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Cathey selected by art commission, will raffle off artwork
 

Cathey selected by art commission, will raffle off artwork

Renowned metal sculptor Grace Cathey has been selected to create an art piece by the Waynesville Public Art Commission. Entitled…
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Macon schools budget could soon face time of reckoning
 

Macon schools budget could soon face time of reckoning

Macon County Schools may be in store for some noticeable changes come the start of school this fall.
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Ghost Town falls short of summer opening target
 

Ghost Town falls short of summer opening target

Ghost Town in the Sky did not open to much fanfare last weekend because, simply put, it didn’t open.
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Maggie’s Achilles’ Heel: lack of curb appeal
 

Maggie’s Achilles’ Heel: lack of curb appeal

Maggie Valley’s slow and steady decline as a tourist destination comes down to aesthetics, a consultant hired to assess Maggie…
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Most oppose Duke rate increase and reliance on fossil fuels
 

Most oppose Duke rate increase and reliance on fossil fuels

Most who spoke during a public hearing at the Macon County Courthouse on Duke Energy’s proposed rate increases were not…
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Play On, Jackson County
 

Play On, Jackson County

After weeks of back-and-forth debate, deliberation and nail-biting, members of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority have zeroed in on…
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Infrastructure repairs force Bryson City’s hand on tax hike
 

Infrastructure repairs force Bryson City’s hand on tax hike

Despite cutting more than $50,000 from the town’s budget, Bryson City’s leaders plan to raise property taxes and town fees…
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Swain holds back on train deal as devilish details are firmed up
 

Swain holds back on train deal as devilish details are firmed up

Swain County may soon seal a deal with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad to pay for the restoration of a…
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Waynesville’s wish of tourist railway derailed out of the gate
 

Waynesville’s wish of tourist railway derailed out of the gate

Since the advent of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, tourists flocking to Bryson City and Dillsboro to ride the scenic…
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Jackson urged to vet all options before dishing out railroad grant
 

Jackson urged to vet all options before dishing out railroad grant

A group of Jackson County residents have been making the rounds in recent weeks asking decision makers to think twice…
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Been there, done that
 

Been there, done that

Haywood leaders are no strangers to overhauling their economic development strategy and structure. A major transformation played out just 10…
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Moving the chips of economic development in Haywood
 

Moving the chips of economic development in Haywood

An exploratory committee of Haywood County business leaders will examine in the coming months whether to reshuffle the county’s economic…
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Experts convene at rockslide response conference
 

Experts convene at rockslide response conference

When a rockslide shut down Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge in Haywood County three years ago, the N.C.…
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Cherokee tribal council candidates face primary election next week
 

Cherokee tribal council candidates face primary election next week

Enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will head to the polls Tuesday, June 6, to vote in…
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Stopping voter fraud or just stopping voters?
 

Stopping voter fraud or just stopping voters?

A state bill mandating that voters show identification to cast a ballot has split opinions down the middle, with Republicans…
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Voucher system will hurt public schools
 

Voucher system will hurt public schools

To the Editor:   Sponsors of House Bill 944, the school voucher bill, proposed certain changes during the bill’s first committee…
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Macon should use fund balance, cut tax rate
 

Macon should use fund balance, cut tax rate

To the Editor: In 2010, the Macon County Board of Commissioners, under the leadership of then Chairman Ronnie Beale, voted…
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GOP-led legislature making huge strides
 

GOP-led legislature making huge strides

To the Editor: North Carolinians are fortunate to now have a legislature that is making historic strides towards fiscal responsibility…
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Graduate programs in music are worth saving
 

Graduate programs in music are worth saving

To the Editor: The committee at Western Carolina University charged with evaluating academic programs issued its report on May 22.…
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Schoolhouse Earth is a favorite learning place
 

Schoolhouse Earth is a favorite learning place

To the Editor: At a school bus stop north of Franklin, I pick up trash weekdays from kids apparently tossing…
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Room tax issue won’t change much between now and 2015
 

Room tax issue won’t change much between now and 2015

Alice Aumen, one of the owners of Cataloochee Ranch and a longtime tourism booster in Haywood County and Western North…
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Benefits to feature live music, cornhole
 

Benefits to feature live music, cornhole

There will be two upcoming benefits for children with serious medical issues on Saturday, June 1, in Waynesville and Sylva. …
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Liar’s Bench members find answers to mystery
 

Liar’s Bench members find answers to mystery

Gary Carden and Dave Waldrop will lead a discussion on a recent finding in a long-held Appalachian mystery at 7…
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Waynesville brewery hosts golf tournament
 

Waynesville brewery hosts golf tournament

Tipping Point Brewing will hold its inaugural charity golf tournament at 12:20 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the Waynesville Country…
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Haywood exhibit puts spotlight on Appalachian crafts
 

