Last month, an investigation by The Smoky Mountain News revealed that Jackson County Commissioner Jenny Lynn Hooper had missed at least 13 of 16 meetings of various oversight or advisory boards she volunteered to serve on after her November 2024 election. Since then, new information has come to light showing she’s now missed at least 14 of 17 meetings, but Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Chairman Robert Jumper still can’t cite any authority that exempts Hooper from the removal policy stated in TDA’s own bylaws. 

Kathryn Kirkpatrick and Annie Woodford will share poems from their latest collections, "Creature" and "Peasant," at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 

The 16th annual “Handmade Holiday Sale” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

This event is presented by the WCU Fine Art Museum and is located throughout the Bardo Arts Center lobby and Star Atrium.

Western North Carolina voters turned out in strong numbers across municipal races this year, deciding contests that will shape local recovery, infrastructure and growth for years to come. 

In Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, ballots featured a mix of incumbents and newcomers in competitive races that reflected both the challenges and the momentum of a region still rebuilding from repeated disasters — a region where voters think they’ve now chosen the right people to move it forward. 

After months of tension between Jackson County and the Fontana Regional Library system, commissioners appear to be charting a new course — one that could ultimately reverse their June decision to withdraw from the regional library partnership. 

At the very end of their Nov. 4 meeting, Jackson commissioners discussed three proposed amendments to the Fontana Regional Library interlocal agreement. 

To the Editor:

The decision facing Jackson County’s leaders is more than an administrative matter. It is a test of values. Will our commissioners uphold the long tradition of education, cooperation and integrity that has defined our community, or will they yield to a small, insistent minority determined to restrict access to educational information under the false banner of protecting children? 

Jackson County is now home to two certified forest therapy trails endorsed by the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy. The most recent certified trail is the Jackson County Greenway. The first trail certified was the popular Pinnacle Park lower loop section. 

Acclaimed Western North Carolina author Thomas Rain Crowe will present his new book, “New Natives: Becoming Indigenous in a Time of Crisis and Transition,” with photographer Simone Lipscomb at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The 19th annual WNC Pottery Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, in Bridge Park in Sylva.

Showcasing the work of more than 40 master potters from an array of states. A variety of clay art styles will be presented with over 40 master potters.

Henry T. and Priscilla M. Ireys will share their new book, “The Keep: Living with the Tame and the Wild on a Mountain Farm,” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.