|
|
|
Relay for Life to be Friday at Rec Park in Cullowhee - Local residents will gather in Cullowhee Friday and stay up all night to fight cancer. The Jackson County Relay for Life, a 12-hour walkathon aimed at raising money for the American Cancer Society, will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 18, and continue until 6 a.m. Saturday, May 19. The event will be held at the Jackson County Recreation Park. “At Relay, you can find healing, comfort, and support from others who have faced cancer or who have lost a loved one to the disease. You have a chance to meet people in the community who are equally as passionate about finding an end to cancer in our lifetime,” said Becky Harwood, Relay coordinator. Teams from across the county will participate, with team members taking turns walking around the track. Individual team members are not required to walk the...
|
|
|
|
 Steeplejacks begin work at First Baptist - Another construction project is under way downtown. As the new First Citizens Bank continues to take shape, the steeple on Main Street’s only church is undergoing restoration. A crew from Chicago-based Inspired Heights, a company specializing in church repair, began work last week. By Friday morning, four steeplejacks were rappelling from First Baptist’s steeple as they removed exterior metal panels and deteriorating wood. The $72,000 steeple restoration project is expected to take two to three months. The almost 50-year-old steeple, which was put in place by a crane in...
|
|
|
|
County high schools plan graduations - Jackson County’s four high schools will hold graduation ceremonies during the coming week. Blue Ridge Early College, which runs on an earlier schedule than the county’s other high schools, will hold its graduation Friday, May 18, in the school gym. Jackson County Early College, which is located on the Southwestern Community College campus, will hold its first-ever graduation at 6 p.m. Monday, May 21, in SCC’s Myers Auditorium. The Jackson County School of Alternatives graduation is slated for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, in Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center. Smoky Mountain High School’s commencement will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 24...
|
|
|
|
Queen’s lead holds after vote canvass - Canvass totals confirm that Joe Sam Queen is the Democratic nominee for the N.C. House seat from District 119. Queen received a total of 4,993 votes in Jackson, Haywood and Swain counties, to Danny Davis’ 4,975. The canvass totals show Queen increasing his election night lead (12) by six votes. Jackson County decided the multi-county election, with Queen receiving 2,511 votes to Davis’ 2,298. Davis led in both Haywood and Swain, leading Queen 800 to 716 in Swain, and 1,877 to 1,766 in Haywood. The deadline for Davis to request a recount is noon today (Thursday). Jackson County Elections Director Lisa Lovedahl said. Because this is a multi-county election...
|
|
|
|
 Archeologists excavate Caney Fork sites - Jackson County is so full of history that it’s literally bursting out of the ground. A team of archeologists excavating on Caney Fork in preparation for planned bridge improvements found historically significant artifacts just off the road. Archeologist Bruce Idol, 44, of Chapel Hill, and his team from TRC Environmental Corporation were hired by the Federal Highway Administration to excavate at two sites along Caney Fork. They’ve been working since Feb. 1 and wrapped up the dig this week. Idol said they excavated the area with a combination of manual labor and a trackhoe. The site was identified in 2006 when bridge improvements were initially planned. Idol’s company recommended more excavation, given the likelihood that it would hold historically significant items, he said. “It had...
|
|
|
