Selling Haywood County: Economic development partnership revs up
 

Selling Haywood County: Economic development partnership revs up

On the west side of Jonathan Creek Road in Haywood County sits a parcel of land where crops and cows…
Read More

Comment

Shining Rock again violates open meetings laws
 

Shining Rock again violates open meetings laws

A North Carolina Open Meetings Law expert says Shining Rock Classical Academy’s School Board once again violated state laws regarding…
Read More

Comment

Charter school selects new school director
 

Charter school selects new school director

After months of searching for someone to replace founding School Director Ben Butler, Waynesville public charter school Shining Rock Classical…
Read More

Comment

Tribe hires first-ever TABCC director
 

Tribe hires first-ever TABCC director

The Tribal Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission gained its first-ever director with the hire of Terri Henry, who began work on…
Read More

Comment

Chancellor search begins: Community forums to be held; search will be confidential
 

Chancellor search begins: Community forums to be held; search will be confidential

The 21-member committee charged with finding the next chancellor of Western Carolina University kicked off the search process with an…
Read More

Comment

Funding lines up for new Cashiers sewer plant
 

Funding lines up for new Cashiers sewer plant

Development in Cashiers will soon reach the end of a longstanding stalemate following the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Board’s…
Read More

Comment

'We will never go away': The 2017 Women’s March on Washington, revisited
 

'We will never go away': The 2017 Women’s March on Washington, revisited

The day after I stood before the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and watched Missouri Senator…
Read More

Comment

Reclaiming the past: Cherokee land acquisition bill moves forward
 

Reclaiming the past: Cherokee land acquisition bill moves forward

A recent hearing on a congressional bill that would transfer 76 acres in Tennessee to the Eastern Band of Cherokee…
Read More

Comment

Health, DSS consolidation moves forward in Jackson
 

Health, DSS consolidation moves forward in Jackson

An ongoing push to see Jackson County consolidate its health and social services departments will come to a head during…
Read More

Comment

Community conversation focuses on homelessness in Haywood County
 

Community conversation focuses on homelessness in Haywood County

There’s a road in Waynesville called the homeless highway. It runs from Frog Level to Hazelwood and during any given…
Read More

Comment

The Naturalist's Corner: Will eagles dare?
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Will eagles dare?

A pair of mature bald eagles has been hanging out at Lake Junaluska for a few months now. I have…
Read More

Comment

Watery restoration: Waynesville and partners restore stream flows, aquatic habitat
 

Watery restoration: Waynesville and partners restore stream flows, aquatic habitat

Waynesville is in the midst of a makeover on three of its streams, and it’s a renovation that fish, crayfish…
Read More

Comment

Weekday programs offered at Cataloochee
 

Weekday programs offered at Cataloochee

Tuesdays and Wednesdays offer special opportunities at Cataloochee Ski Area, with programs now available for homeschoolers and families.
Read More

Comment

SCC instructor will guide outdoor leadership standards
 

SCC instructor will guide outdoor leadership standards

Paul Wolf, leader of Southwestern Community College’s Outdoor Leadership Program, has been chosen as a member of the international Association…
Read More

Comment

Land conserved along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Jackson
 

Land conserved along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Jackson

The Blue Ridge Parkway will soon acquire an additional 46 acres in Jackson County thanks to a pair of land…
Read More

Comment

Insightful books to kick off the new year
 

Insightful books to kick off the new year

In early January, I sat with two friends in a café discussing the New Year. We were all coming off…
Read More

Comment

Cartoon, Jan. 17, 2018
 

Cartoon, Jan. 17, 2018

By Will Studenc
Read More

Comment

Let’s eliminate the power of the Electoral College
 

Let’s eliminate the power of the Electoral College

By Martin A. Dyckman • Guest Columnist Americans are asking why we now have a president whom they wouldn’t trust to…
Read More

Comment

Lessons learned on the black diamond
 

Lessons learned on the black diamond

While standing atop a black diamond run at Beech Mountain last weekend, several thoughts crossed my mind. It’s been a…
Read More

Comment

GOP supports childrens’ health care
 

GOP supports childrens’ health care

To the Editor: It is easy to understand Dr. Stephen Wall’s compassion for young children. Knowing Dr. Wall well, I…
Read More

Comment

I’ll have a beer and hash browns
 

I’ll have a beer and hash browns

To the Editor: It’s been interesting to read the controversy about the Sunday “brunch bill” enactment in Bryson City, Jackson…
Read More

Comment

Impact fees to change in Jackson
 

Impact fees to change in Jackson

A state law passed in July 2017 will lead to changes in water and sewer fees across North Carolina this…
Read More

Comment

Cherokee sues opioid companies
 

Cherokee sues opioid companies

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has filed a federal lawsuit seeking damages from 23 companies that manufacture or distribute…
Read More

Comment

Court dismisses majority of Mystic Lands claims
 

Court dismisses majority of Mystic Lands claims

This story was updated Jan. 22, 2020. Mystic Lands property owners may have prevailed in court over one issue —…
Read More

