N.C. National Guard Engineers and Communications Team in Puerto Rico to aid in recovery
Over 120 N.C. Guard soldiers assigned to the 105th Engineer Battalion “Task Force Rhino”, headquartered in Raeford, and a Joint NC Air and Army National Guard communications team have been in Puerto Rico for over two-weeks supporting recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Another 45 NC Gu...
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Bobbi Mathews Carlton joins SCC board as student rep
During a special called meeting on Sept. 14, Bobbi Mathews Carlton of Bryson City was sworn in as the student representative to Southwestern Community College’s board of trustees. Carlton is currently enrolled in SCC’s Health Information Technology program and is on schedule to graduate in May. She’s a...
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Hospice Care: Longer-Term Benefits than Many Assume
For many, entering hospice care is often viewed as an indication of imminent death. But the hospice industry is trying to help people understand that its benefits can begin well before someone is in dire health. Hospice care can provide pain management, as well as emotional and spiritual support, tailor...
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Local Artist Cries Foul; Questions Art Policy
You’ve heard the phrase ‘pennies for your thoughts’ before but have you ever seen pennies for art? Hugo The Artist who hails from Sylva thought he was being creative when he set out to design a sculpture piece. He used a female mannequin form and covered the bust with pennies estimating around 1400 for...
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Urgent Repairs Coming to U.S. 64
The N.C. Department of Transportation will be awarding a pipe replacement project up for bidding under emergency circumstances on Monday. Two old pipes under U.S. 64, about one mile west of the intersection with N.C. 107 in Jackson County, need to be replaced because they have ruptured and the eastboun...
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ALE Cautions Teachers, Parents on Teens Using Flavored Vapors and THC Candy
Many teens today are using vapors instead of smoking cigarettes, according to Israel Morrow, an assistant special agent in charge for Alcohol Law Enforcement who oversees the state’s tobacco program. “Vapor juice infused with marijuana is appealing to teens who get a euphoric high from ingesting the vap...
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WCU chancellor, wife pledge $1.23 million in gifts for student scholarships
Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher and wife Susan Brummell Belcher have pledged $1.23 million in gifts for the university’s ongoing efforts to provide increasing scholarship support to help deserving students in their pursuit of higher education. The honor of announcing the pledge,...
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Chimney Tops Trail reopens
For the first time in nearly a year, the Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open to hikers. The trail was closed off last November when a small fire was discovered on the rugged Chimney Tops pinnacle, and when that fire metastasized into a fiery blaze that swept down throug...
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WCU dedicates Judaculla Hall to honor longtime partnership with Eastern Band of Cherokee
Western Carolina University commemorated its long-lasting relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians by affixing a name from Cherokee legend onto a campus housing facility in a ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 10, rededicating the building as Judaculla Hall. Chancellor David O. Belcher and Principal C...
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Warrants Reveal New Information in Cullowhee Shooting Case
Details have come to light in the shooting of a Western Carolina University student last weekend. Search warrants indicate that Western Carolina University police believe that shooting victim Jacob Ray knew fellow student Aja Makalo. Makalo is being held on attempted murder charges. Zavion Southerland,...
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