Canton mayor confirms buyer has submitted letter of intent to purchase Canton mill

While there are still many uncertainties surrounding the ultimate fate of Pactiv Evergreen’s now-shuttered mill site in Canton, the situation…
Read More

Comment

 

Community Action conference comes to WNC: The annual conference paid special homage to several regional leaders

True freedom isn’t attainable without economic freedom. This was the central theme of the 2024 North Carolina Community Action Association’s…
Read More

Comment

 

Western Dems sense an opportunity on abortion

It’s been just over two years since a leaked draft opinion suggested the U.S. Supreme Court would vote to overturn…
Read More

Comment

 

EBCI inches toward adult marijuana use

Adults may soon be able to purchase marijuana for recreational use from Cherokee’s new dispensary.  At a work session last…
Read More

Comment

 

Trans person filmed in WCU bathroom

In its final week of classes, Western Carolina University became the subject of a video that went viral on social…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson, Swain refuse proposed FRL agreement changes

Neither Jackson County nor Swain County commissions have agreed to approve the changes Macon County proposed to the Fontana Regional…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU Call Me MiSTER program graduates its first cohort

When Andrue Smith walks across the stage this spring after earning his bachelor’s degree in middle grades education and history,…
Read More

Comment

 

Sylva budgets for future uncertainty

The Town of Sylva will not see a tax increase for the coming budget cycle, but with work looming on…
Read More

Comment

 

WOW to host country karaoke fundraiser

Women of Waynesville will host a “Queens of Country” themed karaoke party starting at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24, at…
Read More

Comment

 

U.S. Attorney’s office announces action against Money Mules

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of North Carolina announced the completion of the Money Mule Initiative, an…
Read More

Comment

 

Discounted preorder for Gary Carden’s memoir now available

Legendary Western North Carolina storyteller Gary Carden is at it again, this time, with a new memoir due out from…
Read More

Comment

 

Shannon Swimmer named director of WCU Cherokee Center

Shannon Swimmer received a master’s degree in human resource management from Western Carolina University in 2007. After several years working…
Read More

Comment

 

Smoky Mountain Host celebrates 36 years

The Smoky Mountain Host held its annual meeting on May 1 at Harrah’s Conference Ballroom, bringing together businesses from across the seven…
Read More

Comment

 

Canton leaders make ‘big stink’ over big stink

Festering frustration with nearly every aspect of Pactiv Evergreen’s actions taken in closing its Canton paper mill a year ago…
Read More

Comment

 

Bringing in the feds: EPA agreement mandates elements of Canton mill cleanup

Pactiv Evergreen, owner of the shuttered papermill in Canton, has been working to clean up two separate seeps leaking toxic…
Read More

Comment

 

Paying the price: Pactiv passed up millions in revenue to close Canton paper mill

Amid ongoing restructuring, Pactiv Evergreen presented its first quarter earnings report on May 2, missing earnings targets and revealing flagging…
Read More

Comment

 

Catamount School will move to WCU campus

The Catamount School, a laboratory school operating on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School, will relocate to the campus…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU nursing school receives grant: $2.1 million will launch 'Conway Scholars' initiative

The Western Carolina University School of Nursing in Cullowhee is the recipient of a $2 million contribution from the Bedford…
Read More

Comment

 

With Superior Court seat filled, steps taken to address District Court vacancy

There have been a lot of questions regarding the future of Western North Carolina’s judges over the last year or…
Read More

Comment

 

No tax increase proposed in Haywood budget

With jail expansion debt payments coming on the books and lingering questions about one of the county’s biggest taxpayers, Haywood…
Read More

Comment

 

HCC construction technology students support the Waynesville Housing Authority

Haywood Community College Construction Technology students recently helped the Waynesville Housing Authority add much-needed storage behind several homes in the…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood County Schools to bring back middle school academy

The Academy, an alternative service for middle grades students, will return to Haywood County Schools in the coming year as…
Read More

Comment

 

Cherokee man sentenced for assaults, firearms offense

Martin Medina, 32, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been sentenced to 14 years in…
Read More

Comment

 

Canton sex offender sentenced to 31 years

The U.S. Attorney for Western North Carolina’s office announced that a Canton man, Michael Worley, 51, has been sentenced to…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon County to receive expanded high-speed internet

Efforts are continuing to bring high-speed internet access to communities across North Carolina. 
Read More

