Mosquitoes are one of the most common pests in Western North Carolina, but they bring a greater risk than itchy bites. Western Carolina University environmental health professor and public health biologist Brian Byrd has a passion for insects, particularly mosquitoes. Though he has also worked with tics and mites, Byrd specializes in mosquito-borne diseases […]
Students get involved with national forest revisions
Students in David Henderson’s America’s Wilderness Ethics and Aesthetics class had the chance to experience a real world problem-solution environment. Ten students from Henderson’s class piled into two vans and traveled to Brevard for the Pisgah Ranger District meeting. The meeting takes place in a series of Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest meetings set to revise the […]
Public meetings to discuss future of Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests
Almost 170 community members attended the March 18 meeting at the Transylvania County Public Library to discuss the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests Land Management Plan revisions. The meeting is the next-to-last in a series of six taking place in each of the Nantahala-Pisgah Ranger Districts. Each meeting is open to the public and goes from 6 […]
Residents of Jackson County weigh in on gun ownership
Jackson County, North Carolina is a sportsman’s paradise. In an area where hunting is a favorite pastime and having collections of guns and ammunition is as American as apple pie and baseball. It is no surprise that the debate on gun control is a hot topic among residents in this area. So what do the […]
Life of an illegal immigrant in WNC
TIME magazine published a story about illegal immigrants who are coming out and being open about their status wanting a resolution. The article is written by one of them – Jose Antonio Varga, journalist who one year ago came out very publicly and said he is in USA illegally. Jessica Duncan did a story on […]








