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Dive into two of Haywood County's biggest icons — high school football and elk — with this week's reporters' roundtable. We'll discuss how to parcel out a mere 100 tickets for football games and reflect on 20 years of the elk calling Haywood home. Plus, catch this week's guest of the week Susan Trahan with Haywood County Friends of the Library.

Catch this week's reporters' roundtable, along with special guest Carolyn Muse Grant, who talks about the role of a home designer and shares tips on decluttering to make your space more appealing.

Get an insider's glimpse behind the lines of the mass vaccine clinics in Haywood County. Plus, catch a conversation with Downtown Waynesville Association's Buffy Phillips to find about the special deals downtown merchants offer just for locals every February.

Catch this week's insider conversation with Tim Surrett, bass player with the renown bluegrass band Balsam Range that hails from Haywood. Here about the group's new single, the bi-weekly radio show Papertown Roots, and a project to chronicle Haywood County's rich musical traditions.

The vaccine race is on in Haywood. Hear about the elation of the vaccine rollout for those 75 and up, along with some initial hiccups — including some who gamed the system to cut ahead in the vaccine queue. Plus, dive into the revealing database of who brought home the bacon in last year's runs of federal PPP pandemic business loans.

This week's reporters roundtable dives into eyewitness accounts of the Capitol insurrection, a harrowing fire at a homeless encampment and COVID strains at Haywood Regional. Plus, learn about the Haywood for Good get-healthy initiative with guest of the week Megan Hauser with Healthy Haywood.

Go behind-the-scenes into Haywood County's emergency operations from the daily flow of ambulance calls to crisis response training, as well as the unique challenges of COVID. Join us for a conversation with special guest Greg Shuping, who in just a couple of weeks is retiring as the Emergency Services Director after more than two decades of service.

New Covenant Church has been a powerhouse of the Christian spiritual community in Haywood County under the leadership of Pastor Nick Honerkamp. Join us for a conversation with Honerkamp as he reflects on his career and prepares for a new chapter, and the transition that's ahead for New Covenant.

It's nearly go time for Santa. Join The Mountaineer for a special report from Smokey Mountain Santa and Mrs. Claus (Dennis and Deborah Reed of Canton) on how preparations for the big day are coming along.

Three college students share a first-person perspective of how COVID has impacted the college experience. Join Avery Schwab, Grace Kronk and Molly Dorgan for a behind-the-scenes discussion of ghost town campuses, establishing social connections while social distancing and the ups-and-downs of online courses.

Join us for a point-counterpoint discussion on some of the hot-button issues surrounding COVID. Haywood County Public Health Director Mark Jaben and holistic health advocate Janet Presson share their position on the science of masks and vaccines, whether COVID is really all that bad, and the philosophical dilemma of weighing personal risk tolerance.

Get your jingle on with Christmas events you can still enjoy safely, including new takes on Christmas parades this year. Plus, hear from Mountain Projects Director Patsy Davis on the needs many Haywood families and seniors are facing this holiday season and how you can help.

With COVID cases accelerating rapidly, The Mountaineer news staff dives into the moral imperative of wearing masks, examining the intersection of faith, personal liberties and pandemic burn-out surrounding masks. Plus, this week's guest Haywood County Election Director Robbie Inman takes us behind the scenes of the complex election process.

Take a dive into the week's news, including another eventful mask meeting in Waynesville and the eviction landscape in Haywood County, during this week's reporters roundtable. Plus, an initiative to provide stable living conditions for homeless children in Haywood County has been selected as this year's reader challenge by The Mountaineer. Hear about the EACH project — Ending Area Child Homelessnes — and its success' thus far from this week's special guest, director Paul Butler.

This week's reporter roundtable dissects Haywood election trends from ballot splitting to mail-in voting, and how those trends mirror — or don't mirror — the national landscape. We'll then visit the our guest of the week, Ricki Mehaffey of Lifeworks, to hear about local success in heping women rebuild their lives and join society.

Waynesville leaders had a hot mess on their hands over proposed local mask mandate. Reporter Becky Johnson dissects the unraveling at last week's town board meeting. Plus, on the eve of his retirement, Haywood County Public Health Director Patrick Johnson reflects on leading the county through a pandemic — the successes and challenges along the way, and a prediction of what's in store ahead.

Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center has taken a $1 million hit from COVID this year, but thanks to adapting its operations and its continued focus in growing the leisure travel market, it's on a strong path to recovery. Hear for executive director Ken Howle on how Lake Junaluska is pulling through the pandemic. Plus, catch up on the return of jury trials, the latest COVID developments and a local tea leaf reader during the reporters' roundtable.

Early voting is off with a bang, the homeless task force grapples with MIA members, and schools launch a COVID dashboard as cases rise. Hear about the big news of the week during the reporters roundtable, followed by Shelton House museum director Dannehl Strautz. Dannehl unveiles plans for the Tinsel Trail Christmas tree display, which invites community groups and business to decorate trees on the Shelton House lawn.

Take a journey along the Waynesville Public Art Trail and go behind-the-scenes of the 17 public art pieces hidden in plain sight among us. First up is the reporters' roundtable, diving into a moonshine court trial, the latest controversy surrounding homeless activity in Waynesville and things to during fall, from local farmers markets to the reopening of Smoky Mountain Cinema to craft fairs.

From talk of defunding police to keeping COVID out of the county jail, 2020 has been a turbulent time for law enforcement. Hear from Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher on how Haywood County's finest have risen to the occasion. This week's reporters roundtable dives into the how mail-in ballots are already being tabulated, the popularity of the wooly worm and a recent celebrity sighting in Maggie Valley.