Cars speed down the busy four-lane highway, some drivers honking in support while others leaned out their windows to heckle as more than 50 WCU students marched along the shoulder toward the nearest early-voting site on Feb. 13. The march comes after the controversial decision by the Jackson County Board of Elections to eliminate the […]
Archives for February 2026
DRUM TAO: The anticipated return to WCU’s Bardo Arts Center
February 18, 2026 by
WCU Bardo Arts Center welcomes back DRUM TAO to perform their brand new show “The Best” on Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. DRUM TAO is Japan’s elite Taiko drumming ensemble and is currently on their highly anticipated 2026 North American tour in over 40 cities and among them is WCU. DRUM TAO has sold out shows in 26 countries, and their performance is […]
Democrats sense opportunity in storm-ravaged NC-11
February 17, 2026 by
Story written by Written by Cory Vaillancourt, published at Smoky Mountain News, Feb. 10. Republished Voters in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District have endured years of disaster and instability, just as national trends are shifting hard against Republicans. Democrats believe this is their best chance in years to flip the gerrymandered seat currently held by Rep. […]
SGA elections: For the students or for the title?
February 16, 2026 by
The Student Government Association’s candidates for President, Vice President and Senate have begun their campaigning for the 2026-27 school year. Candidates campaigning opened Feb. 9 at 12 a.m. and closes Feb. 18 at noon. Few WCU students and potential voters noticed that there are elections coming. The campaigning went unnoticeable since the candidates were running […]
Motion denied: 3 NC college campuses lose access to early voting
February 16, 2026 by
A version of this story was published in the Sylva Herald Students at Western Carolina University, North Carolina A&T State University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro will not have early voting sites on their campuses during this year’s primary election, despite efforts by students at these three schools. In late January, students from […]
Man on a mission: In NC-11, former Green Beret confronts GOP incumbent he says fell short
February 15, 2026 by
Story written by Cory Vaillancourt. Published at Smoky Mountain News. Republished Over the past decade or more, Western North Carolina Republicans have proven that the only candidates that can beat incumbent Republican congressmen are other Republicans. Adam Smith talks like someone who has already settled on that outcome and is now working backward to make it […]
