Haywood Regional Medical Center will host its annual free sports physicals event for local student-athletes from 3-7 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center located at 75 Leroy George Drive in Clyde.

Open to middle and high school students, this event provides a convenient, no-cost opportunity to complete required physicals ahead of the upcoming sports season.

As spring takes hold across Western North Carolina, property owners are stepping outside to assess winter’s toll — downed limbs, overgrowth, drainage issues, and land projects waiting to begin. For many in Haywood County and beyond, that seasonal reset starts with a call to Haynes Tree & Excavation.

Based in Waynesville and serving nearby communities like Clyde, Maggie Valley, and Canton, the family-owned company has become a go-to resource for everything from storm cleanup to full-scale land preparation.

As North Carolina braces against a surge in large-scale data center development, a new bill filed by Rep. Lindsey Prather (D-Buncombe) aims to redraw the rules governing how those facilities use electricity, consume water and tap into public subsidies.

In filing the bill, Prather noted that she was inspired by a 12-month moratorium passed in the Town of Canton in February, but also that the bill was “crowd-sourced.”

Come out to Wildcat Ridge Farm during May to enjoy a blooming peony paradise. The farm will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free for all visitors.

As a Certified Appalachian Grown farm, Wildcat Ridge specializes in the finest herbaceous and intersectional peony plants and cut blooms. Herbaceous peonies are durable perennials that can live for over 100 years, while Intersectional (Itoh) peonies are known for their sturdy stems and vibrant, pastel color combinations. 

The tiny Haywood County Town of Clyde has joined a growing number of Western North Carolina communities by formalizing its opposition to data centers through a 12-month moratorium, but with limited jurisdiction beyond its borders and the possibility of preemption by Raleigh looming, Clyde knows it can’t go it alone.

Learn about survival at a class held on Haywood Community College’s campus.

Join expert Steve Kuni for a hands-on afternoon dedicated to the art of survival.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 12, participants will learn to work with the land rather than against it, mastering the “Rule of Threes,” constructing emergency shelters from forest find-lings and coaxing fire from damp winter wood. 

Haywood Community College will welcome multiple speakers, guests and partners to campus on Friday, March 20, for the WNC Environmental Summit.

The WNC Environmental Summit will provide educational opportunities for regional groups to come together, share ideas, encourage each other and take action to make a difference.

Few Primary races across the region have drawn the attention that the contest for Haywood County Sheriff has seen. 

Squaring off for the position in the Republican Primary are incumbent Sheriff Bill Wilke, who has made reform a cornerstone of his first term in office, and Mark Mease, a former HCSO captain who promises to bring back a level of integrity and professionalism he said has been absent the last three-plus years. 

The motive behind one Republican candidate’s bid for the open Haywood County Register of Deeds seat is proof she’s not qualified for the job, says her Republican Primary Election opponent.  

“I feel like someone that does not know the law should not be running for a job just trying to get back at us as a vendetta because we would not issue a marriage license,” said Stacy Cutshaw Moore, one of two candidates running to replace the longtime incumbent Democratic incumbent, Sherri Rogers, who is retiring. 

Haywood County commissioners have approved a proposed land purchase intended to expand the physical footprint around Tuscola High School in Clyde, giving the school district some flexibility to meet future needs if and when they become apparent. 

The action authorizes a $1.176 million budget amendment within the Haywood County Schools debt service fund to appropriate fund balance for the purchase of two adjoining parcels totaling 13.07 acres on Hospital Drive.