Photo from the Berrong-Oakley House Facebook Page. Staff Report Those in charge of the restoration of the Berrong-Oakley house in Towns County have announced the selected exterior paint colors for the historic Berrong-Oakley House, following an enthusiastic community survey. By an overwhelming margin, a winning color scheme has been chosen and officially approved by the project’s restoration committee. Community input played a central role in the decision-making process. “You

Staff Report Candidate filings for the 2026 election cycle in Clay County continue to take shape as the filing period heads into its final days. According to the most recent filings, a wide field of candidates has entered races for county commission seats, school board positions, and several countywide offices. The filing period officially closes Friday, Dec. 19. The Clay County Board of Commissioners race has drawn the largest number of candidates so far. Republicans Andy Ja

Photo from the Hiawassee Downtown Development Facebook Page. Staff Report Residents and visitors gathered on the Hiawassee Town Square on Tuesday night, December 16, to celebrate Chanukah with the lighting of a 12-foot-tall menorah, marking a festive and meaningful evening for the community. The annual event was hosted by Chabad Rural Georgia, which brings the Chanukah celebration to Hiawassee each year. Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to come together to observe the holida

Staff Report The Clay County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Mark Buchanan, in partnership with Clay County Department of Social Services, is urging parents and caregivers to follow safe sleep guidelines for infants after two sleep-related infant deaths were reported in the county within the past week. Officials say sudden infant death and accidental suffocation are on the rise across North Carolina. Each year, more than 100 infants statewide die suddenly and unexpectedly wh

Staff Report A report circulating from a local media outlet has prompted some confusion about the upcoming Clay County School Board election. According to that report, newcomer Keith Parker was described as directly challenging School Board Chairman Jason Shook. However, election filings show that Parker has simply entered the race for one of the three school board seats that are up for election this cycle and is not specifically running against Shook for the chairman’s posit

Staff Report The Hiwassee Dam varsity basketball teams made the short trip to Hayesville on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and returned home with a sweep of the Yellow Jackets in a competitive high school basketball doubleheader that featured intensity from start to finish. Varsity action began with the girl's game, where Hiwassee Dam edged Hayesville in a hard-fought contest that set the tone for the night. Both teams played with energy and determination, continuing the competitive rival

Clay County Sheriff's Office Press Release On 12/15/25 at 11:04 AM Clay County Sgt Ethan Henderson and Officer JJ Wooten responded to a residence off Qualla Road in Hayesville. A report had been received about a confused woman being in a home where the resident was away at that time. The Officers found Sonya Ann Miller, 60 years of age from Hayesville, inside the residence. Officers learned that Miller had been allowed inside by the homeowner to get out of the cold and to get

Staff Report The search for Charles Hosch, who went missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail near Blood Mountain, has now entered its fifth week. Union County Emergency Management Agency (UCEMA) and the Union County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) continue to investigate the case, which remains open, as search efforts persist in coordination with Mr. Hosch’s family. Mr. Hosch was last known to be on the Appalachian Trail on November 11 at approximately 1:30 p.m. He was hiking a fam

Clay County Sheriff's Office Press Release On 12/09/25 at 4:22 PM Clay County Investigator Steven Smith stopped a black Nissan truck at the intersection of Pine Log Church Road and Caler Road in Brasstown. The tuck was stopped for having a broken break light, failure to signal a turn, and having an unreadable license plate. Christopher Cody Wiggins, 26 years of age from Brasstown, was found to be driving the truck. Mary Roberson of Brasstown was found to have been a passenger

The Clay County Schools Board of Education took time during its meeting Monday, December 15, to recognize outstanding student-athletes from Hayesville High School for their achievements during the fall sports season. Board members honored members of the Hayesville High School Men’s Varsity Soccer Team who earned Smoky Mountain Conference accolades. Recognized were Hayden Hunt and Raul Rivera-Prieto, both named to the Smoky Mountain Conference All-Conference team, and Jackson

