1999: Smokies works to overcome hurdles
It’s no coincidence that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the subject of The Smoky Mountain News’ first-ever front-page…
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2001: Elk return to Western North Carolina
“A large herd gathered last week on a remote, historical farmstead maintained by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in…
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2003: The end of Eric Rudolph’s run
He was a seasoned dumpster diver by now. For the last three summers, he’d regularly swoop down in the dead…
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2004: Floods ravage Western North Carolina
The tiny central Haywood County town of Clyde lies more than 270 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, more than 400…
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2005: State passes education lottery system
Nearly 15 years after the North Carolina General Assembly narrowly passed a bill establishing an education lottery system, state legislators…
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2008: Real estate takes a major hit
The housing bubble was finally bursting in 2008 as the Great Recession became the new reality in Western North Carolina…
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2009: Ghost Town comes crashing down
Decades after it first opened in 1962, Ghost Town in the Sky still commands a wistful loyalty from thousands of…
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2012: Table games come to Harrah’s
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, an economic powerhouse that employs 5 percent of the workforce in the seven western counties and…
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2013: Southern Loop scrapped for good
For a road that has never existed, the infamous Southern Loop of Sylva sure has gotten a lot of ink…
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2014: Transition to for-profit health care
Area hospitals finally found some steady financial footing in 2014 after years of floundering, trying to keep their heads above…
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2016: Fire on the mountain
As you read this, I’ve just noted the passing of my third anniversary with this 20 year-old newspaper and as…
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2017: Cherokee impeaches its chief
When Patrick Lambert won the 2015 race for principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, he saw the…
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2018: WCU sees a year of change
This roller coaster of a year at Western Carolina University started before it started, when the school’s beloved chancellor David…
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Women dead following Parkway vehicle accident
A Brevard woman is dead following a car accident on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Devil's Courthouse.
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A voter's guide to Cherokee's 2019 tribal elections
As the June 6 Primary Election in Cherokee draws closer, The Smoky Mountain News will be updating this voter guide…
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Former charter school director fired following sexual harassment complaint
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories on Haywood County’s public charter school, Shining Rock Classical…
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Junaluska Elementary works to empower male students
Female empowerment is all the rage right now. From school-age programs like Girls on the Run to the #MeToo movement,…
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Low bid participation delays shooting range improvements
Planned improvements to the Southwestern Community College firing range aimed at reducing noise pollution and lead buildup will have to…
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Primary election nears in Cherokee
Early voting is now over in Cherokee, with polls to open for the Primary Election on Thursday, June 6, in…
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Macon schools pleads for more resources
Angela Phillips painted a painfully realistic picture of what it’s been like inside her second-grade classroom at Cartoogechaye Elementary for…
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A look at Jackson’s proposed budget
Jackson County’s proposed budget for 2019-2020 won’t require an increase from the current property tax rate of 0.38 cents per…
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Marquee Maggie mayoral matchup expected
With municipal candidate filing little more than a month away, the race to replace outgoing Maggie Valley Mayor Saralyn Price…
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Swain on track to pass status-quo budget
In preparing the proposed budget for 2019-20, Swain County continues to hold the line on the county’s low property tax…
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Canton joins opioid lawsuit
Of all the victims of the nation’s opioid epidemic, probably the most overlooked are the municipalities that have to expend…
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Swimmer drowns in Lake Glenville
An Iredell County man is dead following a swim at Lake Glenville Sunday, May 26.
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Cold Mountain Music Festival returns to Lake Logan
The third annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will take place May 31 and June 1 at the Lake Logan Conference…
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Feeding the fight against food insecurity
On one of the first warm sunny Saturdays early in Western North Carolina’s tourist season, the traditional signs of a…
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Efforts to keep McCoy off Cherokee ballot continue
Tribal member Robert Osley Saunooke is not giving up on his efforts to see Teresa McCoy barred from candidacy in…
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Harrah’s sponsors Habitat home
Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos have been a long time partner with Habitat for Humanity, but this year the company is taking…
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Town of Highlands making broadband progress
The town of Highlands is making major headway when it comes to providing broadband internet services to its rural residents,…
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Franklin proposes to hold tax rate
Town of Franklin Manager Summer Woodard recently presented the town council with a proposed budget for 2019-20 that would maintain…
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Macon manager proposes tax increase
For the first time in several years, Macon County Manager Derek Roland is proposing a small property tax increase moving…
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New Shining Rock board chair Haynes speaks out
It’s been a tumultuous couple of years for Shining Rock Classical Academy, which has dealt with a variety of administrative…
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Shining Rock defends interim head
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of stories on Haywood County’s public charter school, Shining Rock Classical…
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Sylva police chief to retire
After 22 years with the Sylva Police Department and two years as its head, Sylva Police Chief Tammy Hooper will…
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Legal action dropped against Franklin
Five Macon County residents are dropping their legal action against the town of Franklin for deeding over the sacred Nikwasi…
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Homeless shelter management decision coming up for Jackson
The return of warmer weather means that Jackson County’s cold weather homeless shelter has been closed for two months, but…
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Haywood budget presented to commissioners
For the second year in a row, Haywood County taxpayers can expect no increase in property taxes, thanks to increasing…
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N.C. Senate opposes Catawba casino
A bipartisan majority of senators in the N.C. General Assembly have signed a letter opposing a Congressional bill that would…
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Court bars decertification hearing for McCoy
In a divided opinion, the Cherokee Supreme Court decided that Teresa McCoy will not have to participate in a second…
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Shining Rock hiring decision will have to wait
The search for Shining Rock Classical Academy’s next head of school will continue, after the board took no action following…
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On the upswing: Golf industry changes with the times
Golf is more than a game in Western North Carolina — the wellbeing of the popular past time can be…
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Grievances filed against Shining Rock interim head
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories on Haywood County’s public charter school, Shining Rock Classical…
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Updating voter registration records
Have you moved, changed your name, mailing address or phone number since you registered to vote in the county, state…
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Bethel bridge earns National Register designation
The oldest metal truss bridge in the state of North Carolina has earned inclusion on the National Register of Historic…
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Dogwood Health Trust to transform communities
The Health Equity Coalition will hold a forum to explore new ways of connecting community to philanthropy. The $1.5 billion…
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Reflections on Haywood NAACP pilgrimage
By Katherine Bartel • Secretary, Haywood County NAACP “My little brother Isaiah is, as you would call it, ‘a boy of…
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Insurance premiums rise for Jackson employees
Jackson County employees are now paying significantly higher premiums for their health insurance following a plan change that went into…
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Price tag falls for Green Energy Park project
A Green Energy Park makeover under discussion in Jackson County could be a good bit cheaper than originally discussed, with…
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Council nixes proposed penalties for campaign law violations
A proposed ordinance that would have laid out the criminal penalties for violating laws regulating election campaign practices was withdrawn…
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