Archive for June, 2009

In the wake of a February dog attack on a 7-year-old boy, a Franklin woman has been charged with negligence and incest. Jennifer Lynn Higdon, 28, of No Name Road, Franklin, was arrested Friday (June 26) at the Jackson County Detention Center and charged with felony child abuse, according to Capt. Steve Lillard of the… »

Jackson County School Board members named Steven Santoro the principal at Smokey Mountain Elementary School. This action came  following a closed session to discuss personnel at the board’s June 23… »

A benefit dinner and concert for Karla Allred of Sylva is planned tonight (Sunday, June 28) from 4:30 until 8:30 p.m. at Sylva First United Methodist Church. Proceeds from the frybread dinner and concert will go to Allred, 13, who has been battling rhabdomyosarcoma – a rare pediatric cancer – since September 2007. Visit online… »

County officials Wednesday (June 24) approved an extra $50,000 in funds for the Jackson County Rescue Squad by a vote of 4-1. Commissioners Tom Massie, William Shelton, Mark Jones and Joe Cowan were in favor of the move, while Brian McMahan voted “no.” According to county Manager Ken Westmoreland, the money, which comes out of… »

Commissioners Wednesday (June 24) unanimously adopted their budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Under the new budget, the county tax rate would remain at 28 cents per $100 valuation, bringing an estimated $61 million into county coffers throughout the next fiscal year. The county is seeing a 3-percent increase in revenues, while expecting about a… »

Don Saito of Oakland, Calif., who has ridden his recumbent tricycle across the country, rode through Jackson County Wednesday morning. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do,” he said while stopping downtown. “I got laid off and got a nice severance package and thought I would take this time to do this thing I’ve… »

The Jackson County Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m. tonight at the Central… »

Among the six bands performing at this year’s Pickin’ in the Park will be Ranee Stepp and Appalachian Fire, above. The Hendersonville-based band has played with Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent and the Del McCoury Band. Pickin’ in the Park, a bluegrass festival fund-raiser for the Jackson County Community Foundation, is set to get under way… »

Local students, including, from left, Daniel Keener, 14; Kristy Keener, 13; Kiara Taylor, 10; Savannah Jones, 12; and Brooklyn Hensley, 12, all of Sylva, cool off during their first week of summer vacation at the Sylva Pool. The pool opened for the season on June 1 and will tentatively remain open through Aug. 15. The… »

Steve Streater, the 1977 National High School Baseball Player of the Year, died Friday at an Asheboro hospital. Streater, 50, set a national record for wins in a season as he was 23-1 in Sylva-Webster’s 1977 run to the state 3-A baseball title. He pitched every inning except one that year. In the state championship… »