This story was written by Tanner Hall, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Officials with Vaya Health, previously Smoky Mountain Center, will form a regional partnership to reduce alcohol and drug misuse, such as prescription-drug addiction, and the number of fatal overdoses. Vaya Health manages public funds for mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability services in […]
Archives for February 2017
County schools: crime rate up, dropout rate goes down
This story was written by Haley Smith, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Jackson County Schools had the eighth-highest rate of reportable crimes in North Carolina for grades 9-13, according to 2015-16 data from the state Department of Public Instruction. Superintendent Mike Murray said it’s because the school system has targeted the problems of drugs and alcohol. […]
WCU employees, students protest ban
This story was written by Quintin Ellison, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Faculty and student leaders at Western Carolina University condemned President Donald Trump’s immigration order as “fundamentally antithetical to the values and goals of higher education and to American values as a whole.” Meeting Feb. 3, Faculty Senate members voted to approve a resolution opposing […]
Rethinking the American Dream
The American Dream is still alive. But English may no longer be its first language. Just ask Dr. Farzaneh Razzaghi, dean of library services at WCU’s Hunter Library. “If there is one thing that people like me truly value, and there are hundreds of things, but if there is one thing that is valued the […]
Local woman stars in WCU production of ‘King Lear’
This story was written by Haley Smith, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Autumn Bryson is making a name for her acting, at Western Carolina University. Bryson is a WCU junior, preparing for a lead role in William Shakespeare’s “King Lear.” Bryson plays Cordelia, one of Lear’s three daughters. Cordelia is disowned by her father when she […]
Diverse languages united by poetry readings
The third annual “World Languages Poetry” event incorporated five languages and contributed to cultural unification. The Feb. 7 event, held by the World Languages Department, gives professors and students the opportunity to gather together to read love poems and poetry about diverse cultures. This event was formed and brought together by professor Garrett Fisher of the Spanish program. […]







