Native plants required in new Sylva development ordinance

Story originally published in The Sylva Herald April 7 edition. The Town of Sylva approved changes to its zoning and subdivision ordinances on Feb. 24. One of the new features of this reworking is that new developments and landscaping changes within city limits will be required to plant native plants, said Paige Dowling, Sylva town […]

The Tuck River Cleanup is Back!

The Tuck River cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 23, so get ready to get wet and have fun. The event is organized by Base Camp Cullowhee and is coming back after two years hiatus. This will be the 38th year of the event. “Tuck River Cleanup has been a long running river cleanup on […]

WCU dealing with ‘surge’ of COVID-19 cases

The rise in COVID cases since the classes started is cause for much concern on campus. According to the WCU tracking dashboard on Jan. 21 were reported 123 positive cases for the week and positivity rate of almost 24%. Pam Buchanan, director of WCU Health services, says the Omicron variant is the cause of this recent surge in COVID […]

Over 20% of children in Jackson County are food insecure

Originally published in The Western Carolinian. Food insecurity is a much larger problem than most people realize. It is more than simply having to budget at the grocery store or rationing food portions at home. People who are food insecure are unable to consistently access fresh and affordable food. Many factors such as the distance […]

JCPS tackles food insecurity in WNC

Originally published in The Western Carolinian. As another year of schooling starts, Jackson County Public Schools continues to fight its food insecurity among students. In 2019, Carolina Public Press reported that one in four children faces food insecurity in Western North Carolina. COVID-19 struck the U.S. the following year. Due to the United States Department of Agriculture’s ruling, […]

Local support strong for litter legislation

The story was originally published in The Sylva Herald on March 4 publication. Litter along roadways is a common problem in Jackson County and across the state. A recent bill filed in the North Carolina legislature is aimed at changing that. The Highway Cleanup act, introduced by Rep. John Bell, R-Goldsboro, would double the fines […]