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The Naturalist's Corner: Is spring springing earlier?
Back in January I surveyed the Tellico Fire with MountainTrue biologist Josh Kelly. We were there to check out the…
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Blizzard of 1993 is catalyst for a fine first novel
In True Stories At The Smoky View (She Writes Press, 2016, 325 pages, $16.95), Vrai Stevens Lynde — the “Vrai”…
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Sharing the craft: Jo Ridge Kelley Fine Art
With the traffic and noise of a busy Main Street in downtown Waynesville zooming by outside her window, Jo Ridge…
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This must be the place: So many miles, so many roads
I hadn’t slept that long in years. After driving up and down the East Coast for the better part of…
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‘Blackbeard’s Ghost’ wins national award
Western Carolina University’s 2016 original radio-style production of “Blackbeard’s Ghost and the Queen Anne’s Revenge” has won a “best of…
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The next war must not happen
By Stephen Wall • Guest Columnist On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb exploded 1,500 feet over Hiroshima. Only 1.5 percent…
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An escape into a magical world
I was in the Disney bubble for seven days straight, so it was rather depressing driving home with the daily…
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Most presidents learn from criticism — not this one
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist The press must be the keyboard on which the government can play. — Joseph…
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Valuable lessons from failed annexation
To the Editor: Thank you Smoky Mountain News and Becky Johnson for writing an article bringing to a close the…
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What to make of Trump’s eruptions
To the Editor: It’s gotten to the point that I’m hesitant to listen to or read the news. President Trump’s…
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In front of the lens: Tax collector faces uncertain fate
Haywood County Commissioners are locked in an increasingly bitter power struggle with elected Tax Collector Mike Matthews over his job…
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Public comment session at next commission meeting
The next meeting of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, inside…
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Unfair collection practices in tax collector’s office?
A Smoky Mountain News inquiry into collection procedures in the Haywood County tax collector’s office shows that some county GOP…
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Comparing tax collections under Francis, Matthews
Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews’ efficiency and his use of attachments to collect past due taxes have been called…
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Cherokee man sentenced in murder case
Joshua Daniel Calhoun, 22, of Cherokee, was sentenced Feb. 14 in Swain County Superior Court to a maximum of 38…
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Haywood man convicted of voter fraud
A Haywood County jury recently convicted Dewey George Gidcumb, 52, of Haywood County of felony voter fraud for voting twice…
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Applicants needed for Swain broadband committee
Swain County commissioners are accepting applications from community members to serve on a newly formed Broadband Advisory Committee.
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Richard Reeves receives service award
Richard Reeves has been awarded the N.C. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service and the Elaine Kuhl Volunteer Service Award for…
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Sylva will spend $25,000 on Fisher Creek Dam study
Sylva will have to spend $25,000 on an emergency action plan for Fisher Creek Dam, due to a 2016 state…
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Permanent tourism director hired in Jackson
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority has its first permanent employee following a unanimous vote from the Jackson County Commissioners…
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Fontana houseboat owner seeks TVA appointment
After a successful campaign to keep houseboats on Fontana Lake, floating homeowner Erik Sneed is now campaigning for a presidential…
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High-density apartment proposal a no-go for Sylva
Sylva’s leaders have long grappled with how to spur the town’s stagnant residential tax base and get more high-density housing…
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Corbin introduces bill to help Macon’s K-12 schools
When Kevin Corbin decided to run for state representative, one of his main goals was to secure adequate funding allocations…
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Macon schools reach full capacity
Macon County elementary schools are near, at or over capacity, and administrators can only shuffle students around so much before…
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Franklin hears proposal to one-lane Main Street
Franklin’s town board has been hearing different proposals for improving Main Street’s parking and appearance — and the latest proposal…
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Franklin bike walk plan lays out potential projects
A proposed comprehensive plan to improve Franklin’s pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure includes more than 20 recommended projects to fix the…
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New school opening in Sylva
Plans are crystallizing for a new middle school in Jackson County, but it’s a race against the clock for Western…
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Tourism tax hike for Haywood is DOA
Haywood County Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Lynn Collins has been making the rounds like a travelling saleswoman lately —…
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Raleigh Roundup: bobcats and beers edition
With the new session of the North Carolina Legislature underway, a flurry of bills has been filed in both the…
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Casino expansion nearly nixed: Tribal Council decides in split vote to continue with $250 million project
A newly approved expansion project at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort was nearly derailed when a resolution to kill the project…
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Fire review underway in the Smokies
A team of fire experts is assembling at Great Smoky Mountains National Park to conduct a review of the 2016…
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From mountains to sea: N.C. woman relives six months spent hiking the state
If you’d polled Kimberley Brookshire’s friends a couple years ago, they’d likely have said the chances were slim to none…
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Haywood Waterways recognizes water champions
Haywood’s biggest water champions of 2016 have been recognized by the Haywood Waterways Association, highlighting accomplishments from youth education to…
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New easements conserve hundreds of acres
More than 340 acres in Jackson and Cherokee counties have been conserved, thanks to conservation easements through Mainspring Conservation Trust.
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The copper run in the Great Smokies
The worldwide annual production of “high conductivity copper” had by 1899 risen to 470,000 tons, of which 300,000 tons were…
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Please take time to give feedback
Many thanks to The Smoky Mountain News for the recent article by Becky Johnson (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/19193) to update the citizens of…
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Defining pro-choice, pro-life
To the Editor: Unfortunately, anti-abortion supporters named themselves pro-life, thereby labeling pro-choice supporters pro-death. This serves to demonize the pro-choice…
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NATO is too important to scrap
To the Editor: Our fathers and grandfathers fought in World War II to save the world from Nazi domination. Over…
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The world joins in supporting democracy
To the Editor: The Constitution guarantees the right to assembly, and Americans continue to exercise that right throughout history. In…
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Two essays that left a lasting influence
They were both quiet, their voices barely audible even during roll call, and absolutely silent otherwise. Even as a new…
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New commissioner stumbles out of the gate
Brandon Rogers almost certainly disappointed — and surprised — many of his supporters during Monday’s Haywood County Commissioners meeting. Apparently…
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Ben-Hur’s long history is captivating
Some authors and critics sniff at best-sellers. I suppose the idea is that a novel appealing to so many thousands…
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HART welcomes Arnette, Dykes
The board of directors of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville held its annual meeting recently in the…
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Feet in the sand, not your head
How could something so beautiful be so ugly? Standing at the edge of the ocean on the Gulf Coast of…
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Lonesome and a long way from home: John Cowan on bluegrass, life
They wanted to shake things up. In 1971, a young Sam Bush aimed to create a new kind of bluegrass…
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Get real: WNC real estate market comes back swinging
Within the residential real estate industry lies an interesting contradiction. SEE ALSO:• Haywood housing demand is high but inventory is low• Macon…
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Selling a mountain lifestyle: Haywood housing demand is high but inventory is low
Brian Cagle is vice president and managing broker at Beverly-Hanks in Waynesville. Beverly Hanks doesn’t sell real estate, however; Beverly-Hanks…
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Macon making sustainable growth in real estate market
It hasn’t been a quick or easy recovery, but Macon County real estate is back on the rise and Realtors…
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Real estate rebounding in Jackson: Double-digit growth in Cashiers area; steady increase elsewhere
With the recession nearly a decade in the rearview mirror, the real estate market is once more robust in Jackson…
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Mountain cabins in high demand in Swain
Sherry and Gary Patterson vacationed in Bryson City for the first time about 20 years ago and now they can’t…
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