News

SnowFest, presented by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, will take over Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Saturday and Sunday.

SnowFest, presented by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, will take over Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Saturday and Sunday.

SnowFest brings winter wonder

News Staff
Thursday, January 25, 2024
While frigid temperatures brought winter fears, Highlanders and visitors can look forward to some frosty fun this weekend. SnowFest will fall in Highlands Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kelsey Hutchinson Park. The best part? The event is free, and ice skating is $5.
Steve and Janet Sweimler at Mesa Verde in Colorado, where they enjoyed learning about the communities the Ancestral Pueblo people built on the mesas and in the cliffs over a period of 700 years.

Steve and Janet Sweimler at Mesa Verde in Colorado, where they enjoyed learning about the communities the Ancestral Pueblo people built on the mesas and in the cliffs over a period of 700 years.

Otto couple visits every National Park

News Staff
Thursday, January 18, 2024
An Otto couple has wrapped up a journey that started 11 years ago when they set a goal to visit all the National Parks. Steve Sweimler achieved that milestone when they visited American Samoa in October. Janet still has one park left to visit – Petrified Forest in Arizona.
Jim Paul Hogg, of Glenville, was killed in a head-on collision near the intersection of NC107 and Three Ponds Road in Cashiers.

Jim Paul Hogg, of Glenville, was killed in a head-on collision near the intersection of NC107 and Three Ponds Road in Cashiers.

Glenville man killed in wreck

News Staff
Thursday, January 18, 2024
A head-on collision resulting in one death occurred just after 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5. Jim Hogg Paul, 78, of Glenville was in the left passing lane heading south on NC 107 when he was struck and killed by Aubrey Eugene Holley III, 21, of Sylva. Holley illegally passed another north-bound vehicle.
NC Department of Transportation crews assess 80-feet of washed out shoulder along US 64 in the Cullasaja Gorge.

NC Department of Transportation crews assess 80-feet of washed out shoulder along US 64 in the Cullasaja Gorge.

Gorge Road repairs expected to last until end of January

News Staff
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Eighty feet of embankment damage to U.S. 64 in the Cullasaja Gorge has ripple effects through Macon County as a major artery from Franklin to Highlands is closed for the rest of the month. The washout under a section of U.S. 64/Highlands Road near Cullasaja Falls occurred midday on Tuesday, Jan.
Amythyst Kiah performed during the 2023 Bear Shadow Festival at Winfield Farm. The 2024 music lineup was announced on Tuesday.

Amythyst Kiah performed during the 2023 Bear Shadow Festival at Winfield Farm. The 2024 music lineup was announced on Tuesday.

Bear Shadow unveils 2024 lineup

News Staff
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Highlands Festivals, Inc. has made public the music lineup for the 4th annual Bear Shadow spring music festival, set to be held May 11-12, 2024 in Scaly Mountain. The two-day festival will feature headlining performances by seven-time Grammy-nominated duo Black Pumas and JJ Grey & Mofro.
Highlands PD saw a decrease in nearly all categories of crime in 2023.

Highlands PD saw a decrease in nearly all categories of crime in 2023.

Statistics show crime decrease in 2023, fire call increase

News Staff
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Highlands’ first responders shared statistics from 2023. While overall crime was lower on the police front, the fire department responded to more calls than in 2022. Highlanders may be reassured to know overall crime statistics were down in 2023.
The water over Lake Sequoyah Dam, which was barely a trickle in November during severe drought conditions, was raging following more than four inches of rain in less than 12 hours on Tuesday.

The water over Lake Sequoyah Dam, which was barely a trickle in November during severe drought conditions, was raging following more than four inches of rain in less than 12 hours on Tuesday.

Wet, wild, winter weather

Ryan Hanchett
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Weather extremes brought a full spectrum of conditions to Highlands over a three-day stretch from Monday through Wednesday. After a mild weekend, heavy rains rolled into the area in the late hours of Monday night. In a 12-hour span, Highlands saw more than 4 inches of rainfall.
A pair of Highlands students work on a hallway mural as part of art class.

A pair of Highlands students work on a hallway mural as part of art class.

Highlands students paint mural

News Staff
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Jessica Moschouris, art teacher at Highlands School, is supporting and encouraging students as they paint a mural in the middle school wing. Principal Holbrooks and Moschouris began talking about projects at the end of last school year.