News Headlines
Canton to purchase former ABC store parcel
A land purchase approved by Canton’s governing board July 10 will bring more parking to the town’s increasingly popular downtown area near Sorrells Street Park while also marking another milestone in the town’s flood mitigation strategy.
Mom wins court fight with charter school, defamation countersuit backfires
Rebecca Fitzgibbon hasn’t breathed easy since her 11-year-old son was put in the back of a police car by his school principal in the parking lot of Shining Rock Classical Academy. Since then, as she’s looked for accountability — or at least answers — she’s faced public scrutiny, legal threats and even criminal charges.
Jackson residents blast library exit, demand explanation
Public frustration boiled over at the July 1 Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting, where speaker after speaker condemned the board’s recent decision to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system, urged reconsideration and asked for a public statement from commissioners.
Municipal candidates file for elections
Candidates across Western North Carolina have begun filing for the 2025 municipal elections, which will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Last week, The Smoky Mountain News conducted a survey across its four-county core coverage area to determine who plans to run again, and who doesn’t.
Edwards said ‘no interest’ in Medicare cut, votes to cut anyway
In Western North Carolina, where aging populations and rural poverty place extraordinary pressure on the social safety net, few programs matter more than Medicaid and Medicare. Congressman Chuck Edwards, who represents North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, has repeatedly said he and fellow Republicans had “no interest” in cutting Medicare, but his voting record tells the real story.
Forest Hills fights back: Village cancels planning contract with county over FRL withdrawal
In a move that evokes imagery from the biblical battle between David and Goliath, the tiny Jackson County municipality of Forest Hills is fighting back against county commissioners for their vote to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system late last month.
Lunsford federal gun case continued, again
James Lunsford, controversial proprietor of the “Haven on the Hill” campground, will begin another chapter in his federal gun case after hiring a new lawyer and receiving yet another continuance.
Following sexual assault charges, Swain County Sheriff retires
In the wake of numerous criminal charges from both the state and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tied to two alleged sexual assaults, Curtis Cochran has retired from his position as the Swain County Sheriff.
Two arrested with nearly 500 grams of meth
On July 4, the Haywood County Sheriff’s office announced that Kelly Diane Shelton, 42, and Charles Edward Morris, 56, both of Clyde, were arrested June 29 on multiple felony drug charges following an investigation by the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office.
