Brevard NewsBeat

The current media outlets in Brevard and Transylvania County often overlook important details. They rarely request documents, ask challenging questions, investigate political ties, or clarify public policies. My focus is different: I won’t share club updates, cover sports, or usually report on crime. Opinions will only appear in reader comments. Instead, I will investigate topics that truly affect our community’s quality of life, economy, and environment. Plus, there's an added incentive to subscribe—it's free until I consistently deliver unique stories you won't find elsewhere.

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Opinion: Unlock SAFE. Nonprofit Needs to Open up to Restore Credibility. And I’ll Help

6 days ago | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

BREVARD — Janice Baker is taking over a broken nonprofit, SAFE Inc. of Transylvania County. And, though she apparently doesn’t believe this, I can help her fix it. As for that “broken” part, it was thoroughly documented in a story I wrote last year. Sky-high turnover and rock-bottom morale, inadequate training for workers in crucial roles, the evaporation of promising programs and the redirection of funds raised for specific purposes.
Excess Debris Removal in County Rivers Created “Ecological Crisis,” Critics Say, and Could Cost as much as $66 Million

2 weeks ago | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

CEDAR MOUNTAIN – Lauren Wilkie saw no need for debris removal at her property on the Little River near Greenville Highway. By the start of April, she and her husband, Don, had long ago removed the limbs deposited by the epic flooding of last year’s Tropical Storm Helene. The vine-draped trees arching over the river held firm during the storm and held the bank in place.
Community "Hero" Ora Wells' Latest Mission, Preventing Alzheimer's

3 weeks ago | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

BREVARD — When retired pediatrician Ora Wells first saw the MRI image showing a large, subcranial void in his parietal lobe — “a f—ing hole in my brain,” he called it — he wasn’t particularly upset. Mostly he was “amazed,” he said, during last month’s presentation at Brevard College’s Porter Center, re-enacting the scene of first seeing that image and repeating his words of reaction:“Shazam! . . . Woah! . . .
Masters Golf and the Argument for Keeping Some Things as They Are

1 month ago | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

CEDAR MOUNTAIN — Dogwoods and redbuds, dwarf irises and violets. Flawless blue sky and a cool morning warming into shirtsleeve weather by noon. Sunday was one of those spring days that practically demand that you head outside, breathe fresh air and soak in all the reminders that, despite everything, the world isn’t ruined yet. So, what did I do?
The Fight Against the "Very Real" Threat of the Record-Breaking Table Rock Fire

1 month ago | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

CEDAR MOUNTAIN — Robb Davis, the assistant regional forester who led the North Carolina Forest Service’s fight against the Table Rock Fire, isn’t given to dramatic talk. Driving past fire-blackened slopes on a dirt road along the South Carolina state line Tuesday afternoon, he provided a detailed account of the nearly week-long battle against advancing flames in restrained, professional terms.
“Transformative?” Not so much. New Pisgah Health Leader Talks Scaled-Back Plans

1 month ago | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

BREVARD — Pisgah Health Foundation arrived on the local nonprofit scene in 2019 with a big bank account and big ambitions. Formed after the sale of then-nonprofit Mission Health to industry giant HCA Healthcare Inc., it was funded with a pledge of $15 million over three years from the deal’s proceeds.
Examining the Present (and, Hopefully, the Future) of Trumpism in "Trumpistan"

1 month ago | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

PICKENS, SC — The Village Inn restaurant is the informal government seat of the city of Pickens, South Carolina, the actual seat of the same-named county of 138,000 that extends from the Blue Ridge Escarpment in the north to Clemson University and fast-growing suburbs of Greenville in the south.
My Coffee with Charlie: A Republican and a Democrat Manage to Have a Civil Conversation about Trump

Feb 4, 2025 | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

BREVARD — Charlie Brendle and I talked about the late, great Asheville author, Thomas Wolfe. He’s one of my all-time favorites. Brendle owns a historic house in Pisgah Forest where Wolfe did, actually, come home again, or at least back to the mountains, regularly visiting another famous writer who owned Brendle’s property in the 1930s. We talked sports. Brendle, 84, was a very good college athlete. I’m very good at being a fan.
Winter's Here. I'm Hibernating.

Jan 11, 2025 | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

It’s time for a break. You could call it a hiatus, a sabbatical or, given the weather, a hibernation. That may be the best comparison because, , I’ll be up and around occasionally. I’m just pausing paid subscriptions to give myself time to develop stories that inspire me and to, maybe, explore other writing projects.
County Manager’s “Rock Star” Status Gives Her Power. Critics Question Its Use.

Dec 19, 2024 | brevardnewsbeat.substack.com | Dan DeWitt

BREVARD — The words from Transylvania County Manager Jamie Laughter have stuck with former Schools Finance Director Gabi Juba for nearly two years. The scene was a County Commission meeting in March of 2023. Laughter had just finished a presentation pushing back on Juba’s assertion that the county had shortchanged the district on sales tax revenue legally required to pay for school upgrades.