Herald’s second summer magazine debuts this week - Jackson County’s oldest newspaper has published a second edition of its summer magazine that celebrates local history and mountain scenery. The Sylva Herald’s Summer-into-Fall “Across the Mountains” debuts this week, just in time for the crowds that flock to Sylva’s Main Street each year for the annual Fourth of July celebration. The full-color, 8-inch by 11-inch magazine spotlights all that’s unique about Jackson County...

Breaking news - Commissioners authorize study of Courthouse Hill as library site - After appropriating funds to build a new library in the next fiscal year, county leaders are ready to take another look at Courthouse Hill as its future home. County officials with a 4-1 vote appropriated between $5,000 and $7,000 for architect Donza Mattison of the Spartanburg, S.C., firm McMillan Smith to conduct an in-depth study...

Fines levied in wake of golf course dam break - Jackson County officials have fined Balsam Mountain Preserve $300,000 in the wake of a June 7 dam failure. According to a letter Soil and Erosion Officer Robbie Shelton delivered to BMP officials Tuesday afternoon, the fines cover a period between Feb. 23 and June 22. County officials cited the 4,000-acre gated community for failure to follow an approved plan, failure to provide groundcover; inadequate sediment retention and buffer zones...

July 4 fireworks to dazzle downtown sky - Those coming to downtown Sylva for Jackson County’s annual Fourth of July celebration can expect a night filled with music, food and pyrotechnics. More than 1,600 fireworks will light up the old Courthouse as soon as night falls Wednesday evening. The show, a 25-year tradition in Sylva, is again organized by the Jackson County Recreation Department. This year’s theme is “Celebrate the American Flag.” “This is something we love doing,” said Recreation Department Director Jeff Carpenter. “We’ve been doing it for a long...

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Over Knotts’ objection, Sylva passes 2007-2008 budget 4-1 - One Sylva official voted in opposition to her fellow town board members as they passed the 2007-2008 budget last Thursday (June 21). Vice-Mayor Maurice Moody presided in the absence of Mayor Brenda Oliver. Board member Stacy Knotts suggested at the beginning of the discussion that roughly $7,000 from a proposed raise in board member and mayor salaries be placed in the fund for streets and sidewalks. This went against her earlier support of the move, which she voted for during the board’s 4-1...