Applications are now being accepted for the Governor’s Volunteer Service award, honoring volunteers throughout the state for their outstanding work. There are 10 Governor’s Awards that are given out each year, and for the next few weeks, Jackson residents have an opportunity to nominate local volunteers for statewide recognition of their dedication and hard work … Read more
More Jacson County residents are working. Jackson County’s unemployment rate stood at 3.7 percent, down .1 percent from October. Some 19,991 were employed in the county and 739 unemployed. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 5.9 percent, and Asheville had … Read more
Last weeks (Jan. 3) storms knocked down trees and power lines in Jackson County, but caused little other damage, officials said. About half an inch of rain fell over six hours, and Jackson County Emergency Services Director Todd Dillard said there was some wind damage reported in the Savannah community and around Sylva, with the … Read more
Sylva keeps growing. The town has added the 1,088-acre Pinnacle Park and the 441-acre Blackrock tract over the last decade, as part of Manifest Destiny. Sylva’s square footage also increased by 2.12-acres recently, and marks the town’s most expensive project in its history, with the expansion. Meanwhile, the Allen Street landslide just north of the … Read more
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) – Buncombe County is asking for community input on how to use millions of dollars in opioid settlement money. The county will receive $16 million over an 18-year period to be used for various strategies, including early intervention and re-entry programs. Buncombe County is conducting a survey to get suggestions for what … Read more
Western Carolina University’s Birth-Kindergarten Program was recently awarded a more than $800,000 grant by the Dogwood Health Trust for Leadership, Equity and Access Fellowship in Early Childhood Education. The program was selected as one of 10 organizations in the region dedicated to increasing access and equity in the early childhood workforce for underserved communities. The … Read more
HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) – Efforts are ongoing to restore rivercane along Western North Carolina rivers faced with challenges from people cutting it down and from recent major flooding. In a partnership with Warren Wilson College, students come every fall to plant and restore rivercane, which provides a flood buffer and, Warren noted, also has … Read more
COVID is on the rise and emergency room visits were up across the state. Updated case numbers for Jackson County and the state are slow coming in due to the holidays, but the last reports showed 39 new cases for the week ending Dec. 17, following a reported 36 cases for the week ending Dec. … Read more
2023 ushered in rising gas prices. For the second straight week, gas prices across North Carolina have risen, averaging $3.13 a gallon, that’s nearly 9 cents (8.9) higher than a month ago and almost 10 cents more per gallon than a year ago, according to GasBuddy price reports. -0-
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles issued a warning about a scam targeting customers. Recently, several law enforcement agencies have reported that many unsuspecting DMV customers are receiving scam emails from a group claiming to be from the “Department of Transportation” and encouraging individuals to click on a link to pay a fine for an … Read more