The untold stories of PTSD: The veteran community at WCU speaks about their military experiences

Story co-produced with Daniel Reid Many holidays are set aside to honor, remember and celebrate the courage of military members, active, retired and reserves.  From the civilian perspective, these holidays are three-day weekends off of work, cookouts with family and days to party.  For the military community, these holidays have a deeper meaning. Memorial Day […]

WCU communication alum gifts $100,000 creates two scholarships

Story by Julia Duvall, WCU Senior Media Relations CoordinatiorA 1984 graduate of Western Carolina University’s communication program who is now senior vice president of operations for Charter Communications-Spectrum Reach has made $100,000 in gifts and pledges to create two new annual scholarships in support of future students in the program. Christopher Faw and his wife, […]

“We are still here”: Western Carolina University remains a Cherokee place

Story co-written with Sarah Pruitt  November is Native American Heritage Month, but it’s not just a heritage for the Cherokee people of Western North Carolina. It’s a living, vibrant culture.   There are 547 federally recognized tribes in the United States. Native Americans were not automatically afforded U.S. citizenship until 1924. November was not declared […]

Forest fires in WNC impact the air quality and safety

Story co-produced with Tyler Elcock  “One word, horrific. It is a very hard thing to imagine that you may lose everything you own… In the end, we ended up losing an outbuilding and some trees on our property,” said medical assistant Stacy Morgan in an email message as she recalled her experience with the recent wildfires […]

Bead art spreads a message of peace, love, unity, respect and responsibility

Co-written and produced with Bryson Jusko What’s one of the best parts about attending a concert? Most people would say the music, or the food, but if you ask Skylar Ward, her favorite part is making art and taking it to trade with other people at the concert. “I’ve been participating in PLURR and going […]

Jackson County Veterans Day Parade

The Jackson County Veterans Office held a Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11 in downtown Sylva. The cloudy skies did little to deter over 100 locals as they lined the streets to cheer on their hometown heroes. Sheila Setzer, the director of the Jackson County Veterans Office, started the Veterans Day Parade in 2015, which […]