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Lockdown lifted at SCC
A lockdown at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson County campus has been lifted after law enforcement determined that students who reported…
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Ethically speaking, this can be a tough job
Remember those old movies where submarines find themselves navigating through an underwater minefield, sometimes relying on skill to avoid what…
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Coming full circle on an adventure
As a kid, I took the Blue Ridge Mountains for granted. They were always there in the background, but I…
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What’s peace got to do with it?
By Marsha Lee Baker • Guest Columnist Somewhere, sometime, and in some way, each of us thinks about peace. We…
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Trump is working to secure borders
To the Editor: Police drenched with buckets of water in New York, anti-police chanting as police attempt to remove a…
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Ancient Cherokees found protection from the cold
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a September 2002 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. It’s only late summer…
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Fear of collapse causes shelter closure
A beloved shelter on the Appalachian Trail near Roan Mountain is closed until further notice due to structural damage.
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Race to honor UNC Charlotte hero: Mighty Four Miler will raise money for Riley Howell Foundation Fund
Hometown hero Riley Howell’s legacy will live on in the form a 4-mile race through the streets of the town…
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Smokies species count reaches 20,000
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reached a biodiversity milestone with the discovery and documentation of 20,000 species of…
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Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users
The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time…
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Will the circle be unbroken: Ken Burns on new country music documentary, a life in filmmaking
Clocking in at over 16 hours, the new Ken Burns documentary “Country Music” is an extremely detailed and intricate look…
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This must be the place: When I pass by all the people say, just another guy on the lost highway
Last Sunday morning, at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Route 27 in Wiscasset, Maine, I decided to turn right…
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Hospital leaders reflect on five years with LifePoint
In 2014, Duke LifePoint Healthcare purchased three hospitals in Western North Carolina with the promise of drastically improving rural health…
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Land sale could offset cost of recycling center relocation
Jackson County hopes to offset the cost of moving its Dillsboro recycling center with proceeds from selling a piece of…
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Election Day in Cherokee: Voters speak at the polls
Election Day dawned clear and sunny in Cherokee Sept. 5, with polls opening at 6 a.m. for voters to choose…
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Court says gerrymandered NC districts must change, immediately
A ruling handed down by a North Carolina court last week declared N.C.’s legislative districts to be illegal partisan gerrymanders…
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Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Rep. Corbin
A powerful voice for Western North Carolina in the North Carolina General Assembly is about to pop the kickstand on…
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BI-LO’s transformation to housing moves forward
First steps are being taken on a major new residential development proposed for the site of a former grocery store…
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Shining Rock surges, Haywood Schools slips again
After a tumultuous year that saw all manner of controversy — from parental complaints to illegal meetings, transparency issues, secret…
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Waynesville’s Masonic Temple building ready for tenants
After years of disuse, a hidden gem in the heart of Waynesville’s downtown is finally ready to reclaim its rightful…
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Incumbents sweep Cherokee election
Principal Chief Richard Sneed produced a decisive victory in Cherokee’s Sept. 5 election, pulling in 55.11 percent of the vote…
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Sneed wins chief election
Richard Sneed will remain the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for four more years following an…
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Hurricane Dorian boosts Haywood occupancy rates
Hurricane Dorian has slowly but surely been making its way toward the east coast of the United States, but Haywood…
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Take it easy on Shining Rock
To the Editor: For the past few years I have gotten in the habit of picking up a copy of…
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Background checks are too onerous
To the Editor: In discussions with people who are clamoring for universal background checks, I find many people don’t understand…
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We have perverted the American ideal
To the Editor: Donald Trump’s only redeeming value may be that he is the shock to the system the U.S. needs…
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After 125 years, we can do better
Bob Savelson • Guest columnist Thinking about Labor Day, it has been a national holiday since 1894. Consistent with the nation’s…
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Cherry binging is a thing
One of the things I like the most about summertime is when the cherries begin showing up in the grocery…
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Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users
The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time…
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A complicated story that’s worth reading
Ever have those days when you’re running against the wind, sprinting through the minutes and hours, arms and legs pumping…
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The fungi forager: Franklin man develops a passion for wild mushrooms
Beneath the woodsy world of tree trunks, ferns and leaf litter is another, hidden realm. It’s the world of fungi,…
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Forest Service land closed in the Nantahala Gorge
Until further notice, public access to U.S. Forest Service lands in the Nantahala Gorge is closed due to hazards created…
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Cataloochee, Cades Cove accesses to close this winter
The main access roads into Cataloochee and Cades Cove will be closed for several months this winter due to road…
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Strong leaf season predicted
This autumn should yield vibrant fall colors in the mountains, according to Western Carolina University’s fall color forecaster Beverly Collins.
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The Naturalist's Corner: Santee surprise
During our annual summer beach trip to Isle of Palms, I often manage to sneak away one morning to visit…
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WCU to study alcohol sales at sporting events
The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees elected a slate of officers for 2019-20 and made appointments to several committees,…
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Swain room tax revenue exceeds $1 million
Swain County’s tourism industry recently marked a major milestone when the occupancy tax revenue from fiscal year 2018-19 exceeded $1…
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Jackson plans for growth
Last year was a good one for the tourism industry in Jackson County, with visitor spending in 2018 increasing by…
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Haywood’s tourism growth comes in unexpected places, times
Strong growth in winter and Haywood County’s smaller municipalities has local tourism numbers up over last year, in some cases,…
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Visitor spending in Macon on the rise
Outdoor recreation continues to be a major factor in Macon County’s steady increase in visitor spending year after year.
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Tourism spending up in WNC counties
As the summer season comes to a close, western counties continue to see a steady increase in visitor spending and room…
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Some Haywood County Schools buildings nearing capacity
With a major new administration facility proposed and a shuttered elementary school still sitting empty, Haywood County Schools finds itself…
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Input sought for Swain’s future
All indications show Swain County has a prosperous future ahead, but county leaders are looking for community input to determine…
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Big changes coming to N.C. Medicaid
As the state of North Carolina moves forward with some bold new changes to how it will administer Medicaid, Haywood…
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TWSA discusses ways to soften N.C. 107 impacts
With right-of-way acquisition for the N.C. 107 project in Sylva set to begin in January, the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer…
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Sylva’s White Moon serves up more than just coffee
It’s a serendipitous sort of happenstance when you stumble across the White Moon coffee shop. Tucked in the depths of…
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This must be the place: Where will you take me? What will we do?
Pulling off Interstate 87 onto Route 9, the fading sun lowered itself behind the cornfields and open meadows of the…
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Free camping available for Dorian evacuees
The U.S. Forest Service is waiving fees at campgrounds across its southern region — which includes the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest…
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Emergency Closure for Nantahala Gorge
Due to hazardous conditions in the Nantahala Gorge from multiple landslides, the U.S. Forest Service is issuing an Emergency Closure…
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