Sylva teacher wins statewide teaching award
Deanne Oppermann, a chemistry instructor at Southwestern Community College in Sylva, is the recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Excellence in…
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Haywood Public Transit on the move
Haywood Public Transit will hold a ribbon cutting for a new transit shelter at 1 p.m. Feb. 12, in Clyde.…
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The public weighs in Jackson residents speak out on proposed development regulations
A procession of impassioned speakers pleaded with Jackson County commissioners to slow the rapid pace of development on mountainsides during…
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Audit finds vacation rentals dodging the lodging tax
A company hired by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has found a dozen businesses that have been evading a…
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Can the digital age save the Cherokee language? The halls of Facebook, Google and texting
Susan Gathers was kicked back in the student union one afternoon, her thumbs poised over her smart phone, simultaneously bantering…
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Descendents rekindle Civil War tale of sheriff shot 150 years ago
The death of Haywood County Sheriff John Phillip Noland — a murder story set against the backdrop of the American Civil…
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Time to fish or cut bait in Canton swimming pool dilemma
The decrepit state of Canton’s aging outdoor swimming pool has left town leaders with two options — bulldoze it and build…
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Macon leaders ponder new method for parceling up commissioner voting districts
Macon County commissioners are analyzing the geographic system of electing county leaders after two commissioners from outlying communities questioned whether…
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Upcoming improvement projects on I-40
Tunnel projects to delay work on I-40 The N.C. Department of Transportation will perform work on three tunnels in the…
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Medical foundation appoints new chairman
The Haywood Regional Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees recently appointed Laura Leatherwood as the new chairman of the board.…
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Hope on the horizon: Hung up by park service, Swain’s cash settlement has been in limbo
A long overdue $4 million payment may finally make its way to Swain County after languishing for the past year…
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The biggest little show in Haywood
Editor’s Note: Given the national debate over gun legislation and controversy swirling around gun shows in particular, The Smoky Mountain…
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Wait for it…a tourism tagline coming soon for Jackson County
The newly formed Jackson County Tourism Development Authority is taking on the task of “branding,” an important first step for…
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Smokies landslide could deal crushing blow to tourism if road repairs drag on
A rain-induced landslide in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park left a gaping hole in U.S. 441, but its impact…
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Macon ponders raises and salary realignments for county workers
Proposed pay raises for county workers in Macon has prompted skepticism from at least two of the five county commissioners,…
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Lake Junaluska winnows options as merger window narrows
Lake Junaluskans got their first glimpse this weekend at what it would take for the community to become its own…
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Is Cashiers ABC store a sure bet? Sylva weighs whether to cast its lot with county’s new liquor store endeavors
As Jackson County officials craft plans to open a liquor store in Cashiers, possibly as soon this summer, they must…
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County likely to take over reins of new Jackson economic commission
Although Jackson County’s Economic Development Commission has not met in several years, all its board members’ terms have expired and…
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Haywood TDA introduces site tailored to lodging owners
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has launched a new website with information specifically for lodging owners.
