A natural passion for history
 

A natural passion for history

Naturalist, photographer and writer Edwin Way Teale (1899-1980) was born in Joliet, Ill. American nature writing in descriptive prose inevitably…
Read More

Comment

Cell company dashes hopes new tower will mimic pine tree
 

Cell company dashes hopes new tower will mimic pine tree

A new cell phone tower has been proposed on the south-facing side of Utah Mountain above Lake Junaluska. It would…
Read More

Comment

Woman claims officers denied her medication during DWI incident
 

Woman claims officers denied her medication during DWI incident

An epileptic woman in Macon County is alleging that she did not receive proper medical attention after being arrested for…
Read More

Comment

Hiker airlifted from remote region of Smokies
 

Hiker airlifted from remote region of Smokies

A five-day search for a lost hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park had a happy ending last week.…
Read More

Comment

Settling on North Shore dollar figure just isn’t going to be easy
 

Settling on North Shore dollar figure just isn’t going to be easy

To the Editor: We’ll start with the 1943 North Shore Road Agreement since that’s what is supposedly being settled. A…
Read More

Comment

Old timers recall Roosevelt’s trip to the Smokies
 

Old timers recall Roosevelt’s trip to the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park staged a reenactment this week of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s dedication of the newly…
Read More

Comment

‘Let Them Know’ delves into ‘70s underground punk scene
 

‘Let Them Know’ delves into ‘70s underground punk scene

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers returns to Western Carolina University at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, with “Let…
Read More

Comment

The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

What’s good for the goose In his latest letter to the editor in Smoky Mountain News (8/19/09) the Canary Coalition’s…
Read More

Comment

Junaluska deals with same dog issue
 

Junaluska deals with same dog issue

Sylva isn’t the first place to wrestle with the not-so-pleasant by-product of dogs in public areas. The wildly popular two-mile…
Read More

Comment

Library supporters close to $1.6 million fundraising goal
 

Library supporters close to $1.6 million fundraising goal

Fundraising for the new Jackson County library may have entered the home stretch, but is far from home free. Friends…
Read More

Comment

Ripe tomatoes and other simple pleasures
 

Ripe tomatoes and other simple pleasures

By Karen Dill • Special to The Smoky Mountain News August in the Appalachian Mountains is a time to enjoy…
Read More

Comment

The art of storytelling (in the style of an 8-year-old)
 

The art of storytelling (in the style of an 8-year-old)

My daughter is 8 years old, which is one of the greatest ages a person will ever be. She has…
Read More

Comment

Graham, Swain still squabbling over emergency coverage in isolated area
 

Graham, Swain still squabbling over emergency coverage in isolated area

Swain and Graham county commissioners agreed Monday to let their respective county managers look at solid numbers before deciding on…
Read More

Comment

Recipes, 8/26/09
 

Recipes, 8/26/09

Tomato Pie 1 deep dish pie shell (found in the frozen foods section) 6 medium ripe tomatoes Fresh basil leaves…
Read More

Comment

Land sales challenge basis for vested rights, some argue
 

Land sales challenge basis for vested rights, some argue

When the 3,500-acre Legasus development won exemptions from Jackson County’s development regulations two years ago, it raised the hackles of…
Read More

Comment

A force of lyrical storytelling
 

A force of lyrical storytelling

Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie. Bell Bridge Books, 2009. 315 pages Some of the most poignant passages in literature are…
Read More

Comment

WCU welcomes freshman class
 

WCU welcomes freshman class

Probably very little about freshmen move-in day at Western Carolina University has changed over the years: the “nervous but excited”…
Read More

Comment

Abbey’s tenure at ‘Redneck U’
 

Abbey’s tenure at ‘Redneck U’

Radical ecologist and writer Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was born in Home, Penn., the son of a hardscrabble farmer and a…
Read More

Comment

A popular road reveals a dark side
 

A popular road reveals a dark side

An inspiration for songs, poems, and pilgrimages by motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world, the challengingly curvy stretch of U.S.…
Read More

Comment

Coalition builds momentum for Nikwasi park
 

Coalition builds momentum for Nikwasi park

A proposed park at the site of the Nikwasi mound in Franklin would provide a quiet place for residents to…
Read More

Comment

Big decisions ahead in debate over land-use plan
 

Big decisions ahead in debate over land-use plan

A steering committee tasked with examining and recommending possible changes to Waynesville’s land-use plan is finally getting down to brass…
Read More

Comment

The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

More in the wind than megawatts The chorus of katydids clamoring in the night air announces the impending fall. And…
Read More

Comment

The Bottle Rockets fly into WNC
 

The Bottle Rockets fly into WNC

By Joe Hooten • Guest Writer Americana-roots music has seen its fair share of imitators since its revival in the…
Read More

Comment

Ghost Town still in the red despite $1.53 million in revenue
 

Ghost Town still in the red despite $1.53 million in revenue

Ghost Town in the Sky did not bring in enough revenue from its amusement park operations during the months of…
Read More

Comment

Jackson EDC says new direction key to future
 

Jackson EDC says new direction key to future

A comprehensive economic development strategy would go a long way toward solving the quagmire that is holding back progress on…
Read More

