Gov. Josh Stein announced that the Dogwood Health Trust, the Duke Endowment and the State of North Carolina have distributed $55 million to 2,812 small businesses through the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative. These grants are supporting Western North Carolina businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene and bolstering regional economic recovery. More than 7,300 businesses applied.  

David Moore and Darren Whatley place a lot of value on public education, having both attended public universities. Moore is an alumnus of the University of South Alabama and began his graduate studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany, while Whatley attended Louisiana State University and the University of Texas.

But Western Carolina University holds a special place in their hearts, as the Highlands residents have pledged an estate legacy gift in excess of $10 million to the university. It’s the largest planned gift in WCU’s history.

“We’re excited about the potential at Western,” Moore said. “We’re excited for the students who are attracted to Western and graduate from Western, the productive lives they will lead, and the impact that they will have in their communities.”

Whatley and Moore’s generous gift will be allocated to several programs and departments that the two have an interest in.  

Forty percent of the gift will be designated for the David Moore Office of Global Engagement, which supports WCU’s academic activities abroad, including the hosting of international students, faculty-led travel and study abroad programs and other resources.

Another 40% will be devoted to the Darren Whatley School of Art and Design. The school offers undergraduate degree programs in interior design, studio arts, graphic design and art education, as well as a Master of Fine Arts program.

The last 20% will be issued to the Moore Whatley Honors College Program Endowment, which will support programs within the Brinson Honors College.

Moore and Whatley are very interested in all three of these programs, as Moore is an advocate for international learning, Whatley, an interior designer, has a rapport with the interior design program at WCU, and they have both supported the Brinson Honors College for several years.

“The generosity of David Moore and Darren Whatley to WCU over the years is unmatched,” said WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown. “Their ten-million-dollar legacy gift, the largest planned gift in Western Carolina University’s history, will transform the lives of our students for generations to come. I am profoundly grateful that David and Darren have chosen WCU to receive this gift, which is a tangible expression of their passion and commitment to the future of western North Carolina.”

WCU has played a part in their lives, and they know that WCU is of great importance to this part of the state.  Whatley said that “WCU is the economic engine of the western part of the state.”

The fact that nearly 40% of the students at WCU are first generation college students and that tuition is only $500 per semester for North Carolina residents, are additional reasons that Moore and Whatley support the university.

While both grew up near the Gulf Coast, the couple has called Western North Carolina home for more than 25 years, and they’ve certainly made it home with their community involvement.

Moore, a retired corporate banker, is chairman of the Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers and serves on several Highlands-Cashiers boards, as well as the Brinson Honors College advisory board and the WCU Foundation.

Whatley, who leads a local interior design firm, is chairman of the Town of Highlands Planning Board and serves on the Highlands Performing Arts Center Board of Directors.

“This has been home,” Whatley said. “Western Carolina is a special place and WCU is a primary focus for us.”

The 22nd annual Whole Bloomin’ Thing Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Historic Frog Level District of Waynesville.

Children’s activities, local growers and artisans/crafters, flowering baskets, herbs, outdoor decor, live music and more.

A cherished gathering of locals and visitors alike, “Art After Dark” will launch its 2025 season from 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 6, in downtown Waynesville. 

Shortly after a wildfire broke out in the Lower Alarka region of Swain County, Southwestern Community College’s Megan Nicholson made arrangements to help firefighters and emergency management teams set up their temporary command center at SCC’s Swain Center. 

People can get their Lake Junaluska Summer Activity Passes now. Enjoy admission to the lakeside pool all summer long as well as discounts on recreation, shopping and dining at Lake Junaluska. Passes are valid from May 24 through Sept. 1, 2025, and are now available online at bit.ly/LJSummerPasses. 

The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Friends of the Smokies, is beginning a multi-year rehabilitation of the iconic Bullhead Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

On Sunday, May 4 with the cooperation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the North Shore Cemetery Association will host decorations at Woody and Hoyle Cemeteries. 

The National Park Service has selected LeConte Lodge L.P. as the concessioner for the new contract to provide services at LeConte Lodge in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This contract will be effective for 10 years from 2025 to 2035. 

Join Jackson County Recreation from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at Cullowhee Valley School for a bike rodeo.

