Archived (31418)
Children categories
Sylva candidates stake out contrasts in forum
An Aug. 21 forum featuring most of the candidates in Sylva’s upcoming municipal election painted a broad portrait of a…
Read More
Food assistance program likely to be gutted, despite helping WNC residents
Like any parent or guardian, Katie Clubb wants to provide nutritious food for her grandchildren. Clubb, a Canton resident, said…
Read More
Trouble brewing: Trump’s tariffs drive up coffee costs
The roaster looks almost like an old steam locomotive, its polished steel drum gleaming under fluorescent light, a hulking American-made…
Read More
Shining Rock charter school singles out media with restrictive new policy
Shining Rock Classical Academy’s taxpayer-funded, unelected governing board pledged “a new direction” on transparency and accountability after a June court…
Read More
Macon County to hear public comments on health department takeover
Macon County Commissioners will gather public comments on Tuesday, Sept. 9, ahead of a potential decision to take over the…
Read More
Sylva slightly expands social district hours
Sylva’s popular downtown social district will now stay open an hour later each evening after town commissioners approved a modest…
Read More
DOT outlines I-40 rebuild: With environmental permitting process over, real work begins
The signs are still there lining the fragile bank separating Interstate 40 from the Pigeon River — chunks of jagged…
Read More
Gimme one good reason: The Brothers Gillespie to play Canton Labor Day
Since their formation in 2018, The Brothers Gillespie have become one of the must-see rock acts emerging from Western North…
Read More
Helene victims still waiting for Whatley
Scenic Chimney Rock has historically been an out-of-the-way place, nestled tightly against the Broad River in a narrow valley between…
Read More
Hypocrisy, lies and censorship fuel drag protest in Sylva
Outside agitators continued their assault on the First Amendment in Sylva Aug. 24, as a small group of right-wing activists…
Read More
As Chimney Rock shops reopen, shopkeepers recount what it took to get there
As you enter Chimney Rock, you will see bulldozers and construction workers and other visceral reminders of Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic…
Read More
COVID mounts late summer surge amid onset of flu season
The last year has brought an unusual pattern in COVID surges. Typically, the virus is worst during the winter with…
Read More
Whittier project reimagines county land as community attraction
On a quiet stretch of riverfront wedged between Sylva and Cherokee, the old Drexel furniture plant in Whittier is set…
Read More
Swain Commission Chair abruptly resigns
Swain County Commissioner Chairman Kevin Seagle has announced his resignation, effective Aug. 31. Seagle. Ahead of the announcement, Seagle was…
Read More
Word from the Smokies: Plant biology research was lifelong passion for Dr. Dan Pittillo
Avid botanist, dedicated environmentalist, and lifelong educator Dr. J. Dan Pittillo passed away peacefully on Sunday, Aug. 10, surrounded by…
Read More
WCU professor to speak at civics meeting
Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
Read More
Colquitt Foundation gives $750,000 for Helene recovery in Smokies
The Colquitt Foundation has given $750,000 to the nonprofit Friends of the Smokies to save historic structures and help the national park’s…
Read More
Outdoor Youth Science Program ecoEXPLORE Celebrates 100,000 Observations
This month, The North Carolina Arboretum and ecoEXPLORE celebrates 100,000 observations of wild plants and animals taken by North Carolina youth and submitted to…
Read More
HCC hosts third-annual Dahlia Ridge Trail Run
Haywood Community College will hold the third annual Dahlia Ridge Trail Run at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, in…
Read More
Inductees into the WNC Agricultural Hall of Fame celebrated
WNC Communities announced the induction of the 2025 honorees into the prestigious Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame. This…
Read More
Learn overland navigation
Friends of Panthertown invites the public to a one-of-a-kind outdoor skills event: “Orienteering With Map and Compass,” led by renowned…
Read More
DEQ reminds residents not to burn trash
The open burning of trash, metal, plastic and all other man-made materials not only harms the environment and poses a…
Read More
Jackson TDA releases new birding guide
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (TDA) announced the launch of its Birding in Jackson County guide — a free, full-color publication…
Read More
Haywood Community College hosts fall hunter safety courses
Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer 4 opportunities for hunter safety courses…
Read More
Officials provide update on mulch fire
Anyone who’s been through the eastern part of Haywood County, even just driving toward Buncombe County on I-40 has likely…
Read More
Former student alleges abuse by longtime Jackson County band instructor
