Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden signed a $221 million federal block grant agreement that targets aid to North Carolina farmers who sustained losses and damages from Hurricane Helene in 2024. 

 The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will host two family-friendly events to recognize National Hunting and Fishing Day, an annual celebration promoting outdoor recreation and conservation. 

The N.C. Department of Transportation is calling on volunteers to help clean up roadsides during the 2025 Fall Litter Sweep, scheduled for Sept. 13-27.

The statewide cleanup, held each spring and fall, brings together neighbors, civic groups and businesses to remove litter from North Carolina roadsides. 

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on Sept. 4 held its general election for tribal council. Twelve tribal members — two from each community — are elected to tribal council every two years. Turnout hovered at about 30% of eligible voters. Four women were elected to the board, a historic marker. 

The Smoky Mountain Long Term Recovery Group will host a free “Day of Resilience” event on Saturday, Sept. 20, from noon to 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, 566 S. Haywood St.

The Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center will host its annual “Farm 2 Table” Fundraiser from 5 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20. The event promises an evening of dining, dancing, local art, live music and community spirit.

Greenhill Cemetery will once again take part in the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony, a national observance that began in 1992 and has grown each year as more cemeteries across the country join in the effort to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of American veterans.

“Into the Mist: Tales of Death and Disaster, Mishaps and Misdeeds, Misfortune and Mayhem in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Volume I” is now available in e-book format on popular electronic reader platforms.

The first group of checks have been sent to farmers who applied for disaster assistance through the 2024 Ag Disaster Crop Loss, with more to follow in the coming weeks, said North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. The first round of checks was sent to farmers in Western North Carolina. 

Kuwohi Road will be temporarily closed for half-days on Sept. 9 and 16 to facilitate special educational programs for students from Swain County and Qualla Boundary schools. The park will close the road at midnight the night before each event and will reopen it by 2 p.m. 

Highlands Biological Station is hosting a free “celebration of place” event.

The one-day event will feature:

• Rare & unusual native plants for sale, including the beloved Oconee Bells. 

Haywood Community College will hold the third annual Dahlia Ridge Trail Run at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, in Clyde.

This 5k is a timed, family-friendly walk/run event open to all levels of runners, walkers and hikers.

This program is available for boys and girls in second to eighth grade.

Register participants with the recreation center where they will be practicing, either Cullowhee or Cashiers.

The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Grassroots Arts Program grants.

Applications are open through Sept. 5, 2025. Local nonprofit arts organizations and arts programs are encouraged to apply. This grant opportunity is not open to individuals. 

Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

The Colquitt Foundation has given $750,000 to the nonprofit Friends of the Smokies to save historic structures and help the national park’s Cataloochee Valley recover from damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

This month, The North Carolina Arboretum and ecoEXPLORE celebrates 100,000 observations of wild plants and animals taken by North Carolina youth and submitted to iNaturalist. In celebration, the Arboretum is inviting everyone to pitch in on selecting the top 10 photos by voting in this poll. The deadline to participate is Sept. 1. 

WNC Communities announced the induction of the 2025 honorees into the prestigious Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame. This honor recognizes individuals who have shown unwavering dedication, visionary leadership and outstanding contributions to the agribusiness sector of the region. 

Friends of Panthertown invites the public to a one-of-a-kind outdoor skills event: “Orienteering With Map and Compass,” led by renowned wilderness guide and author Burt Kornegay (“A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown”). 

The open burning of trash, metal, plastic and all other man-made materials not only harms the environment and poses a public health risk, it’s against state law.

Open burning is only allowed in limited circumstances and only for vegetative materials like leaves, limbs and yard debris. 

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (TDA) announced the launch of its Birding in Jackson County guide — a free, full-color publication designed to help locals and visitors discover one of the most engaging outdoor activities the region has to offer. 

 Haywood Community  College’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer 4 opportunities for hunter safety courses in Fall 2025.

Unearthing history is nothing new to Cherokee Language Program director and associate professor Sara Snyder Hopkins. Thanks to a federal grant, she and a group of colleagues will continue to do so. 

Gov. Josh Stein announced the state is accepting applications for a new program to repair or rebuild homes in Western North Carolina that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene.

