courthouse. It is open to the public and will also be streamed on the SMN Facebook page.

North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has strengthened the process by which it allows people with a driver’s license to register to vote in an effort to prevent noncitizens from illegally participating in elections. 

The changes were instigated following scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, which prompted an internal investigation by the DMV. The initial inquiry that led to the change was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security.

Nonprofits that provide legal services are calling for North Carolina’s General Assembly to unfreeze funds necessary to their operations. In Western North Carolina, Pisgah Legal Services is one of the most crucial entities that represent people in need who find themselves in civil litigation. Now, some of those services may be in jeopardy. 

The decision to secure over $10 million to build two new landfill cells was, in a sense, an easy one for Macon County commissioners to make, but what lies ahead is less certain. 

The issue has come before commissioners each of the last few months.

Last Monday marked the likely end of a career of service for outgoing Franklin Mayor Jack Horton. But, that career began decades before he ever held elected office. 

Horton, who served six years as mayor of Macon County’s largest town, also had a prior career as a town and county manager, mostly in Western North Carolina. While there are similarities and differences in those two duties, Horton said he’s tried to keep one guiding principle on the horizon the whole time. 

Law enforcement leaders and elected officials from across Western North Carolina gathered the day before Thanksgiving to remind people about the dangers of consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel while also reaffirming their commitment to combatting drunk driving. 

The town of Franklin now has a new mayor, vice mayor and council member.

After winning their elections in November, the board was officially sworn in during the town’s Dec. 1 meeting. Stacy Guffey, formerly the vice mayor, was sworn in as mayor, newcomers Jeff Berry and Travis Higdon were sworn in as councilmembers and Rita Salain was again sworn in after winning as an incumbent. 

A new EMS base in Haywood County is now operational. 

The base was completed earlier this year. It is part of efforts by Haywood County leaders to improve emergency services coverage and response times. The base, centrally located near the intersection of Russ Avenue and Mauney Cove Road, should do just that with close proximity to Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley and Jonathan Creek. 

The Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees is again struggling to implement changes as it trudges forward without legal representation. 

At the Nov. 12 meeting, held in Jackson County, Cynthia Womble, who in September resigned her position as board chair but remains on the board, again expressed concern that Rady Large, an attorney who worked with the board on a pro bono basis, took a new job and couldn’t continue that service.

A new fire substation in Franklin years in the making is now operational. 

After lingering in limbo following initial construction, the state came through with funding to complete the project after Sen. Kevin Corbin and Rep. Karl Gillespie, both Macon County natives, were able to procure what was needed. 

Democrat Danny Davis has announced that he will challenge Republican incumbent Mark Pless for North Carolina 118th House District, made up of Haywood and Madison counties.

Dispatchers are an often overlooked part of a county’s overall emergency response, but their role is as vital as any other. 

This was made clear all across the region during Hurricane Helene, as thousands of 911 calls poured in from people in their most desperate hour. More recently, on Sept. 28, Haywood County Emergency Communicator Kaylin Greene again proved the point by thinking fast with a life on the line to get responders where they needed to go. 

Macon County voters will again have the chance to raise their sales tax by a quarter cent, from 6.75 to 7 cents on the dollar, a measure that unlike raising property taxes would impact not only locals, but also visitors who shop and dine in the area. 

Macon County will begin the consolidation of its county board of public health in January.

The vote to move forward with the consolidation came during the Nov. 13 board of commissioners meeting. In the months leading up to the vote, there was serious concern voiced by members of the community, as there were rumblings that commissioners intended to take over human relations and policy-setting operations for the crucial agency. 

Four Western North Carolina sheriffs were honored with a congressional recognition from Sen. Ted Budd. 

Transylvania County Sheriff Chuck Owenby, Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke, Henderson County Sheriff Lowell Griffin and Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller received the honor — which was read aloud on the Senate floor  — for their participation in Operation Uptown Funk earlier this year, which led to the seizure over 30 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, as well as 30 arrests related to drug trafficking. 

The Center for Biological Diversity and MountainTrue are suing the federal government, seeking to ensure laws are followed where they claim the U.S. Forest Service is skirting regulations in allowing the logging of a 135-acre parcel in the Nolichucky Gorge near the small Poplar community on the border between Yancey and Mitchell counties. 

Former Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes has been named the county’s new clerk of superior court.

The announcement was made the morning of Nov. 7, two weeks after Hunter Plemmons informed Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Roy Wijewickrama that he was going to resign after eight years of service.

Franklin will have a new mayor and two new council members.

Businesses, homes and county buildings throughout Macon County will sport green lights through Veterans Day, and organizers are hoping that next year, even more will participate. 

The effort is part of a larger campaign organized by the National Association of Counties and the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers.

As the sun set behind the Saunook fire station in west Haywood County, members of the community gathered in the bay that would normally house the fire trucks and anxiously took their seats. They were told the news was good, they just didn’t know how good.  

Haywood County’s elected clerk of superior court Hunter Plemmons has announced that he is resigning from his position effective Nov. 17.

Last September, when Hurricane Helene brought flooding to much of the region, the little league baseball field behind the Waynesville Elks Club was swamped by several inches of water, dugouts were destroyed and lights were carried downstream along with tons of other debris. But now, hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of person-hours later, action has returned to that hallowed diamond. 

Like many municipalities this year, Franklin will have competitive races on its ballot, as five people are running for three council seats and two men will square off to see who will be the town’s next mayor. 

Voters had a chance on Sept. 25 to attend a forum featuring each of the candidates, during which they were asked questions that allowed them talk about their backgrounds and some of the most pressing issues facing the town.

When the federal government shut down at midnight Oct. 1, there were a lot of questions, especially for Western North Carolina, where business owners and residents are already on the heels of a year of economic uncertainty.

When the federal government shut down at midnight Oct. 1, there were a lot of questions, especially for Western North Carolina, where business owners and residents are already on the heels of a year of economic uncertainty.

Five days isn’t enough time to process a disaster like Hurricane Helene, yet as uncertainty swirled and rescue operations still played out across Western North Carolina, Dogwood Health Trust’s 16 board members found whatever internet they could, got on a Zoom meeting and approved $30 million in grants to organizations providing vital on-the-ground services. 

Hurricane Helene may not have been so devastating for Western North Carolina were it not for the half foot of rain that dumped on the region just ahead of Sept. 27, 2024. Getting ahead of what promised to be a monumental disaster, on the afternoon of Sept. 26, only about 12 hours before flooding began in some WNC communities, the National Weather Service office in upstate South Carolina issued the following statement: 

Since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, residents have learned countless lessons and encountered unforeseen circumstances, even long after the initially recovery phase began. 

As tension develops among Fontana Regional Library trustees and a seismic shift lies ahead in about nine months, the board is plugging ahead without an attorney. 

The July FRL meeting was the last for former board attorney Rady Large, who had offered his services pro bono for about the last two years but had to resign upon taking a job with Western Carolina University.

Macon County has delayed action on consolidating its health board and seems to have taken a commissioner takeover completely off the table. 

On July 8, commissioners began working on a strategy to create a consolidated human services agency with the aim of reducing what multiple people called “silos” that can allow government authorities to operate inefficiently or even perhaps in direct opposition to each other without even knowing it. 

The Fontana Regional Library Board chair and vice chair have both resigned from their leadership positions ahead of the regularly scheduled Sept. 9 meeting.