Next week students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be able to attend Transylvania County Schools and Brevard Academy under Plan A, in which students receive in-person instruction for a regular school day Monday through... — Updated 10/14/2020

In the last several weeks, numerous political signs in the county have been removed or vandalized. These are actions reprehensible and criminal. If anyone has any information regarding those committing these criminal activities,... — Updated 10/12/2020 Full story

COVID-19 has made some things obvious. One is that face-to-face instruction is far superior to virtual instruction. That acknowledgement undermines the claims made by tech companies and full-time virtual schools, many of which are... — Updated 10/7/2020

When much of the country shut down this past spring, Congress quickly passed the CARES Act to keep Americans and the economy afloat. Most Americans received a $1,200 check, thousands of small businesses received substantial financi... — Updated 10/5/2020

Late last month city of Brevard Public Works Director David Lutz was issued a federal indictment on charges related to “Handling, transportation and storage of hazardous waste” in May of 2016. The Department of Justice alleges... — Updated 9/30/2020

Two recent decisions to extend deadlines could have a significant impact on the upcoming election and politics for the next decade. In North Carolina, a group of retirees had sued the State Board of Elections over the discounting... — Updated 9/28/2020

Last week when Gov. Roy Cooper announced that school systems could hold full-time classes for kindergarten through fifth grade as early as Oct. 5, some school systems announced immediately they would reopen those grades fully on th... — Updated 9/23/2020

Last Thursday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that school systems throughout the state could under open under Plan A for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. As he did with his earlier announcement on reopening s... — Updated 9/21/2020

In October of last year, Tore Borhaug filed plans for a 17-acre mixed-use development as a planned development district (PDD) to be located between the Asheville Highway and the Deerlake Village subdivision. A PDD is a form of... — Updated 9/16/2020

Twice this month President Trump has encouraged his supporters in North Carolina to break the law and vote twice. As Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, wrote on this page last... — Updated 9/14/2020

In the past week, East Carolina University reported it had surpassed 1,000 COVID-19 cases. UNC-Chapel Hill sent students home shortly after it had opened for in-person classes last month due to COVID-19 clusters. While these... — Updated 9/9/2020

(The following is a message to North Carolina voters from Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections) It is illegal to vote twice in an election. N.C.G.S. § 163-275(7) makes it a Class I... — Updated 9/7/2020

For the past few months, the local real estate market has been “hot.” As we reported on Aug. 20, the market has been “booming.” Closed sales in July were almost 24 percent higher than a year ago and pending sales were... — Updated 9/2/2020

The announcement last week by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that people who have been exposed to COVID-19 but present no symptoms “do not necessarily need a test” is not only a reversal from the previous... — Updated 8/31/2020

Under the leadership of executive director Nicole Bentley, the Heart of Brevard has taken several steps to support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and its decimation of small businesses. The organization initiated... — Updated 8/24/2020

It became apparent last March just how vital the Transylvania County Schools child nutrition services staff are to this county. When the county schools physically shut down, the school system, with a lapse of just a few days, was... — Updated 8/24/2020

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion th... — Updated 8/19/2020

In today’s paper, readers will find one letter and a guest column regarding our recent editorial about mail-in voting and drop-off ballots. Ms. Santeiro states that in North Carolina absentee ballots and mail-in ballots are the... — Updated 8/17/2020

On Monday, Transylvania County Schools and Brevard College will hold their first in-person classes since school buildings closed last March. The reopenings involve risk but also rewards. Both entities, as well as Brevard Academy,... — Updated 8/12/2020

One reason members of the Transylvania County Board of Education voted to open schools under Plan B is the fact that at least 10 percent of the students do not have reliable internet connectivity. If the schools opened under an... — Updated 8/10/2020

Due to COVID-19, millions of Americans rightfully are concerned about casting their ballots in person in November. They are concerned about standing in long lines with people who may be infected. At some of our smaller community... — Updated 8/5/2020

Last week, the United States reached a tragic milestone – 150,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. What is more horrific is that thousands of those deaths were avoidable. From July 21-27, the U.S. recorded 463,109 new cases of... — Updated 8/3/2020

Anyone who watched school board member Courtney Domokur’s heartfelt explanation Monday evening as to why schools should be reopened for students on Aug. 17 witnessed how deeply invested school board members have been in trying to... — Updated 7/29/2020

In May, the local school system surveyed the high school seniors regarding their preference for graduation. The overwhelming majority voted to delay graduation ceremonies until later in the summer with hope that COVID-19... — Updated 7/27/2020