Indivisible Commonground WNC will host a free candidate forum for the upcoming Sylva Board of Commissioners municipal election on Thursday, Aug. 21 at the Jackson County Public Library. The event will be held in the Community Room from 6-7:30 p.m. 

Indivisible CommonGround WNC will host its August meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. The event will take place in the Community Room from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The National Park Service urges visitors to not feed or approach black bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park has seen an increase in incidents involving visitors feeding bears. Feeding wildlife is illegal and endangers you, other visitors and bears. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has allocated $409.4 million to North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for public water systems to improve local drinking water utility infrastructure so their systems can better withstand natural disasters. 

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust announced the conservation of 31.69 acres of ecologically valuable land within the town limits of Highlands. Located off Bowery Road, the property overlooks Horse Cove Valley. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission welcomed Justin Boyd to its governing board. Boyd was appointed as an at-large member by North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler and will serve a four-year term until June 30, 2029. Boyd was sworn in on July 22 at the Department of Agriculture headquarters in Raleigh. 

Earlier this summer, two Western North Carolina artists completed and installed a new public sculpture at a park in Virginia.  

Metalsmith William Rogers designed the work and created steel elements that support hammered copper panels made by Nathan Bush.

A critical process has been completed, permitting the N.C. Department of Transportation and its project team to extract rock necessary for reconstruction of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge. 

Aspiring food truck owners and mobile food entrepreneurs are invited to take their business dreams to the next level at the upcoming Food Truck Boot Camp, hosted by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems (EMFS) project in collaboration with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Division of Commerce.

Members of Western Carolina University fraternities and sororities contributed more than $1.5 million to the Catamount Club during the 2024-2025 edition of the Greek Challenge, an annual competition to see which organizations can raise the most money in support of the university’s athletics program. 

Following a period of decreased activity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was exacerbated by the impacts of Hurricane Helene, the Association of Retired Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University has embarked upon a process of organizational reinvigoration. 

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced that a Waynesville man pleaded guilty this week to calling in a bomb threat last spring that forced authorities to evacuate Haywood County Justice Center. 

The N.C. Department of Transportation has been nationally recognized for its collaborative and dynamic emergency response to Hurricane Helene last fall.

The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration continue to work toward emergency repairs for U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road following the Aug. 1 washout and landslide. The agencies plan to award a contract in August and expect that construction will be complete in early October.

Girls on the Run of Western North Carolina (GOTR WNC) announced the appointment of Stacie Marlowe as its executive director. A Henderson County native and long-time advocate for youth development, Marlowe steps into the role with a passion for empowering girls and a strong background in youth development programming and nonprofit leadership. 

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality is awarding another $1.91 million for new public electric vehicle chargers across North Carolina, filling gaps in the state’s charging network along highways and in rural communities. 

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane. 

The Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville will use its cafeteria to host a two-day show featuring the work of local painter Richard Baker.

Featuring over 200 works from Baker, the exhibition will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 8-9. In addition, there will be a reception from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9. 

A Western Carolina University instructor of management will be leading a weeklong entrepreneurship and leadership camp for underserved youth in Western North Carolina to help them get an early jump on learning some of the steps necessary for starting a business. 

Indivisible Commonground WNC will host a free candidate forum for the upcoming Sylva Board of Commissioners municipal election on Thursday, Aug. 21, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.  

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch today announced the successful prosecution of a Swain County man on drug trafficking charges.

A Haywood County Superior Court jury late Friday found Clinton Leslie Ensley, 45, guilty of: 

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles announced a moratorium on the expiration of Class C driver licenses in North Carolina.

Under this legislation, Class C licenses (standard passenger vehicle licenses) expiring on or after July 1, 2025, will remain valid for driving purposes within the state for up to two years beyond the printed expiration date. 

The Highlands Biological Foundation will welcome Megan Sutton, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Blue Ridge Programs, as the featured speaker for the final installment of the 2025 Zahner Conservation Lecture Series.

Twenty-seven counties across the state will receive more than $204 million in funding for 48 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The awards will improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, address PFAS and other forever chemicals, identify and replace lead pipes, and improve resiliency after future storms. 

County governments and conservation nonprofit groups may apply for grant funding from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund for farmland preservation projects.