Tribe to develop themed destination on Sevier County land

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has announced its intention to develop a 200-acre mixed-use development envisioned as an “experiential…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson approves plan to return students to classroom

The Jackson County Board of Education voted to proceed with Phase 2 of the district’s reentry plan at their work…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood woman wins $1 million lotto

On Thursday, the new Carolina Black Millionaire Edition game delivered its first $1 million prize to Caterra Ponton of Clyde.
Read More

Comment

 

Early morning Parkway shooting under investigation

Law enforcement is investigating an early morning shooting that occurred just before 3 a.m. this morning near milepost 364 on…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU professor shares annual fall color predictions

Autumn leaves and the natural beauty of fall colors across Western North Carolina are a seasonal sensation that draw thousands…
Read More

Comment

 

HRMC fitness center plans phased reopening

Following Governor Cooper’s press conference Tuesday, Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center will begin a phased reopening plan to best…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson County manager receives four-year contract extension

Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously to offer County Manager Don Adams a four-year contract extension following a closed-session discussion on…
Read More

Comment

 

New players join affordable housing fight

The affordable housing crisis in Western North Carolina isn’t anything new, but it is entering a dangerous new phase due…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU manages pandemic as first cluster is reported

The third week of classes is now underway at Western Carolina University, and the Jackson County Department of Public Health…
Read More

Comment

 

Sylva expands outdoor seating downtown

Pandemic-induced public health rules are severely impacting bottom lines for restaurants nationwide, but members of the Sylva Town Board hope…
Read More

Comment

 

‘Whee want change’: WCU students call for policy changes following racially charged videos

Five Western Carolina University students are no longer enrolled at the school after appearing in a pair of videos that…
Read More

Comment

 

Holy Cow! Haywood Pathways to launch food truck

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Since its opening in 2014, the Haywood Pathways Center has become a life-changing place for…
Read More

Comment

 

Cherokee seeks to amend election ordinances

The Cherokee Tribal Council is likely to vote this week on proposed changes to several sections of the tribe’s election…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood Arts Council to request COVID relief funds

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | During the Haywood County Arts Council’s annual meeting, Executive Director Leigh Forrester recently outlined the…
Read More

Comment

 

Former NYPD detective provides crisis training for cops

Det. Sgt. Ron Martin often uses a popular Star Trek anecdote to make a point about making difficult changes when…
Read More

Comment

 

Gov. Cooper eases some COVID restrictions

Trends in several key coronavirus metrics are stabilizing or declining, leading North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to let up on…
Read More

Comment

 

Snow pleads guilty to killing mother and sister

Paul Snow pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Macon County courtroom to the Nov. 6, 2016, shooting deaths of his mother…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon man charged with harboring a fugitive

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a key figure in Operation Jawbreaker, a sweep two years ago of suspected local…
Read More

Comment

 

First coronavirus cluster found at WCU

A COVID-19 cluster including 17 residents of Harrill Hall has been identified at Western Carolina University.
Read More

Comment

 

Remote learning resumes Monday in Haywood

Haywood County Schools is scheduled to reopen for remote instruction on Monday, Aug. 31 after a significant cyber attack last…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood COVID cases on downward trend

Haywood County Public Health received notice of 19 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week. As of 5 p.m.…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU expands historic Swain photo collection

Western Carolina University has obtained a rare photographic glimpse of Bryson City and Swain County in the early 1900s, thanks…
Read More

Comment

 

Despite pandemic, WCU sets new enrollment record

For the ninth time in the last 10 years, Western Carolina University is starting the year with a record high…
Read More

Comment

 

SHARE Project commemorates International Overdose Awareness Day

The faces of more than 2,000 overdose victims – many from North Carolina, and some from Haywood County – will…
Read More

Comment

 

Student videos with racist language spark anger at WCU

A pair of videos that appeared on social media over the weekend elicited strong reaction from many in the Western…
Read More

Comment

 

