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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

I never realized little old ladies had such sharp elbows, or just how willing they were to use them, until…
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Friends of the Library holds book sale
 

Friends of the Library holds book sale

Support your local library by coming to the Haywood County Library annual Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.…
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Theatrical retrospective of Lake Junaluska to debut Aug. 3
 

Theatrical retrospective of Lake Junaluska to debut Aug. 3

The Light of the Lake, a theatrical production evoking 100 years of Lake Junaluska history, will have its premier performance…
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Make your own pottery in Bryson City
 

Make your own pottery in Bryson City

People of any skill level will have the opportunity to make their own pottery from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday,…
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HART reaches goal for new stage
 

HART reaches goal for new stage

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville reached its fund-raising goal of $600,000 sooner than expected, thanks to John…
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Gemboree returns to Macon
 

Gemboree returns to Macon

Gem, mineral dealers and rock hounds will converge on the 48th annual Macon County Gemboree July 25-28 at the Macon…
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Francis Mill celebrates National Register of Historic Places nomination
 

Francis Mill celebrates National Register of Historic Places nomination

Supporters of Francis Mill recently helped celebrate the mill’s designation as a National Register of Historic Places site. 
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Renowned Gospel, Christian groups in Franklin
 

Renowned Gospel, Christian groups in Franklin

The Talleys and Brian Free & Assurance will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Smoky Mountain Center…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Don’t go in there. As long as I can remember, I’ve been told this. From my parents, teachers, friends or…
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Roddick, Courier to play charity match in Cashiers
 

Roddick, Courier to play charity match in Cashiers

Legendary American tennis stars Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will battle it out in a charity exhibition match in Cashiers…
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Cullowhee traffic woes deserve attention
 

Cullowhee traffic woes deserve attention

To the Editor: Had I been a student at Western Carolina Teachers College (WCTC) in the late 1920s, I might…
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We are going wrong way on abortion issue
 

We are going wrong way on abortion issue

To the Editor: I am old enough to remember the time before Roe v. Wade was passed. Almost every family…
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Rep. Presnell should keep out of merger
 

Rep. Presnell should keep out of merger

To the Editor: We are thankful for The Smoky Mountain News coverage of the Lake Junaluska-Waynesville merger process. I am…
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N.C. should take politics out of redistricting
 

N.C. should take politics out of redistricting

By Martin Dyckman Blackbeard, North Carolina's most famous pirate, was a fitting precursor to the modern brigands at Raleigh. As…
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WCU weighs merits of majors in light of funding challenges
 

WCU weighs merits of majors in light of funding challenges

Western Carolina University will erase 10 degree programs, including women’s studies and the graduate music courses, from its books during…
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WCU hires regional expert to lead hospitality, tourism program
 

WCU hires regional expert to lead hospitality, tourism program

Well-known regional tourism expert Steve Morse has been hired by Western Carolina University to head its hospitality and tourism program.
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‘Jono’ Bryant blends his taste for adventure and medical skills toward a greater good
 

‘Jono’ Bryant blends his taste for adventure and medical skills toward a greater good

It was a rather strange place to have a life-changing epiphany, but there he was, on the set of a…
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Canton aldermen to step down en masse following election
 

Canton aldermen to step down en masse following election

Canton will witness a mysterious mass exodus of its elected town board members following the town election this fall.
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Town election ballots shake out
 

Town election ballots shake out

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. Some town races are…
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Tie match called in Jackson visitor center firestorm
 

Tie match called in Jackson visitor center firestorm

After a tumultuous start to hashing out a blueprint for this year’s finances, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority reached…
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Lake Junaluska navigates choppy political waters
 

Lake Junaluska navigates choppy political waters

Ron Clauser never saw himself as a lobbyist. He’s an accountant by trade, a world where logic and rationale rule…
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Folkmoot, 30 years in the making
 

Folkmoot, 30 years in the making

It was a phone call Rolf Kaufman will never forget. The year was 1983, and on the other end of…
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Bringing the world into your home
 

Bringing the world into your home

The house is silent, but soon, it will be overflowing with voices, faces, words and languages known and unknown. Awaiting…
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Concerns voiced over proposed Cashiers ABC store site
 

Concerns voiced over proposed Cashiers ABC store site

Jackson County got a green light from the state to move forward with plans to build a liquor store in…
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Harrah’s Casino one of the few big games in town for job seekers
 

Harrah’s Casino one of the few big games in town for job seekers

Since Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort added table games with live dealers last year they’ve had to round up hundreds…
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Higher cost for new restrooms at Waynesville playground could nix project
 

