The paper mill wasn’t just the economic engine of the Canton, North Carolina. In many ways, it was the heart of the 4,500-person mountain town just west of Asheville.

So when the company who owned the nearly-100 year-old mill shuttered it without warning in mid-2023, the community reeled.

The BPR news team responded to the crisis, covering the closure of the town’s largest employer and the immediate repercussions for residents.

In the weeks and months after the announcement, we continued reporting on the fallout. We tracked the legal case around the mill ownership allegedly failing to pay back subsidies to the state. We talked with people who struggled not only with the loss of financial stability but also with the loss of their hometown’s identity.

The Public Media Journalists Association recognized our efforts, awarding the series second place in the 2024 Special Feature Category: Economic Impacts on Local Communities.

Photo: Former mill employees Zachery Shoaf and Mike Donaldson. Both men said of the announcement that the closure would have devastating effects on the workers and the community. Credit: Lilly Knoepp/BPR.