The Mountaineer

The “Be The Match Registry” bone marrow donor drive, in honor of Keith Wyatt, former principal and current Haywood County Schools board member, has been rescheduled to 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11, at Hazelwood Elementary School. Wyatt was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in September 2009. He has undergone many treatments and is currently in need of a bone marrow transplant. 

Three suspects are being held in custody of the Haywood County Jail accused of brutally beating a man last month.

Michael Raymond Lettner, 36, Matthew Douglas Messer, 22, and Brooke Lynn Bushyhead, 29, all of Waynesville, remain in jail on charges of kidnapping, assault and robbery stemming from an incident that took place last month at an apartment rented by Messer.

Around 9 p.m. on Feb. 6, Wayne-ville patrol officers responded to a call about a fight in an apartment to find a 32-year-old man laying at the bottom of a staircase with severe injuries to his face, head and upper body, Waynes

Thirteen days of missed school, along with two-hour delays and early dismissals, have pushed the last day of school to June 15. Two Saturdays have already been used to make up missed days, with additional days added to the end of the school year to recoup lost classroom time.

But some parents and one group are not happy about the ever-lengthening school year.

A shifting slope beneath U.S. 276 South in an area commonly called Waynesville Mountain might soon receive a permanent fix.

So far this winter, N.C. Department of Transportation crews have repaired broken pavement four times in the area, only to have the roadway shift again, sloughing off the repair material and creating a dangerous break in the roadway.

The capital murder case against Edwardo Wong II, charged with first-degree murder and a string of serious felonies in the shooting death of N.C. State Trooper Shawn Blanton nearly two years ago, has been postponed for a second time.

After a decade at the helm of Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center, Executive Director Jimmy Carr is stepping down.

At the end of the year, Carr will retire from his post, leaving behind a legacy of growth and improvements at Lake Junaluska.

“I’m old enough to and this is something Joy, my wife, and I have discussed,” Carr said about why he is retiring now. “I’ve given my leadership to Lake Junaluska and now it is time to give attention to our family.” 

Haywood County third-graders are getting an educational boost thanks to the Waynesville Kiwanis Club.

Club members are handing out dictionaries to every third-grader in the county. On Friday, members were at Hazelwood Elementary to deliver those students’ books, as well as explain to students how to use the dictionaries. 

Sarge’s sends nearly 40 dogs and cats to homes in New Jersey

Nearly 40 dogs and cats are getting a second chance.

Rescued from the Haywood County Animal Shelter by Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation, the animals were transported Thursday night to New Jersey. The van full of dogs, puppies and kittens will then be adopted out through Common Sense for Animals, an animal rescue group in Stewartsville, N.J. 

A Canton man is being held in custody of the Haywood County Jail under $30,000 bond accused of robbing at gunpoint the Quick Pantry in the Bethel community.

Warrants for the arrest of Mark Dewayne Parton, 47, were issued last month after authorities identified him as a suspect in video surveillance footage recorded the night of Feb. 15 when cash was robbed from the Bethel Quick Pantry. 

Ghost Town in the Sky park officials have until May 31 to formalize an alternative plan for paying back creditors or else go into foreclosure.

While a federal judge granted the park’s largest and only secured creditor the right to foreclose immediately, BB&T and Ghost Town partners made a separate arrangement to extend that action.