News Headlines
Fontana Regional Library votes to reimburse counties ‘surplus funds’
The Fontana Regional Library System board voted last week to return over a million dollars of taxpayer money currently sitting in its general fund to its member counties.
The motion was brought during a meeting at Cashiers’ Albert Carlton Library by Trustee Lori Richards, of Jackson County, who clearly spent a good deal of time crunching the numbers to arrive at her final conclusion.
Macon looks to tighten its belt to hold taxes steady
Macon County Manager Warren Cabe presented a budget to county commissioners last week that satisfies their wish to avoid a tax increase, but amid rising costs and ongoing capital improvements, some departments will likely come away with less than they’re hoping for.
Last year’s budget came in just over $70 million, and this year’s proposal would drop it just a bit to around $68 million, but Cabe noted that he expects grant money to supplement that number as it has in past years.
Lake Junaluska welcomes new director of sales
Wanona Tara, a hospitality industry executive with more than 30 years of experience, has joined the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center as director of sales.
In her new role, Tara is responsible for all group sales at Lake Junaluska, including lodging, food service, conferences and media services. She also will serve on the center’s operations, revenue and extended executive teams.
Swain commissioners talk county budget
Even ahead of calculating the budget, Swain County’s Fiscal Year 2026-2027 costs are likely to be higher, said County Manager Lottie Barker.
“It’s across the board, different depending on what the department has asked for, as well as special appropriations.
EBCI marches to raise awareness for missing, murdered indigenous people
Friends, family and allies dressed in red, some with signs like “no more stolen sisters” and “gun violence is on the rise,” gathered on May 5 at Oconaluftee Island Park. They’d shown up for the Qualla Boundary’s seventh annual missing and murdered Indigenous relatives/people march, coinciding with national week of action events across the country in communities impacted by what some scholars describe as a “a modern form of genocide.”
‘The River’ aims to set the story straight for Patrick Lambert
When Patrick Lambert first sat down to write his book “The River: A Cherokee Principal Chief’s Fight for Family, Truth, and Vindication” in 2024, he intended it to be about personal finance.
Somewhere along the way, he ditched the original theme, opting for a more vulnerable story. Lambert, former principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, decided to share his perspective about his 2015-2017 tenure and why it was cut two years short. But he also wanted to talk about growing up, dropping out of high school, getting a law degree, building a casino regulatory framework from scratch — all as much a part of his life as his impeachment, the main thing he feels he’s been remembered for.
Tribal council supports environmental protections, votes against extraction
Tribal council on May 7 took multiple steps to protect Qualla Boundary rivers and forests, both through supporting land management practices and standing against environmental harm. Among those was a resolution “supporting the removal of Ela Dam and the restoration of Longperson” — which called the dam “obsolete” and noted that it “impairs our watershed.”
Haywood property tax increase: 54% for jail, 21% for education
Historically, Haywood County Schools has run a tight ship in the face of slim county appropriations. Last year, it pulled from its own fund balance to finance operations; in 2022, it cut 36 positions.
But for the coming academic year, Superintendent Trevor Putnam made a dire case for additional funding. Any further cuts, he said, would deny HCS students a quality education.
North Carolina tourism hits record $37.2 billion in 2025
Gov. Josh Stein announced that North Carolina set a record for tourist spending in 2025, with travelers spending more than $37.2 billion on trips to and within the state, surpassing the previous record of $36.7 billion set in 2024.
The state’s tourism-supported workforce increased 0.3% to 230,997 jobs in 2025. Tourism payroll increased 3.5% to $9.8 billion. Also as a result of visitor spending, state and local governments saw tax revenues of more than $2.7 billion.
