In a public meeting that lasted more than five hours, Macon County Commissioners approved premium pay for county employees, 3-2. However, the debate was heated, and Commissioner John Shearl called for County Manager Derek Roland’s resignation. 

After contentious debate over the decision to make the Macon County Board of Education partisan-elected, county commissioners tabled the issue to get input from school board members and the public. 

The Sylva Town Council could have three new members, including a new mayor after vote totals become official later this week. 

After delays due to funding and insufficient bids, Sylva is set to begin work on the Bridge Park Green Infrastructure project after accepting a bid during the Nov. 9 town councilmeeting. 

The Haywood County School Board moved quickly to approve a new principal for Waynesville Middle School after the sudden departure of previous Principal Jennifer Reeves. 

In order to fairly compensate non-certified employees with several years of service to the school system, Jackson County Public Schools has instituted a new local salary decompression schedule. 

To save money after bids for the downtown public restroom project came in over budget, Sylva will move forward without installing the intended solar panels. 

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners decided it intends to grant the loan request from Summit Charter School in the amount of $2.5 million. 

After more than seven years as county manager, Don Adams will leave the post by the end of the year. 

A new independent private school is set to open in Sylva by fall of 2025, with a focus on serving gifted and talented students. 

A slew of childcare centers in the region will be closing by the end of the month, leaving the families of about 300 children with the difficult task of obtaining childcare on short notice at a time when access is limited.

Highlands will have at least one new member on its Board of Commissioners after Election Day this November. 

Jackson County will soon join four other North Carolina counties taking part in a pilot program that aims to support its foster care program through direct financial assistance. 

This year, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation that allows charter schools to request capital funding from their local board of commissioners.

A disciplinary incident at Shining Rock Classical Academy last month resulted in a fractured wrist for one student. 

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing over the possible consolidation of the Department of Health and Department of Social Services on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Despite receiving almost an hour of public comments from people opposed to the move, and three out of five commissioners expressing opposition, the board chose to proceed with the discussion.  

Three seats are up for election this November on the Sylva Town Council, and six candidates are competing for those spots.

When Sylva residents go to the polls, they will be choosing a mayor to lead the town through several big projects lined up on the horizon. 

Franklin, Webster, Bryson City and the Village of Forest Hills all have multiple seats up for election this year on their town boards, and each candidate running for those seats is doing so unopposed. 

Macon County Commissioners have adopted a master plan for the county’s recreation center and surrounding park.

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will likely move to consolidate the Department of Health and the Department of Social Services during its October meeting.

The Sylva Board of Commissioners recently received a presentation on Safe Haven Boxes — a program that allows for the anonymous surrender of infants.

With accountability data released from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, all charter schools in the Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area showed an increase in the percentage of students passing state exams during the 2022-23 school year compared to 2021-22 school year. 

After the Parents Bill of Rights passed the General Assembly in August, local boards of education are determining how to align school policies with the legislation. Swain County Schools will have to revise several of its existing policies to come under compliance with the new law. 

Last week, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released performance and growth data for the 2022-23 school year, and none of the four school districts in the Smoky Mountain News coverage area received a low-performing state designation. 

Jackson residents and members of the LGBTQ+ community are calling on County Commissioner John Smith to apologize following comments he made regarding the Mx. Sylva Pride Pageant and the queer community in general. 

In April, Sylva received the results of an in-depth botanical survey of Pinnacle Park, and now the town is in the process of creating a master plan for the property.

After graduating its first senior class in the spring of 2022, Summit Charter School has broken ground on phase II of a high school expansion that will include a new building. 

The third annual Sylva Pride Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. 

After months of back and forth, the Macon County School Board has approved a lease agreement for the Higdon property, purchased by the county earlier this year for use by the school system. 

When Jason Gregory presented his new book on the history of manufacturing in Sylva at the Jackson County Public Library in August, the room was filled with residents who have a deeply personal connection to the stories Gregory wrote. 

The Town of Sylva has reinstated misdemeanor charges for discharging a firearm or a Molotov cocktail in town limits after state legislation decriminalized all town ordinances in 2021.

Union Academy, an alternative high school in Macon County, will henceforth be known as Bartram Academy, home of the Explorers.

The 2023 Mx. Sylva Pride Pageant wasn’t all glitz, glamour, pomp and pageantry, as social media threats and agitated protesters warranted the involvement of law enforcement. 

With the Fontana Regional Library agreement up for its 10-year review, Jackson, Macon and Swain county commissions are taking a look at the document. 

A few months ago, issues arose about the placement of certain LGBTQ+ books in the Macon County Public Library.

Autopsy results for the October death of a man in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center confirm that he died of a drug overdose. 

  This year the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce is celebrating 100 years of work and involvement in its community — fostering both economic development and future leaders.

Now that Sylva Pipes is up and running with a temporary half-pipe, commissioners are looking at next steps for the skate community.

After Macon County declared its intent to purchase the Higdon property earlier this year, there was some confusion  as to how the property would be used.

A criminal charge against the Shining Rock Classical Academy parent accused of cyberstalking has been dismissed. 

There are several outstanding variables that will affect budgets for local charter schools in the coming school year — average daily membership, the state budget and state legislation, to name a few.

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority has selected two projects to be funded with occupancy tax dollars — one in Sylva and one in Dillsboro. Both projects are intended to benefit both residents and tourists alike. 

Jackson County Commissioners are set to approve two grant-funded positions aimed at substance use disorder recovery and treatment during a regular meeting this week with little controversy.

Shining Rock Classical Academy is hitting pause on plans for expansion of its school building — now untenable due to rising interest rates — even as the school population continues to grow. 

Jackson County Schools recently approved an agreement to undergo a master planning process that will move the school system one step closer to securing a middle school.