NC’s Absentee Ballot ‘Inaccessible’ to Some Voters with Disabilities
Some people living with disabilities can’t fill out an absentee ballot without assistance, and disability-rights experts say that’s a serious issue for folks in North Carolina who are worried about the health risks of heading to the polls in a pandemic. Virginia Knowlton Marcus, chief execut...
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SCC debate series shifts from national campaign to local issues
After hosting Wednesday’s spirited debate between U.S. Congressional hopefuls Madison Cawthorn (R) and Moe Davis (D), Southwestern Community College students will turn their attention to more local issues. In Dr. Bucky Dann’s Social Problems class, the students research issues and come up with their own...
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Demolition of WCU’s two largest residence halls scheduled to begin Sept. 16
The exterior walls of Western Carolina University’s Scott and Walker residence halls – a pair of nine-story, no-frills, 1960s-era, dormitory-style student housing facilities – are scheduled to begin tumbling down Wednesday, Sept. 16, along with floors and ceilings. Workers from cellular telephone servic...
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Cars will Continue to Cruise on Cowee Mountain.
Traffic will remain its current pattern over the next year while construction crews perform a major operation to stop the top of the mountain from moving. N.C. Department of Transportation officials have awarded a contract to WNC Paving to complete major repairs to U.S. 441 on Cowee Mountain in Jackson...
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Board approves bonds to fund replacements for Scott, Walker Residence Halls
The final piece of the puzzle in the replacement of Western Carolina University’s two largest residence halls is now in place following approval of the issuance of $80 million in special obligation bonds to fund the cost of construction of their replacements. The WCU Board of Trustees approved the bond...
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SCC receives renewed federal grant money for TRiO program
The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded Southwestern Community College a $1.6 million grant in continued funding for the TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) program. Since first receiving the grant in 1990, SCC’s program has served more than 2,000 students – significantly boosting SCC’s...
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Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital partner with PT Solutions
Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital have partnered with PT Solutions Physical Therapy, a national provider of physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and sports medicine services including athletic training. The partnership will expand the hospitals’ services in western North Carol...
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Extended Food Service For JCPS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on August 31st that the Summer Foodservice Program has been extended and immediate funding is available for local school districts to offer free meals for children regardless of their school enrollment status through December 2020 or until the program’s funds...
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Missing Teen
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance in locating Aaliyah Lafon, 14 years-old white female 5’0” tall, 120 pounds with dyed burgundy hair, shaved on sides. Last seen wearing a black shirt and pink shorts. Aaliyah was last seen in the Savannah Community of Jackson County around 4:...
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Jackson County School Board Extends A/B Plan Another Two Weeks
The Jackson County Board of Education voted to proceed with Phase 2 of the district’s reentry plan at their work session on September 1. Interim Superintendent Dr. Tony Tipton recommended the change that allows students to return to their classrooms on an A/B schedule beginning September 14. The decisi...
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