Three seats are up for election on the Sylva Town Council this election cycle. Hannah McLeod photo
 

Three seats up for Sylva Town Council

Three seats are up for election this November on the Sylva Town Council, and six candidates are competing for those…
Read More

Comment

The town of Clyde (in pink) is relatively small compared to its extra-territorial jurisdiction (grey). Canton’s ETJ looms just to the east. Haywood GIS photo
 

Hemmed in and busting out: The town of Clyde faces challenges alongside opportunity

Things are changing in Haywood County’s smallest incorporated municipality. Although there are only 754 registered voters in Clyde, the town…
Read More

Comment

Principal Chief Michell Hicks presents his request to Tribal Council Oct. 9. EBCI Communications photo
 

Hicks proposes loan to fund cannabis enterprise

In one of the first pieces of legislation of his new term, on Monday, Oct. 9, Principal Chief Michell Hicks…
Read More

Comment

Silver Bluff Village. File photo
 

Documents reveal how Waynesville woman allegedly embezzled $1.6 million

A week after Amy Elizabeth Curry was charged in federal court with wire fraud and money laundering, search warrants reveal how…
Read More

Comment

The new logo uses colors and design elements that represent the unique culture  and homeland of the Cherokee people. Museum of the Cherokee People logo
 

Reclaiming the name: Cherokee museum chooses new name, branding

When Shana Condill  stepped in as Cherokee’s new museum director, she expected questions about the museum’s name — and her…
Read More

Comment

Tickets available for forum with Pulitzer winning author
 

Tickets available for forum with Pulitzer winning author

Macon County residents will not have to travel far to attend Pisgah Legal Services’ 13th Annual Justice Forum. A special…
Read More

Comment

Kathleen “Merritt” Tongen (right) of Waynesville was named by the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina as the Young Agent of the Year. Donated photo
 

Waynesville resident receives statewide award

The Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina has named Waynesville resident Kathleen “Merritt” Tongen of L.N. Davis Insurance Agency in…
Read More

Comment

Medicaid expansion passes
 

Medicaid expansion passes

More than half a million low-income, uninured North Carolinians will gain access to comprehensive health coverage when Medicaid expansion launches…
Read More

Comment

Forever Places crew member John Smith removes rotten rafter tail sections from the Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower. Holly Kays photo
 

Keeping watch: Mt. Cammerer fire tower restoration marks Friends of the Smokies’ 30th birthday

Gary Wade grew up in Pittman Center, Tennessee, just 7 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park trailhead leading…
Read More

Comment

Red wolves have been listed as endangered since 1973. USFWS photo
 

Red wolf recovery plan complete

A final recovery plan for the red wolf, a document from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will guide…
Read More

Comment

Apple snails reach a large size and lay  bright pink egg masses. NCWRC photo
 

Invasive apple snails found in N.C.

A new invasive species has been found in North Carolina.
Read More

Comment

Drought arrives in the mountains
 

Drought arrives in the mountains

Drought has re-entered the western region, with the most recent drought conditions map labeling Transylvania and Henderson counties as experiencing…
Read More

Comment

A family takes it all in during a previous fishing clinic. NPS photo
 

Fish the Smokies

A free youth fishing clinic will coincide with an Old Time Music Jam 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct.…
Read More

Comment

Tie your own flies
 

Tie your own flies

Learn the art of Southern Appalachian fly tying with an eight-week course taught by local expert Tommy Thomas.
Read More

Comment

Winter Lights tickets now on sale
 

Winter Lights tickets now on sale

Tickets are now on sale for Winter Lights, an open-air walk-through light show of more than 1 million lights running…
Read More

Comment

A detachment from Shaw Air Force Base prepares to escort Capt. Fred Hall’s remains to a waiting hearse.  Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

‘We never leave anybody behind:’ Vietnam veteran’s remains returned to Waynesville

For the first time in nearly 55 years, a Waynesville native and Air Force captain who didn’t return from his…
Read More

Comment

Fred Hall is the only MIA listed on the monument outside the old courthouse.
 