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Muddy waters: WNC feels the blues following unrelenting rainstorms
A four-day stretch of heavy rains fell on Western North Carolina, leaving residents wondering if it would ever end. Some…
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Theories swirl around perplexing mountain lights
Ghosts, spirits, swamp gas, gnomes and car headlights — there’s no shortage of hyphotheses behind the mysterious phenomenon along the…
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WCU casts wide net to reel back freshmen dropouts
With more than 15,000 applications for just 1,500 freshman spots last year, Western Carolina University has no difficulty attracting students.…
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Jackson commissioners hold final say on looser steep slope rules
A rewrite of Jackson County’s development regulations are well underway by the Jackson County Planning Board. It will be several…
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New concert venue in the making for Maggie Valley
Carolina Nights, a closed-down dinner theater in Maggie Valley, could make a comeback as an entertainment venue under new owners.…
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Contenders line up to be next Haywood Sheriff
Three men, all with impressive law enforcement backgrounds, are vying to be Haywood County’s next sheriff. The current Sheriff, Bobby…
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Farewell, Mayor Phyllis Waynesville’s longtime town clerk retires
The longest-serving town clerk in Waynesville’s written history will retire next week, taking with her a vast store of institutional…
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Steep slope rules on the rocks? Jackson planning board seeks middle ground in ordinance rewrite
Jackson County’s planning board is knee-deep in a page-by-page rewrite of the county’s steep slope rules — a controversial process…
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Cherokee brings more health care in-house with new hospital
When pediatricians at Cherokee Indian Hospital retreat to their desk between patients to log data, research puzzling symptoms or review…
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Swain lands state grant for riverside pocket park in Bryson
Plans for a riverfront park behind the historic courthouse in Bryson City got a boost thanks to $150,000 from the…
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Tribe keeps tap flowing for Sequoyah a while longer
“If at first you don’t succeed, simply make your case again” is the lesson the executives at the tribally owned…
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PETA protests bear zoos in Cherokee on heels of undercover video
Despite being warned not to return to Cherokee without tribal permission, animal rights activists gathered once again last Saturday in…
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Canton’s fight to keep Camp Hope takes a new turn
Canton leaders are pondering how much time and money to invest in an abandoned summer camp and mountain property left…
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Schools weigh cost of increased safety
Officer Michael Harrison has confiscated everything from buck knives and Airsoft pistols from students at Swain High — but never…
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Veteran apartment proposed in Canton
An empty eyesore in Canton’s downtown could get a new lease on life. The former Jackson’s Appliance store, at the…
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Headwaters now BearWaters after trademark tangle
Beer had been flowing from the taps of Headwaters Brewing Company in Waynesville for just a few months when the…
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DSS says faith-based aid groups help fill in gaps
As government aid shrinks and church groups step up to fill the void, the thin and sometimes fuzzy line between…
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Cherokee breaks new ground with fines for domestic violence
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is hitting domestic violence abusers in their pocketbooks. People convicted of domestic violence-related charges…
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WCU settles wrongful death suit with football player’s family
Western Carolina University has agreed to a $600,000 out-of-court settlment in a civil suit brought by the family of Ja’Quayvin…
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Help-wanted: new top lawman for Haywood County
Those vying to be the next sheriff of Haywood County have until 2 p.m. Jan. 17 to get their applications…
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Haywood welcomes off-site veterans’ health services
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will establish a local field office in Haywood County where veterans who are new…
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Changing the rules: Jackson re-writing development standards amid new economic realities
By Becky Johnson & Andrew Kasper • Staff Writers For two years now, Jackson County’s planning board has systematically combed…
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Canton to bid farewell to long-time town anchor
Canton Town Manager Al Matthews has announced his impending retirement, and while his last day won’t be for months yet,…
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Sweepstakes parlor closings leave some winners, some losers
Carol Anthony sat at in the back corner of a sweepstakes parlor in Maggie Valley one afternoon last week, getting…
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Meadows finds that homework is the first lesson for new Congressman
Give a U.S. congressman a cookie, and he can eat it. But offer him some free pancakes, and he’ll have…
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Timeline for Waynesville, Lake Junaluska merger picks up speed
Lake Junaluska and the town of Waynesville are pressing ahead with the possibility of a merger. The two entities have…
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2012: The year in review
The Smoky Mountain News takes note this week of some of the newsmakers of 2012 by handing out our annual…
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Two WNC National Guard units put on alert for possible deployment
The National Guard 210th and 211th Military Police Companies from Western North Carolina were recently placed “on alert.”
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Soccer league seeking a leg up in Swain
Swain County suffers from a serious lack of soccer fields, a plight soccer enthusiasts there hope to do something about.
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News from the conservation front
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust conserves five parcels in 2012 With the help of community members and donors, the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust…
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Soaking up the sounds of Sylva on a silent walking tour
Most people have heard of a sightseeing tour, perhaps a wine or beer tasting tour, and maybe even the all-encompassing…
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