There are currently 12 river flow gauges in Haywood. With the new gauges, river monitoring sites will increase by more than 65%. Donated photo
 

New river gauge installation begins in Haywood County

The first of eight planned new river gauges will be installed in Haywood County this week. When complete the project…
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Asheville VA, Pardee, AdventHealth get top grades in latest Medicare hospital ratings
 

Asheville VA, Pardee, AdventHealth get top grades in latest Medicare hospital ratings

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual hospital ratings July 31, awarding top five-star ratings…
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People with ties to Col. Thomas Lenoir’s Haywood County cattle ranch, past and present, gathered together to commemorate a new historic marker on the site. Pictured (left to right) are Mike Terrell, Carole Terrell, James Walker, Bart Lenoir, Elizabeth Colon, William Le Noir, Jr., Gwen Cradle, Lavonne Casey, Rosalind Lenoir-Zachary, Nicole Zachary, Ellen Michal, Charles Trantham, Martha Trantham, Ellie Trantham, Bailey Trantham, James Trantham and Julie Trantham. Donated photo
 

Bethel Rural Community Organization rededicates historic marker

Nearly three years after a historic marker on Haywood County’s oldest continuously operating farm was damaged by Tropical Storm Fred,…
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A man stands among the tall chestnut trees. Donated photo
 

Film looks at the disappearing American Chestnut

On Monday, Aug. 19, the series “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture,” will present a screening of the film,…
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WCU School of Nursing receives UNC System grant
 

WCU School of Nursing receives UNC System grant

To help address the critical workforce shortage in health care, nursing in particular, the University of North Carolina System initiated…
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Trenton Anthony Stainback
 

Man sentenced to 15 years for extreme child abuse

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced that a Cherokee County man pleaded guilty to intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily…
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Pisgah View State Park comes into focus
 

Pisgah View State Park comes into focus

Buncombe County’s first state park, near the eastern gateway to Haywood County, remains on track for a 2025 opening after…
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Copperheads can sometimes be seen around the historical grist mill near Cades Cove Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Most bites occur either because people unknowingly place their hands or feet too close, especially around buildings, rocks and logs, or they handle or provoke the snake. Juveniles like this one have bright yellow tails.
 

Word from the Smokies: Shedding light on the nature of venomous snakes

Summer in Southern Appalachia affords many opportunities to watch and learn more about our diverse species of wildlife. Near the…
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Canton firefighters continue to clean out supplies and equipment from their flood-ravaged station off Park Street on Aug. 20, 2021 — three days after floodwaters infiltrated the building.
 

Tillis' funding request for Canton fire station moves forward

The effects of deadly flooding in 2021 are still being felt in the town of Canton, but thanks to a…
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A photo of Leibfarth at the Tokyo olympics four years ago.
 

Swain County's Leibfarth medals at Paris Olympics

Bryson City’s Evy Leibfarth is now an Olympic medalist after finishing in third place and taking home the bronze medal…
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Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. File photo
 

‘Conversations with Storytellers Series’

As part of the “Pigeon Community Conversations with Storytellers Series,” Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug.…
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Want to learn contra dancing?
 

Want to learn contra dancing?

There will be a contra dance class offered from 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Macon County Public Library…
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Franklin community art gathering
 

Franklin community art gathering

The ArtFest community event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Macon County…
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Women’s rights are slipping away
 

Women’s rights are slipping away

To the Editor: I was in my 20s in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Legislative and legal decisions this…
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I won’t force my beliefs on you
 

I won’t force my beliefs on you

To the Editor: One of the things I find baffling about those on the other side of the political divide…
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Regarding the Nikwasi Initiative’s promises
 

Regarding the Nikwasi Initiative’s promises

Is anyone questioning Cherokee's Chief Hicks who demanded the town turn over the deed to the mound to the Nikwasi…
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Anderson Clayton, who chairs the North Carolina Democrats, has emphasized reaching out to rural voters. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Democrats hit the campaign trail in rural North Carolina

Old-school campaigning is back in rural North Carolina, and this time it’s the Democrats leading the charge.  In the 2020…
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Nine out of eleven schools in Macon County are eligible for universal free lunch. File photo
 

‘Bridging the gap’: Macon school board to request county funding for school meals

In the face of rising prices for school lunches, the Macon County Board of Education is set to request funding…
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The board of education approved changes to the Franklin High School student handbook. File photo
 

Franklin High School cracks down on attendance, tardiness, vaping

The Macon County Board of Education approved revisions to student and staff handbooks for several schools at its July 22…
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Swain mulls what to do with opioid settlement funds
 

Swain mulls what to do with opioid settlement funds

As fiscal year 2024-2025 begins, North Carolina’s county governments are receiving their third installment of the Opioid Settlement Fund. This…
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KidzCare partners with WNC Farm to Table to provide food to families in need
 

KidzCare partners with WNC Farm to Table to provide food to families in need

KidzCare Pediatrics Sylva announced a partnership with WNC Farm to Table to provide weekly food bags for patients and their…
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Building back from the brink
 

Building back from the brink

After twin tragedies in 2021 and 2023, the town of Canton still has a substantial list of ongoing projects in…
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Macon County Schools to increase pre-K, after school costs
 

Macon County Schools to increase pre-K, after school costs

After the sunset of COVID-era child care stabilization grants, Macon County Schools will have to increase costs for both Pre-K…
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Then-town Manager Nick Scheuer (right) walks through flood-ravaged Canton on Aug. 19, 2021, with Sen. Thom Tillis (left) and Mayor Zeb Smathers. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Staff shakeup in Canton

Just months after a staff realignment meant to free up then-Town Manager Nick Scheuer to focus on recovery and resiliency…
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Canton lowers restrictions on outdoor special event requests
 

