News Staff UPDATE – FRANKLIN, N.C. (WLOS) – Franklin police are urging people to be more cautious of those around them after they received a report of a man accused of following a teenager into the restroom of a local grocery store. An updated FB post from the police department says upon further review of surveillance footage, … Read more
BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) – National Forest service rangers are sounding the alarm about potential dangers at some area hot spots after a recent fatality and serious injuries at waterfalls and swimming locations across Western North Carolina last week [July 23]. A man died while swimming at Secret Falls on the Nantahala Ranger District, and … Read more
A Jackson County couple are facing several felony charges, including drug possession and vehicle theft. Michael Dustin Brooks, 37, of Sylva, and Amanda Lee Mezyck, 33, of Cashiers were quickly taken into custody following the early morning July 16 incident in which the pair were pulled over in the car in Walgreens parking lot about … Read more
Five weeks after a fiery accident left him with second and third-degree burns on 50% of his body, a Western North Carolina boy is making great strides in his recovery. Barrett McKim has been in the ICU at the burn center in Augusta, Georgia, since June 23. His mother and father, Caroline and Kyle McKim, … Read more
North Carolina’s Republican General Assembly leaders have asked a federal judge to reinstate a 20-week abortion ban previously thrown out by courts, despite the Democratic attorney general’s refusal to seek enforcement of the ban after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide abortion protections. Outside attorneys for Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore … Read more
A new company will bring jobs and millions of dollars in investments to McDowell County. Gov., Cooper announced that Forza X1…a company that makes electric-powered boats…plans to create 170, good-paying jobs and invest $10.5 million dollars in the county. The average salary will be more than $51,000, and the project’s economic impact will be nearly … Read more
A North Carolina woman has pled guilty to charges that she sold unapproved drugs on her website that claimed to be remedies and treatments for COVID-19…officials with the U.S. Department of Justice said. Diana Daffin is the defendant. Court documents and statements made in court showed that in March 2020, the FDA learned that she … Read more
The Cherokee Fair Grounds is in for a complete overhaul over the next couple of years after Tribal Council green-lighted spending to demolish the current facilities and create a comprehensive master plan for the site. Officials first discussed the project on air during a May 16 Planning Board meeting, after a crack in an amphitheater … Read more
Following a unanimous vote from the Cherokee Tribal Council…the tribe is expected to petition the federal government to change the name of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s highest mountain, Clingmans Dome, to Kuwahi…the name Cherokee people called it for generations prior to European conquest. Kuwahi, which means “mulberry place” in the Cherokee language, was … Read more
Complaints by a neighbor about sediment in a creek have resulted in two notices of violation being issued to the new owners of the Waynesville Inn and Golf Club by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. South Carolina-based hospitality company Raines purchased the historic Waynesville Inn for nearly $9 million in early 2021. Raines … Read more