A former Smoky Mountain High School student has come forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior by her longtime band teacher,…
Read More
Davis exit marks another shift in NC-11 Dem race
Weeks after a bitter dispute over a Democratic gala laid bare divisions in Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, the…
Read More
Swain County withheld commission chair resignation letter before announcement
Swain County Commission Chairman Kevin Seagle’s resignation was made public after an Aug. 19 meeting with a letter released by…
Read More
Jackson County Schools removes staff member pending investigation
After reports that a Jackson County Public Schools staff member was escorted from school property Aug. 21, JCPS Public Information…
Read More
Swain commission chair gives county his resignation
Kevin Seagle, chair of the Swain County board of commissioners, has given the county his resignation effective Aug. 31, according…
Read More
A badge of honor: Restoring trust touted by hopefuls in crowded Swain sheriff’s race
In the wake of the controversy surrounding former Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran, the new sheriff, Brian Kirkland, only a…
Read More
Democratic hopefuls sidestep gala flap as Clayton outlines long-term plan
The political rift over an upcoming Democratic gala — an internal dust-up that sparked chatter across Western North Carolina political…
Read More
Haywood County hires consultant to prepare hazard mitigation grant applications
When Hurricane Helene unleashed more than a foot of rain across Haywood County in less than 24 hours last September,…
Read More
Haywood provides update on innovative middle school
It’s been two months since Haywood County Schools announced their “innovative middle school,” and while there aren’t concrete updates, leaders…
Read More
WCU’s ECHT project receives $450K grant from NEH
Unearthing history is nothing new to Cherokee Language Program director and associate professor Sara Snyder Hopkins. Thanks to a federal…
Read More
WNC homeowners can apply for single-family housing recovery program
Gov. Josh Stein announced the state is accepting applications for a new program to repair or rebuild homes in Western…
Read More
Sylva candidate forum set for Aug. 21
Indivisible Commonground WNC will host a free candidate forum for the upcoming Sylva Board of Commissioners municipal election on Thursday,…
Read More
WCU professor to speak at civics meeting
Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.…
Read More
New book explores roots of Rockefeller generosity to the national parks
In 1927, a $5 million donation from the richest man in America — the equivalent of $92 million today —…
Read More
Smokies staff reminds visitors that feeding bears is illegal, dangerous
The National Park Service urges visitors to not feed or approach black bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The…
Read More
$400 million allocated to prepare NC drinking water for natural disasters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has allocated $409.4 million to North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for public water systems to improve…
Read More
Highlands protects 32 acres
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust announced the conservation of 31.69 acres of ecologically valuable land within the town limits of Highlands. Located…
Read More
Boyd sworn in as wildlife commissioner
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission welcomed Justin Boyd to its governing board. Boyd was appointed as an at-large member by…
Read More
New grants boost Helene recovery efforts
The American Flood Coalition's Recovery and Resilience Partnership is barely six months old, but it’s already helping to deliver results…
Read More
Man who shot viral video at local dump sues Haywood sheriff, dump owner
A Prince George’s County, Maryland, man whose viral video of a confrontation with a group at a dump in Haywood…
Read More
Tainted by misinformation, FRL debate drags on
As residents of Jackson County continue to rail against commissioners’ June vote to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system…
Read More
Cherokee cannabis growers’ proposal killed, Qualla Enterprises takes Cooper property
Cannabis regulation was again debated by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ leadership on Aug. 7 as tribal council considered two…
Read More
Library consultants speak on Jackson split from FRL
In the first of what will be many additional expenditures of taxpayer funds related to the withdrawal from the Fontana…
Read More
NCDOT receives permits to begin rock removal for I-40
A critical process has been completed, permitting the N.C. Department of Transportation and its project team to extract rock necessary for…
Read More
Food Truck Boot Camp returns to Cherokee
Aspiring food truck owners and mobile food entrepreneurs are invited to take their business dreams to the next level at…
Read More
