Yes, its that time of year again.
 

Back-to-school excitement is upon us

A lot has changed through the decades, but the excitement surrounding a back-to-school season remains.
Read More

Comment

Understanding will come in time
 

Understanding will come in time

To the Editor: I appreciate the clear, factual reporting done by Cory Vaillancourt uncovering the truth regarding the Waynesville Recreation…
Read More

Comment

The turbine room features stark words above its massive windows — “Built for the people the United States of America.”  Kyle Perrotti photo
 

Inside Fontana Dam: Rare tour inspires awe and reflection on a complicated history

It was one of the best opportunities I’d been given since I became a journalist and moved to Western North…
Read More

Comment

Haywood program offers path out of addiction
 

Haywood program offers path out of addiction

The first thing anyone likely sees when they walk into Amanda Seay’s Haywood County Courthouse office is her quote of…
Read More

Comment

After threats, Waynesville revises public comment policy
 

After threats, Waynesville revises public comment policy

The Town of Waynesville will no longer require speakers at its public comment sessions to reveal their addresses, after a…
Read More

Comment

A voter guide for Yellowhill Tribal Council
 

A voter guide for Yellowhill Tribal Council

During the General Election Sept. 7, Yellowhill voters will choose two of the four names before them to be their…
Read More

Comment

The Macon County Public Library is part of the Fontana Regional Library system. File photo
 

Change recommended to Fontana Regional Library System

A few months ago, issues arose about the placement of certain LGBTQ+ books in the Macon County Public Library.
Read More

Comment

The Town of Waynesville has already taken a number of steps to reduce emissions and promote energy efficiency. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Waynesville establishes environmental sustainability board

Long a leader among Western North Carolina’s local governments in the field of environmental sustainability, the Town of Waynesville has…
Read More

Comment

October jail death confirmed to be overdose
 

October jail death confirmed to be overdose

Autopsy results for the October death of a man in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center confirm that he…
Read More

Comment

Haywood County Schools will buy Ratcliff Cove land
 

Haywood County Schools will buy Ratcliff Cove land

More than three months after a rezoning request revealed plans by Haywood County Schools to consolidate several facilities on a…
Read More

Comment

Mark Meadows. File photo
 

Former WNC Rep. Mark Meadows indicted along with Trump

With former President Donald Trump’s most recent indictment — his fourth in five months — comes a slew of familiar…
Read More

Comment

Bo Crowe. File photo
 

Trial expected in 2024 for Crowe assault case

Former Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in federal court Friday, Aug. 11, but plans to fight…
Read More

Comment

Bridge, sidewalk, roundabout, bike lanes coming to Cullowhee
 

Bridge, sidewalk, roundabout, bike lanes coming to Cullowhee

NCDOT awarded a $6.2 million contract to replace a bridge, build a roundabout, new sidewalk and new bike lanes in…
Read More

Comment

Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson (left) joins Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers for a tour of Chestnut Mountain Park on Aug. 11.  Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Canton’s outdoor economy growing, with help from state

It’s only been open for about a year, but Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Park has already proven a popular, unique regional…
Read More

Comment

Notes from a plant nerd: A jewel among wildflowers
 

Notes from a plant nerd: A jewel among wildflowers

Among my favorite plants to teach to children is jewelweed (Impatiens capensis & I. pallida).
Read More

Comment

Josh Kelly discusses the concept of National Scenic Area designation with Congressman  Chuck Edwards. MountainTrue photo
 

BioBlitz documents diversity in the Craggies

In a single-day BioBlitz aimed at documenting biodiversity in the Craggy Mountains, 100 people photographed 1,603 organisms representing 647 species.
Read More

Comment

Kids in the creek offers students the chance to explore their local waterway. Donated photo
 

Volunteers needed for Kids in the Creek

Kids in the Creek is putting out a call for volunteers for events on Sept. 11-12.
Read More

Comment

Burt Kornegay (left) hands off the donation to Friends of Panthertown Executive Director Jason Kimenker.
 

Panthertown guidebook publisher donates to stewardship nonprofit

Panthertown Map Association, nonprofit publishers of Burt Kornegay’s “A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown,” has made a $7,500 donation to Friends of…
Read More

Comment

Fish Qualla country
 

Fish Qualla country

A trout tournament offering $20,000 in prizes will hit Cherokee’s pristine streams Aug. 26-27.
Read More

Comment

Update on GSMNP trail, road closures
 

Update on GSMNP trail, road closures

Maintenance crews will implement temporary, single-lane closures along the northbound and southbound Spur through Aug. 17 and again Aug. 21-24.
Read More

Comment

NPS issues decision on Gatlinburg Spur improvements
 

NPS issues decision on Gatlinburg Spur improvements

The National Park Service issued a decision and a Finding of No Significant Impact for the Gatlinburg Spur Improvements Environmental…
Read More

Comment

 The WRC is offering six seminars on  several different topics, including deer hunting and deer processing. File photo
 

HCC hosts hunter safety classes

Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences, and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer a…
Read More

Comment

Go birding
 

Go birding

The Franklin Bird Club leads weekly birding walks along the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin at 8 a.m. Wednesday…
Read More

Comment

WRC announces hunting webinars
 

WRC announces hunting webinars

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) is offering six free hunting-related webinars September through December.
Read More

Comment

Park adds new members to management team
 

Park adds new members to management team

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials welcomed two new members to the Park Management Team.
Read More

Comment

MADE X MTNS announces grants
 

MADE X MTNS announces grants

MADE X MTNS announced grant recipients of its Outdoor Equity Fund.
Read More

Comment

Softball starting in Waynesville
 

Softball starting in Waynesville

Get ready for softball season with an organizational meeting for an adult co-ed league at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21,…
Read More

Comment

A training exercise underway in Canton on Aug. 15 prompted concern from some citizens.
 

