Lilly Knoepp

Registered nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville agreed on their first union contract.

The three-year deal increases wages, guarantees breaks, mandates nurses must be given PPE and free access to COVID-19 testing.  It also forms a Professional Practice Committee to review staff levels.

There isn’t enough wild ginseng to harvest this year. That’s according to the U.S. Forest Service which will not be issuing any ginseng harvesting permits for the Nantahala or Pisgah National Forests in 2021.  

“We need to pause the harvest now to help ensure that these plants will be available in future years and for our grandkids and their kids,” said Gary Kauffman, botanist for the National Forests in North Carolina in a press release.

The U.S. Forest Service has announced new restrictions at Max Patch, a national forest area near the Tennessee state line in Madison County which includes a section of the Appalachian Trail. The 4,629 foot bald is a popular camping and backpacking destination but the trail saw an explosion of visitors during 2020.

Registered nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville have announced a tentative agreement on a contract with HCA. The deal will be shared with the nurses' union this week.  The negotiating team is recommending for the nurses to approve the deal.  Details about the contract will be shared after the vote. Mission Hospital nurses joined National Nurses United in September 2020.

Sylva Town Commissioners voted Thursday to reject plans to update the base of Jackson County’s Confederate monument.  ‘Sylva Sam’ sits outside the historic Jackson County courthouse, and county commissioners approved a plan to cover the Confederate Flag on the monument’s base and highlight its 1996 rededication to “veterans of all wars.” The phase, “Our Heroes of the Confederacy will also be covered.

Sylva Town Commissioners have wanted it removed since 2020, which they affirmed with a 3-2 vote again Thursday.  Commissioner Ben Guiney presented the resolution: 

North Carolina is only three weeks away from a major transformation of its Medicaid system and a new poll shows most people don't know about it.

The program will soon be administered by private insurance plans – instead of the current fee for service.  A survey by the nonprofit -  North Carolina for Better Medicaid finds that two out of three people know little to nothing about the change that could affect who and where their doctors are. 

As temperatures warm up and COVID restrictions are lifted more tourists are hitting the streets - and the trails of Western North Carolina.

However, this is the time of year when natural food for bears is most scarce.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park Wildlife Biologist Bill Stiver explained that most bear-human conflicts occur from mid-May through August because of this lack of food. Stiver says June is the most challenging month. 

Jackson County Commissioners voted last night to move forward with plans to update the Confederate monument, known as 'Sylva Sam', who sits below the Jackson County Public Library Complex.

County Manager Don Adams shared that the plaque to cover the current Confederate flag on the monument will cost about $14,000 including installation. AOA signs in Yadkinville provided the estimate. 

In the eight westernmost counties in the state, much of the population doesn't have access to broadband . Recent data also shows that access to speeds above 25 Mbps are even worse - less than 15 percent in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain Counties. 

The broadband gap has become even more apparent during the pandemic as workers and students moved to working from home via the internet. 

During Western Carolina University’s commencement ceremony, the university recognized the history of the Cherokee with an official land acknowledgement for the first time.

Colonial Pipeline announced Thursday morning that fuel deliveries should be made by the end of the day. The pipeline restarted operations on Wednesday night after being out of service since a cyber-attack caused a shutdown.  

Gas stations across Western North Carolina are feeling a crunch after the Colonial Pipeline shutdown because of a cyber-attack. In Asheville, long lines outside of gas stations spilled onto Merrimon avenue and other city streets on Monday. By Tuesday morning, many of those gas stations were out of fuel.

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The Eastern Band of Cherokee tribal council voted Thursday to decriminalize up to an ounce of marijuana on the Qualla Boundary. It is still illegal to sell or use the substance in public. It was incorrectly reported by other outlets that the Eastern Band legalized medical marijuana.

Joey Owle is Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the Eastern Band.  

"No More Stolen Sisters."

That’s what the banner outside of the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s council house reads today in honor of the national day of awareness for murdered and missing indigenous women.

Mission Health System celebrated a groundbreaking at the site of the new Angel Medical Center in Franklin.

The $68 million location will not have more beds than current hospital but the new space will have bigger rooms, and new technology and more windows explained Angel Medical Center Board of Trustees Chair Johnny Mira-Knippel.

Just in time for Earth Day, The Cradle of Forestry in Transylvania County is re-opening this week after being closed. During the pandemic it was open on a limited schedule. 

The 6500-acre site in the Pisgah National Forest is a museum and trail system that was the location of the first national science-based forest management program established in the 19th century.