Waynesville proclaims 'Fred Hall Week'

Days before the remains of Capt. Fred Hall are to be returned to Waynesville for burial after he went missing…
Read More

Comment

Jackson continues consolidation conversation
 

Jackson continues consolidation conversation

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing over the possible consolidation of the Department of Health and…
Read More

Comment

Jim Avett rolls into Andrews
 

Jim Avett rolls into Andrews

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Jim Avett will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at The Blue Stage in Andrews.
Read More

Comment

Washington won’t fix health care
 

Washington won’t fix health care

North Carolina’s Medicaid program will  expand on December 1  to offer fully subsidized health plans to virtually every legal resident…
Read More

Comment

The perils of an increasingly technocentric society
 

The perils of an increasingly technocentric society

At four o’clock in the morning, I am fumbling around in the dark trying to make some hotel coffee for…
Read More

Comment

Elections bill is partisan power grab
 

Elections bill is partisan power grab

To the Editor: The passage of SB 749 in the North Carolina House of Representatives on Sept. 19, 2023, a…
Read More

Comment

Shift workers leave Pactiv Evergreen's Canton paper mill for the final time. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Assistance available for dislocated workers

A substantial grant from the U.S. Department of Labor has already provided help for more than 50 dislocated workers in Western…
Read More

Comment

Gov. Roy Cooper announces the December launch date for Medicaid expansion  with DHHS Sec. Kody Kinsley on Sept. 25, 2023. NC Health News photo
 

Medicaid expansion for North Carolina will go into effect on Dec. 1

For North Carolina Health News  After being held up for months by the General Assembly’s protracted dispute over a state…
Read More

Comment

Newman, Phillips vie for Mayor of Sylva
 

Newman, Phillips vie for Mayor of Sylva

When Sylva residents go to the polls, they will be choosing a mayor to lead the town through several big…
Read More

Comment

The Webster Town Council has two seats up for election this cycle. Hannah McLeod photo
 

Several towns to have uncontested elections

Franklin, Webster, Bryson City and the Village of Forest Hills all have multiple seats up for election this year on…
Read More

Comment

WCU currently enrolls 11,628 students. Allen Newland/A Shot Above photo
 

State budget delivers wins for WCU

The newly adopted state budget is good news for Western Carolina University, according to Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Mike…
Read More

Comment

Contention over the results of the 2021 municipal election in Lake Santeetlah continues, as another one approaches.  Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Lake Santeetlah voter fraud allegations remain at a standstill

It’s been more than a year since residency challenges were filed against six Democrats who registered to vote at a…
Read More

Comment

Principal Chief Michell Hicks addresses the hundreds of people who attended his inauguration Oct. 2. Holly Kays photo
 

Cherokee inaugurates new leaders

More than 700 people filled the Cherokee High School basketball arena to celebrate the inauguration of new tribal leaders Monday,…
Read More

Comment

Obama-King Park has become a community  gathering place. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Bathrooms finally coming to Obama-King Park

After years of delay, the tiny half-acre park off Pigeon Street in the heart of Waynesville’s Black community should soon…
Read More

Comment

Established in 1908, Canton’s paper mill ceased operations this year. Pactiv Evergreen photo
 

Paper mill logs new violation: Investigation continues into black liquor seep

The now-shuttered paper mill in Canton has received a new violation for exceeding permit limits on toxicity for water released…
Read More

Comment

Tourism is the largest industry and economic driver in Swain County. Allen Newland photo
 

Clampitt ceases effort to legislate Swain TDA changes

New bill includes 2% occupancy tax increase
Read More

Comment

SCC student Kari Putnam of Sylva works with a simulation mannequin in a lab on the college’s Jackson Campus. Donated photo
 

SCC launches Practical Nursing career path

For anyone looking to get into the field of nursing, Southwestern Community College will offer a Practical Nursing program starting…
Read More