Comment

Forest Hills mayor misses deadline, will run write-in campaign
 

Forest Hills mayor misses deadline, will run write-in campaign

Jackson County poll workers will contend with write-in ballots from at least two towns on election night this fall. One…
Read More

Comment

WCU ranks highly among master’s degree universities
 

WCU ranks highly among master’s degree universities

The latest U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Colleges” ranks Western Carolina University 10th among public universities…
Read More

Comment

Bulb crusher helps recycling efforts
 

Bulb crusher helps recycling efforts

The state will ban plastic bottles, motor oil filters, and wooden pallets from landfills starting this October. The ban aims…
Read More

Comment

Maggie board OKs assisted living facility in town limits
 

Maggie board OKs assisted living facility in town limits

The Maggie Valley Zoning Board of Adjustments approved a special zoning exception to make way for a 114-bed assisted living…
Read More

Comment

Schools vs. prisons is an easy choice
 

Schools vs. prisons is an easy choice

Haywood County’s 1930’s-era minimum-security prison was kept open for another year by our ever-diligent legislative delegation in Raleigh. They saved…
Read More

Comment

Q&A with Congressman Shuler
 

Q&A with Congressman Shuler

SMN: What did you learn from the teletown meeting? Anything new? Heath Shuler: “The meeting reinforced my belief that most…
Read More

Comment

Healthcare debate civil at tele-town meeting
 

Healthcare debate civil at tele-town meeting

Against the backdrop of a nation embroiled in an emotional, high-stakes debate on health care reform, the voices of Western…
Read More

Comment

Proposed apartments denied tax breaks
 

Proposed apartments denied tax breaks

Neighbors of a proposed 64-unit apartment building to serve low-income seniors in Waynesville have renewed hope that their fight to…
Read More

Comment

The long fight: Road debate nears final chapter
 

The long fight: Road debate nears final chapter

Since its creation, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has loomed over Swain County. Its massive peaks flank life itself:…
Read More

Comment

Queen gets early challenger for state Senate seat
 

Queen gets early challenger for state Senate seat

A competitive state Senate race appears to be on the horizon once again for Sen. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville. Andy…
Read More

Comment

Preserving Cherokee tradition
 

Preserving Cherokee tradition

Anthropologist James Mooney (1861-1921) devoted his life to detailing various aspects of the history, material culture, oral tradition, language, arts,…
Read More

Comment

Town helps HVO seek state grant
 

Town helps HVO seek state grant

The Town of Waynesville plans to step in for Haywood Vocational Opportunities in procuring state money to help with an…
Read More

Comment

Cash settlement amount proves a sticking point
 

Cash settlement amount proves a sticking point

Negotiations over a cash settlement for Swain County have been stalled for more than a year as opposing sides argue…
Read More

Comment

Jackson EDC still taking old board’s heat
 

Jackson EDC still taking old board’s heat

Old records of the Jackson County Economic Development Commission are likely too spotty to complete missing audits from the years…
Read More

Comment

9-12 group is voice for those dissatisfied with government
 

9-12 group is voice for those dissatisfied with government

Haywood County commissioners have seen their share of hot-button issues this year. First came the proposed nuisance ordinance, with angry…
Read More

Comment

Macon group finishes study of living history farm
 

Macon group finishes study of living history farm

A Macon County group is one step closer to its dream of establishing a Living History Farm, a working replica…
Read More

Comment

Lawsuit filed to seize Dillsboro dam
 

Lawsuit filed to seize Dillsboro dam

Jackson County has formally filed a lawsuit against Duke Energy to seize the Dillsboro Dam and surrounding river shore, using…
Read More

Comment

Conservation fund donates land to HCC
 

Conservation fund donates land to HCC

Haywood Community College recently acquired a 328-acre tract of land located at Balsam Gap through a generous gift from The…
Read More

Comment

Duke lobbies for rate hike amidst protest
 

Duke lobbies for rate hike amidst protest

Swain County commissioners expressed their disapproval of an 18 percent hike in electric bills being sought by Duke Energy to…
Read More

Comment

The Naturalist's Corner
 

The Naturalist's Corner

They’re back Actually they’ve been back for a while and now their bags are packed and they’re ready to go.…
Read More

Comment

Waynesville looks at ways to cut energy use
 

Waynesville looks at ways to cut energy use

Energy efficiency dominated the agenda at Waynesville’s last town meeting, with the passage of a strategic energy management plan and…
Read More

Comment

Goodman’s second ‘classics’ story
 

Goodman’s second ‘classics’ story

The Night Villa by Carol Goodman. Ballantine Books, 2008. 413 pages. Over the last decade, Carol Goodman has rightly earned…
Read More

Comment

The road to a cash settlement
 

The road to a cash settlement

1920s Forney Creek Township wants a road leading from Bryson City to Deals Gap on the Tennessee state line. It…
Read More

Comment

New boating ramp opens on Cheoah Lake
 

New boating ramp opens on Cheoah Lake

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has opened a boating access Area and Public Fishing Area on the bank of the…
Read More

Comment

McLean and Mathis part of Richland project
 

McLean and Mathis part of Richland project

The Richland Hills low-income senior housing development was touted publicly as being under the auspice of the Asheville-based nonprofit Mountain…
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.