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.

In 1996, the Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) program was established as a water quality monitoring program for many Western North Carolina counties. In Haywood County, Haywood Waterways Association manages 25 sites on 19 streams. The program’s purpose is to provide long term water quality monitoring information to help leverage grant funding for water quality improvement projects.

More than 17 months after Hurricane Helene carved a path of destruction through Western North Carolina, the floodwaters have long since receded — but Waynesville officials say the federal reimbursement process remains mired in uncertainty, denials, reversals and what several described as mounting roadblocks. 

The Shining Rock Classical Academy board at its Feb. 25 meeting voted unanimously to end grades 9-11 instruction effective June 30, 2026, and to close grade 12 after the fall 2026 semester, in front of an audience of more than 100 people.  The high school had been consistently running a deficit, and the board argued that it has a fiduciary responsibility to move the organization in the right direction. 

At a Feb. 27 budget retreat, Waynesville aldermen confronted a familiar tension — how to keep municipal salaries competitive in a tightening labor market while staring down mounting infrastructure demands and lingering financial uncertainty tied to Hurricane Helene. 

Two presentations from Human Resources Director Page McCurry outlined the first steps in an overhaul of pay classifications, beginning with public works positions and moving next to police and fire. 

The Human Resources Department at Lake Junaluska will host a recruitment event from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 5; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 19; and noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in Room 202 of Harrell Center.  

These events are for potential employees to learn more about Lake Junaluska’s open positions for full- and part-time seasonal opportunities and to interview on the spot. 

Following a heated campaign, Mark Mease has defeated incumbent Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke in the Republican Primary Election.

Greg West is heading back to his old office in the Historic Haywood County Courthouse. 

Haywood County voters have selected Republican Stacy Cutshaw Moore to follow longtime Register of Deeds Sherri Rogers.

The Shining Rock Classical Academy board at its Feb. 25 meeting voted unanimously to end grades 9-11 instruction effective June 30, 2026, and to close grade 12 after the fall 2026 semester, in front of an audience of more than 100 people.  The high school had been consistently running a deficit, and the board argued that it has a fiduciary responsibility to move the organization in the right direction.