Comment

Opposition heard for non-residents on Maggie Valley board
 

Opposition heard for non-residents on Maggie Valley board

A candidate for Maggie Valley alderman who dropped out and resigned her seat on the town’s zoning board when opponents filed…
Read More

Comment

Welcome Capt. Fred Hall home
 

Welcome Capt. Fred Hall home

Missing in action for more than 54 years, Air Force Capt. Frederick Mervyn Hall of Waynesville will return home for…
Read More

Comment

The Campbell Creek and Jonathan Creek watersheds tumble down from the rugged slopes surrounding the Blue Ridge Parkway. Steve Orr photo
 

Protecting the headwaters: Additional 1,250 acres conserved in Maggie watershed

In 2015, not a single acre of conserved land dotted the landscape between the Blue Ridge Parkway surrounding Soco Gap…
Read More

Comment

Black Balsam Knob: Clouds shift over Black Balsam Knob, a popular destination  for hikers in the Pisgah National Forest. Garrett Martin photo
 

Forest plan documentary debuts online

A feature documentary exploring the release of the Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Plan, “The River Runs On,” is now available digitally.
Read More

Comment

State budget funds 25 miles of new trail in Old Fort
 

State budget funds 25 miles of new trail in Old Fort

The recently adopted 2023-2025 state budget includes $2.5 million for trail construction in the Pisgah National Forest surrounding Old Fort.…
Read More

Comment

Fontana Lake wildfire contained in the Smokies
 

Fontana Lake wildfire contained in the Smokies

An island campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed following a wildfire reported around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday,…
Read More

Comment

Outdoor businesses invited to join accelerator program
 

Outdoor businesses invited to join accelerator program

Applications are open through Thursday, Oct. 12, for participants in the fifth cohort of the Waypoint Accelerator, which is the…
Read More

Comment

A measure that could save a child’s life
 

A measure that could save a child’s life

Sylva town commissioners are considering putting a Safe Haven Box in an appropriate place somewhere within their jurisdiction. I for one…
Read More

Comment

The good and the bad of the pickleball explosion
 

The good and the bad of the pickleball explosion

Over the summer, we visited a friend’s lake house in Georgia. There were 17 of us in the group, and…
Read More

Comment

The overlooked importance of education
 

The overlooked importance of education

To the editor: When young men of Ancient Athens reached the age of 17, they took what was known as…
Read More

Comment

Voltaire’s wisdom endures
 

Voltaire’s wisdom endures

To the editor: I read David Parker’s letter in last week’s paper. It made me think of this quote from Voltaire:…
Read More

Comment

The General Assembly delivered a budget, albeit three months late. File photo
 

State budget commits substantial funding to critical needs in WNC

This year’s state budget process may have been one of the most discordant in recent memory, but Western North Carolina’s…
Read More

Comment

Western North Carolina courts will get some of the help they need through the recently passed state budget. File photo
 

WNC courts receive much-needed help

Western North Carolina courts are about to get a leg up, but it isn’t all that everyone hoped for. 
Read More

Comment

Christopher Shields exits Macon County Superior Court after learning  he could face the death penalty. Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com photo
 

District Attorney seeks death penalty in Otto murder case

District Attorney Ashley Welch will seek the death penalty in the odd and heinous murder case of Tina Walkingstick Frizsell. 
Read More

Comment

Qualla Enterprises is headquartered in Cherokee’s former bingo hall. File photo
 

Tribal official solicited favors from cannabis contractor, investigation finds

 Council considers fine, employment ban  The Cherokee Tribal Council is considering taking formal action against a former representative who is…
Read More

Comment

Here’s a look at the master plan for the recreation center and park. Donated photo
 

Master plan adopted for Macon rec park

Macon County Commissioners have adopted a master plan for the county’s recreation center and surrounding park.
Read More

Comment

Jackson considers consolidation: Public hearing set for Oct. 3
 

Jackson considers consolidation: Public hearing set for Oct. 3

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will likely move to consolidate the Department of Health and the Department of Social…
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.