Haywood’s tax collector roller coaster is over
 

Haywood’s tax collector roller coaster is over

The newly elected Haywood County Tax Collector took office Monday, one week later than scheduled after encountering a delay in…
Read More

Comment

Choppy seas? Not a chance: It’s always smooth sailing for Nyda Bittmann-Neville
 

Choppy seas? Not a chance: It’s always smooth sailing for Nyda Bittmann-Neville

Nyda Bittmann-Neville is a powerhouse of business savvy. Grace and poise define her. Professional becomes her. Composed and collected —…
Read More
Tapping into the future: Nicole Dexter of Innovation Brewing
 

Tapping into the future: Nicole Dexter of Innovation Brewing

It’s nearing lunchtime in downtown Sylva. The noonday traffic passes by a small building that houses Innovation Brewing. Inside, Nicole…
Read More
Moonlit magic in Balsam
 

Moonlit magic in Balsam

The first time Merrily Teasley saw the Balsam Mountain Inn was somewhat dreamlike. It was during a full moon hike…
Read More
The disappearing glass ceiling: Women-run entities rise in importance, numbers
 

The disappearing glass ceiling: Women-run entities rise in importance, numbers

Lisa Leatherman wasn’t trying to prove a point when she joined Nantahala Power and Light in 1987, the company’s third-ever…
Read More
Dulcimer Winter Weekend at Junaluska
 

Dulcimer Winter Weekend at Junaluska

Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education will hold its 10th annual Mountain Dulcimer Winter Weekend Jan. 8-11…
Read More

Comment

Strand presents ‘Blue Ridge Christmas’
 

Strand presents ‘Blue Ridge Christmas’

A “Blue Ridge Christmas” with Sheila Kay Adams and Michael Reno Harrell will be at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at…
Read More

Comment

Works by Welch to be displayed
 

Works by Welch to be displayed

Works by painter Jeannie Welch will be displayed throughout December and January in the Meeting Room of the Macon County…
Read More

Comment

WCU appoints new dean of fine and performing arts
 

WCU appoints new dean of fine and performing arts

The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees has endorsed the appointment of George H. Brown, associate dean of the College…
Read More

Comment

Russ brings talents to Sylva
 

Russ brings talents to Sylva

Alma Russ will perform at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. The event…
Read More

Comment

This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It snuck up on me this year. I know that it resides at the end of November. I know it’s…
Read More

Comment

The world through her fingertips
 

The world through her fingertips

Maine is a long way from China. And for Amy Putansu, that distance is a testament to her life, passions and…
Read More

Comment

Jackson schedules mercury meeting in Cashiers
 

Jackson schedules mercury meeting in Cashiers

The Jackson County Department of Public Health has scheduled a public meeting to discuss increased levels of mercury in walleye…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Regional Medical Center hires new CEO
 

Haywood Regional Medical Center hires new CEO

Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) announced today that Phillip L Wright has been named chief executive officer (CEO) for the…
Read More

Comment

Democrats hurting African Americans
 

Democrats hurting African Americans

To the Editor: Kudos to Bruce Gardner whose wise comments appeared in the Nov. 26 Opinion section of The Smoky…
Read More

Comment

Ronald Reagan was an economic powerhouse
 

Ronald Reagan was an economic powerhouse

To the Editor: Even his critics agree that Ronald Regan did great things for the U.S. economy. Just look at…
Read More

Comment

Bigger not better when it comes to health care
 

Bigger not better when it comes to health care

To the Editor: My husband’s recent illness caused me to have several strong reactions regarding medical care at Haywood Regional…
Read More

Comment

Watching grief from across the street
 

Watching grief from across the street

By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Guest Columnist He usually arrives in the late afternoon, always before dinner time, and he doesn’t…
Read More

Comment

Students are searching for a good life
 

Students are searching for a good life

My seniors are writing letters to themselves today, an activity I have students do every year just before the holidays.…
Read More

Comment

The meaningful moments that make memories
 

The meaningful moments that make memories

Moments, mostly the ones unplanned, are the stuff of important and lasting life memories.  We had a great Thanksgiving day…
Read More

Comment

Stop and smell the … ferns
 

Stop and smell the … ferns

One of my favorite times to observe ferns is in winter when they stand out in the brown leaf-litter. Of…
Read More

Comment

Biological station serves as homebase for environmental research
 

Biological station serves as homebase for environmental research

College student interns at the Highlands Biological Station have been working since August on a broad range of research projects,…
Read More

Comment

Smokies considers ban on firewood
 

Smokies considers ban on firewood

A program on dangerous and destructive forest pests that hitchhike on firewood brought in from outside the region will be…
Read More

Comment

New Mountain-to-Sea Trail section now open at Waterrock Knob
 

New Mountain-to-Sea Trail section now open at Waterrock Knob

A new section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is now complete, a 2.2-mile section that roughly parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway…
Read More

Comment

Webster resident donates quilt to the Smokies
 

Webster resident donates quilt to the Smokies

After spending six months completing a full-size quilt, Webster resident Susanne Kerper of Jackson County donated the blanket to the…
Read More

