Saving the storm's silent victims: Helene stressed animal care infrastructure to its limits

Mary Garrison and her husband, Fairview Fire Department Battalion Chief Tony Garrison, awoke around 4 a.m. on Sept. 27 to a darkened home with no electricity, torrential rainfall pounding the ground and high winds from Hurricane Helene screaming through their tiny, isolated Craigtown community. 

Volunteers needed for Richland Creek cleanup

Haywood Waterways is hosting a cleanup session for Waynesville’s Richland Creek.

The cleanup will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 7.

Meet at the Vance Street pavilion located along Richland Creek down the hill from the Waynesville Recreation Center at 550 Vance Street in Waynesville. 

CMC seeks volunteers for trail restoration workday

Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) is gearing up for another significant trail restoration event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, in Hot Springs. 

Volunteer effort hooks up displaced WNC residents with temporary housing

As the recovery from the flooding disaster brought on by Hurricane Helene transitions to a different phase with more long-term priorities, housing solutions have become a major focus of volunteers still looking to lend a helping hand. 

If you build it they will come: Haywood County livestock center becomes crucial aid distribution hub

Dan Messer would have preferred to host a livestock auction on Monday, but instead he was working one in a string of countless dawn-to-midnight days coordinating aid distribution out of the WNC Regional Livestock Center in Canton. 

In the middle of an unimaginable tragedy

It’s hard to know what to write about when my mind is swirling in so many directions, as I’m sure most of yours are as well. As someone said, not only were the effects of Hurricane Helene on a mountain region improbable, they were unimaginable.

HELENE: How to help

Since Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina, there has been an outpouring of people looking for ways to support those hit hardest by the storm. Here’s a look at what options people have to volunteer or donate if they wish to contribute to ongoing efforts in the Smoky Mountain News coverage area (Swain, Macon, Jackson and Haywood counties, as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians).

On the right path: Pathways celebrates a decade of service to the community

What started off as a clever idea to address recidivism has grown into something more — a community-driven response to concerning and costly social ills like homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse disorder. 

Volunteers needed for the ‘Big Sweep’ stream cleanup

Haywood Waterways is calling for volunteers to take part in a county-wide cleanup event that removes tons of trash from local waterways and roadways. 

Volunteers needed for Little Tennessee

Mainspring Conservation Trust seeks volunteers to participate in the annual Little Tennessee River Cleanup starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. 

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