Anyone on the internet knows that it can be a place of negativity and division. But it’s also a powerful tool for connection, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Crystal Cochran harnessed that connection to build a community of volunteers that provided vital assistance to thousands in Western North Carolina. 

Let’s not sugarcoat it anymore. To call it “misinformation” is, in itself, misinformation. Let’s just call it what it is — straight-up lies, of the sort that would earn you a whoopin’ by meemaw if you repeated them to her face instead of spreading them from behind a keyboard like a coward. 

At 3:30 p.m., traffic flows smoothly along U.S. 441 past the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The 80-some elk living in this area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park are still invisible beneath the forest canopy as the sun shines bright and warm. 

Scout Troop 318 of Waynesville, a troop with over 60 years of history, will be making a fresh start after being shut down by COVID. In addition to two former Waynesville mayors among its alumni, it produced hundreds of Eagle Scouts over its more than 60 years history. 

A visually stunning amalgamation of images — both historic and aspirational — now adorns Waynesville’s Pigeon Community Multicultural Development center, breathing new life into an old neighborhood and commemorating the important role of the structure in regional Black history. 

After Covid, Haywood Meals on Wheels lost volunteers and was forced to drop meal deliveries to three days per week. The goal is to return to a five-day delivery schedule. 

The Carolina Mountain Club Remote Overnight Crew (ROC) convened near the Walnut Mountain shelter on the Appalachian Trail for a trail enhancement event. The outing drew 19 volunteers, who enjoyed splendid weather while working on various trail improvements.

To the Editor:

The primary voting has ended in North Carolina, and because of those registered voters who chose to do their patriotic duty and turn out to vote, the people of North Carolina now know who the state nominees for each party will be and most importantly which presidential candidates North Carolina has chosen to place their support behind in the upcoming November 2024 elections. 

March brings unstable weather in the mountains, but it can also ushers in occasional springlike conditions. A pair of events at the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest will give folks an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. 

MountainTrue has recognized the members and volunteers who gave the most to the waters, forests and communities of Western North Carolina and North Georgia this year during a ceremony held in Asheville.