Renovations are overdue at the Community Services Building in Sylva, constructed in the 1960s. Holly Kays photo
 

Health building contract approved in Jackson

Work will soon begin on renovations to the Community Services Building in Sylva — which houses the Jackson County Health…
Read More

Comment

The Asheville Design Team takes questions from community members present at the April 17 meeting. Holly Kays photo
 

DOT design for N.C. 107 ‘best option’ volunteer planners say

The Asheville Design Center will soon complete its final recommendations for the N.C 107 project in Sylva, but the document…
Read More

Comment

If approved, the casino would be built on a 16-acre property in Cleveland County, employing an anticipated 3,000 people. Catawba rendering
 

WNC voices opposition to Catawba casino legislation

Towns and counties across Western North Carolina are considering resolutions to oppose a Congressional bill that would pave the way…
Read More

Comment

The Dan Cook cabin is one of three restored buildings in the Little Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Holly Kays photo
 

Hiking through history: Little Cataloochee offers a window to the past

One hundred years ago, the parking area and campground just past the fields in Cataloochee Valley where elk often hang…
Read More

Comment

A worker gets busy with tree clearing. Donated photo
 

Overlook clearing completed on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The view from the Pink Beds Overlook at milepost 410 on the Blue Ridge Parkway is looking a lot better…
Read More

Comment

Panthertown Valley is a 6,300-acre backcountry recreation area in the Nantahala National Forest. File photo
 

Prescribed burn proposed for Panthertown

Comments are wanted on a U.S. Forest Service proposal to burn 814 acres in Panthertown Valley, located in the Nantahala…
Read More

Comment

Cherokee planting method was ‘agronomically sound’
 

Cherokee planting method was ‘agronomically sound’

Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in April 2004. These days my wife, Elizabeth, and…
Read More

Comment

Is a ‘responsible media’ a fading memory?
 

Is a ‘responsible media’ a fading memory?

It’s one of those anniversaries most would rather forget: April 20, 1999, the Columbine High School shooting. Two high school…
Read More

Comment

Tiger Woods in 2007. Keith Allison / Creative Commons
 

Golf’s prodigal son gets some redemption

Twenty years ago, a friend and I would get together on the weekends of the major golf tournaments and bet…
Read More

Comment

Make redistricting an important issue
 

Make redistricting an important issue

To the Editor The U.S. Supreme Court met March 26 to hear arguments on redistricting in three states, including North…
Read More

Comment

CDP to hold open house
 

CDP to hold open house

Center for Domestic Peace (CDP) is hosting an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at 26…
Read More

Comment

HCC registration is open
 

HCC registration is open

Haywood Community College registration for summer and fall semesters is open now through April 26 for both new and continuing…
Read More

Comment

Telling Appalachia’s untold stories: Artistic effort aims to celebrate the female side of history
 

Telling Appalachia’s untold stories: Artistic effort aims to celebrate the female side of history

Just as millennia of rain and wind and heat and cold have carved the physical shape of the mountains for…
Read More

Comment

Appalachian Women’s Museum board members stand on the porch of the building in Dillsboro. Pictured left to right are treasurer Debi Sullivan, past president Cathy Monteith Busick, current president Sharon Sullivan and vice president Marty Greeble.
 

Appalachian Women’s Museum anticipates pivotal year ahead

It’s shaping up to be a big year for the Appalachian Women’s Museum in Dillsboro. The nonprofit is preparing for…
Read More

Comment

A group of teachers from Macon County made the five hour trip to Raleigh in 2018 to be part of the rally. Donated photo
 

NC educators will march again in Raleigh

Last May, more than 25,000 educators across the state took to the streets of Raleigh to march for additional public…
Read More

Comment

Most recently the home of the Gateway Club, the historic 1927 Masonic Lodge building on Church Street is now under new ownership. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Waynesville’s historic Masonic Temple building sold

A long-underutilized gem in the heart of Waynesville’s historic downtown has finally found a new owner, sparking optimism that new…
Read More

Comment

The potential site for a new building at HCC is outlined above, in red. HCC photo
 

Haywood Community College wants a new building

Despite proposed increases in nearly every major budget category, Haywood Community College is proposing a substantial new facility that could…
Read More

Comment

Haywood County Schools looks at capital, personnel
 

Haywood County Schools looks at capital, personnel

The Haywood County school system presented its proposed local current expense budget to Haywood County commissioners April 15, and at…
Read More

Comment

Sylva reorganizes public art efforts
 

Sylva reorganizes public art efforts

Just over two years after forming it, the Town of Sylva has voted to disband its Public Art Committee —…
Read More

Comment

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper spent some time last week getting to know WNC. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Gov. Cooper touts tourism at Nantahala Outdoor Center

It’s no secret that Western North Carolina has long been a haven for outdoor recreational enthusiasts, but as that particular…
Read More

Comment

Regional hospitals reach agreement with UnitedHealthCare
 

Regional hospitals reach agreement with UnitedHealthCare

After a four-month lapse, services from physicians working for hospitals in Clyde, Sylva and Bryson City will be back in-network…
Read More

Comment

Macon, Jackson funded for school health centers
 

Macon, Jackson funded for school health centers

Macon County Schools will be setting up a school-based health center at South Macon Elementary School soon thanks to a…
Read More

Comment

The old Haywood Hospital. A Shot Above photo
 

Old Haywood Hospital receives favorable score in pursuit of tax credits

The Town of Waynesville and Haywood County both got a spot of good news last week when it was announced…
Read More

Comment

Perpetual Groove.
 

