Clyde enacts moratorium as broader data center fight builds The tiny Haywood County Town of Clyde has joined a growing number of Western North Carolina communities by formalizing its opposition to data centers through a 12-month moratorium, but with limited ju...

Small-town America is slowly realizing that data center moratoriums are part of a larger fight.

Republicans select replacement for late Rep. Clampitt The Republican parties of Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties, during a joint meeting, selected a replacement for Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), who passed away March 18 at age 71 following a prol...

. @coryvaillancourt.bsky.social reports that Anna Ferguson has been chosen to fill the NC-119 seat (Jackson, Swain, Transylvania) & will appear on the Nov '26 ballot

She will be the 1st woman & the first enrolled member of the EBCI in the #ncga House

#ncpol

smokymountainnews.com/news/item/41...

Helene relief failures fuel attack ads in NC Senate race A new political ad marks a sharp escalation in the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, turning Hurricane Helene recovery into a central line of attack by accus...

NEW: another storm is coming — in the form of campaign ads about federal failures in Helene recovery. #ncpol #election2026

FEMA 2.0 — what the leaked draft of the FEMA Review Council report really means A leaked draft of the FEMA Review Council’s final report on reform of the disaster response agency appears to shift considerable burden onto states, local governments, tribes and territories (SLTTs) w...

Promises of federal reform are easy to make, but harder to spot in the wreckage of a devastating natural disaster.

Webster’s post office disappears. A town loses its center. It was always more than just a place to pick up the mail. Long before asphalt and electronic highways reduced time and space to mere trivialities, a quieter system stitched scattered settlements toget...

It's not quite the "milltown without a mill" story I've been writing for years, but it is a "small town without a post office" story, which to the people of Webster is just as impactful — but in completely different ways.

Dems’ ‘Red to Blue’ list sparks Primary Election backlash Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District has been a Republican stronghold for more than a decade, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s decision to elevate Buncombe County ...

Is the D-trip's “Red to Blue” a boost … or a thumb on the scale? Yes, say candidates.

Here's some context on the DCCC's "red to blue" program, which includes #nc11's Jamie Ager (see @coryvaillancourt.bsky.social's story below).

#ncpol

Thanks to @the-downballot.com & @cookpolitical.com for making their data available.

National Democrats make serious play in Western North Carolina In a move that underscores shifting political terrain in Western North Carolina, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has placed a candidate in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District ...

National Democrats just signaled they see opportunity in NC-11. Jamie Ager has been added to the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program — a designation reserved for candidates the party believes can compete in Republican-held districts. For a seat long considered safe for the GOP, that’s a notable shift.

WCU students march miles to vote after on-campus polling site closure They left campus on foot — with signs raised, chants echoing across the valley under clear blue winter skies — turning a routine civic act into a noisy, high-visibility public rebuke. On Feb. 13, roug...

Western Carolina University students just turned early voting into a 1.53-mile protest. After the on-campus polling site was closed, they marched a busy four-lane highway to cast ballots — saying if access gets harder, their resolve gets stronger. #ncpol

A hard no to high-tech: Canton passes data center moratorium As the sun set over Canton on Feb. 11, the scene at the town’s makeshift municipal building more closely resembled that of a trendy big-city nightclub. More than 100 people had lined up outside, hoping to join the other 49 people who’d pushed the modular double-wide’s fire code to its absolute limit...

Big Data sought a foothold in Canton. Canton said, "Not so fast."

BREAKING: The Town of Canton has unanimously passed a moratorium on data centers. More to come on this soon.

TOMORROW!

Local media won’t bow to threats, lies The Sylva Herald and The Smoky Mountain News last Friday received anonymous emails threatening both publications if the papers, specifically The Herald, do not report on the Fontana Regional Library k...

Threats and extortion will not change the truth or our reporting about it.

Former POW Alex Drueke speaks ahead of Waynesville appearance tomorrow On Saturday, Jan. 17, Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville will host a daylong series of worship services, presentations and artistic offerings focused on peace, education and action in respon...

Alex Drueke, who helped train and fought alongside Ukrainian forces in 2022 and became a Russian POW, will speak in Waynesville tomorrow. I spoke with him today.

State board rubber-stamps Jackson early voting plan The Republican-led North Carolina State Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines to allow the closure of a Democrat-leaning early voting site at Western Carolina University, against overwhelming...

“It’s a war on students,” board member Siobhan O’Duffy Millen, a retired attorney from Raleigh, said shortly after the board voted Jan. 13 to strip early voting sites from historically Black NCA&T University and UNC-Greensboro in Guilford County and shortly before doing the same thing to WCU.

Jackson Board of Elections votes to close Western Carolina University early voting site The seemingly indiscriminate closure of an early voting site at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee prior to the March 3, 2026, Primary Election by the Republican-majority Jackson County Board of...

Here's the full story out of Jackson County, where Republican-led Board of Elections has voted to close a busy early voting site at Western Carolina University.

Federal shutdown threatens food aid in WNC Waynesville resident Sam Wilds is blind, cannot work, uses her entire Social Security disability check for household bills, has approximately $50 left on her SNAP card for the month of October, and on...

