Six Heritage Christian Academy (HCA) middle school students competed and placed in the top of their respective categories at the Region 8 Western Regional Science and Engineering Fair on Feb. 14, at Western Carolina University.

Haywood County high school seniors who have a serious commitment to community service and some degree of financial need can apply for scholarships through April 15. 

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation supplied funding to help a collaborative partnership conserve 406 acres of habitat for elk, whitetail deer, wild turkey, grouse and other wildlife in Western North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Waste Management’s Underground Storage Tank Section (NCDEQ-DWM-UST), has launched the Bridge Loan Program to assist owners and operators with testing and repairing surface infrastructure for their petroleum underground storage tanks (USTs) affected by Hurricane Helene.

Smokies Life received national recognition at the 2025 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards for “Letters from the Smokies,” which was named Publication of the Year.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) invites the public to attend upcoming forums to discuss implementation of a Conservation Access Pass currently under consideration.

Haywood Waterways Association is creating a strategic plan for which it is seeking input, advice and opinions from the public.

The survey can be completed in one session and should take 10-15 minutes.

To make the event a success, Pigeon Center needs volunteers to help the day before and the day of the event. For those interested in volunteering, sign up for a shift at signupgenius.com/.../10C0D4EA4AB22A6FEC70....

Join the Nantahala Hiking club this weekend for a training session to educate people how to become “trail ambassadors.”

The session will be held with the upcoming surge of northbound Appalachian Trail hikers that will hit Western North Carolina in the next couple of months.

The Cherokee Preservation Foundation awarded 10 grants to partners within Western North Carolina. Grants totaled more than $2.1 million and were awarded to projects advancing the Foundation’s mission of improving the quality of life for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and neighboring communities. 

Pancake Day at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville is once again on the horizon. Lining up to get a plateful of pancakes, bacon and sausage on the last Tuesday in February is a tradition in the mountain community that dates back to 1956.  

The planting season is getting closer, and Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect, weed or wildlife problems; soils (including soil test results) and fertilizers; freeze and frost damage; and cultural and chemical solutions to pest problems. 

A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation has started pre-construction activities along U.S. 276, known as Jonathan Creek Road, in Haywood County in advance of a significant modernization project.

After serving as the executive director of Haywood Pathways Center since 2017, Mandy Haithcox is stepping down. Haithcox and her family will be moving back to Minnesota where aging family members live and need the comfort of family in their midst. 

The spring semester is underway at Western Carolina University and that means looking at how the university’s enrollment is shaping up for the first few weeks of the new year. 

The Haywood County Republican Party will proceed with its regular organizational meetings this year, but with important changes for attendees.

Precinct meetings will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Haywood County GOP Headquarters, 297 N. Haywood St., in Waynesville.

As part of the Great Backyard Bird Count initiative, a global community science project that helps researchers understand how birds are doing before they undertake their great spring migration, Mainspring Conservation Trust is hosting its own event. 

The U.S. Forest Service has reopened more trails and roads throughout areas of the Pisgah National Forest’s Appalachian Ranger District in Haywood, Madison, Buncombe, Yancey, Mitchell and Avery counties following the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. 

WNC Communities is now accepting nominations for the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame.

This prestigious honor recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the agricultural sector, driving sustainability and growth in the region. 

FIND Outdoors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting outdoor education, recreation and conservation, announced a variety of seasonal and full-time job opportunities for the 2025 season. 

Missing hiker Ann Houghton, 73, was found deceased in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Feb. 2 at approximately 1:53 p.m. She was found roughly a quarter mile off of Enloe Creek Trail. 

Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in. 

Now is the time for North Carolinians to act on wildfire mitigation practices and Firewise principles. By taking appropriate action, residents can help protect their homes and communities from wildfires by creating a defensible space while reducing risk. 

Proper Golfing Academy, a senior golfers retreat based in the United Kingdom, is coming to Lake Junaluska Golf Course in April for its first appearance in the United States.

Visitors to The North Carolina Arboretum can witness some of the most surprising animal behavior in the new National Geographic exhibition, “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs.” 

