Fourth of July fireworks to dazzle downtown sky - The Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department is once again planning to dazzle downtown’s night skies with this year’s Fourth of July fireworks display. More than 1,600 fireworks will light up the old Courthouse as soon as night falls on Independence Day, July 4. “We’ve been doing this for a long time, and there’s a lot of labor involved,” said Recreation Department Director Jeff Carpenter. “But the Courthouse is such a unique location...

Gas prices hit record high - Record gas prices will trigger a drop in Fourth of July travel this year, according to AAA Carolinas. Local prices Tuesday exceeded the state average of $3.999 per gallon as unleaded gas was $4.049 at Cody’s Hotspot in Sylva (above), $4.20 at Ken’s Grocery in Tuckasegee and $4.19 in Cashiers. Since last July 4, prices in North Carolina are up $1.10 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline, which is a...

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Haskett wins WCU staff award - Western Carolina University Chancellor John Bardo recently presented the 2008 Judy H. Dowell Outstanding Support Staff Award to university photographer Mark Haskett at a service awards luncheon. Haskett, a Sylva resident who also was honored at the banquet for completing 20 years at WCU, was selected from a pool of 23 candidates who were nominated for the award by their...

Herald’s ‘Across the Mountains’ to be distributed in Sylva, Dillsboro, Cullowhee - The Sylva Herald’s third annual “Across the Mountains,” which made its debut with last week’s edition, will be available for free distribution this summer while supplies last. The publication has been so well received that the newspaper elected to make another 7,500 copies available, said Herald Publisher Steve Gray. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback on all three magazines,” Gray said. “We had so many requests for additional copies of our first one that we decided to set up free...

Herald to close July 4 - The Sylva Herald offices will close Friday for the Fourth of July. Newspaper deadlines for the July 10 edition will not be affected with the exception of society announcements (weddings, engagements and anniversaries), which will need to be received by noon today (Thursday) to be included in next week’s paper.

Widow of slain state trooper announces baby’s baptism, shares progress report - Two days after the infant son of slain N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Shawn Blanton was baptized, the baby’s mother has issued a statement about his progress. The Rev. David Christy of Canton’s Central United Methodist Church, who spoke at Blanton’s June 21 funeral, performed the June 25 ceremony at Asheville’s Mission Hospitals, where 1-month-old Tye Blanton, who was born seven weeks early, remains in neonatal intensive care. Blanton’s widow, Michaela Blanton, released a...