News Staff ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) – A new Buncombe County program aims to help homeless non-violent criminal offenders. In an effort to address what he calls a “homeless crisis” Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams announced a new program recently. The Unhoused Diversion Program is designed to get people with non-violent criminal histories off the streets by … Read more
The Cherokee Central Schools (CCS) Board of Education met for nearly six hours on Thursday, Feb. 24, spending two and a half hours in closed session. A large topic of discussion was how CCS was going to operate for the remainder of this school year regarding COVID. The Board voted 5 to 1 to maintain … Read more
BREVARD, N.C. (WLOS) – A restored World War II Jeep will highlight the 2022 reopening of the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, set for tomorrow (March 2) in Brevard. The exhibit places the restored 1943 Willys Jeep in front of an Army Post Office (APO) somewhere in the European theater, along with a vintage … Read more
CULLOWHEE, N.C. (WLOS) – WCU is now maskless. Western Carolina University announced it has dropped its indoor mask mandate in the overwhelming majority of buildings on campus effective as of Saturday, Feb. 26. The change in mask requirements on campus follows Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent announcement of revised COVID-19 guidance, along with new direction from … Read more
MACON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) – Last week, a Macon County jury found a man guilty of breaking into a Swain County home in the Nantahala nan-tuh-hay-luh community in December 2019. A judge ordered Jon Crowe, 47, to serve a total of 83 months to 112 months in state prison. -0-
Few details are being released about a fatal shooting over the weekend in Cherokee. Officers with the Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD) responded to a report of shots fired just before midnight [11:22 p.m.] in the parking lot of a McDonald’s on Casino Trail and found two men with gunshot wounds, one of whom was … Read more
A Lake Junaluska area family who lost their home in a fire earlier this month (Feb. 12) is getting community support. The homeowners and their six kids were displaced after the home was deemed a total loss by the Haywood County Fire Marshal’s Office. Now, thanks to Cavalry Road Baptist Church, where they attend services, … Read more
School systems in all four counties of The Smoky Mountain area are no longer requiring masks in schools. The new directives follow updated COVID-19 guidance and still recommends masking indoors in areas of high transmission rates. According to the CDC, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties all currently have high transmission rates. Macon County Schools … Read more
Canceled in 2020 and downsized in 2021, Concerts on the Creek in Jackson County returns to its full schedule this year, with live music every Friday night from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. A bonus Fourth of July show will feature fireworks. The 13th season kickso off on May 27 and ends on … Read more
All aboard…Great Smoky Mountains Train Excursion is set for April 30. The Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum will sponsor the one-day excursion which follows the route of the former Southern Railway’s Murphy Branch Line, established in 1891, heading for arrival at the Bryson City Train Depot. Free parking is provided both in Johnson … Read more