After January’s split vote to merge the social services and health departments into one consolidated department, the Jackson County commissioners are moving toward appointing a board and hiring a director to oversee the new department. 

With a whole world of mountain beauty to explore, summer leaves no time to waste indoors. 

For the two Democrats running to serve as Jackson County’s next clerk of Superior Court, the results of the May 8 Primary Election will decide who takes the seat in December. 

During the May 8 Primary Election in Jackson County, two Republican candidates for county commissioner will race for the right to appear on the November ballot. 

In a 3-2 vote that followed hours of public comment spread over three different meetings, a measure that would have allowed Sunday morning alcohol sales failed in Jackson County April 16. 

It’s one of those issues that garner headlines and controversy but really shouldn’t.

I’m talking about the Brunch Bill, the law passed by the state legislature that allows businesses to sell alcohol starting at 10 a.m. on Sunday if they want. Many municipalities and counties around the state have supported the law, deciding to let local businesses make that decision for themselves.

What started out simply as a creative outlet has now taken on a life of its own.

Based out of Jackson County, Ol’ Dirty Bathtub is a rollicking musical act, one where the lines between bluegrass, folk and Americana are blurred. Part mountain heritage, part blue-collar work ethic, part cosmic wanderlust, the quintet is currently in the process of releasing their debut album, “Pack Mule” (Bee Hive Records).

As planning proceeds for a new sewer treatment plant in Cashiers, the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority will soon be able to end the long-standing freeze on new sewer allocation in the mountain village — at least temporarily. 

A second public hearing on whether to allow Sunday morning alcohol sales in Jackson County will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 16, at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center in Cashiers, and attendance is expected to be significant. 

Two years after the Sylva town board enacted a 42 percent increase in the city’s property tax rate, budget time has found the town without any extra cash to work with. In fact, Sylva will have to take $236,000 from its reserves in order to cover needed expenditures.