Three women arrested for child abduction
 

Three women arrested for child abduction

The Waynesville Police Department responded to the report of a child abduction from Frazier Street Thursday afternoon.
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Civil War monuments don’t stand a chance
 

Civil War monuments don’t stand a chance

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” — Nobel prize winning author William Faulkner This oft-trotted out line from…
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Eclipse reveals glimmer of unity, and it feels good
 

Eclipse reveals glimmer of unity, and it feels good

I can admit now that by the time the day of the eclipse finally arrived, I was so tired of…
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Christians will not be silenced
 

Christians will not be silenced

To the Editor: In response to Editor Scott McLeod’s column about public prayers (www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/20540), secular society would like nothing better…
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Get insurance out of health care
 

Get insurance out of health care

To the Editor: Can we please stop referring to access to health care insurance as “access to health care” and…
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Don’t let mobs distort history
 

Don’t let mobs distort history

To the Editor: How many times have we heard or said “history repeats itself?” I’d say often regarding everything from…
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Robert E. Lee deserves respect
 

Robert E. Lee deserves respect

To the Editor: There was a man who was born at Stratford Hall, Virginia, and his boyhood home was in…
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There’s somethin’ happenin’ here
 

There’s somethin’ happenin’ here

To the Editor: Donald Trump has vowed to build a wall between the U.S.A. and Mexico. He even claims that…
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Time to enjoy the bounty of your flower garden
 

Time to enjoy the bounty of your flower garden

[Before moving on to the primary subject of this column (yard gardens), I’d like to share some impressions with you…
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Protecting mountain gold: Balsam uses dye to thwart ginseng poachers
 

Protecting mountain gold: Balsam uses dye to thwart ginseng poachers

Brian McMahan and Johnny Nicholson can both remember boyhood days spent in the mountains, hunting the elusive ginseng plant. Coveted…
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Fontana algal bloom keeps growing
 

Fontana algal bloom keeps growing

A potentially harmful algal bloom continues to grow in parts of Fontana Lake, and state officials are warning people to…
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Conservation easement created in Weaverville
 

Conservation easement created in Weaverville

A 310-acre conservation easement has been established at the watershed feeding the Town of Weaverville in Buncombe County, protecting the…
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New trail established at Grandfather Mountain
 

New trail established at Grandfather Mountain

There is now a new way to access the Profile Trail at Grandfather Mountain State Park in Avery County following…
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Record-breaking hiker embarks on the MST — with kids in tow
 

Record-breaking hiker embarks on the MST — with kids in tow

Having already claimed the record for the fastest thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, Jennifer Pharr Davis, of Asheville, is now…
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None too likeable characters, but a good story
 

None too likeable characters, but a good story

Alcohol, alcoholism, and alcoholics appear frequently in literature. Shakespeare’s Falstaff is a son of Bacchus. Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder and…
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Play by your own rules
 

Play by your own rules

An iconic mandolin and fiddle player, Sam Bush has rewritten the game of bluegrass, especially when it comes to live…
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Balsam Range turns 10 atop IBMA nominations
 

Balsam Range turns 10 atop IBMA nominations

Leading this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association awards with eight nominations, Haywood County group Balsam Range is atop the mountain…
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Chatham County Line
 

Chatham County Line

Formed in Raleigh in 1999, Chatham County Line has emerged as one of those unique branches of tone and approach…
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Canton Labor Day: Ricky Skaggs
 

Canton Labor Day: Ricky Skaggs

Throughout the 1980s, Ricky Skaggs was the toast of country music. Twelve #1 hits, eight CMA and ACM awards, a…
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The ‘Canton Comeback’
 

The ‘Canton Comeback’

When the Town of Canton relaunched its Labor Day Festival a couple years ago, it was in a crucial move…
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This must be the place: ‘Tired, but wiser for the time’
 

This must be the place: ‘Tired, but wiser for the time’

The trifecta. By this past Monday morning, I was running on fumes heading back to my humble abode in downtown…
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A monumental issue
 

A monumental issue

Lost in the ugliness of the recent Charlottesville violence is the fact that the demonstration was originally centered around the…
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Governments across the nation consider removing Confederate monuments
 

Governments across the nation consider removing Confederate monuments

The demonstrations in Charlottesville are already shaping up to be a watershed moment in American history; consequently, local governments across…
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Eighty-six seconds of sunlessness: Eclipse viewers throng to Clingmans Dome
 

Eighty-six seconds of sunlessness: Eclipse viewers throng to Clingmans Dome

Expectation reigned at Clingmans Dome the morning of Aug. 21 as buses rolled in carrying the 1,325 people lucky enough…
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Solar eclipse: A day with two sunrises
 

