Jackson County

Don Adams will end his tenure at the end of year.

Jackson County Commissioners heard the 10-year review of the Fontana Regional Library Agreement, signed in December 2022 by Jackson, Swain and Macon Counties to work together as part of a regional library system.

BPR hosted a table at WCU's Mini-Mountain Heritage to collect and share the stories of Appalachian women.

For the first time, stakeholders in the Fontana Regional Library system are negotiating the terms of the agreement. Calls to reconsider the tri-county agreement with the nonprofit system began in 2023. This summer county managers from Macon, Jackson and Swain counties began the negotiations.

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital announces CFO Ashley Hindman to become CEO this month. Hindman has been CFO since 2019.

During a special board meeting, Fontana Regional Library board of trustees voted not to remove two books from circulation that had been officially requested for reconsideration. One book – “Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships and Being a Human” – was moved to the adult section of the library.

Sylva Town Mayor Lynda Sossamon resigned effective Thursday, January 26, following more than seven years leading the Jackson County town.In a letter to the public, Sossamon explained a planned heart surgery has resulted in serious complications.

This week, the final step of the election process took place. In courthouses across Western North Carolina, local officials were sworn in including county commissioners, school board members, sheriffs and more.

Jackson County Board of Commissioners and Chair candidates met on October 11th for a forum hosted by Western Carolina University, Blue Ridge Public Radio and Smoky Mountain News.Watch the full forum here.

School boards have become more politicized in recent years, from opposition to COVID policies to pressure to ban certain books. BPR spoke to Smoky Mountain News reporter Hannah McLeod about her reporting on school board races in three local counties: Swain, Macon and Haywood.