Youth who exhibited livestock at the N.C. State Fair are eligible to apply for N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Scholarships.

The application period is open through March 1. Up to 25 $2,000 scholarships are available, in addition to one $2,500 Farm Credit of N.C. Premier Scholarship.

On Jan. 31, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, alongside Dogwood Health Trust, unveiled a $30 million grant program to aid small businesses in Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Haywood Christian Ministry’s food infrastructure is moving to a new facility in Bethel.  

HCM’s new food plan aims to ensure equitable food distribution across the county, not just in the population centers.

REACH of Haywood County is sponsoring a free training for all community leaders, law enforcement personnel, social workers, healthcare professionals and concerned citizens from Haywood and surrounding counties. 

Western Carolina University officially kicked off the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university’s 136-year history, an effort to secure $100 million in philanthropic support with a focus on increasing the financial resources necessary for long-delayed upgrades in facilities used by Catamount student-athletes. 

The Conservation Fund announced that a critical property in the Great Balsam Mountains is protected as forest and natural land.

The call has gone out for snowboarders to submit their best clips for the Cat Classic, which offers cash prizes for the best videos across different divisions.

Videos should be filmed between Jan. 1 and March 1. 

The Cradle of Forestry in America and the U.S. Forest Service (Pisgah Ranger District) announced a collaboration with the Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP) to complete deferred maintenance and Hurricane Helene-related repairs at the historic Cradle of Forestry site. 

Haywood County offers resources for farmers needing hay are encouraged to contact the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Office to speak with a livestock agent. 

The new Jackson County Aquatics Center is hiring five full-time lifeguards. Employees are entitled to full benefits other Jackson County employees receive.

Anyone interested in enrolling their child in summer camp in Haywood County should take part in the Waynesville Parks & Recreation Department’s survey.

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville has announced the launch of its “Spring Semester Theatre Classes,” which will run Jan. 27 through April 4. 

The Plunge is back for its 13th consecutive year. On Saturday, Feb. 8, Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) and Lake Junaluska Assembly are hosting the annual “Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek & Environmental Education.” 

MountainTrue, in partnership with the Mainspring Conservation Trust and the Pinnacle Park Foundation, is hosting a community volunteer workday to control non-native invasive plants and restore native habitat at the Pinnacle Park in Sylva. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking help to identify and document former homesite locations within the park. Volunteer-In-Park Frank March, in conjunction with Park Archeologist Allison Harvey, is leading these research efforts which includes documenting field locations with associated historic records.

 The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is requesting applications from qualifying organizations that support the agricultural industry, impact rural communities, and stimulate economic development.

Haywood Waterways Association sent word last week that its staff and vounteers are hearing from one of their partners that they are working with the state to assess damage to private roads from compromised culverts or bridges. 

The N.C. Forest Service has designated the fire danger for the state’s far western counties as high.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) advises the public that black bears in North Carolina are in their “winter homes,” which could be anything from a pile of brush, a hollowed-out tree, a rock cavity, an excavation under a fallen tree or even under the deck or in the crawl space of your home. 

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park fisheries department is offering an informative and educational workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 22, in the Old Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. The workshop is open to any interested folks at no charge. 

Heath Robertson sat at the back of the bus on a college tour trip when he was asked about his future plans. Robertson’s answer? He didn’t have any. 

He didn’t think he could afford college, and even if he could, he sure didn’t have the grades.

Students in the professional crafts fiber program at Haywood Community College created 10 blankets to support the community in response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. These blankets were created during the fall 2024 semester as part of student coursework to give them away for a good cause to help the community. 

The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity posted Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program scopes of work to expand high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved homes and businesses at approximately 67,724 eligible locations, in several counties, including Haywood, Macon and Swain. 

At the request of Gov. Josh Stein, FEMA has granted North Carolina an extension for local governments and certain types of non-profits to apply for public assistance until Feb. 6, 2025. 

On Dec. 10, the Burrell conference room on Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus was packed full of friends and family as the college’s founding class of Practical Nursing students celebrated their accomplishments during a pinning ceremony.