Collecting the fire within: Rising string act to headline Sylva festival

It’s one thing to play bluegrass, mountain and old-time music. It’s another thing to dig deep into the rich, intricate heritage and history behind the sounds of Southern Appalachia — tones that have echoed from these high peaks since pioneers and settlers first arrived here centuries ago.

Nantahala Brewing will expand to Sylva

Nantahala Brewing Company will move forward with opening an outpost in Sylva after the Sylva Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allow the business to use public parking rather than building its own. 

Tax rate to stay flat in Sylva

Sylva residents won’t see a tax increase this year, but despite the proposed budget’s 15 percent spending increase over 2018-2019, purse strings will remain tight. 

Local governments mull 400-acre land purchase

An effort to conserve a 441.5-acre block of land adjacent to Pinnacle Park in the Plott Balsams is now looking much more feasible than when the possibility was first discussed nearly two years ago. 

Greening Up the Mountains 2018

The 21st annual Greening Up the Mountains Festival is Saturday, April 28, in downtown Sylva. The festival includes more than 200 vendors who will be spread throughout two locations — on Main Street and Railroad Avenue.

Sylva forecasts a tight budget year

Two years after the Sylva town board enacted a 42 percent increase in the city’s property tax rate, budget time has found the town without any extra cash to work with. In fact, Sylva will have to take $236,000 from its reserves in order to cover needed expenditures. 

Request to increase future Sylva apartment complex’s size approved

Two years after Sylva leaders first cheered a proposal for a workforce housing complex across the road from Harris Regional Hospital, not a shovelful of dirt has been turned on the 17-acre property. 

Sylva’s Creekside Oyster House to expand

Sylva’s Creekside Oyster House and Grill will soon upgrade to a new building following the Tuckseigee Water and Sewer Authority’s decision to allow the owner an alternative to paying a large, upfront impact fee. 

Homeless shelter question looms in Jackson

As a startlingly cold winter lapses into a startlingly early spring, Jackson County leaders are pondering a question they’ve been struggling to answer for several years now: What is the best way to serve Jackson County’s homeless population? 

Changes to water/sewer tap-on fees could impact Sylva economy

Jackson County’s controversially high water and sewer fees could remain unchanged following implementation of a 2017 state law that was designed to ensure that these fees are calculated fairly and consistently. 

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