Staff Report HAYESVILLE, NC — The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is pushing back against a Facebook post that accuses local law enforcement of refusing to help a woman and her baby after they ran out of gas on a back road. In a post from Shooting Creek, a Facebook user posting as Arthur Maynard wrote that “the Sheriff Office was called the other night around 9:30” after a woman ran out of gas while traveling with a baby. He said she asked for a gallon of fuel so she could get h

(Photo by Ashley Elver) The cast of the upcoming production of 'Sherlock Homes'. From left: Alex Giles, Angela Stiles, Jon Jordan, Grace MacLean and David Cady By Harrison Keely Guest Writer There’s just one week left until Sherlock Holmes takes over Hayesville’s Peacock Performing Arts Center to tackle the show’s titular “final adventure.” The renowned sleuth is portrayed by Hiawassee resident Alex Giles. Giles has starred in a spate of Peacock shows over the past few years

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Clay County public safety agencies will host a free Public Safety Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Clay County Recreation ball fields. The event is designed to let residents meet local first responders, see emergency vehicles and equipment up close, and take part in safety demonstrations. Organizers say families can climb aboard fire trucks, sheriff’s vehicles and ambulances, and that a medical helicopter is expected to be on display. C

Coach Tammy Dills receives the Special Person of the Year award from NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker. By Travis Dockery Sportswriter HAYESVILLE, NC — Hayesville High School coach Tammy Dills has been named the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Region 8 Special Person of the Year, an honor presented at this week’s NCHSAA regional meeting. The Special Person Award is given in each of the association’s regions to someone who has supported the NCHSAA and its missio

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — The Clay County Sheriff’s Office assisted Clay County Schools on the night of Sept. 22 in investigating a reported safety concern involving the school system. Officials said the investigation has determined there is no immediate threat to students, staff, or schools. The investigation remains open. If investigators identify information that specifically affects individual students, Clay County Schools will contact those students’ families directly. “The Cla

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — As Hinton Rural Life Center prepares for its 65th Homecoming Celebration this November, the Hayesville retreat and mission center is asking people whose lives have been touched by the campus to share their stories. The event, titled “Honoring Our Heritage, Embracing Our Future,” is set for Friday, Nov. 13, at the center at 2330 Hinton Center Road. Organizers say the evening will honor 65 years of faith, service and ministry in Southern Appalachia, celebrate

Clay County Sheriff's Office Press Release On 09/18/26 at 6:04 AM a call was received by Clay County 911 Dispatch reporting the theft of a vehicle from the Hot Spot store in Hayesville. Clay County Sgt. Sean Stout, Officer Ashley Anderson, and Officer Donovan Burke responded. The Officers met with Katie Worden and Ashley Scanlon, both of whom were employees at the store. Worden and Scanlon said they saw a shirtless male enter Worden’s vehicle. The male began removing items fr

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — “The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection” was one of the themes members of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Clay County Community Paramedic heard throughout a weeklong Crisis Intervention Training session. The collaborative instruction was provided by Vaya Health and focused on helping individuals in crisis who are struggling with mental illness, substance abuse, and developmental disorders. Throughout the program, participants hea

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Local acoustic group Gnarly Fingers returns to the Peacock Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Sept. 19, for a 7:30 p.m. concert at 301 Church St. The four-piece, based in Hayesville and Hiawassee, Georgia, won the Clay County Progress 2025 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Musical Group. Band members are Pat List on rhythm guitar and harmonica, Keith Layton on lead guitar, Tom Edwards on mandolin and banjo, and Brian Kruger on bass, keyboard and slide guitar.

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Hayesville families will be honored Friday during a National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at the town square. The event begins at 11 a.m. Sept. 18 at Hayesville Square. Organizers say the program will recognize prisoners of war, service members still missing in action and Gold Star families from the Hayesville community. National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed each year on the third Friday in September. The day is set aside to honor Americans held

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is warning local farmers and equipment buyers about a nationwide impersonation scam the Federal Trade Commission says is targeting people shopping for tractors and other farm machinery. Scammers posing as farm equipment businesses advertise tractors and other equipment online at attractive prices, then collect deposits or full payment and never deliver the machines, according to an FTC consumer alert dated Sept. 15. The sche

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Three Southern songwriting acts will share the stage Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Peacock Performing Arts Center for Songwriters Showcase 63, the latest edition of the venue’s long-running songwriter series. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at 301 Church St. Local songwriter Rob Tiger hosts the evening, which is billed as an acoustic night of original songs and stories featuring Abe Partridge, Daniel Neihoff and Admiral Radio. The series is presented as a songwri

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 Wednesday that lawmakers could keep elections-board appointment authority with State Auditor Dave Boliek, preserving the Republican-majority structure that includes the Clay County Board of Elections. The decision upholds a 2024 law that shifted appointment power from Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, to Boliek, a Republican. Boliek has overseen appointments since May 2025, when the State Board of Elections and a

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — The N.C. Cooperative Extension Clay County Center and the Clay County Tractor Club will host the 20th Annual Ag Day & Tractor Parade on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Hayesville Town Square. The family-friendly event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the tractor parade beginning at noon, according to Cooperative Extension. Organizers say the celebration of agriculture and rural heritage will include activities, food, entertainment and vendors. A raffle drawing for

Article Submitted A new mini-documentary offers an intimate, retrospective look into the life and quarter-century tenure of Jan Davidson, the longest-serving director of Brasstown’s John C. Campbell Folk School. “I’ve had so many adventures,” Davidson says in the film. “I don’t think anybody at the Folk School is aware of the previous life I had.” Born and raised in downtown Murphy, the documentary highlights how Davidson’s colorful upbringing—from learning the banjo, working

By Tyler Osborn Clay County Agriculture Agent The Clay County Master Gardener volunteers recently received a new hoop house through a grant from Chestatee Chattahoochee RC&D. The structure was built at the Downtown Discovery Garden in Hayesville, where it will support the volunteers’ gardening and educational efforts. The new hoop house replaces a smaller structure that was damaged by heavy snow last winter. In addition to being larger, the replacement is designed to provide

Press Release On 09/03/26 at 2:08 AM, Clay County Sgt Sean Stout stopped a motorcycle at the intersection of US Highway 64 and Myers Chapel Road in Hayesville. Sgt Stout stopped the motorcycle after running the license plate and finding it was revoked. The motorcycle was also found to have no valid liability insurance. Zachary Ryan Mixon, 40 years of age from Hayesville, was found to be the operator of the motorcycle. Mixon was unable to provide valid registration or proof of

Press Release The Clay County Republican Party will host its annual Fall Picnic & Candidate Rally on Saturday, September 19th at 12:00 noon at Windsong Willows Retreat, located in Shooting Creek at 1068 Bob Penland Road, Hayesville, NC 28904. The Clay County GOP will provide BBQ, baked beans, slaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, and beverages (attendees please bring a covered dish snack or dessert to share). Our special Guest Speakers will include 3 NC GOP candidates for the N

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