By Travis Dockery The Mountain Buzz HAYESVILLE, N.C. — On a warm Friday night at home, the Hayesville Yellow Jackets football team delivered its first victory of the 2026 season on Friday, Sept. 4, defeating the Copper Basin Cougars of Copper Basin, Tenn., 14-8. Kickoff temperature was 82 degrees for Hayesville’s first home game of the year. The stands were well filled, and the student section did its part, packing in to cheer on the black and Vegas Gold. Hayesville struck fi

By Tyler Osborn Guest Writer This September, the Towns County Historical Society is bringing together local history, literacy, and two women whose legacies share a common thread: a belief in the power of education. Through the “Books, Bricks & Butterflies” campaign, 25% of every donation made during September to the restoration of the historic Berrong-Oakley House will be donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, helping provide free, age-appropriate books to children fr

(Photo by Travis Dockery) Caden McClure carries the ball and a Cherokee Brave down the field to gain yards for the Yellow Jackets. HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Caden McClure scored two rushing touchdowns and Luke Buckner accounted for two scores Thursday, Sept. 3 as the Hayesville High School junior varsity football team blanked Cherokee 29-0 in a Smoky Mountain Conference game at Frank R. Long Memorial Stadium. Quarterback Luke Buckner tiptoes down the sideline to move Hayesville towa

CHEROKEE — The Hayesville High School cross country teams turned in strong performances Wednesday at Cherokee High School, with the Lady Yellow Jackets winning the girls team championship and the Hayesville boys placing fourth in the team standings. The Hayesville girls finished with 34 points and a combined scoring time of 2:17:52, comfortably ahead of second-place Cherokee, which scored 40 points. Robbinsville finished third with 50 points. Makenna Moss Freshman Makenna Mos

The retiring Kentucky senator has released two photographs, missed every roll-call vote since mid-June, and has not said whether he will return when the Senate reconvenes Sept. 14. Staff Report WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell has not been seen in public for more than 80 days, a stretch that has left Kentucky without an in-person vote from its senior senator, produced two still photographs that critics still dispute, and prompted the state’s Democratic governor to demand tha

(File Photo) BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. — Union County firefighters are now better protected in the most dangerous conditions they face after the department completed a major upgrade to its Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) fleet. The department purchased 120 new MSA SCBAs in late 2025 at a cost of approximately $1,171,000. The project was funded through SPLOST. After setup and training, the new units were placed on every fire apparatus across the county’s 13 stations. Firefigh

Press Release Duluth, GA - The Atlanta Gladiators, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, announced on Wednesday via the team’s YouTube channel that the team has signed forward Ethan Strang for the 2026-27 season. Ethan Strang signs with the Gladiators after two seasons in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) with the Guildford Flames. In the 2025-26 campaign, the 25-year-old forward netted 1

Press Release LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (30-29, 68-65) broke a 2-2 tie on a DaShawn Keirsey Jr. two-run double in the seventh inning and defeated the Charlotte Knights (30-29, 72-62) 4-2 on Wednesday night at Gwinnett Field. The series is tied 1-1. Decisive Plays: Gwinnett got on the board in the bottom of the second inning on a solo home run by Jordan Groshans (1). Charlotte evened things up in the top of the fourth with an RBI single from Michael Tu

(Photo by Hilary Goodrich) Caiden Curtis maintains his rhythm on his way to a top 10 overall finish. Staff Report CHEROKEE, N.C. — Hayesville Middle School cross country turned in a strong showing Wednesday, Sept. 2 in sweltering conditions, with the Yellow Jacket boys nabbing the team title and the girls recording their first complete team score of the season at the conclusion of the cross country meet in Cherokee. The heat index climbed into the high 90s, turning the 2-mile

A before and after pic show the progress being made on the Berron-Oakley House project. Press Release The Berrong-Oakley House has undergone a major transformation in recent weeks as work continues to preserve the historic Hiawassee landmark for future generations. Thanks to community donations and fundraising efforts led by the Towns County Historical Society, the home’s exterior restoration is now largely complete. One of the largest portions of the project involved restori