Higher cost for new restrooms at Waynesville playground could nix project

Renovating the antiquated, shuttered restrooms at the Waynesville Recreation Park will cost more than town officials anticipated, leaving them to…
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To busk or not? Waynesville ponders street performer  ordinance
 

To busk or not? Waynesville ponders street performer ordinance

Street musicians are becoming a common sight in downtown Waynesville, despite a town policy that bans sidewalk performers from playing…
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Big trucks take heed: no more Jake brakes in Waynesville
 

Big trucks take heed: no more Jake brakes in Waynesville

Waynesville has outlawed the use of noisy engine-compression brakes by big trucks.
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Drug testing par for the course in WNC high schools
 

Drug testing par for the course in WNC high schools

The number of high school students failing random drug tests in Haywood County has remained constant since the school system…
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Police help push new laws through legislature
 

Police help push new laws through legislature

The Waynesville Police Department helped craft and then usher four bills, or some version of them, through the N.C. General…
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Back in the day, many built their own
 

Back in the day, many built their own

When I was a very young boy growing up in Virginia, there was a very old man in our neighborhood…
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Tennis stars to face off in Cashiers
 

Tennis stars to face off in Cashiers

Retired tennis stars Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will play a charity exhibition match, the UCB Mountain Challenge, on Saturday,…
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Regional headwaters protected from development
 

Regional headwaters protected from development

A $3 million federal grant will help protect 8,000 acres of working forestland in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North…
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Little Tennessee gets grant to protect endangered species
 

Little Tennessee gets grant to protect endangered species

A project to help federally-listed aquatic species in Macon County has received $142,500 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.…
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Bridge dedicated to honor whitewater hero
 

Bridge dedicated to honor whitewater hero

Mystic Lands Property Owners Association has dedicated a bridge to honor Rob Kelly, a whitewater rafting guide who saved a…
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Bear cables get a boost
 

Bear cables get a boost

Backpackers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can continue to keep their food and packs out of reach of…
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Canton man to serve time for Max Patch destruction
 

Canton man to serve time for Max Patch destruction

Tyler Pace is expected to report to the U.S. Marshals Service office in Asheville next week to start serving his…
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Once abundant river cane is a dwindling resource
 

Once abundant river cane is a dwindling resource

Ethnobotanist David Cozzo will lead an eco tour on July 30 to the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve to discuss how the…
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Carolina birder video bombed
 

Carolina birder video bombed

Carolina birder Matt Daw from Raleigh was videoing a least bittern last week as it foraged at Bosque Del Apache…
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Jackson Farmer’s market summer sizzle cooking demos
 

Jackson Farmer’s market summer sizzle cooking demos

Chef Jen Pearson of Guadalupe Cafe will be showcasing eggplant in an original recipe during a local foods cooking demo…
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From farm to table
 

From farm to table

Get to know your local farmers and learn some tricks from green thumb masters during the annual Jackson County Farm…
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The hard truth about the Cold War
 

The hard truth about the Cold War

We Americans like to sidle around the truth nowadays, which we do by labeling ourselves relativists. Like Pontius Pilate, we…
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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

A whirlwind of global cultures, languages, costumes, music and dance has landed in WNC this week. The annual arrival of…
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‘Brigadoon’ comes to HART
 

‘Brigadoon’ comes to HART

Legendary Broadway musical “Brigadoon” runs at 7:30 p.m. July 18-20, 25-27, Aug. 1-3, and at 3 p.m. July 14, 21,…
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Appalachian storytellers, crafts and musicians at folk fest
 

Appalachian storytellers, crafts and musicians at folk fest

The 10th annual Franklin Folk Festival, a “Celebration of Appalachian Heritage,” runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July…
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Voices in the Laurel sings in New Orleans
 

Voices in the Laurel sings in New Orleans

Members of Voices in the Laurel Children’s Choir have just returned from the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans.…
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Mattea brings heart and soul string music to Franklin
 

Mattea brings heart and soul string music to Franklin

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Kathy Mattea will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing…
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Tickets on sale for Miranda Lambert
 

Tickets on sale for Miranda Lambert

Mega-country star Miranda Lambert hits the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, July 19, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.
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This must be the place: Bringing the world to your doorstep
 

This must be the place: Bringing the world to your doorstep

It all started with an email.  Last July, I was at a crossroads. Being a freelance writer for a few years,…
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Expanded Macon runway is a bad idea
 

Expanded Macon runway is a bad idea

To the Editor: An article in a local paper stated that the Macon County Airport Authority met in early July…
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