Homeless shelter a hot topic in Jackson County

Story originally published in The Sylva Herald, March 13 edition It’s no secret that HERE in Jackson County, the nonprofit charged with supporting the local homeless population, wants a brick-and-mortar shelter.  HERE has asked for $500,000 from Jackson County commissioners in January and is raising funds wherever else they can.  A potential location at the […]

Bright future for Smoky Mountain High School Baseball

The Smoky Mountain High School baseball team played their first game under the new stadium lights that had just been installed. “This county’s been looking for these(stadium lights) for years. And these seniors, I promise them they’d play under the lights… And I’m so excited for these seniors and the entire community,” Head coach Wes […]

WCU fraternities push for stricter party lists

WCU partying scene is changing, or at least the fraternities are trying. WCU fraternities are cracking down on who can enter parties, aiming to keep the list of attendees to members of Greek life, friends and female students. This comes after an issue of fights, drugs, needle roofying and high schoolers attending the parties at […]

SMN: Edwards dodges questions on Medicare, Franklin Social Security office closing

Story from Smoky Mountain News politics editor Cory Vaillancourt, re-published with permission In what could very well be a sneak preview of his in-person town hall in Asheville later today, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) abruptly walked away from a podium in Canton’s Sorrells Street Park and refused to answer questions about federal cuts to programs […]

DEI policy a ‘moving target’ for WCU

Story produced with Mackenzie Atkinson The University of North Carolina system sent out a memorandum on Feb. 5 about systemwide implementation of President Donald Trump’s Jan. 21 Executive Order “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” to all chancellors and provosts. The memo goes into detail about new requirements for working with federal agencies that […]

Bringing the Jedi life to WCU

You have probably seen lightsabers out by the Blue Ridge lawn around dinnertime on Wednesday and Saturday. The Catamount Saber Legion is sharing its love of Star Wars at WCU. The club has over 80 active members who regularly attend meetings. Club president, Gabriel Baker said that the Saber Legion started as a social experiment […]