Regional

Photo by Will Woolever Buck Ledbetter stands behind the counter of his store, Buck’s Gun Shop, in Franklin.

Photo by Will Woolever Buck Ledbetter stands behind the counter of his store, Buck’s Gun Shop, in Franklin.

Gun shops see demand spike

News Staff
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Macon County’s gun stores are doing a brisk business.  In a year of disease and civil unrest, the firearms industry has been booming in 2020.
HCA plans to build a replacement hospital on a 12.89-acre lot at 14 One Center Court in Franklin.

HCA plans to build a replacement hospital on a 12.89-acre lot at 14 One Center Court in Franklin.

HCA delays construction of new hospital in Franklin

News Staff
Thursday, December 24, 2020
HCA Healthcare has postponed construction of the replacement facility for Angel Medical Center until 2021. “Between state plan approval and the COVID-19 pandemic, groundbreaking on the new hospital is unfortunately delayed,” Angel CEO Karen Gorby said.
NC Gov. Roy Cooper's most recent Stay at Home Order takes effect at 5 p.m. on Dec. 11.

NC Gov. Roy Cooper's most recent Stay at Home Order takes effect at 5 p.m. on Dec. 11.

Cooper tightens COVID-19 restrictions

Ryan Hanchett
Thursday, December 10, 2020
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper rolled out new regulations as part of a modified Stay at Home order on Tuesday as COVID-19 cases statewide continue to surge following the Thanksgiving holiday. The stricter rules will take effect at 5 p.m. on Friday and include a 10 p.m. statewide curfew.

Local sites accepting Toys for Tots

Dan Brown
Thursday, December 3, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has resulted in the shuttering of many charitable functions due to social distancing restrictions. This year’s Toys for Tots donation program is not one of them.  Once again this year, Regions Bank in Highlands is serving as a local drop off point for Toys for Tots.
“In the Stillness” by artist Carol Conti is a representation of what Bartram may have seen and felt during his travels through Western North Carolina.

“In the Stillness” by artist Carol Conti is a representation of what Bartram may have seen and felt during his travels through Western North Carolina.

Sharing Bartram's Art

News Staff
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
The Macon County Public Library is taking patrons on a walk through the woods with a display on local artists’ interpretations of the works of William Bartram.
Officers from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office and Highlands Police Department joined Highlands-Cashiers Hospital staff for a drug take back day in October.

Officers from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office and Highlands Police Department joined Highlands-Cashiers Hospital staff for a drug take back day in October.

Crush the Crisis takes back 129 pounds of unused pills

News Staff
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Mission Hospital along with its sister hospitals in the region collected 129.3 pounds of opioid medications during its “Crush the Crisis” opioid take back day to help combat the nation’s opioid crisis.
The WCU Honors College has been named for Jack and Judy Brinson, of Highlands.

The WCU Honors College has been named for Jack and Judy Brinson, of Highlands.

Brinsons add to legacy of learning

News Staff
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Calling Western Carolina University a “beacon of light and hope for the region and the state of North Carolina,” Jack Brinson thanked university officials and administrators for adding the name Brinson onto WCU’s Honors College because of his family’s financial commitment to the institution’s...
Monarch butterflies are currently migrating through Western North Carolina.

Monarch butterflies are currently migrating through Western North Carolina.

Monarch migration underway at HBS

Dan Brown
Thursday, October 29, 2020
The staff at the Highlands Biological Station has made it their mission to help save the monarch butterfly by providing pollinator gardens and tagging programs during the butterflies’ annual migration south to Mexico.
The Highlands Motoring Festival and The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts are teaming up for “Freewheeling – the allure of the automobile in contemporary art,” an exhibition that will run from May 11 to Aug. 21, 2021.

The Highlands Motoring Festival and The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts are teaming up for “Freewheeling – the allure of the automobile in contemporary art,” an exhibition that will run from May 11 to Aug. 21, 2021.

The art of the automobile

Ryan Hanchett
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Maybe it’s Andy Warhol’s famous “Cars” depicting the evolution of Mercedes Benz as an innovative automobile manufacturer.  Or maybe it’s “Clothed Automobiles” by Salvador Dali, with the memorable Cadillac draped in fine fabric.
The Literacy Council of Highlands reopened for after school instruction on Sept. 21 following a closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Literacy Council of Highlands reopened for after school instruction on Sept. 21 following a closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students welcomed back to The Literacy Council

News Staff
Thursday, October 8, 2020
On Monday, Sept. 21, The Literacy Council reopened its After-School Enrichment and Homework Helpers programs.  The organization has been closed to the public for several months in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.