Local airport is once again at center of court battle - Controversial since its mid-1970s construction, the Jackson County Airport is once again at the center of a lawsuit. The latest litigation, filed last November by adjacent landowners R.L. Ammons and Dewayne Pruett, contends slope failure at the airport that sits atop Berry Ridge near Cullowhee is threatening their homes and property. Those suits name...

Webster officials declare ‘Lacy Thornburg Day’ - Webster leaders voted unanimously Aug. 2 to declare Wednesday, Aug. 29, as Lacy Thornburg Day in the town. The day coincides with the unveiling of a portion of U.S. 23/74 that has been named after Thornburg. County commissioners requested the section from the Jake Parris Jr. Bridge to Exit 85 be named in his honor. A ceremony celebrating the road naming is planned at 9 a.m. in Southwestern Community College’s Myers Auditorium. Thornburg...

Officials explain new ordinances - With last week’s approval of the county’s first steep-slope and subdivision ordinances, many people have expressed confusion over new procedures and concern that building will come to a halt. The new ordinances, which affect the unincorporated areas in the county, went into effect Aug. 6. In an effort to determine some of the ways new guidelines will impact development in Jackson County, The Herald sat down with Jackson County Planning Director Linda Cable, and....

‘Alice’ star Linda Lavin to perform at WCU Sept. 8 - Actress and singer Linda Lavin, a star of stage and screen with a Tony and two Golden Globe awards to her credit, will be performing at Western Carolina University at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 8, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. Lavin, best known for starring as the title character in the 1976-1985 television series “Alice,” also honed her performing skills in Broadway and off-Broadway plays, and through television films, sitcoms and...

EDC members discuss forgiving debt, hiring employee with county - Members of the local Economic Development Commission met with Jackson County commissioners Monday (Aug. 13) and discussed forgiving an outstanding loan and hiring an economic developer. The work session came at the request of EDC members as a way to better define their working relationship with county leaders. One of the biggest issues is...

Whittier rainbow - Jennifer Thomas of Whittier captured this rainbow after a July 29 storm. She took the photo from her back yard.

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