News Headlines
Federal failures cast shadow over Haywood budget
Failures in the federal response to Hurricane Helene are still rippling into Haywood County’s bottom line, forcing the county — like most of its municipalities — to build a budget around uncertainty and delay rather than recovery.
County Manager Bryant Morehead’s March 16 presentation made clear that millions in storm-related costs remain unreimbursed, leaving the county to carry the financial burden 18 months after the disaster.
Grants available through Haywood Health Foundation
Haywood Health Foundation announced its Annual Request For Proposals for Grants Pertaining to Unmet Healthcare Needs in Haywood County.
HHF’s grant program will provide grants to Haywood County non-profit organizations, government agencies and schools for healthcare initiatives, as well as educational and leadership programs related to improving healthcare in Haywood County.
Rogers upsets Pless in NC House primary
Two counties hit hard by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina will soon have a new representative in the General Assembly, after Republican Primary Election voters backed a challenger who won by nearly 10 points.
Haywood and Madison counties comprise the 118th House District and together tallied more than $200 million in losses from the Sept. 27, 2024, storm, which caused $60 billion in damage statewide.
Primary Election results shake up Western North Carolina
A turbulent primary season has already reshaped Western North Carolina’s political landscape, toppling incumbents, elevating new contenders and setting the stage for a consequential General Election.
Across the region, voters delivered decisive verdicts in races for Congress, the General Assembly and key county offices, while several high-profile contests reflected deeper tensions over taxes, disaster recovery and divisive social issues.
Bringing the world to Western North Carolina: Rolf Kaufman was instrumental to Folkmoot’s success
In 1983, when Rolf Kaufman attended a small meeting at the Waynesville home of his neighbor Dr. Clinton Border, he couldn’t have known that he was stepping into his life’s work. He’d simply said yes to an invitation, but not long after, Folkmoot USA would become inseparable from his name.
Kaufman, who passed away on Feb. 15 at age 95, was more than a founding board member. Over four decades, he became the festival’s ambassador, diplomat, fundraiser, strategist and quiet guardian. To many, he was simply “Mr. Folkmoot.”
Teachers’ arrests expose abuse of EC students
On Feb. 16, one teacher and three teacher’s assistants were transferred from the Exceptional Children’s program at Swain West Elementary to the exceptional children program at Swain East following authorization by the county school board. By the end of the second day there, two of these TAs had already allegedly witnessed multiple instances of non-sexual child abuse of several East students.
Shelter from the storm: Donors provide Haywood family mortgage-free home
After having their Haywood County home destroyed by three separate floods, Michelle Lee, her husband Roger and their son Cheyenne have found new digs on higher ground.
The land they had lived on was in the Lee family for generations. Roger’s 71 years have played out on the wooded patch near a normally calm creek that slipped its banks and wreaked havoc on the property three times — in 2004 when Hurricanes Frances and Ivan arrived; in 2021, Fred; and in 2024, Helene.
Haywood commission incumbent ousted
After nearly four years of drama, incumbent Haywood County Commissioner Terry Ramey won't be a commissioner much longer.
Canton secures mill site future with land purchase
Just two days before the three-year anniversary of the announcement that the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton would close, Canton’s governing board took a decisive step toward securing both its wastewater infrastructure and its economic future by approving a complex land purchase that will place key portions of the former paper mill site under municipal control.
