Hurricane Helene’s torrential rains in September 2024 caused the Pigeon River to surge to record flow that ripped sections of Interstate 40 to shreds, but the nearby Walters Dam, and powerhouse 12 miles below it, withstood the devastating storm with little damage. 

“The dam was in no way compromised. It functioned perfectly, just like it should. We opened it up to let water out,” Alan Stuart Jr., a senior project manager for Duke Energy, told a Haywood County audience last week during a presentation about the hydropower plant on the Pigeon River. 

Western Carolina University students are using emerging technology and design expertise to help expand a critical refuge for survivors of abuse in Western North Carolina. 

Construction management students from WCU’s College of Engineering recently used drones and 360-degree cameras to create detailed, interactive 3D models of the REACH of Haywood County shelter and property.

The National Park Service will conduct additional design work and technical studies for Foothills Parkway Section 8D. This decision was based on feedback from subject matter experts and public comments received during a 30-day public comment which ended on Aug. 21. 

I drove down to Asheville recently to see my boys and to help one of them move into an apartment. I have enjoyed watching all of my boys fledge one by one into the world and into their own lives. The final step, getting their own places, has been particularly satisfying for me as I love designing spaces! I am lucky to be able to acutely feel when the energy of a room is off. It has taken me years to refine my 6th sense to locate and restore harmony to a dissonant environment.

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I woke one morning with the urge to purge. I felt compelled to declutter my bonus room. It is what I like to call a flex room. Here, things are stored, gifts are wrapped, weights are lifted, air mattresses are inflated. When we moved in, we used it for an overflow space until we could mentally deal with the items in those boxes. Now, eight months later, it is time to face the music. I ordered a few cabinets to control the chaos last fall, but since then the clutter started spilling out, creeping into the corners and climbing up the walls making that room my kryptonite.

At the corner of Depot and Haywood streets in downtown Waynesville sits an old building. Originally a gas station, it was also a longtime mechanic’s shop and later a car wash for a period. But, in recent months, the charming, somewhat dormant 147 Depot St. location has had new life breathed into it.  

Students in Western Carolina University’s interior design program soon will have access to new experiential learning opportunities thanks to a $75,000 gift from a woman whose 40-year career in the profession got its start at WCU. 

Come together, work together, play together, win together…

“Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself.” — Virgil Abloh.

Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | We all grow and change in life and that often results in moving or renovating homes. I enjoy working with clients when they are changing stages in life because their energy is in a place of expansion. Even when they are downsizing their living situation, their spirit is growing and embracing the new adventure that lies ahead!