This is a bicycle safety event where when you register you get a free helmet (while supplies last). All children will also be entered in a raffle to win a bike. 

Haywood Regional Medical Center is offering free sports physicals for local student athletes on Tuesday, May 13, at the Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center in Clyde.

Master gardener volunteers will be on hand at a booth on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, May through August, at Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market in Waynesville in the HART Theater parking lot. 

Visitors should prepare for planned routine road maintenance in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Park maintenance crews will implement temporary, single-lane closures along the north and southbound Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge through May 1 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then from May 5-8 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The Franklin farmers market will open up for the season beginning May. 

Tuscola High School senior Hunter Sollie has received a prestigious appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, one of the nation’s most selective and esteemed military institutions.

In celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority invites the public to an open house event on Thursday, May 8, from 3 to 6 p.m., at the Haywood County Visitor Center, located at 91 North Lakeshore Drive in Lake Junaluska. 

Lake Junaluska’s Spring Plant Sale will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym.  

For sale will be a few thousand plants, including an assortment of annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables, hanging baskets and several varieties of native plants from the Corneille Bryan Native Garden, said Melissa Marshall, Lake Junaluska director of grounds. 

The West Swain Fire Department — an all-volunteer department — is hosting its 31st annual bass tournament and BBQ dinner.

The event will be held from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 3 at the Almond Boat Park at Fontana Lake. 

The Jackson County ‘Headwaters District’ Conservation Plan seeks to apply an objective, fact-based approach to assessing the conservation and development priorities of communities within the southern half of Jackson County.

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified most of the state as at least abnormally dry with only a few counties entirely normal. Over half of the state’s counties are abnormally while 42 counties — all east of The Smoky Mountain News coverage area — are in a moderate drought. Onslow County is in a severe drought. 

Registration for youth flag Football clinics and youth flag football league is now open. Registration will remain so until April 28 for the clinic and May 15 for the league.

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane. 

A new business focused on printing giclees officially opened in Waynesville last week. 

Smoky Mountain Studios, a sister business of neighboring Twigs & Leaves Gallery, is operated by Anna Melton, who has worked in that industry for a decade. 

Western Carolina University will welcome eight-time Emmy-nominated showrunner Dan Tapster to talk about the making of our planet. 

On Sunday, April 27, with the cooperation with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the North Shore Cemetery Association will begin a year of decorations at Branton and Lower Noland Creek Cemeteries.

Spring is here, and it’s time for that childhood tradition of fishing at the local fishing hole. To honor and promote that tradition, the USDA Forest Service and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will host two “Kids Fishing Day” events during April in the Cherokee National Forest’s Ocoee/Hiwassee Ranger District.

Haywood County has partnered with Consolidated Waste Services and EcoFlo to hold its spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) located at 278 Recycle Rd. in Clyde. 

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Spring Litter Sweep kicked off April 12 and runs through April 26. This biannual cleanup event invites residents across the state to bag litter and beautify roadsides, all while helping protect North Carolina’s natural charm. 

U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. sentenced Brandon Tyler Buchanan to 30 years in prison for second degree murder, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. 

A series of recent bomb threats to multiple targets across Waynesville has law enforcement asking for tips that could help with arrests. 

On April 14, the Hazelwood Ingles was evacuated due to a threat, the seventh in 10 days according to Waynesville Police Chief David Adams. Previously, Walmart had been evacuated at least twice.

“We don’t have any leads right now,” Adams said. “We definitely need the public’s help.”

Adams said his department had received assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation and that they were reviewing videotape from the incidents, which appear to involve written threats in bathrooms.

Anyone with information about the messages can submit an anonymous tip through the town’s police app, by calling Crime Stoppers at 877.92.CRIME or the WPD at 828.452.2491 or through WPD’s Facebook page.

On March 19, a threat cleared out the Haywood County Courthouse in the early afternoon; however, a suspect was apprehended less than four hours later.

Sheriff Bill Wilke said the courthouse threat was different from the others in that it was submitted by phone.

“Not to reveal too many methods, but with the utilization of witnesses and technology, that came to a close very quickly,” Wilke said.