Staff Report A community is rallying to support a Union County family after a deadly mobile home fire claimed the lives of two young children earlier this week. Union County Fire and Rescue confirmed that two children, believed to be ages three and six, died in a structure fire overnight on Sunday, Dec. 14 at Warren Trailer Park. Firefighters from all county stations responded and found a single-wide mobile home fully involved. The cause of the fire remains under investigatio

The Hayesville High School Yellow Jackets continue to look every bit like a team on a mission. Hayesville turned in its most impressive offensive performance of the young season Friday night, rolling past the Nantahala Hawks 70-50 on the road. The 70 points marked a season high for the Yellow Jackets, who remained perfect at 4-0 with the convincing victory. From the opening tip, everything seemed to fall Hayesville’s way. The Yellow Jackets pushed the tempo, spread the scorin

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Press Release Sheriff Dustin Smith is proud to announce the addition of Deputy Christopher Baty and Deputy Michael Guffey to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Baty and Deputy Guffey recently completed six months of intensive law enforcement training at Southwestern Community College, graduating from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program. Their training included criminal law, investigations, emergency response, firearms p

Two young children died in a tragic structure fire Monday at Warren Trailer Park in Union County, according to Union County Fire and Rescue. Firefighters — both career and volunteer — from all Union County Fire Department stations were dispatched to the scene after reports that children were still inside the home. When crews arrived, they found a single-wide mobile home fully engulfed in flames, with the roof already collapsed. Firefighters launched an aggressive attack to br

The Hiwassee Dam Eagles continued to make a loud statement this season, rolling past the Rosman Tigers with a commanding 68–39 victory. It was another dominant showing for the Eagles, who have turned lopsided wins into a trend. With the victory, Hiwassee Dam has now won five games this season by margins of 29 points or more, a testament to both their depth and relentless style of play. The win marked the Eagles’ second straight and improved their overall record to 5–3. Offens

The race for key local offices in Clay County is heating up as a robust list of candidates has filed their intent to run, promising a competitive election season. The growing roster of hopefuls for positions on the County Commission, School Board, and other essential roles suggests high public interest and potentially lively campaigns across the county. A total of eleven candidates have announced their bids across five offices so far, with the Board of County Commissioners ra

(Photo from Granny's Attic) Recipients, front row left to right: Lori McClure - The Still Place , Debbie Graham - New Digs for Dogs, JoAnna Atkisson - Clay County Communities Revitalization Association , Sue Lynn Ledford - Four Square Community Action, Jeanne Strack - Puppies Under Protection, Robin Sinay - Wonderland Animal Sanctuary , Reba Beck - Clay County Historical and Arts Council . Second Row: Hannah Miller - Clay Co Community for Students, Jacquine - Hinton Center,

Press Release District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch today announced that a Cherokee County Superior Court jury recently found a Marble man guilty of operating a methamphetamine lab. Lars Johnson, 53, attempted to firebomb the lab to prevent detection after deputies secured the location and were awaiting the return of a search warrant. The jury found him guilty of trafficking in 400 grams or more of methamphetamine. Superior Court Judge Craig Croom sentenced Johnson to serve

Tyler Osborn Guest Writer Have you thought of growing a garden, but don’t know where to start? Join our upcoming Seed to Supper course and learn how to grow food at a low cost. This seven-week series teaches how to plant, grow, harvest, and prepare delicious produce in small and medium-sized gardens. Please plan to attend all 7 classes. Participants get a free gardening book, seeds, and other goodies as available. Classes are on Thursdays, January 22 – March 12, at 5:00 p.m.

Staff Report The Towns County High School basketball programs experienced a demanding evening on the road Tuesday, December 9th, as both the Indians and Lady Indians fell to Rabun County in non-conference action hosted in Tiger, GA. The Towns County Lady Indians faced a formidable challenge against the Rabun County girls' varsity squad, struggling to find offensive rhythm throughout the contest and ultimately succumbing to a decisive 71-15  defeat. This score marks a difficul