News Headlines
Brad Hoxit permanently removed as Graham County Sheriff
Superior Court Judge William T. Stetzer has ruled that former Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit will not return to his former office.
In his order, Stetzer determined that Hoxit engaged in “willful misconduct and maladministration.”
Keeping the faith: First-of-its kind sheriff removal hearing plays out in Graham County
There was no shortage of gray-haired attorneys in Graham County Superior Court last week. Some represented witnesses; others were just curious to watch a proceeding not seen in modern history.
Maintaining faith in the justice system and protecting law enforcement were the themes of the four-day hearing held last week in Robbinsville to determine whether Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit — now suspended amid allegations of misconduct tied to an investigation of the ex-husband of his current wife — would be officially barred from returning to office.
No Kings 3: Protests reshape identity across America
Before the chants started and long before the first speaker took the microphone, people were already drifting toward one another — introducing themselves, comparing stories, soaking up the quiet relief of being in a crowd where, for once, they didn’t feel outnumbered.
What emerged in those early moments of the March 28 “No Kings 3” rallies in Haywood and Jackson counties wasn’t just a protest but a kind of recognition, a temporary reordering of identity where private beliefs, often muted in churches, social circles or workplaces, could be expressed openly and without hesitation.
Stein pushes $792M Helene plan as recovery lags
More than 18 months after Hurricane Helene caused roughly $60 billion in damage across Western North Carolina, only about 12% of federal recovery funding has arrived — as FEMA delays persist and questions about the agency’s future mount — leaving displaced families in campers, local governments with budget gaps and Gov. Josh Stein proposing another $792 million in state spending to keep a stalled federal recovery from slipping further behind.
Canton eyes future with Park Street overhaul
Canton is preparing to turn one of its most flood-prone, long-neglected buildings into something it has rarely been in decades — useful.
Once the project is complete, the aging structure at 225 Park St. will become a flexible, flood-adapted gathering space designed not just to survive the next storm but to anchor a broader transformation already reshaping the surrounding blocks.
Fundraising, food, fellowship
The Community Table is in a small and unassuming brick building nestled between Sylva’s Municipal Drive and Poteet Park. It’s also a local lifeline. Every year, tens of thousands of community members visit the nonprofit — which since 1999 has envisioned a Jackson County in which no one “goes to bed hungry” — and are welcomed inside its doors.
Canton wastewater woes bubbling up again
A looming deadline on a critical wastewater agreement has exposed a growing divide between Canton officials and their private partner, with negotiations stalled over cost, oversight and the data needed to shape the town’s long-term infrastructure plans.
Town leaders confirmed they do not yet have an extension in place for wastewater treatment services as the current agreement with mill site owner Eric Spirtas was set to expire at 5 p.m. March 31 — when The Smoky Mountain News went to print — leaving only days to resolve a dispute that has been building over months.
Haywood commissioners to appoint interim tax collector
The Haywood County Board of Commissioners believes it has the authority to appoint an interim tax collector, after the incumbent resigned March 25.
State board rules on Jackson election complaints
Two complaints filed with the North Carolina State Board of Elections against Jackson County Board of Elections Chair Bill Thompson were dismissed after they were given initial consideration at a March 25 meeting of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