The lady legislator: Jackson County gave N.C. its first female senator

Now 75, Cashiers resident Ann Austin was just 3 years old when her grandmother died following a sudden cardiac episode. 
Read More

Comment

 

Persistence in the fight for voting rights: Honoring N.C.’s first female legislator

Lillian Exum Clement was a native of Black Mountain and the first female legislator in the Southeast. She was the…
Read More

Comment

 

In-person instruction suspended at Macon schools

After students and staff were exposed to positive cases of COVID-19, Macon County Board of Education decided to suspend face-to-face…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood schools close due to ransomware attack

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | Internet technology has become the backbone of schools in the time of COVID-19.…
Read More

Comment

 

Commissioners table billboard vote

Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, Aug. 18, to table a vote terminating its lease agreements with Allison Outdoor Advertising…
Read More

Comment

 

President Trump thanks Mills River business

President Donald Trump made an appearance in Mills River on Monday, touting a food program designed to reduce food insecurity…
Read More

Comment

 

Sylva man faces assault, child abuse charges

The Sylva Police Department arrested Michael Bruce Huffman of Sylva on Aug. 20. Huffman wascharged with misdemeanor assault on a…
Read More

Comment

 

Back to school results in more COVID-19 cases

Even before Macon County students resumed classes Aug. 17, administration was already seeing the results of teachers returning to school.
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood reports 6 more deaths at Silver Bluff

Haywood County Health and Human Services are reporting six more deaths as confirmed by death certificates received within the past week.…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU launches coronavirus dashboard

A new COVID-19 dashboard for Western Carolina University is now available online at www.wcu.edu/coronavirus/reporting.aspx.
Read More

Comment

 

Heath Shuler previews tonight’s Dem convention

While the big news out of the Democratic National Convention thus far may be the formal nomination of Joe Biden…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson schools purchase School Pass app

At a special called Jackson County School Board meeting on Aug. 11, the board approved the purchase — upon final…
Read More

Comment

 

Suffrage was slow for Black voters

When the 19th Amendment passed in 1920, women throughout the nation began to vote for the first time. But for…
Read More

Comment

 

For the Cherokee, disenfranchisement was locally controlled

In 1930, a young man named Henry Owl traveled to the Ravensford election precinct in Swain County to register to…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood mourns COVID-19 losses

A COVID-19 outbreak at Silver Bluff Village in Canton has resulted in 24 deaths in the last couple of weeks,…
Read More

Comment

 

Canton Labor Day events

The Coronavirus Pandemic may have left plans for Canton’s historic Labor Day festival up in the air, but a new…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson purchases School Pass app

At a special called Jackson County School Board meeting on Aug. 11, the board approved the purchase — upon final…
Read More

Comment

 

DA will not press charges in Sylva Zoom bomb

After a July 23 Town of Sylva meeting was cut short following a barrage of racial slurs and other offensive…
Read More

Comment

 

Input sought on Waynesville comprehensive plan

The window for the public to provide input on an important planning document is drawing to a close, but given…
Read More

Comment

 

Land deal could bolster Canton’s Chestnut Mountain project

A critical piece of the Chestnut Mountain puzzle could soon come under control of the Town of Canton after town…
Read More

Comment

 

Fall sports postponed at WCU, Southern Conference

Western Carolina University will postpone all fall sports this year following an Aug. 13 decision from the Southern Conference Council…
Read More

Comment

 

New billboards oppose Confederate statue

A pair of newly erected billboards along U.S. 441 in the Savannah area are calling attention to continued opposition to…
Read More

Comment

 

Best in the West: Blue Ridge Public Radio, Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News to host two-day NC11 candidate forum

Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis, candidates for the North Carolina congressional seat left vacant by White House Chief…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood reports 70 new COVID cases, 7 deaths

Haywood County Public Health received notice of 70 new cases of COVID-19 since the last press release on Aug. 7.…
Read More

Comment

 

Cawthorn responds to sexual assault allegations

An Aug. 13 Instagram post alleges improper behavior by North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn during a date six…
Read More

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.