The Nikwasi Mound in Franklin is one step closer to being transferred back to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a process almost a century in the making. 

At a Franklin Town Council meeting Jan. 5, the board voted unanimously to transfer the deed for the property, which is just south of downtown near the Little Tennessee River, from the Noquisi Initiative, a nonprofit formed for this very purpose about a decade ago, to EBCI. 

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.

Following a presentation discussing the results of a feasibility study, the Franklin Town Council has withdrawn its offer to buy the property where the Angel Medical Center used to sit for $910,000. 

The medical center came under the control of Hospital Corporation of America when HCA purchased the Mission Health System in 2019.

On a quiet stretch of riverfront wedged between Sylva and Cherokee, the old Drexel furniture plant in Whittier is set for new life as an economic development engine that just might end up hosting a few “engines” of its own. 

Cannabis regulation was again debated by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ leadership on Aug. 7 as tribal council considered two resolutions — in both instances, council representatives overwhelmingly favored the status quo. Nonetheless, a few questions were raised in the process. 

Two members of Waynesville’s Zoning Board of Adjustment were improperly appointed by Town Council in violation of the town’s own term limits policy, a Smoky Mountain News investigation has found. 

The Conservation Fund announced that a critical property in the Great Balsam Mountains is protected as forest and natural land.

To the Editor:

In answer to a reporter’s question at Mar-a-Lago on February 18 about the war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump said, as if he was speaking directly to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky: “You could have made a deal.”

Now is the time for North Carolinians to act on wildfire mitigation practices and Firewise principles. By taking appropriate action, residents can help protect their homes and communities from wildfires by creating a defensible space while reducing risk. 

A state-mandated, county-wide property reappraisal took effect on Jan. 1 this year. 

Prior to the appeals process, the reappraisal showing a massive increase in real property taxable value for Jackson.