Solar eclipse: A day with two sunrises

Packing to watch the sun disappear felt like packing for work, camping and an emergency evacuation all at once.
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Solar eclipse: ‘Just wait a while, for the right day’
 

Solar eclipse: ‘Just wait a while, for the right day’

Covered in sweat, I could feel the slight trickle of ice water dripping down my leg.
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Solar eclipse: Game of chance
 

Solar eclipse: Game of chance

It was like watching the slowest sporting event ever. Spectators with their eyes toward the sky shouted in excitement and…
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Solar eclipse: We shall go on playing
 

Solar eclipse: We shall go on playing

Strange days, as Doors front man Jim Morrison famously sang, have found us.
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Tribal Council candidates speak: General Election is two weeks away
 

Tribal Council candidates speak: General Election is two weeks away

The 2017 General Election will choose the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ next slate of Tribal Council representatives following Election…
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CEO answers concerns about Mission/BCBS contract
 

CEO answers concerns about Mission/BCBS contract

Mission Health Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ron Paulus took to social media last week to answer questions from patients regarding…
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Mission rolls out transition plan for BCBS patients
 

Mission rolls out transition plan for BCBS patients

Mission Health’s contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina will expire Oct. 5, leaving thousands of patients to find…
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Jackson debates health department construction
 

Jackson debates health department construction

When the Jackson County Commiss-ioners met to discuss construction needs in the health department Aug. 8, the goal for the…
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Transportation plan for Jackson nears completion
 

Transportation plan for Jackson nears completion

After more than two years of meetings and mapping and analysis, the comprehensive transportation plan intended to guide Jackson County…
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Teen walks out of Smokies after 11 days missing
 

Teen walks out of Smokies after 11 days missing

After 11 days missing in the remote backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Chilhowee Lake, 18-year-old Austin…
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DSO returns to WNC
 

DSO returns to WNC

In their 20 years together, the members of Dark Star Orchestra have equaled — if not surpassed — the number…
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Comin’ Home: Former Black Crowes start anew with Magpie Salute
 

Comin’ Home: Former Black Crowes start anew with Magpie Salute

With the demise of The Black Crowes in 2015, Rich Robinson was in search of new digs.
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Roller coaster in the sky: Solar eclipses inspire awe and enchantment for WCU professor
 

Roller coaster in the sky: Solar eclipses inspire awe and enchantment for WCU professor

Enrique Gomez was 16 years old the first time he experienced the shadow of the moon. Gomez, now an associate…
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Monarchs get a home at Shelton House
 

Monarchs get a home at Shelton House

The gardens at the Historic Shelton House in Waynesville are now attracting monarch butterflies, thanks to the efforts of the…
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Pisgah students go big at Resource Conservation Workshop
 

Pisgah students go big at Resource Conservation Workshop

Two Pisgah High School students will end their summer in possession of newfound natural resources-related knowledge following the Resource Conservation…
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WNC gets new Wildlife Commission members
 

WNC gets new Wildlife Commission members

Western North Carolina will have two representatives on the 19-member N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission following a round of appointments by…
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Sunday hunting laws loosen
 

Sunday hunting laws loosen

A new state law will expand hunters’ ability to pursue their sport on Sundays.
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New Smokies science program to target schools
 

New Smokies science program to target schools

A new science education program will soon launch in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park thanks to a $1 million…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Beach bump
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Beach bump

Friends and followers of “The Naturalist’s Corner” know I’m keeping a year-list of birds I see/hear this year. As I…
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Book delves into our lingering racial problems
 

Book delves into our lingering racial problems

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war…
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Mission is merely seeking its fair share
 

Mission is merely seeking its fair share

Responding to Jeanne Dupois Editorial: We read with great interest the editorial from Jeanne Dupois regarding the many challenges that…
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Honor the dead, not the cause
 

Honor the dead, not the cause

To the Editor: In a recent spate of Confederacy hype, much has been racist and much has been misleading. However,…
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Government prayer has limitations
 

Government prayer has limitations

To the Editor: I appreciate and agree with your well-expressed thoughts on government meetings and prayer. Thank you for taking…
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In the words of Belushi, ‘I hate Illinois Nazis’
 

In the words of Belushi, ‘I hate Illinois Nazis’

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”…
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Cutting the apron strings
 

Cutting the apron strings

I’m entering a new phase of motherhood. Since becoming a mom in 2009, one or both of my boys have…
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WNC welcomes ‘The Great American Solar Eclipse’
 

WNC welcomes ‘The Great American Solar Eclipse’

On Monday, Aug. 21, Western North Carolina residents and visitors will have the chance to see a rare total solar eclipse.…
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