Comment

 

Georgia meth trafficker sentenced to over 15 years in prison

Larry Edward Wood, 62, of Mount Airy, Georgia, was sentenced to 188 months in prison late last week for trafficking…
Read More

Comment

 

Balancing act: Robinson, Stein offer competing visions of the future in North Carolina

They couldn’t be more different. But it’s not about race, religion or party affiliation.  Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat,…
Read More

Comment

 

Highway marker, exhibit to honor victims of incarcerated labor

Two projects will come to fruition this month that honor the lives of those who were victims of incarcerated labor…
Read More

Comment

 

Sylva extends term limits on local boards

Sylva Town Council voted last week to extend term limits on local boards, allowing for the renewal of veteran members…
Read More

Comment

 

WNC gets new public defender office

Western North Carolina courts were saddled with a sizable backlog of cases following the shutdowns related to the COVID pandemic,…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon still waiting on NCHSAA decision

Macon County Schools may have to wait until the end of the summer for a decision on the athletic division…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson County man sentenced on drug and gun charges

U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced John Allen Wise, 45, of Cashiers, to 121 months in prison followed by five…
Read More

Comment

 

Busted: WNC Rep. Chuck Edwards sanctioned for abusing communications standards

Western North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) has been unanimously sanctioned by the bipartisan House Communications Standards Commission for violating…
Read More

Comment

 

NC launches Haywood Homeownership Assistance Program

UPDATED April 29: NCORR has received over the program budget in interested applicants for the Homeowners Assistance Program. NCORR is pausing…
Read More

Comment

 

Women of Waynesville host open house

Women of Waynesville, a nonprofit organization that supports the needs of women and children in Haywood County, is inviting all…
Read More

Comment

 

Slow burn: NC 107 work marches on

The towns of Sylva, Webster, Cullowhee and Cashiers are all connected by five lanes of chaos, better known as N.C.…
Read More

Comment

 

Mounting capital needs put tax increase on the table in Waynesville

Waynesville’s town government has kept taxes as low as possible for as long as possible, but is quickly finding truth…
Read More

Comment

 

No revote on Pride parade, listening session scheduled

After the Sylva Town Council denied Sylva Pride’s road closure application for the annual Pride Parade, the community organization has…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood realtors lend a helping hand

While many real estate agents spent last Friday morning the usual way — listing homes for sellers, finding homes for…
Read More

Comment

 

‘Carousel of the Arts': Macon residents urge funding for arts

Emergency federal funding provided quick relief to school systems burdened by costs incurred during the COVID-19 Pandemic. For Macon County…
Read More

Comment

 

Republican runoff elections nearing

The Primary Election season isn’t quite over in North Carolina, as several races didn’t meet the 30% vote threshold to…
Read More

Comment

 

Waynesville planning board to study short-term rental regulations

Seeking to balance the economic benefits of short-term vacation rentals with the negative effects they have on housing affordability in…
Read More

Comment

 

Smokies' first dispensary to open: Cherokee's long-awaited marijuana venture to finally generate some green

The path to cannabis legalization on the Qualla Boundary has been riddled with roadblocks, some of which the Eastern Band…
Read More

Comment

 

Local leader to serve as Haywood Chamber of Commerce President

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce announced the appointment of David Francis as its new president.
Read More

Comment

 

Welcome to Summer Camp: Rescue program provides a lifeline for four-legged friends during hardship

Summer camp. Memories of the great outdoors, new friends, fun adventures. But around Misfit Mountain in Haywood County, the rescue’s Summer…
Read More

Comment

 

‘We will march’: Sylva community members support Pride Parade

On Thursday night, Sylva community members marched to the town council meeting to show their disappointment in a recent vote…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU Faculty, students collaborate on Health Equity Data Consortium

Although it has been four years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the effects are still being felt around the world,…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon County will not sell Pine Grove School

After extensive input from Macon residents who wanted to see the old Pine Grove School remain available for community use,…
Read More

Comment

 

Smoky Mountain Robotics Team makes an award-winning impact

The Smoky Mountain Academic Robotics Team (SMART) brought home the Impact Award at the Mecklenburg District FIRST (For Inspiration and…
Read More

Comment

 

Lake Junaluska to host National Day of Prayer

A National Day of Prayer service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 2, at the outdoor amphitheater below…
Read More

Comment

Page 1 of 3
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.