RALEIGH — North Carolina public school students posted another year of gains in 2025-26, including a record four-year graduation rate and higher scores on most state tests, according to accountability results presented Wednesday to the State Board of Education. The four-year cohort graduation rate rose to 88.8%, up from a record 87.8% the year before. State officials said the increase moves public schools closer to a “Best in Nation” target in the Department of Public Instruc

Members of the Godfrey family are all smiles after day one of the 30-day challenge. By Travis Dockery The Mountain Buzz HAYESVILLE, NC — A year after their son’s brain tumor diagnosis, Clay County Schools Superintendent Melissa Godfrey and her family spent a week in Florida with one job: be a family. Make-A-Wish granted Cooper Godfrey’s wish this past April, around the one-year mark of his diagnosis in the spring of 2025. The trip included a week at Give Kids the World Villag

CHEROKEE, N.C. — The Hayesville High School volleyball teams rolled into Cherokee on Tuesday, Sept. 1, for a pair of Smoky Mountain Conference showdowns with the Lady Braves. Cherokee’s varsity program remains the team to beat in the conference and a likely deep state playoff contender. Hayesville was once a perennial championship threat in the same league before the Lady Braves climbed to the top. Since that shift, the Lady Jackets have had trouble solving Cherokee. That pat

Press Release Augusta, Ga. – A pair of closing-hole eagles propelled Western Carolina's Jace Butcher and Brewer Lael into the top 10 as the Western Carolina opened the 2026-27 season with a fourth-place finish Tuesday at the Jaguar Invitational, contested at Forest Hills Golf Club. Butcher and Lael each eagled their final hole of the 54-hole tournament to cap impressive closing rounds. Butcher drained an eagle on the par-4, 302-yard 18th, while Lael finished his round with

Press Release Duluth, GA - The Atlanta Gladiators, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, announced on Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel that the team has signed forward Mickey Burns for the 2026-27 season. Burns, 26, re-signs with the Gladiators for his second full season of professional hockey. The native of Wayne, NJ, scored 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points in 66 games with Atlan

Press Release LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – The Gwinnett Stripers (29-29, 67-65) had a 1-0 lead entering the ninth inning on Tuesday night but couldn’t finish off the Charlotte Knights (30-28, 72-61) in a 3-1 loss in 10 innings at Gwinnett Field. Charlotte leads the series 1-0. Decisive Plays: Both teams exchanged zeroes until the fifth inning when Chuckie Robinson drove in DaShawn Keirsey Jr. on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 Gwinnett. The score did not change until the ninth,

Press Release Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina football entered the national rankings this week in two of the three major FCS polls released Monday, debuting at No. 24 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 25 in the FCS Nation Radio Top 25. The Catamounts (1-0) are also receiving votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, sitting just outside the Top 25. The Southern Conference placed three teams in this week's Stats Perform FCS Top 25. Tennessee Tech climbed from No. 14 to No

Press Release Duluth, GA - The Atlanta Gladiators, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, have announced changes to their road schedule for the 2026-27 season. The Gladiators’ games against the Orlando Solar Bears originally scheduled for Friday, March 5th and Saturday, March 6th, have been moved to Sunday, March 7th at 3:00 PM & Monday, March 8th at 7:00 PM. Both games will still be played

Sophomore Eli Cheeks emerges from the pack to be Hayesville's top finisher. By Travis Dockery Sports Writer The Hayesville High School boys cross country team finished fourth in its classification Saturday at the WNC Cross Country Carnival at Jackson Park, while the girls placed 17th. Sophomore Eli Cheeks led the Yellow Jackets boys, taking 14th in 18 minutes, 32.50 seconds. Fellow sophomore Porter Hood was 26th in 19:06.30, followed by senior Parker Hughes in 38th at 19:29.8

(Photo by the Mountain Buzz) Colin Walker takes control and keeps the ball away from an advancing Wildcat. Walker had a pair of goals in Hayesville's victory. By Travis Dockery Sports Writer HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Adiel Hernandez scored three goals and Colin Walker added two, including the winner with 1:47 left in the second overtime, as Hayesville rallied past Andrews 5-4 on Monday, Aug. 31 in a Smoky Mountain Conference boys soccer opener that needed extra time to settle. A spi