It starts where it ends: Perpetual Groove headlines Franklin festival

When it comes to the truly innovative and distinct jam acts of the modern era, Perpetual Groove is a name…
Read More

Comment

Cataloochee Creek. Garret K. Woodward
 

This must be the place: Ain’t it funny how you feel when you’re findin’ out it’s real?

After a long week and weekend grinding away, I had to bust out and disappear into the woods. And yet,…
Read More

Comment

The Melody Trucks Band.
 

Melody Trucks Band to play Lazy Hiker

Who: Melody Trucks Band & Donna Hopkins Band What: Daughter of the late Butch Trucks, Rock and Roll Hall of…
Read More

Comment

The property features many a dramatic view. SAHC photo
 

Farmland conservation project concludes in Haywood

A 385-acre tract of productive, scenic farmland in Haywood County has now been permanently protected thanks to efforts from the…
Read More

Comment

The trail includes at least seven species of trillium. Donated photo
 

New wildflower trail to open

Nodding Trillium Garden, the Pittillo Family Nature Preserve, will hold a grand opening of its wildflower garden trail on Wednesday,…
Read More

Comment

Paul Wolf. Donated photo
 

SCC’s outdoor leader gets recognized

Paul Wolf, who heads up Southwestern Community College’s outdoor leadership program, received recognition at the 2019 Southeast Regional Conference of…
Read More

Comment

Houston gun show. creative commons photo
 

The Naturalist's Corner: The PR of Pittman-Robertson

Ran across this little gem of a blurb on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Facebook page: “Sports men and…
Read More

Comment

Home is far way, but also here with me
 

Home is far way, but also here with me

By Hannah McLeod • Guest columnist I arrived in Costa Rica at the beginning of February. After floundering for a…
Read More

Comment

You can’t please them all
 

You can’t please them all

I’ve learned it’s impossible to make everyone happy.  This column has been a part of my life for a number…
Read More

Comment

GOP has no health care plan
 

GOP has no health care plan

To the Editor: President Trump abruptly announced that he supports the court’s efforts to eliminate Obama Care. This would fulfill…
Read More

Comment

Maggie at 45: looking forward, looking back
 

Maggie at 45: looking forward, looking back

Steadfast she stands in a yellow bonnet, wearing the mountain range behind her like a shawl draped upon her blouse…
Read More

Comment

Tribe a big player in state campaign contributions
 

Tribe a big player in state campaign contributions

A longtime democracy nonprofit director and self-proclaimed “watchdog” of political activity is calling for an investigation into how the Eastern…
Read More

Comment

State bills seek to bring sports betting to Cherokee
 

State bills seek to bring sports betting to Cherokee

A pair of bills now working their way through the state House and Senate would legalize sports betting on tribal…
Read More

Comment

Candidates appeal certification decisions in Cherokee
 

Candidates appeal certification decisions in Cherokee

Appeals are underway following the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Board of Elections’ decision not to certify three candidates to…
Read More

Comment

Asheville Design Center Director Chris Joyell, left, talks to community members during a Jan. 14 meeting. Holly Kays photo
 

Asheville Design Center to present recommendations for N.C. 107

The Asheville Design Center will present its findings on alternatives to the current plan for N.C. 107 in Sylva during…
Read More

Comment

An autopsy has been completed on a woman who died in county custody Jan. 18. File photo
 

Jackson jail death caused by hanging, autopsy says

Hanging was the cause of death for a woman who died Jan. 18 while in custody of the Jackson County…
Read More

Comment

Death by Distribution: Drug dealers could be charged with murder
 

Death by Distribution: Drug dealers could be charged with murder

Drug dealers in North Carolina could face more prison time for selling someone a deadly dose of narcotics if newly…
Read More

Comment

An aerial photo shows a landslide in Waynesville just off U.S. 74. A Shot Above WNC photo
 

Haywood remains poised for more landslides

Working in municipal government, one often encounters geographic challenges that exist in some areas, but not in others. 
Read More

Comment

The Archaeology of the Nikwasi Mound
 

The Archaeology of the Nikwasi Mound

On Tuesday, April 16, the lecture series “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture” at Cowee School Heritage Center, will…
Read More

Comment

Jackson County settles with student housing developer
 

Jackson County settles with student housing developer

Plans for a proposed housing development on South Painter Road in Cullowhee will proceed following the Jackson County Commissioners’ decision…
Read More

Comment

The Brothers Gillespie (from left) are Davis Gillespie, Max Pollifrone, Aaron Gillespie and Clay Gillespie.
 

All in the family: The Brothers Gillespie to play hometown album release show

In a leap of faith move last summer, Americana/indie act The Brothers Gillespie left its native Waynesville and took off…
Read More

Comment

Bristol Motor Speedway. Garret K. Woodward
 

This must be the place: The wheels on the track go ‘round and ‘round

Pulling off US-11E and into some random person’s backyard last Saturday afternoon, I handed the woman $10 and was directed…
Read More

Comment

Dale Walksler.
 

Wheels Through Time Museum updates name

Wheels Through Time, “The Museum That Runs,” has announced that they are updating their name in honor and recognition of…
Read More

Comment

A voter's guide to Cherokee's 2019 tribal elections
 

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…
Read More

Comment

Haywood strengthens incentive policy
 

Haywood strengthens incentive policy

Haywood County’s opportunity zone has been getting “a lot of looks,” according to County Program Administrator David Francis, but it’s…
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.