Preliminary projections from Town of Waynesville show a tight budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Elected officials don’t want to raise taxes, fees or utility rates, but a variety of factors that all came together in a perfect storm will leave Town Council with some tough decisions after a budget retreat held March 21. 

On Friday, March 14, Representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly hosted a town hall to update the public and local elected officials about the progress of both Hurricane Helene Recovery and broadband expansion in the region on Friday March 14. 

It had been a warm spring day that finally gave way to twilight of cobalt-grey, sharpening the flashing red and blue police lights slashing through dusk restless and unyielding. Demonstrators waving signs and banging rhythmically on locked glass doors, their chants pulsed through the cool evening air. 

“Save our democracy.” 

Limited resources and tricky topography already pose challenges. Now those problems have been exacerbated.

When Chris and Sara Evensen bought their home off Elk Mountain Scenic Highway in 2018, they felt like they’d hit the natural beauty jackpot: a nice home on two acres, ensconced in a gorgeous hardwood forest. 

A bipartisan collaboration to bolster critical communication resources during natural disasters is gaining momentum in Congress after lessons learned during the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina last year. 

Nearly six months after Hurricane Helene killed 106 people and caused more than $60 billion in damage across Western North Carolina, the General Assembly is set to approve another storm-related relief bill. 

Highways, roads and bridges weren’t the only components of transportation infrastructure impacted by Hurricane Helene last fall. Now, a pair of Western North Carolina legislators have filed a bill in the North Carolina General Assembly to help a pair of railroads get back on track. 

Early Tuesday morning. Sitting in the dentist chair, I stared blankly out onto the parking lot, only to then notice the bustling traffic on nearby U.S. 276. It was at that moment when the nice dental hygienist asked if a date and time in mid-September 2025 would be ideal for my next teeth cleaning.  

Amid changing federal regulations regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, one Jackson County group is making the rounds at public meetings in an effort to remind both elected officials and community members that it is there to support the Hispanic community. 

The WNC Nature Center will reopen to the public March 17, five and a half months after closing due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene, which caused significant flooding that destroyed roads and the main bridge to the Nature Center.