Drought conditions are the best they’ve been in a month, according to the latest map from the Drought Management Advisory Council, with recent rains wiping out the extreme drought conditions that had affected 13 western counties. 

Western North Carolina is well represented in the more than $15 million recently awarded to protect working farms and forests, support county farmland preservation efforts and promote agricultural enterprises. 

After several months of filling gaps in court calendars with visiting judges, Western North Carolina will finally fill its District Court vacancy with Swain County native Justin Greene. 

Learn about the historic threats facing the French Broad River and an ongoing effort to secure the designation of Wild and Scenic River for the North Fork during the next meeting of the WNC Sierra Club at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the University of North Carolina Asheville’s Reuter Center.

Last week, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released performance and growth data for the 2022-23 school year, and none of the four school districts in the Smoky Mountain News coverage area received a low-performing state designation. 

“I’d like to add one more thing,” Marigold Showers said.

She is sitting with her back to the garage-style window in Santé Wine Bar that looks out onto Sylva’s Main Street. It is a cool, cloudy day and the sun hasn’t made an appearance since early morning. But inside the cavernous bar, there is a bright, palpable energy.

Farmers Markets provide a perfect opportunity to find local, fresh produce, get outside on the weekends and mingle with your community. Below is a guide to some of the great markets throughout Western North Carolina.

• The Jackson County Veterans Day Parade will be held on Thursday, Nov. 11, on Main Street in Sylva. Line up will begin at 2 p.m. at Mark Watson Park and the parade will begin at 3 p.m. 828.631.2231.

By Laura Lauffer

During the Thanksgiving season, we often recognize and appreciate the farmers in our community for the abundance of food on our tables. Three women farmers in the region shared their farming experience during this challenging year, what it means to them to farm as women and how they continued to grow and distribute their goods to the community in the challenging times of COVID.  

As the greatest public health crisis in more than a hundred years continues to ravage both the physical and fiscal health of the world, the nation and the state of North Carolina, a group of 15 Democratic candidates is calling for the immediate expansion of Medicaid.