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1 week ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
Commissioners listened to residents but had no discussion regarding county libraries and the Fontana Regional Library system.
A new agreement between the three counties that make up the Fontana Regional Library system — Jackson, Macon and Swain — had been reached in November, signaling what was thought to be the end of almost two years of controversy over the merits of the regional library system and libraries themselves.
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1 week ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
Outdoors Latest Damage is done: Macon to make changes following damage caused by debris removal Over the last few months, Maconians have sounded the alarm on what they see as excessive debris removal in the county’s waterways.
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3 weeks ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
Latest ‘It’s got to go’: Commissioners want to remove Jackson libraries from FRL Anyone who thought that two years, dozens of meetings, thousands of dollars and hours of public comment to reach a new interlocal agreement between Jackson, Macon and Swain counties for the Fontana Regional Library would spell the end of the controversy over local libraries thought wrong. Last week a majority of commissioners in Jackson County expressed their desire to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library...
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3 weeks ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
The total ask from Jackson County Public Schools is $14.1 million, up about $1 million dollars for the 2025-26 school year as compared the 2024-25 school year. Most of that increase is attributed to a higher price for covering free school lunches, a larger sum moving through the JCPS budget to charter schools, funding the new JROTC program and a new HVAC and fire alarm system at Jackson Community School.
“Those are our large asks,” Ayers told commissioners.
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1 month ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
Latest ‘Paradise will be some kind of library’: Carden cements legacy with historic library donation Gary Carden has accomplished a great deal in his life.
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1 month ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
Latest Free lunch eligibility trending downward in Macon For the second year in a row, Macon County Schools will request funding from county commissioners to bridge the gap in funding for free school meals for all K-12 students.
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1 month ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
“I think the overriding message I hope the community hears is that we’re not picking a school to get more resources than another school, we’re trying to be very equitable for every student in Jackson County Schools,” said Board Member Gayle Woody.
At a special called meeting April 23, JCPS administration took almost two hours to help clarify for the board how funding is allocated amongst different schools in the system.
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1 month ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
“They continue assaulting our river’s tributaries in the middle of spring when all the fauna is trying to raise babies in the name of profiting from our neighbor’s disaster,” said Angela-Faye Martin, co-owner and founder of Alraka Expeditions. “There should be a reckoning.”
At noon on Saturday, about six paddlers and 20 walkers made their way from the Tassee Shelter to the boat ramp on Lakeside Drive to show support for local waterways.
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1 month ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
Latest Good intentions gone wrong: Maconians sound alarm on excessive debris removal Wednesday, April 23, 2025 By this point, more than six months after Hurricane Helene barreled through Western North Carolina, it’s a common sight. Heavy machinery moving in and around waterways, working to remove debris that choked rivers and streams during extreme flooding caused by the storm. Not only does debris removal help clear waterways of potentially hazardous material, but it also reduces the risk of...
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1 month ago | 
smokymountainnews.com | Hannah McLeod
“Its namesake reflects the gradual progression of spring green moving up the mountains,” said Sylva’s Economic Development Director Bernadette Peters.
When the festival officially began in 1998, Sylva residents had been putting on smaller Earth Day and Appalachian events for years. But in 1998, these combined for the first time to create Greening Up the Mountains. That year, the event drew about 2,500 people.