Waynesville resident Sam Wilds is blind, cannot work, uses her entire Social Security disability check for household bills, has approximately $50 left on her SNAP card for the month of October, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Another candidate has now filed w/ the FEC to run in #nc11 as a Democrat--WNC native, scientist, and current Orange County registered voter Paul Maddox.

For more, see this @coryvaillancourt.bsky.social profile: smokymountainnews.com/news/item/40...

#ncpol

Federal shutdown brings patchwork closures across WNC As the federal government shutdown continues, North Carolina residents may be left with a patchwork of closures, service limitations and uncertainty across the region’s parks, forests and federal agen...

@smokymountainnews.bsky.social: On Oct. 1, a #FEMA spokesperson said operations would continue largely as normal. #SocialSecurity checks will still be distributed, but field offices may have staffing limits. Visit ssa.gov/agency/emergency for more information. smokymountainnews.com/news/item/40...

Frontline philanthropy: Nonprofit aid stepped up in Helene's wake In the wake of two devastating floods just three years apart, Western North Carolina’s resiliency didn’t come from government agencies. While FEMA and state emergency teams provided vital aid, three…

Frontline philanthropy: How Nonprofit aid stepped up in Helene's wake

Former Green Beret Adam Smith to challenge Edwards in NC-11 Primary Adam Smith says it’s time for a change and that he’s ready to stand up for Western North Carolina in ways incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards hasn’t — particularly, in Hurricane Helene recovery. “I thin...

On the cusp of a week that marks 1 year since Helene devastated #wnc, a Republican is entering the #ncpol GOP primary against incumbent Chuck Edwards with a message centered around Helene response.

Story ⬇️ by @coryvaillancourt.bsky.social

smokymountainnews.com/news/item/40...

Schrodinger's "outsider" — OK when suggesting regional library disintegration, not OK when vandalizing Confederate statue

Helene victims still waiting for Whatley Scenic Chimney Rock has historically been an out-of-the-way place, nestled tightly against the Broad River in a narrow valley between lush, towering peaks that peer down at nearby Lake Lure. It’s alwa...

This story, from my hometown newspaper, @smokymountainnews.bsky.social, details the dismal response from the trump admin & Michael Whatley, who is running for Tillis' senate seat. Thank you @coryvaillancourt.bsky.social for covering this important story. #NCPOL

smokymountainnews.com/news/item/40...

Man who shot viral video at local dump sues Haywood sheriff, dump owner A Prince George’s County, Maryland, man whose viral video of a confrontation with a group at a dump in Haywood County drew outrage and polarized viewers has said he will file a federal civil rights la...

smokymountainnews.com/news/item/40...

The Appalachian Comics Project And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning - West Virginia Public Broadcasting After the dark days of Hurricane Helene, an award-winning comic book writer launches the Appalachian Comics Project. And, our Song of the Week this week features “Planetarium,” by Blitzen Trapper.

Grateful for the opportunity to speak with West Virginia Public Broadcasting about the work @appalachiacomics.bsky.social is doing to help rebuild from Helene and give voice to the people of the region.

wvpublic.org/wvpb-podcast...

Democratic candidates protest NC-11 gala exclusion, threaten boycott A blistering letter signed by four Democratic candidates for Congress in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District is raising questions about party neutrality in primaries, calling the party’s deci...

The #NC11 Dem primary is already on fire: Four candidates blast party leaders for favoring Jamie Ager at upcoming gala, threaten boycott, raise legal/ethical questions #ncpol

The rise and ruination of Swain County Sheriff Curtis A. Cochran For nearly two decades, a self-styled reformer with no law enforcement experience who toppled a longtime sheriff and rode a rising red tide to four reelection victories enjoyed his unusual transformat...

Plenty has been said about the rape and sexual assault charges against Swain County Republican Sheriff Curtis Cochran, but not much has been said about his 20-year tenure. Until now.

Jamie Ager enters NC-11 race with message of rural roots, business acumen On a fourth-generation family farm nestled in the hills just outside of Fairview, Jamie Ager spent his childhood watching the seasons change, the animals grow and the land evolve with the rhythms of l...

smokymountainnews.com/news/item/39...: Fourth-generation farmer Jamie Ager enters #NC11 race, pitching rural roots, business chops and bipartisan grit in a challenge to Chuck Edwards. #ncpol

Islands in the Sky A Comic Anthology - Uniting Stories, Art, and Survival in the Wake of Hurricane Helene

You still have time to pledge my friend @andrewaydin.bsky.social #comics anthology, featuring stories of Appalachian survivors of Hurricane Helene. Supporting contributors include @natepowell.bsky.social @gregpak.net @lauramartin.bsky.social @alexsegura.bsky.social and @thiendog.bsky.social!

Jackson County votes to leave Fontana Regional Library system In a historic decision that will reshape the future of public library services in Jackson County, commissioners voted Tuesday night to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system after months of...

BREAKING: After 81 years, Jackson County has voted to leave the Fontana Regional Library system over LGBTQ+ content. Critics warn of higher costs, legal risks and diminished service.