Archived (28944)
Children categories
Buckle up: N.C. may no longer require driver education
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern Young drivers in North Carolina may no longer be required to take driver education to…
Read More
Some alcohol permits could now be allowed in Cherokee
In Cherokee, alcohol could soon be available in more places than just Harrah’s Cherokee Casino following Gov. Pat McCrory’s signature…
Read More
Franklin outdoors camp helps military kids heal from loss
It was an intense few days for Virginia Beach, Virginia, resident Seth. Eight miles of hiking, 4.5 of those bushwhacking,…
Read More
Jail suicide investigation on D.A.’s desk
An investigative report looking into the March suicide of Steve Ross, who at the time was incarcerated at the Jackson…
Read More
Call me maybe: Catchy case of indecision circulating among Waynesville candidates
There’s a unifying theme among candidates in the Waynesville town board election: “maybe-ism.”
Read More
Relationship — and innocence — lost, just like that
Many years ago, in a time and a place that seems so far away to me now, I courted a…
Read More
Symbols matter, and so does removing them
Complicated. Ignorant. Entrenched. It’s easy to come up with words to describe the state of race relations in this country…
Read More
Color on high
I occasionally see The Smoky Mountain News’ Garret K. Woodward’s Facebook posts about hitting the trails around WNC for a…
Read More
Get the scoop on native plants
Registration is now open for the 2015 Cullowhee Native Plant Conference at Western Carolina University, a four-day event featuring more…
Read More
Canton riverbank gets a makeover
A much-used riverbank in the Canton Recreation Park is now a lot more stable, thanks to a protection project recently…
Read More
Become a Junior Ranger
A lineup of summer programs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give young park-lovers the chance to earn…
Read More
Queen honored for environmental advocacy
The N.C. League of Conservation Voters named Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, as its 2015 Representative of the Year in…
Read More
Cause of hiker’s death still unknown
The National Park Service is still waiting on the results of an autopsy looking into the cause of hiker Jenny…
Read More
Here for the long haul: New Smokies superintendent settles into park leadership
Asked what a typical day for the head guy at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park looks like, new Smokies…
Read More
Bronte sisters part and parcel of the magic of Haworth
Haworth, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It’s 4:30 in the morning, Sunday June 18, and I stood a few moments…
Read More
Dulcimer U returns to WCU
Registration is ongoing for Western Carolina University’s 16th annual Dulcimer U Summer Week, a gathering that brings mountain dulcimer virtuosos…
Read More
Medieval, Renaissance recital at WCU
The faculty of the Mountain Collegium Music Workshop will perform a recital of medieval, renaissance, baroque and contemporary music on…
Read More
Cherokee Pow Wow turns 40
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 40th annual Pow Wow will be held July 3-5 at the Acquoni Expo Center.
Read More
Fourth of July in Southern Appalachia
Nothing says summer more than the 4th of July, and in Western North Carolina, we celebrate Independence Day with gusto.…
Read More
Eaglenest to host grand reopening
A state-of-the-art entertainment facility, Eaglenest will have its grand reopening at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, in Maggie Valley.
Read More
Alabama brings hit country to Harrah’s
Country superstars Alabama will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.
Read More
Nantahala Brewing pours ‘Week of Rock’
The “Week of Rock” celebration will run at 8 p.m. June 26-July 4 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City.
Read More
This must be the place
I fixed my hair in the rearview mirror and exited the truck. Heading up the steps, I was already five…
Read More
The Art of Preservation: Stecoah Valley Center bridges past, present
Heading down N.C. 28, between Bryson City and Robbinsville, is a flat stretch of highway, unusual to the continuous curves…
Read More
U.S. Mint to launch Blue Ridge Parkway quarter
Join officials from the United States Mint and the National Park Service for the launch of the quarter honoring Blue…
Read More
The golden children: Bolivian orphanage fosters international bond with Western North Carolina
It’s 6:30 in the morning when 24 hours of travel ends with the plane’s landing in Bolivia, but even through…
Read More
Building a home: A timeline of Kory Wawanaca
2003 Carrie Blackburn Brown, who eventually founded Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home, graduated from Appalachian State University with degrees in dance…
Read More
The joy of cooking
That last full day in Tacachia, I didn’t have energy for much besides sinking into my wooden chair while waiting…
Read More
Hearing demands answers about bear poaching sting
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern
A recurring theme emerged in a congressional oversight hearing last week aimed at shedding light on the questionable tactics and motives of wildlife agencies behind the now-infamous undercover poaching sting known as Operation Something Bruin: where is the line between personal freedoms and governmental oversight?
Congressional hearing puts spotlight on Operation Something Bruin
More than 100 hunters and their supporters packed the historic Haywood County courthouse last week for the latest installment in the ongoing saga over Operation Something Bruin.
Roller derby a big hit in the mountains
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern No hitting, punching, elbowing or tripping people — and definitely no biting or yelling at…
Read More
Rep. Meadows ousted from chairmanship
U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, recently paid the political price for not toeing his party line.
Read More
Cashiers cell tower application pulled
A week after a contentious planning board meeting discussing the merits of a proposed new cell tower in Cashiers, the…
Read More
Jackson approves audit contract for code enforcement office
Questions about how well the Jackson County Permitting and Code Enforcement Department has been executing its responsibilities prompted commissioners to…
Read More
Schools feeding more students for free
Free lunch is becoming a more common phenomenon around Western North Carolina as school systems start adopting a new federal…
Read More
Maggie Valley welcomes new restaurant
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern When his restaurant doors are open, Chris Chagnon keeps busy, playing the role of owner,…
Read More
Candidates call for a Canton comeback
After two years of getting a feel for Canton politics, two Canton aldermen hope to continue their work for another…
Read More
Maggie mayor may have competitor in election
The political dynamics in Maggie Valley have definitely changed in the last two years.
Read More
Legislature weakens voter ID requirement
In an unexpected turn of events, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation last Thursday that will allow people to…
Read More
Wrong bear killed by rangers following Smokies attack
A bear euthanized following an attack against a backpacker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was not the right…
Read More
Shining Rock charter announces change in location for coming school year
A new charter school slated to open in Haywood in August has been scrambling the past few weeks to find…
Read More
Trumpet vine is tenacious and beautiful
It’s mid-June again … the time of the year when certain plants can be relied upon to do their thing…
Read More
Unveiling Horace Kephart
A pair of programs about Horace Kephart, an adopted son of the Smokies who captured the culture of mountaineers in…
Read More
Swain gets second farmers market day
The Swain County Farmers Market is branching out, this week launching a second market day 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays…
Read More
Annual bike ride to remember the Trail of Tears underway
Seven Cherokee cyclists from North Carolina are in the midst of a 950-mile bike ride to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, an annual…
Read More
Live snakes to take the stage at Jackson library
A program featuring scaly reptiles as the stars will return to the Jackson County Public Library at 11 a.m. and…
Read More
Bird-banders wanted
Volunteers are needed for a summer monitoring project involving up-close contact with birds.
Read More
Festival to highlight historical women’s roles
The Women’s Work Festival in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give a glimpse into the historical roles rural…
Read More
Path to the past: Friends of the Smokies hike explores park history and natural beauty
There was no doubt about how the Smoky Mountains got their name as day dawned on the Friends of the…
Read More
Stratford-on-Avon: in search of ‘The Bard’
It is mid-June in England, and the skies are a brilliant blue. Sunshine spills on the street and the clipped…
Read More
