Jam-rock ensemble Prophets of Time will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva. 

On a holiday meant to honor the nation’s presidents — past and present — demonstrators in Jackson and Haywood counties joined others who gathered in cities across the country to protest what they describe as a dangerous concentration of power under Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. 

Jackson County is embarking on a conservation plan with goal of protecting certain tracts of land. 

“Jackson County is, from a natural resources perspective, a phenomenal county,” said Owen Carson, senior ecologist at Equinox Environmental in a presentation to commissioners Feb. 4.

City Lights Bookstore in Sylva will host two readings:

• Chris Aluka Berry, author of “Affrilachia: Testimonies,” will speak with Ann Miller Woodford at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13.

Jackson County commissioners chose to delay an appointment to the county’s Tourism Development Authority Board for the third month in a row, leaving a board that has had difficulty filling seats in the past one member down when there are multiple applicants that have been vetted and are ready to serve. 

After years of work on the project and more than a decade of planning and advocacy, the new aquatic center in Jackson County is officially open to patrons. 

Residents of Jackson County have long voiced their support, organized and fundraised for a skatepark with little to show other than a temporary half-pipe that stood behind Motion Makers in Sylva for just over one year. 

MountainTrue, in partnership with the Mainspring Conservation Trust and the Pinnacle Park Foundation, is hosting a community volunteer workday to control non-native invasive plants and restore native habitat at the Pinnacle Park in Sylva. 

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. 

For the second meeting in a row, Jackson County Commissioners chose to table a routine appointment to the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Board, leaving a board that has had difficulty filling seats in the past one member down with an applicant willing, ready and waiting in the wings.