Canton lowers restrictions on outdoor special event requests

In the past, Canton required that a request to use public spaces for events be submitted four months in advance.…
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Jackson TDA announces quarterly cycle for Tourism Capital Project Fund
 

Jackson TDA announces quarterly cycle for Tourism Capital Project Fund

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA) has announced a new quarterly cycle for the Tourism Capital Project Fund (TCPF),…
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Haywood TDA to Host Community Input Session
 

Haywood TDA to Host Community Input Session

Have your say in the future of the county’s tourism industry by attending a community input session for the Haywood…
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Michael Bradley lives for the moments in the creek, and his dedication to the sport of fly fishing has taken him places he’d never dreamed of. Madison Hye Long photo, courtesy of Visit Cherokee
 

Angling for the podium: How Michael Bradley has taken the fly fishing world by storm

Most folks who get into fly fishing do it despite the fish, which seldom cooperate and sometimes get in the…
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The Sylva gardening club maintains the large garden that runs the length of Bicentennial Park. Donated photo
 

Sylva Garden Club hosts its annual picnic

The Sylva Garden Club will be hosting its annual picnic 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, in Bicentennial…
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Runners faced cool, wet weather for last year’s Friends of the Lake 5K, which was held in April. This year’s race will be held Labor Day weekend. Donated photo
 

Friends of the Lake 5K

The Friends of the Lake 5K Road Race & Walk will take place at Lake Junaluska on Saturday, Aug. 31. Those…
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NCDEQ recognizes WNC institutes for energy reductions
 

NCDEQ recognizes WNC institutes for energy reductions

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s State Energy Office recognized thirteen state agencies, universities and community colleges for their…
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Benton MacKaye Trail proposal heard in Congress
 

Benton MacKaye Trail proposal heard in Congress

A hearing before the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands was held July 24 for H.R. 8403 — a bipartisan bill in…
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Much of the drought has abated across the state, including Western North Carolina. From ncdrought.org
 

North Carolina free from extreme drought

North Carolina is free from extreme drought in the latest advisory issued by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council (DMAC) on Thursday.
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The snorkel trail event will be hosted by Haywood Waterways Association. Donated graphic
 

Snorkeling event offers river education opportunity

On Aug. 3, join Haywood Waterways Association on the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail to discover the fish and other wildlife…
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Input sought on environmental justice initiative
 

Input sought on environmental justice initiative

People can soon comment on an environmental justice initiative outlined in Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 292. The order reestablished an…
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Public comment period open for Foothills Parkway environmental assessment
 

Public comment period open for Foothills Parkway environmental assessment

National Park Service (NPS) posted the Foothills Parkway Section 8D Environmental Assessment (EA) today for a 30-day public comment period…
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Haywood master gardeners host information session
 

Haywood master gardeners host information session

People interested in gardening will have the chance to join a network of like-minded folks across the state dedicated to…
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Buncombe Turnpike will play Franklin July 27. File photo
 

Cowee School welcomes Buncombe Turnpike

Americana/bluegrass ensemble Buncombe Turnpike will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center…
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Timmy Abell will play Cashiers July 27. File photo
 

Cashiers to host JarrettFest

A nationally recognized touring and recording artist of children’s music, Timmy Abell will perform at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27,…
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Park Ranger Katie Corrigan helps Carly Peterson, ADA coordinator for Knox County and volunteer for Catalyst Sports, navigate a creek crossing on Cooper Road Trail. Jim Matheny, Friends of the Smokies photo
 

Word from the Smokies: Park program welcomes people with disabilities into the backcountry

Growing up, Blount County native Carly Pearson considered time outdoors a way of life. When she wasn’t exploring the stunningly…
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An artist's rendition of the SWOT satellite. Donated photo
 

Highlands lecture series to host NASA scientist

The Highlands Biological Foundation (HBF) announced the next lecture in their Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, taking place at 6 p.m.…
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Waynesville project seeks to elevate quality of life
 

Waynesville project seeks to elevate quality of life

The Town of Waynesville is applying for the Urban and Community Forestry Financial Assistance Program grant. The goal is to…
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Haywood Waterways hosts annual picnicHaywood Waterways hosts annual picnic
 

Haywood Waterways hosts annual picnicHaywood Waterways hosts annual picnic

The nonprofit Haywood Waterways is inviting members and supporters to gather for its annual picnic to be held at the…
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Beekeeper group to host Varroa testing demo
 

Beekeeper group to host Varroa testing demo

Smoky Mountain Beekeepers’ August meeting will be held at the apiary at Mountain Discovery Charter School located at the top…
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Youth fishing event in Cherokee
 

Youth fishing event in Cherokee

The Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby will be held from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Oconaluftee…
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Farmers market hosts Styrofoam disposal event
 

Farmers market hosts Styrofoam disposal event

Bring unwanted Styrofoam by the Haywood County Farmers Market Saturday, July 27. 
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WNC at the RNC: Western delegates reflect on historic GOP convention
 

WNC at the RNC: Western delegates reflect on historic GOP convention

Eight days is what it took to shock the world and cast the contentious 2024 Presidential race down untrodden paths. 
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The opioid epidemic has taken the lives of more than 37,000 North Carolinians since 2000.
 

Macon, Jackson to receive more opioid settlement funds

Macon and Jackson County commissions signed resolutions this month enabling the governments to receive funding from the Kroger opioid settlement,…
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As planned, Western North Carolina courts became fully digital on July 22. North Carolina Judicial Branch photo
 

eCourts launches in Western North Carolina

Members of the public interested in Western North Carolina court cases now have better access than ever to criminal and…
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Students crowd into the Fairview School cafeteria. Donated photo
 

Jackson to fund Fairview School construction

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted this month to commit to funding construction and renovation of Fairview School, which…
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