Swain County

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.

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.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to try something new in the the rivers and streams of the region through the Blue Ridge Snorkel trail.

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.

Author and outdoorsman Horace Kephart played a crucial role in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This weekend, his family are taking a step in fulfilling the last wishes of his late wife Laura Mack Kephart and his longtime collaborator photographer George Masa.

No criminal charges will be filed against the man who shot and killed Swain County community leader Lambert Wilson in October 2022.

Ellison co-authored biography of fellow naturalist and author Horace Kephart, one of the leading forces behind the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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.

Ride along on a five-site tour of Black history across Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.