National Guard conducts training exercise in Canton

The presence of multiple vehicles and a decontamination tent in downtown Canton today prompted tips to The Smoky Mountain News…
Read More

Comment

Volunteer Rick Bryson (from left), Chamber Office Manager Belinda Bryson, Chamber Executive Director Julie Donaldson, Chamber Assistant Director Kelly Donaldson and Chamber Visitor Services Representative Tom Frazier. Jackson Chamber photo
 

One hundred years and counting: Jackson County Chamber of Commerce marks milestone anniversary

  This year the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce is celebrating 100 years of work and involvement in its community —…
Read More

Comment

Ash and Eli, targeted by false allegations about indecent behavior at the Waynesville Recreation Center, are speaking about their experience for the first time. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

A call to hate: victims speak out over false allegations

Tow people assigned female at birth who visited the Waynesville Recreation Center and followed the letter of the law but…
Read More

Comment

Silers gather in Macon for 172nd ‘family meeting’
 

Silers gather in Macon for 172nd ‘family meeting’

The Silers were at it again.  
Read More

Comment

A voter guide for Birdtown Tribal Council
 

A voter guide for Birdtown Tribal Council

Cherokee’s June 1 Primary Election whittled the field of candidates for Birdtown Tribal Council down to four, and they will…
Read More

Comment

Two seats on the Maggie Valley Board of Alderman, along with the office of mayor, are up for election this November. File photo
 

Maggie Valley candidate denies fraudulent registration accusation

The upcoming race for two alderman seats in Maggie Valley is sure to be exciting, but one Republican candidate is…
Read More

Comment

A rendering shows what the casino in Danville might look like once complete. Donated image
 

Tribe ends interest-only payments for gaming ventures

With much of the conversation taking place in closed session, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council passed a…
Read More

Comment

After 115 years, the mill in Canton stopped making paper in May. Max Cooper photo
 

Paper mill logs new violation notice

Pactiv Evergreen has been issued its second notice of violation in less than a month, bringing its total since May…
Read More

Comment

Cannabis Control Board budget approved in Cherokee
 

Cannabis Control Board budget approved in Cherokee

The Cherokee Tribal Council has approved $946,000 in tribal dollars to go toward the Cannabis Control Board’s budget for the 2024…
Read More

Comment

Candidate withdraws from Waynesville Council race
 

Candidate withdraws from Waynesville Council race

The field got just a little bit smaller in the race for Waynesville Town Council last week, as one of…
Read More

Comment

NCDOT seeks input for 10-year transportation plan
 

NCDOT seeks input for 10-year transportation plan

The N.C. Department of Transportation is beginning to evaluate projects for its next 10-year capital plan and wants the public…
Read More

Comment

A call for help from veteran election officials
 

A call for help from veteran election officials

As two of the longest serving election officials in North Carolina, we write from Hickory with an important invitation for…
Read More

Comment

And you were looking forward to adulthood
 

And you were looking forward to adulthood

Kayden’s car had “an issue,” she said.
Read More

Comment

There is room at the table for all
 

There is room at the table for all

To the Editor: Congratulations to the Smoky Mountain News and Cory Vaillancourt!
Read More

Comment

We should not tolerate the lies
 

We should not tolerate the lies

To the Editor: A strange paradox is alive in American politics.
Read More

Comment

Trans people just don’t exist
 

Trans people just don’t exist

To the Editor: Your entire article regarding the trans person at the Waynesville Recreation Center  starts with a lie.
Read More

Comment

Maury Wahtera, of Franklin, snorkels with her son Henry, 8, during an event Aug. 2. Holly Kays photo
 

Face-to-face with fish

Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail celebrates kickoff 
Read More

Comment

Jon Ogburn came across these eastern box turtles mating in his driveway. The male’s concave belly shell makes mating easier, but even so it’s a precarious position. Jon Ogburn photo
 

Up Moses Creek: ‘It’s a Wild World’

I hiked up the ridge behind our house early one July morning and saw an eastern box turtle with a millipede…
Read More

Comment

The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway passes through 29 counties. File photo
 

Help Blue Ridge Parkway communities plan their strategy

A series of meetings this month in seven communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway will help formulate an action plan…
Read More

Comment

In a 2022 photo, bears eat dog food a person intentionally placed on the ground to attract them, a behavior that causes danger to both humans and bears. NPS photo
 

Bear scratches Smokies visitor, causing road closure

 Rich Mountain Road in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed to all traffic…
Read More

Comment

Eighth-graders check out aquatic creatures during the annual Kids in the Creek event. HWA photo
 

Wish Haywood Waterways a happy 25th birthday

Help Haywood Waterways Association celebrate its 25th birthday with trivia and reminiscing 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at BearWaters in…
Read More

Comment

Children get an up-close look at some native creatures during Honoring Long Man Day in 2022. N.C. Arboretum photo
 

Kids science program expands to Cherokee

A Cherokee Preservation Foundation grant awarded in March is allowing the N.C. Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE program to deliver monthly environmental programming…
Read More

Comment

Sam Knob. File photo
 

Rehab Sam Knob

Help the Carolina Mountain Club rehabilitate the trail to the Sam Knob summit during a workday Saturday, Aug. 19.
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.