Staff Report

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Republican congressional candidate Jennifer Balkcom will meet voters on the Hayesville town square next week, the same week the Clay County Republican Party opens its October meeting with a 2028 gubernatorial hopeful and a new headquarters announcement. Balkcom, the Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District and a state representative from Henderson County, is scheduled to appear Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m. in front of Hayesville Town...

Union County Fire & Rescue is reminding property owners that fall leaf cleanup often means outdoor burning, and that small, well-managed piles can still become wildfires if safety rules are ignored. Cooler weather and falling leaves typically bring a rise in yard fires as residents clear debris. Most of those burns stay small and contained on private property, the department said. They do produce smoke that can worry neighbors or people passing by, and some escape and become wildfires....

Cherokee County voters will have two chances next week to hear candidates for local office before Election Day, with debates set for the county commission and the board of education at the Cherokee County Courthouse in Murphy. The county commissioners' debate is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, at 6 p.m. The board of education debate follows on Thursday, October 15, also at 6 p.m. Both will be held in the main courtroom at 75 Peachtree Street. David Brown will moderate both nights. Local...