The Environmental Action Community of Western North Carolina (EAC) invites supporters and the public to its year in review celebration from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Folkmoot Auditorium in Waynesville. The evening will feature an informative program, raffle prizes, partner presentations, resource tables and light refreshments. 

On Oct. 1, Republican-controlled Congress shut down the federal government, bringing a renewed round of confusion, finger-pointing and uncertainty to tourism-reliant Southern Appalachia — a region still paying the price for generational poverty, and still struggling with recovery from Hurricane Helene more than one year ago.  

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will implement Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations on 33 trout waters beginning Oct. 1.

Under Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations, only catch-and-release of trout is permissible from program waters between Oct. 1, 2025 and June 5, 2026.

An Aug. 21 forum featuring most of the candidates in Sylva’s upcoming municipal election painted a broad portrait of a community wrestling with growth, values and limited resources, but it also revealed a few stark differences that could prove critical when voters begin going to the polls in November. 

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.  

With the end of the municipal election filing period, candidates are now gearing up to take their message to voters as they look to claim seats on local government boards across Western North Carolina. 

Candidates across Western North Carolina have begun filing for the 2025 municipal elections, which will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4. 

Last week, The Smoky Mountain News conducted a survey across its four-county core coverage area to determine who plans to run again, and who doesn’t.

Even though we’re already a couple weeks into 2025, I’m still feeling the heightened energy that surrounds a New Year.

My parents were teachers and both worked second jobs. Dad was a night manager at the Roses in Asheville and Mom spent evenings organizing and sorting Avon inventory, and this was in addition to our practices and other activities.

With about 280 projects approved across the state, the new year will bring visible on-the-ground progress in the effort to reduce flooding in North Carolina communities.

In listening to the tributes regarding the death of President Jimmy Carter, a phrase from his inauguration speech struck a chord: “…. individual sacrifice for the common good.”