Archives for November 2020

World traveling college student during a pandemic

Traveling the world was easy, but becoming a freshman in college during a global pandemic was harder. Brenna Dunn, a 20-year-old out-of-state freshman at Western Carolina University is experiencing college in a different way than most normal freshmen have in years past. However, now she is living through a global pandemic. Before attending WCU, Dunn took […]

WCU students affected by COVID-19

Most students in college stress about grades and social life, however during a global pandemic, they are risking their lives to go to school. As of Nov. 23, 406 students have tested positive for COVID-19 at WCU since the start of testing on July 1 as reported by the university’ss COVID-19 Data Dashboard. However, this information […]

Weekly old-time music at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva

Rhythmic, rocking fiddle tunes that make a body want to tap their foot, if not break into dance; local musicians played these old-time tunes from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29, at the weekly old-time jam at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva, NC. Six local musicians sat in a circle on the stage, taking […]

WCU Film and Television Program practices anti-racism

It’s Friday morning in the middle of September and around 40 students in the Film and Television Program at Western Carolina University are watching the movie “Black Panther” on the big screen in the University Auditorium. With enough social distancing, they are among the rare people this fall to enjoy big screen movies and get […]

Jackson cases rise; death toll now stands at 8

By Dave Russell Story originally published in The Sylva Herald on Nov. 12, 2020 edition  Jackson County recorded its eighth death due to COVID-19 last Wednesday. The victim was between the ages of 25-49 years old and had underlying health conditions, according to Melissa McKnight of the Jackson County Department of Public Health. COVID-19 cases […]

Election 2020: Digging into the numbers

by Jim Buchanan Political Analysis originally published in The Sylva Herald in Nov. 12, 2020 edition. The 2020 election in Jackson County was marked by two major trends: Increased turnout and a shift toward the Republican Party. Turnout jumped to 72.07 percent of the county’s 29,593 registered voters this year, up from 66.98 percent of the […]