Large-scale search operations for missing hiker Charles Hosch in the Blood Mountain area of the Appalachian Trail have been suspended following twelve consecutive days of intensive efforts. Mr. Hosch has been missing since November 11. Over the past two weeks, local, state, and federal teams from Georgia and neighboring states deployed aircraft, drones, K-9 units, and hundreds of ground searchers across the rugged terrain. Monday evening marked the final full operational peri

From left: Silas Brown, Christy Caruso, Michelle Rhinehardt, Colby White, Kristin Taylor, Jessica Wilson McClure, Louise Smith, Kristy Kennedy, Pam Shepherd. Mountain Buzz Staff Report During its regular meeting on Monday, November 24, the Clay County Schools Board of Education recognized several teachers and staff members for outstanding performance and dedicated service throughout the 2024-25 school year. Teachers whose students exceeded growth according to EVAAS scores wer

Staff Report Mountain Buzz The Union County College & Career Academy (UCCA) received a generous donation of siding and other building materials this week from Mitchell Ingram of Builders FirstSource, giving students in the high school’s Construction program valuable real-world resources for hands-on training. Mitchell Ingram visited Union County High School to personally deliver the materials, which will be used by students enrolled in the Career, Technical, and Agricultural

Press Release On 11/19/25 Joshua Lee Updike, 47 years of age of Hayesville, was arrested by Clay County Investigator Steven Smith on five counts of Second-Degree Forcible Rape and five counts of Second-Degree Forcible Sex Offense. Updike was a Registered Sex Offender as a result of an unrelated 2015 conviction for sexual related crime(s). Updike’s arrest on 11/19/25 was the result of a historical investigation that began after information was received that he had sexually ass

The City of Young Harris will celebrate its 130th anniversary Monday evening, Dec. 5th with its annual Christmas tree lighting at Mayor’s Park. The event begins at 6 p.m. at 50 Irene Berry Drive and is free and open to the public, according to the city. Festivities will include live music, refreshments and a visit from Santa. City officials say the celebration offers residents a chance to ring in the holiday season while marking more than a century of Young Harris history. Th

Staff Report Mountain Buzz Towns County Interim Sheriff Anthony Coleman deputized members of the Hiawassee Police Department on Monday evening during the City of Hiawassee Council work session, marking a major step toward a more coordinated public safety presence in the community. As part of the ceremony, the two agencies also finalized and signed a mutual aid agreement. The agreement ensures that both departments can more easily assist one another across jurisdictional lines

Sheriff Dustin Smith Cherokee County Sheriff On Thursday, November 20, 2025, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office hosted approximately thirty (30) students from Murphy High School. These are students who are enrolled in the Career and Technical Education program, which serves to prepare students for employment or further education in their chosen fields. The program offers students career pathways, work-based learning, industry credentials (for those who seek certifications i

Staff Report Mountain Buzz The Towns County Sheriff’s Office continued its commitment to progress and professionalism last week, announcing a series of initiatives designed to strengthen internal standards, reinforce accountability, and better serve the residents of Towns County. One of the most significant updates came with the modernization of the agency’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy. The new structure includes both pre-employment and random testing for every employee—f

Staff Report Mountain Buzz The Hayesville Yellow Jacket men’s wrestling team turned in a strong performance over the weekend at the King of the Mountain Tournament in Towns County , collecting multiple individual medals and earning a 6th-place team finish  against a highly competitive field. Five Yellow Jackets reached the podium: Evan Burks – 1st Place Mason Ray – 3rd Place Hunter Hill – 4th Place Rayland Martinez – 3rd Place Raul “Junior” Rivera-Prieto – 3rd Place With thos

Press Release The Hiawassee Downtown Development Authority and Paris Business Center invite the community to celebrate Small Business Saturday with a Shop & Sip on Saturday, November 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Hiawassee. This family-friendly event encourages residents and visitors to explore downtown’s unique shops, enjoy festive food and drinks, and discover the newly opened Paris Business Center at 73 N Main Street. Guests can pick up a shopping passport at any

Staff Report Clay County Commissioners have been recognized at the state level for their ongoing collaboration with the NC Cooperative Extension, earning the prestigious “Partnership Award.”  The honor highlights the county’s strong commitment to supporting programs that improve the well-being of residents of all ages. For years, Clay County Government and the Clay County Cooperative Extension have worked hand-in-hand toward shared goals, building a relationship rooted in coo

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Press Release On November 20, 2025, a jury trial concluded in the largest drug case involving methamphetamine in Cherokee County history. In July of 2022 the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence on Daylily Dr. in Marble Nc. This search warrant yielded approx. 38 pounds of methamphetamine and a conversion laboratory used for making methamphetamine. Lars Prentice Johnson, age 53 of the Peachtree Community,

Staff Report Union County Schools has announced that it has been awarded the Computer Science Teacher Equipment and Community Grant , with official approval confirmed at the November 2025 State Board of Education meeting. The recognition marks another major step forward for the district’s rapidly expanding computer science programs. The grant will be used to strengthen student opportunities in hands-on physical computing and robotics—areas that continue to grow in popularity

By: Travis Dockery The Mountain Buzz A recent social media post stirred controversy over the upcoming Clay County Christmas Parade and related activities around the Beal Center and downtown square. A post on a Hayesville community Facebook page warned residents: “You are welcome to donate to the CCCRA who is in charge of the old courthouse, gazebo, bike trails etc... but no teddy bears at the parade, no prayer on the square, no Christmas Caroling.” The post quickly ignited a

Staff Report Seven school systems and four individual schools across Western North Carolina are set to benefit from a major investment in STEAM education thanks to a new grant from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The “Bridging the Gap with STEM-E²” grant will expand access to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning for students from elementary through high school. The funding supports mobile science unit field trips, classroom entrepreneurship pr

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Press Release On November 15, 2025, agents with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division successfully concluded a targeted drug-trafficking investigation in Cherokee County, NC. During the operation, agents developed information indicating that Jared Dickerson and Chelsea Taylor, both of Murphy, were routinely traveling to Georgia to acquire significant quantities of illegal drugs for resale in Cherokee County. Working in close

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Press Release On November 14, 2025, members of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Murphy Police Department, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol were conducting a traffic checking station at the intersection of E US-64 and Harshaw Connector when a driver attempted to evade law enforcement. As the vehicle approached the checkpoint, the driver executed an aggressive U-turn and fled at a high rate of speed. A Trooper and Deputy initiate

Clay County Sheriff's Office Press Release On 11/12/25 around 2:00 PM a be on the lookout notice (BOLO) from Cherokee County was dispatched out for a white Cadillac Escalade traveling toward Clay County. Hannah Patrice Allen, 31 years of age from Hayesville, was believed to be traveling within the Cadillac with a 6-week-old child that she had taken without authorization. Clay County Lt. Tyler Faggard and Officer JJ Wooten located and stopped this Cadillac at 3879 US Hwy 64 we

Staff Report Mountain Buzz News Eighth graders at Union County Middle School experienced real-world forensics firsthand on Monday, November 17, when deputies from the Union County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Union County Schools Police Department transformed the school gymnasium into an interactive crime-scene training area. At the invitation of the 8th-grade class, law enforcement set up four stations that guided students through the complete process of investigat

Staff Report Morning Buzz The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is urging residents to stay alert after a recent surge in phone, text and email scams in which callers impersonate law enforcement and demand money under the threat of arrest. Officials say several Clay County residents have already lost thousands of dollars after scammers convinced them they faced immediate arrest unless they sent money through wire transfers, gift cards or other untraceable methods. In many cases, t