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Commissioners OK $59-million budget, 28-cent tax rate - Commissioners unanimously passed a county budget for 2008-09 Monday night (June 16). The budget, which is around $59 million, is based on a 28-cent per $100 valuation tax rate. Though it is an 8-cent decrease from the current rate of 36 cents, the proposed figure is 2 cents higher than the 26-cent rate that would have meant a “revenue neutral” budget. Originally, this year’s budget was set at $60.5 million. Throughout budget talks...
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 Slain trooper was SMHS grad - The law enforcement officer killed Tuesday night in the line of duty was a 2002 Smoky Mountain High School graduate. The Herald learned minutes before press time that N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Shawn Blanton, 24, was shot twice Tuesday night (June 17) during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Canton. According to Lt. Everett Clendenin, public information officer for the patrol, Blanton...
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 One last winner - Ron Allen of Sylva earned one of three honorable mentions in this year’s Sylva Herald “Mountain Spring” photo contest with this pastoral scene. Other winners include Kaitlin Grant of Cullowhee, first; F.C. Etier of Maggie Valley, second; Dave Redman of Sylva, third; and Dara Eberly-Smith of Livermore, Calif., and Jennifer Thomas of Whittier, honorable mention. Area landscape photographer and former Smoky Mountain High School biology teacher Larry Tucker judged this....
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Whittier man wins $400,000 in last week’s ‘Carolina Cash 5’ - Friday the 13th was a Jackson County man’s lucky day. Wilson “Butch” Bottorf of Whittier matched all five white balls in the June 13 “Carolina Cash 5” drawing to win the top prize of $429,792. “I still don’t believe it. I feel like I’m in dreamland,” Bottorf said when he claimed his winnings at the N.C. Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday. Bottorf purchased his winning ticket at the Hot Spot No. 1102 on....
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 Forest Hills sign sparks debate - The new Forest Hills entrance sign – and its $40,000 price tag – was the main topic of conversation during the town’s June 3 meeting. It started with board member Gene Tweedy asking finance officer Jim Weir whether there were any outstanding bills for the sign’s construction. When Weir said he didn’t have any current outstanding bills but thought that one was still on the way, board...
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Man drowns in Cedar Cliff Lake - A Sylva man died Sunday (June 15) while swimming in Cedar Cliff Lake, which is located in Canada community. Joshua Cook, 20, was swimming with friends around 2 p.m. when he experienced difficulty, according to Capt. Steve Lillard of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. While Cook’s friends saw him go under, they were unable to help, Lillard said, adding that Cook was apparently....
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Runoff election to be Tuesday - Polls will open Tuesday, June 24, for a runoff for the Democratic nomination for state labor commissioner. Voting hours will be the same as during the May 6 primary, 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. One-stop voting began earlier this month and will continue through Saturday, June 21. Voting hours are from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. through Friday, June 20. The office will also be open for one-stop voting on Saturday, June 21, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Mary Donnan, an employee of the...
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