Comment

Minor parties seek NC ballot access
 

Minor parties seek NC ballot access

Disillusionment with the two-party American political system has been around for a long time, but with a polarizing President in…
Read More

Comment

NC Congressional districts struck down
 

NC Congressional districts struck down

Just one month before candidates start signing up to run for the 2018 elections, a three judge panel from the…
Read More

Comment

Melrose to run for Superior Court judge
 

Melrose to run for Superior Court judge

Waynesville attorney Mark Melrose has announced his intentions to run for Superior Court Judge for the 30th Judicial District of…
Read More

Comment

Welch to seek second term as DA
 

Welch to seek second term as DA

First-term District Attorney Ashley Welch recently announced her candidacy for re-election at the GEM Country Republican Women’s Club meeting in…
Read More

Comment

Reroute planned for Blackrock Trail
 

Reroute planned for Blackrock Trail

The infamously steep trail leading up to Blackrock from Pinnacle Park will soon find itself with a gentler incline following…
Read More

Comment

Brewery trademark dispute dismissed
 

Brewery trademark dispute dismissed

The ongoing and exhaustive trademark dispute between Sylva’s Innovation Brewing and Bell’s Brewery is now over.
Read More

Comment

Life in Limbo: Franklin native fighting to have rights restored
 

Life in Limbo: Franklin native fighting to have rights restored

Hannah LeAnn Nix says she’s not the same person she was a few years ago when a judge deemed her…
Read More

Comment

Canton wants to help you sign up for Haywood alerts
 

Canton wants to help you sign up for Haywood alerts

Haywood County’s new emergency alert system startled many Jan. 11 with a “shelter in place” notification just after 6 p.m.,…
Read More

Comment

Canton water leaks irk public
 

Canton water leaks irk public

A series of water line breakages in Canton during a recent period of extreme cold provoked unusually lengthy complaints from…
Read More

Comment

Brunch Bill finally passes in Maggie Valley
 

Brunch Bill finally passes in Maggie Valley

It was déjà vu all over again in Maggie Valley, where the Board of Aldermen once again passed the controversial…
Read More

Comment

Eye of the beholder: Outdoor photographer shares love of the craft
 

Eye of the beholder: Outdoor photographer shares love of the craft

Catch him if you can. For the last few years, Steve Yocom has made quite a name for himself as…
Read More

Comment

This must be the place: ‘You know I’m such a fool for you’
 

This must be the place: ‘You know I’m such a fool for you’

They said it happens. When I was younger, and very much so in conversation nowadays, it was always said that…
Read More

Comment

Grant awarded to Women’s History Trail
 

Grant awarded to Women’s History Trail

The Women’s History Trail (WHT), a project of Folk Heritage Association of Macon County, has received a $740 grant from…
Read More

Comment

Duke Energy rate hike request to hurt working families
 

Duke Energy rate hike request to hurt working families

Working families in Western North Carolina know that when you earn less money, you tend to use less electricity to…
Read More

Comment

I support our state’s treasures
 

I support our state’s treasures

To the Editor: In light of Mr. Holliday’s letter to the editor on Jan. 3, I’d like to take this…
Read More

Comment

A rising tide floats all boats
 

A rising tide floats all boats

To the Editor: The column written by Martin Dyckman in the Jan. 3 issue of The Smoky Mountain News attacking…
Read More

Comment

A $4 million thank you
 

A $4 million thank you

To the Editor: As a member of the Swain County community, I believe there is a long overdue amount of…
Read More

Comment

Implore leaders to protect environment
 

Implore leaders to protect environment

To the Editor: I recently read Boyd Holliday’s letter to the editor about the environmental damage our senators are doing…
Read More

Comment

The future for this region is bright
 

The future for this region is bright

In last week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News we published articles about positive political and economic signs in two…
Read More

Comment

I’m just that kind of fan
 

I’m just that kind of fan

From the time I was about 10 years old, I have been a rabid sports fan. In the beginning, I…
Read More

Comment

CMC recognized for Parkway service
 

CMC recognized for Parkway service

The Carolina Mountain Club was awarded the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 2017 Enduring Service Award, recognizing the efforts of the club’s…
Read More

Comment

2017 ends with slim wildfire count
 

2017 ends with slim wildfire count

In sharp contrast to the blazing wildfire season of fall 2016, December 2017 drew to a close with only one…
Read More

Comment

Waynesville Rec sets attendance record
 

Waynesville Rec sets attendance record

The Waynesville Recreation Center logged a record attendance for the second year running, with 180,611 visits in 2017.
Read More

Comment

The devil is all over this dark tale
 

The devil is all over this dark tale

Since Luke Bauserman is a folklorist, it is safe to say that many of his characters already exist; some have…
Read More

Comment

Deep freeze: Frozen waterfalls offer rare winter spectacle
 

Deep freeze: Frozen waterfalls offer rare winter spectacle

It was cold, but I was prepared. Leggings and Underarmour, sweatpants and sweatshirt, parka and hiking pants, an array of…
Read More

Comment

Cat museum needs donations to stay open
 

Cat museum needs donations to stay open

The American Museum of the House Cat needs donations to continue operating.
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.