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. […]
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 […]
WCU community collects 200 units of ‘life’ in January
Hurricane Katrina devastated the United States in the summer of 2005, resulting in billions of dollars in damages and over a thousand casualties. Because of the tremendous damage the storm caused and the amount of lives affected, the American Red Cross needed all the help it could get in the aftermath of the storm. As […]
Could WCU’s tuition reduction prove enrollment boon for SCC?
This story was written by Tanner Hall, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Administrators at Southwestern Community College say that upcoming tuition cuts at Western Carolina University might help – not hurt – enrollment at their smaller school. N.C. Promise, designed to make college more affordable, beginning in August 2018 lowers the per-semester tuition cost for in-state […]
Trump order strikes home: Foreign-born WCU faculty wonder ‘who is next?’
This story was written by Quintin Ellison, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Farzaneh Razzaghi returned last week from visiting her mother in Iran. Soon after, President Donald Trump issued his immigration ban on Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. Though she holds U.S. citizenship, Razzaghi, dean of library services for Western Carolina University, said […]
All politics is local: Jackson County residents march on D.C., Asheville
This story was written by Quintin Ellison, originally published in The Sylva Herald. As upwards of 500,000 protesters descended Saturday on the nation’s capitol, thousands more streamed into Asheville to show solidarity. Jackson County residents marched in both cities. “I went for all people in the name of human rights. We marched to the White House – […]