— Cory Vaillancourt, Politics Editor

Shelley White, president of Haywood Community College, has been named the North Carolina Community College President of the Year by the North Carolina Community College System State Board and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation. 

The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) is reminding drivers that speeding has life-threatening consequences. 

Three public information officers who serve the people of Haywood County were recently recognized in Asheville by the North Carolina City and County Communicators, a statewide network of dedicated professionals working in public information, communications, marketing and media across local governments and universities. 

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced that the Agricultural Disaster Crop Loss Program is open and accepting online applications through May 4 from farmers who suffered crop losses from Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Debby and drought and other weather-related conditions in 2024. 

Panthertown Map Association, the non-profit publishers of Burt Kornegay’s popular map, “A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown,” recently celebrated the publication of the newly revised 30th anniversary edition with a $7,500 donation to Friends of Panthertown. 

The Haywood County Farm Bureau Board of Directors is proud to announce the sponsorship of Central Haywood High School’s new tractor. This tractor will be used by Kevin Bailey, Ed.D., Central Haywood High’s agriculture teacher, to improve student understanding of agricultural equipment and give them real-world education and experiences directly related to the agricultural industry. 

The Western Carolina University Office of Alumni Engagement is stepping up to the plate and taking a swing at a new summer event designed to bring together members of the Catamount family at baseball stadiums across North and South Carolina. 

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane. 

Over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022 — one death every 11 minutes. Over one million people a year survive a suicide attempt, and 13.2 million seriously think about ending their life. 

Contract crews for the N.C. Department of Transportation will be replacing guardrail along a stretch of N.C. 28 for the next several months. 

The Night’s Watch, a student group at Western Carolina University, will hold a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Helene at Sylva’s Bridge Park from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 12.

On April 4 by noon, the National Park Service (NPS) will reopen portions of Cataloochee Valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cataloochee Valley has been closed since September 2024 following significant damage from Hurricane Helene. Within the park, Cataloochee Valley saw the worst impacts from Hurricane Helene.

Featuring works from faculty artisans at Western Carolina University, the 2025 School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition will be displayed Jan. 21 through May 2 in the Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. 

The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) specially curated exhibit featuring the works of celebrated visual artist and author Ann Miller Woodford will run through April 7 at HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery in downtown Waynesville. 

FIND Outdoors is excited to announce the seasonal reopening of the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest on April 5. This historic site, often referred to as the birthplace of modern forestry in America, continues to serve as a hub for conservation education and outdoor experiences.

Opening day attendees will enjoy complimentary admission and programming throughout the day, including:

10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. — Character Meet & Greets

11 a.m. — Book signing and reading with Carolyn Bennett Fraise, the author of “MOON TREE: The Story of One Extraordinary Tree” 

1-2 p.m.  — Up Close Encounter with Birds of Prey 

• Jeff Curtis presents an exciting falconry demonstration featuring majestic birds of prey. Get up close to these incredible birds and learn about their role in the ecosystem.

3-4 p.m. — Fur, Feathers and Scales

• The WNC Nature Center brings an exciting educational presentation featuring animals with fur, feathers and scales. Meet live animals and learn how they adapt to their environments.

Guided tours of the Biltmore Campus Trail and Forest Festival Trail will also be available.

Admission:

$10/adult (13+)

$5/child (4–12)

$5/Federal Passholder

Season Passes  to the Cradle of Forestry are also available for $35/individual or $55/family and include:

• Regular admission to the Cradle of Forestry during the season

• 15% discount at the Cradle of Forestry Gift Shop

• Half-off admission for special programs/events offered throughout the season

For more information, visit gofindoutdoors.org/sites/cradle-of-forestry.

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) recommends that homeowners check now for bats that may be getting into their home and evict them responsibly before pup-rearing season begins on May 1. 

Officials at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) report there are still areas that are unsafe to participate in water activities due to remaining debris from Hurricane Helene. Some locations are inaccessible to emergency responders in the event an incident occurs. 

Hurricane Helene caused at least 57 landslides on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, damaging roads and trails across 200 miles, the National Park Service said.

The storm, which also damaged facilities in Virginia, led to the closure of parts of the 469-mile parkway. About 312 miles have reopened. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the agency has completed its work supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local health departments with hurricane response efforts in western North Carolina.