Comment

Help for failing septic systems in Haywood
 

Help for failing septic systems in Haywood

Homeowners dealing with a failing septic system may be eligible for help through a pair of grants Haywood Waterways Association…
Read More

Comment

‘Tis the season for giving at Cataloochee Ski Area
 

‘Tis the season for giving at Cataloochee Ski Area

Cataloochee Ski Area continues its tradition of holiday giving with its 14th Annual Can-U-Ski Food and Coat Drive for Haywood…
Read More

Comment

Tracking the sicklefin: Understanding rare fish’s lifestyle important for conservation
 

Tracking the sicklefin: Understanding rare fish’s lifestyle important for conservation

The sicklefin redhorse is a sneaky kind of fish. It wasn’t discovered as a species until 1992, and even with…
Read More

Comment

Tolle Lege: Reading that changed my Life
 

Tolle Lege: Reading that changed my Life

When I was 6 years old, I entered the first grade at Boonville Elementary School. For months, various adults had…
Read More

Comment

Lots of holiday events
 

Lots of holiday events

Cherokee chorus celebrates the holidays The Cherokee Community Chorus will present a Christmas Cantata “O Holy Night” at 7 p.m.…
Read More

Comment

Berry to bring country to Franklin
 

Berry to bring country to Franklin

Country artist John Berry will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing…
Read More

Comment

Rowan returns to Cataloochee
 

Rowan returns to Cataloochee

Bluegrass legend Peter Rowan will perform on Sunday, Dec. 7, at Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley. 
Read More

Comment

New wood studio opens in Frog Level
 

New wood studio opens in Frog Level

Woodworker Ronnie Atkins recently opened Studio 36 in the Frog Level District of Waynesville. The studio features handcrafted, one-of-a-kind furniture…
Read More

Comment

Tell it from the mountain
 

Tell it from the mountain

There’s only one thing Tim Hall isn’t sure of. “Well, I don’t really know my age, but if I had…
Read More

Comment

This must be the place
 

This must be the place

Patterson Hood is a sponge. The defacto front man for the Drive-By Truckers, a bastion of nitty-gritty rock-n-roll, Hood soaks…
Read More

Comment

Operation Something Bruin backlash still simmering
 

Operation Something Bruin backlash still simmering

Hunters who claimed they were unfairly targeted in an undercover wildlife poaching investigation will get a chance to share their…
Read More

Comment

Scholarship endowment hits milestone
 

Scholarship endowment hits milestone

It’s been a while since the Southwestern Community College Foundation first received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of…
Read More

Comment

Duke Energy gives $75,000 for WCU engineering
 

Duke Energy gives $75,000 for WCU engineering

A $75,000 gift from the Duke Energy Foundation will allow Western Carolina University’s Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology…
Read More

Comment

Tourism impact recalculated due to flaws in formula
 

Tourism impact recalculated due to flaws in formula

A flaw in the economic model that calculates tourism  impact in the mountains has been uncovered, resulting in a major…
Read More

Comment

Evergreen works in nationwide effort to promote carton recycling
 

Evergreen works in nationwide effort to promote carton recycling

If you ask the average person what kinds of packaging can go in the recycling bin, you’ll probably get a…
Read More

Comment

Jackson TDA considers streamlining
 

Jackson TDA considers streamlining

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority may be slimming down. Eventually.  “It’s in discussion,” said Robert Jumper, chairman of the…
Read More

Comment

Canton plans park for skateboarders
 

Canton plans park for skateboarders

A skatepark is coming to Canton, possibly by early winter. “So, the skateboarders have a place to go,” said Town…
Read More

Comment

Haywood gears up to fix old landfill contamination
 

Haywood gears up to fix old landfill contamination

Lingering underground contamination at an old Haywood County landfill in Waynesville has prompted the county to buy out a neighboring…
Read More

Comment

Swain struggles with waste funding
 

Swain struggles with waste funding

It wasn’t the first time Swain County Manager Kevin King had to tell his commissioners that the numbers were off…
Read More

Comment

Workshop touts low-impact, conservation development
 

Workshop touts low-impact, conservation development

The rolling hills of the Cullowhee River Club unfold beneath a heaven of blue sky as the Tuckasegee River rifles…
Read More

Comment

Franklin ordinance regulates grease disposal in quest to prevent clogged pipes
 

Franklin ordinance regulates grease disposal in quest to prevent clogged pipes

The new wastewater treatment facility in Franklin cost the town more than $5 million to build, but within months of…
Read More

Comment

Greasing the wheels: WNC residents trade petroleum for veggie oil
 

Greasing the wheels: WNC residents trade petroleum for veggie oil

There’s nothing Adam Bigelow likes better than a full tank of gas in the summertime with an open road ahead.…
Read More

Comment

New Haywood tax collector sidelined after hitting a bond snag
 

New Haywood tax collector sidelined after hitting a bond snag

The newly elected tax collector in Haywood County has been benched indefinitely. Mike Matthews was supposed to take office Monday,…
Read More

Comment

The magic number: is the tax collector’s higher bond prudent or punitive?
 

The magic number: is the tax collector’s higher bond prudent or punitive?

Haywood County commissioners are being accused of partisan politics for upping the liability bond for the county tax collector, although…
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.