Haywood exhibit puts spotlight on Appalachian crafts

Appalachia, the newest exhibit from the Haywood County Arts Council, will run from May 30 through June 29, at Gallery…
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Concerts on the Creek returns to Sylva May 31
 

Concerts on the Creek returns to Sylva May 31

The Concerts on the Creek summer music series returns for its fifth season with the Rye Holler Boys from 7:30…
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Free summer concerts begin at WCU
 

Free summer concerts begin at WCU

The annual summer concert series on the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University will begin with Floating Action at 7…
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Cherokee festival showcases gourd crafts
 

Cherokee festival showcases gourd crafts

Gourd artists from around the world will gather at the 11th annual Gourd Artists Gathering and Art Festival May 31…
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Cherokee potter to be honored in Franklin
 

Cherokee potter to be honored in Franklin

There will be a public reception for Cherokee artist Joel Queen and the formal presentation of a pottery piece he…
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Bringing a world of art  into your own backyard
 

Bringing a world of art into your own backyard

For Norma Hendrix, it’s all about connecting the dots. “I love working in a community of artists,” she said. “I…
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Four rides for two wheels
 

Four rides for two wheels

Blue Ridge Parkway The famed scenic motorway winds through the best scenery the mountains have to offer, studded with overlooks…
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Plants hitch a ride to the sun
 

Plants hitch a ride to the sun

A book I read about the Suwannee River featured numerous photographs of trees overhanging the waterway festooned with Spanish moss.…
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Waterfall trail looking for sweat donations
 

Waterfall trail looking for sweat donations

Volunteers are needed in Panthertown Valley during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, to help complete a new section…
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Visitors need to plan ahead to see fireflies
 

Visitors need to plan ahead to see fireflies

The Elkmont synchronous firefly viewing will take place June 6-13 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Every year, thousands…
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Environmental forums start up
 

Environmental forums start up

A forum on community and environmental change will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at…
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Plant a row for the needy
 

Plant a row for the needy

United Christian Ministries of Jackson County is asking gardeners to plant an extra row in their plots this year to…
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Calling on volunteers for bird monitoring
 

Calling on volunteers for bird monitoring

Volunteers are needed to assist in a breeding bird monitoring and education program throughout the spring and early summer at…
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Max Patch restored, off-roaders pay
 

Max Patch restored, off-roaders pay

The off-roaders responsible for causing damage to the popular Pisgah National Forest hiking spot Max Patch have reached a plea…
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More recycling bins for WCU
 

More recycling bins for WCU

Western Carolina University received 75 new recycling bins through the Alcoa Foundation Recycling Bin Grant Program and have begun placing…
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Hit Mast General to help conservation
 

Hit Mast General to help conservation

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will get a boost on Saturday, June 1, when Mast General Store locations in Waynesville…
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Going toe to toe with Mother Nature
 

Going toe to toe with Mother Nature

It is said that humans are fickle creatures, and if that is true, then the weather must be at least…
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A record-breaking weekend of birding
 

A record-breaking weekend of birding

Last week, we set the stage for the 29th annual Great Smoky Mountains Birding Expedition (GSMBE). The group starts at 9…
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Bringing back the brookie: Successful restoration paints bright future for native trout
 

Bringing back the brookie: Successful restoration paints bright future for native trout

In the early 1900s, Florence Cope Bush, author of Dorie: Woman of the Mountains, described native brook trout as being…
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A fast look at a few worthwhile tomes
 

A fast look at a few worthwhile tomes

Here they are, books yammering for review: a hillock of books on the floor by the desk; more books stacked…
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Correction
 

Correction

A letter from Jane Harrison in the May 8 edition of SMN, “Meadows in the wrong on background checks,” was…
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We must leave better world for our children
 

We must leave better world for our children

To the Editor: New York City has been attacked twice in the past decade — first by Al Qaeda and…
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What are they thinking down in Raleigh?
 

What are they thinking down in Raleigh?

To the Editor: I continue to be mystified by the behavior of Art Pope’s legislature in Raleigh. While ranting against…
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Haywood commissioners win political game with school board
 

Haywood commissioners win political game with school board

Haywood County commissioners drew a line in the sand. The Haywood County School Board decided not to cross it. In…
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Students draft business plan for health clinic
 

Students draft business plan for health clinic

A 100-page business plan created by Western Carolina University seniors are helping guide development of a self-sustaining primary care health…
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Maggie logjam shows no sign of breaking ‘til fall election
 

Maggie logjam shows no sign of breaking ‘til fall election

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen have been mired in gridlock for nearly nine months. With only four town board…
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