One-stop primary voting begins today at three locations - One-stop voting for the May 6 primary election will begin today (Thursday) and continue through Saturday, May 3. The Board of Elections Office on the second floor of the Justice Center will be open for absentee voting from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Also open six days a week will be a one-stop site at the Wolfetown Community Building in Cherokee. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through...

Forest service seeks input on Panthertown trails - U.S. Forest Service officials are seeking input on proposed changes to the trail system in Pathertown Valley, which is located in southeastern Jackson County. According to Jeff Owenby of the Nantahala Ranger District, the new plan involves designating trail use to protect the valley’s fragile environment. Hikers would be allowed on all...

Friedman, Haire square off in House race - One way or another, the person representing District 119 in the N.C. House of Representatives will continue to be from Jackson County. That’s because the two candidates seeking the Democratic nomination – Avram Friedman and incumbent Phil Haire – are both from Sylva as is Dodie Allen, the only Republican in the race. To find out where the candidates stand with regard to issues important to local voters, The Herald sent the same questions to Haire and Friedman, whose answers appear below. Allen is not included in this survey...

WCU’s 24th annual Tuckaseigee River Cleanup to be Saturday - There is still time to sign up for Western Carolina University’s Tuckaseigee River Cleanup, which is scheduled for this Saturday, April 19. The 24th annual river cleanup will cover a portion of the river in Jackson County beginning at East LaPorte and ending at Barkers Creek. Volunteers will have the option of working from a raft or from the riverbank. No rafting experience is required for those working in the river; however, rafters are required to weigh 40 pounds...

Last call for photos - Herald readers can submit images, like this favorite from past winners Becky and Eric Hester of Sylva, to the newspaper’s 11th annual spring photo contest through today (Thursday) at 5 p.m. Well-known local photographer Larry Tucker has agreed to judge this year’s entries, and winners will be announced during the Saturday...

New home construction drops since last year - Recent construction statistics paint a less rosy picture than commissioners heard during a March meeting. Despite total local building activity being above national and regional averages, new home construction in Jackson County is down, based on figures obtained from the Building Inspections office. Permits for residential units are down for the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. According to inspection office tallies...

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