The results are in — well, sort of — and Republicans in Western North Carolina don’t have much to complain about right now other than the reelection of Gov. Roy Cooper and the ultimate fate of President Donald Trump; they retained all western state legislative seats as well as their congressional seat and reclaimed a state House seat that’s flipped back and forth several times in the past eight years. 

A report presented to Haywood County commissioners says the county’s detention center is approaching operational capacity and because the minimum security annex needs costly repairs and upgrades, a $16.4 million jail expansion that would allow for growth through 2045 is in order. 

Haywood County Public Health received notice of 33 new cases of COVID-19 since Oct. 23. As of 5 p.m. Oct. 29, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded 726 cases in Haywood County.

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | When the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns hit Haywood County in March, business owners braced for the worst. Some closed their doors forever, while others scrambled for ways to reopen under the new normal. Months later, local entrepreneurs were able to give a retrospective on how they survived and changed with the times. 

After more than a year of work, Haywood County’s property revaluation process is nearly complete and will be presented during a forthcoming public hearing. 

As the tumultuous 2020 election season draws to a close, partisans on both sides of the aisle are expressing anger and frustration over a rash of vandalism and sign thefts in Haywood County. 

During the summer and fall of 2019, room occupancy tax data collected by Haywood County’s Tourism Development Authority suggested that the county was on track for another strong year, perhaps its best ever. 

Longtime commissioner and current Chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners Kevin Ensley is seeking re-election to his seat, as is fellow Republican Brandon Rogers. 

This year’s race for the Haywood County School Board has had a lot of interest with 12 candidates running for five open seats, including the seat for chairman. Current Chairman Chuck Francis originally had a competitor, but he later dropped out of the race.

Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting four COVID-19 deaths. The individuals died within the last few weeks either at Mission Health or at Haywood Regional Medical Center.