Western Carolina University students will have access to an early voting site with the approval of the Health and Human Sciences building as a polling location for the November midterm election. The State Board voted Thursday, Aug. 20, to approve HHS as one of five early voting sites in Jackson County. The Cullowhee Recreation Center […]
School board votes to assess Smoky Mountain High turf field
August 26, 2026 by
Story originally published in The Sylva Herald, Aug. 26 edition The Jackson County Board of Education voted Tuesday, Aug. 25, to bring in an engineering consultant to evaluate the artificial turf at Smoky Mountain High School and determine whether it needs to be replaced. The board voted unanimously to authorize Superintendent Dr. Dana Ayers to negotiate an agreement with Fit […]
HERE committee seeks funding after embezzlement scandal
April 16, 2026 by
The story was published in The Sylva Herald, April 15 edition. Jackson County leaders heard a presentation from the HERE Committee at the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 7, as the organization seeks continued funding while recovering from a recent financial controversy. Cris Weatherford, HERE’s board chair, and Paul Phillips, interim director, shared an overview of the committee’s […]
Women’s History Month expands how women’s impact is understood
April 12, 2026 by
Women’s History Month is often used to highlight figures who fought for equality and changed history. Historian Elizabeth McRae said that focus only tells part of the story. McRae, an associate professor of history and the author of “Mothers of Massive Resistance: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy,” spoke at Western Carolina University […]
Glass Arts Festival brings artists to Dillsboro
April 1, 2026 by
A version of the story was published in The Sylva Herald, April 1 edition The inaugural Dillsboro Glass Arts Festival was held Saturday, March 28 with live glassblowing and local vendors to introduce the community to glass art, support regional artists and add a new spring event to the calendar. The free event featured multiple […]
Roy Huang brings Southeast Asian music to WCU
March 29, 2026 by
Guest artist Roy Huang presented a lecture recital on traditional Southeast Asian instruments on March 24 in the Coulter Recital Hall at Western Carolina University. The lecture recital entitled, “One String, Many Emotions: A Cross-Cultural Musical Dialogue,” highlighted Huang’s research on one-string instruments and musical traditions from Western classical styles to those of Taiwan, Southern China and Vietnam. It included collaborative performances with his wife, Chen Lin Ma, […]
