Swain County News

A number of roads in parts of Western North Carolina are closed this morning because of flooding.

An overwhelming majority of citizens who showed up at a public hearing in Robbinsville spoke out against the Corridor K road project last Thursday .

The N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission is alerting trout anglers of increased flows in the Nantahala River in Macon and Swain counties.

The National Park Service and Swain County appear locked in a stalemate over how much the federal government should pay up for breaking its long-standing contract to replace a road flooded by the creation of Lake Fontana in the 1940s.

Two Western North Carolina counties will have to report financial information to the state each month as the recession continues to take its toll on tax revenues.

After much deliberation, Swain County commissioners voted 3-2 against an $8,800 pay raise for the Department of Social Services director in the face of a severe budget shortfall.

Local libraries report that more people are streaming through their doors as a direct result of the recession.

While neighboring hospitals count down the days until an affiliation is finalized, Angel Medical Center in Franklin continues to stand alone during a time when independent hospitals are becoming increasingly rare.

Seona McDowell will perform a concert of traditional, contemporary and original tunes from Australia, New Zealand and other cultures at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Swain County Center for the Arts, at Swain County High.

Motorcyclists in western North Carolina should take note. Beginning next year, emergency help on the Swain County route known as the "Tail of the Dragon" will take longer to arrive.

Published: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 11:23 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 11:23 p.m. SOCCER Hendersonville 5, Owen 0 In Black Mountain, Brayan Aguirre had a hat trick in the first half as third-ranked Hendersonville handed sixth-ranked Owen its first loss of the season in this Western Highlands Conference match.

Some lottery money used to pay the debt on local school projects is coming to Western North Carolina months after the payments were frozen amid the state budget crunch.

WestCare Health System will recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month during October with a series of events at Harris Regional Hospital, Swain County Hospital and WestCare Medical Park of Franklin, beginning with the 11th Annual Smoky Streak 10K run/5K run/walk. Registration for the race begins at 8 a.m. Oct.

Swain County Martial Arts will be one of the many community groups on hand for Railfest and the Mountain Craft Fair this weekend.

The recession has finally caught up with Swain County. While other counties began bracing for declining revenues in late 2008, Swain County has only just begun to tackle a $1 million shortfall eating its way through the county budget.

The on-going tension between Swain County commissioners and the sheriff has surfaced yet again, this time over the root cause of the county's $1 million budget shortfall.

Public Service Commissioner Nancy Argenziano and a lobbyist who owns riverfront land with her in western North Carolina said Monday utility companies are trying to smear her for "rocking the boat" about cozy relationships between the PSC and businesses it regulates.

A malfunction at the town's sewage treatment plant sent 300,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Tuckasegee River.

Labor Day weekend is traditionally viewed as summer's last stand, a time to finally get around to doing whatever activity it is you haven't accomplished as the warm days have rolled by.

As a professional storyteller, Tim Hall is no stranger to spinning yarns - but it's in Western North Carolina that Hall hopes to weave his biggest story yet.