Garden Phlox. Donated photo
 

Just sit on the porch and breathe

I write this down in the country again ... seated on a log in the woods, warm, sunny midday. Have…
Read More

Comment

Grab some books and keep the kids reading
 

Grab some books and keep the kids reading

Most of us, of whatever age, by a simple act of memory and willpower can revisit distant summers in our…
Read More

Comment

The Orange Constant.
 

Constant evolution: Jam-rock act to play Highlands

In an era when rock-n-roll has seemingly taken a backseat to hip-hop and electronic acts — on the radio and…
Read More

Comment

Fontana Lake.
 

This must be the place

I still don’t really know what day it is.
Read More

Comment

Who’s coming to Folkmoot?
 

Who’s coming to Folkmoot?

This summer’s Folkmoot Festival is just around the corner and the 2018 lineup is sure to be one to remember. 
Read More

Comment

Festival’s intangible value is immeasurable
 

Festival’s intangible value is immeasurable

Lori and I have always loved to travel, to go to new places or to get better acquainted with places…
Read More

Comment

It’s a broken record, that’s for sure
 

It’s a broken record, that’s for sure

Quite a few people have contacted me this week seeking an English translation of President Donald Trump’s recent reflections on…
Read More

Comment

President Trump doesn’t understand volunteerism
 

President Trump doesn’t understand volunteerism

To the Editor: It is not hard to find a lot of things to detest about what President Donald Trump…
Read More

Comment

The whole truth about Red Hen incident
 

The whole truth about Red Hen incident

To the Editor: Just a note to let you know that I did not like your Opinion editorial about the…
Read More

Comment

Hold off on vote for new justice
 

Hold off on vote for new justice

To the Editor: I am appalled that Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr want to rush through any nominee for…
Read More

Comment

Wild West success could be a long shot
 

Wild West success could be a long shot

Growing up in Gastonia during the 1960s, Mike Withers would pile into an old Ford sedan with his parents and…
Read More

Comment

Murphy casino reports growth
 

Murphy casino reports growth

Now nearing its third birthday, the Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy is seeing strong numbers as…
Read More

Comment

New parking pattern coming to Franklin
 

New parking pattern coming to Franklin

After a successful trial run, the parking pattern on Main Street in downtown Franklin will soon be changing permanently.
Read More

Comment

Shining Rock Classical Academy has contracted with a broker as it projects to eventually outgrow its current campus composed of modular units. A Shot Above of WNC photo
 

Shining Rock looks to the future

Haywood County’s only public charter school is forecasting increasing enrollment for the coming year and has always had expansion in…
Read More

Comment

Macon County Airport.
 

Macon Airport Authority still eyeing expansion project

The Macon County Airport Authority may have hit a roadblock in the planning process for a project that will add…
Read More

Comment

Mike Clampitt.
 

Targeted ads hit Clampitt early

November’s General Election is still months away, but that hasn’t stopped the North Carolina Association of Educators from coming hard…
Read More

Comment

More than 100 people attend a support rally for the family and friends of Scott Knibbs. Macon Media photo
 

Outside prosecutor to review Knibbs shooting case

An outside prosecutor has been called in to review the State Bureau of Investigations’ report regarding an officer-involved shooting that…
Read More

Comment

WCU selected a conceptual plan from Zimmer Development Company from a field of many applicants for the project, four of whom were invited to present their ideas in person. Donated graphic
 

New housing planned for WCU

With no end in sight to rising enrollment, Western Carolina University is hoping a public-private partnership with Wilmington-based Zimmer Development…
Read More

Comment

Cartoon, 7/4/2018
 

Cartoon, 7/4/2018

By Will Studenc 
Read More

Comment

New Haywood County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte expresses his appreciation at being selected by the board July 3. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Haywood County Schools names new superintendent

The search for a new superintendent of the Haywood County Schools system is over, and as it turns out, those…
Read More

Comment

The native mountain camellia has one of the largest blooms of any shrub in the U.S. Holly Kays photos
 

Off the beaten path: Alarka Institute leads quest for rare mountain flower

For even the most woods-savvy of plant lovers, a blooming mountain camellia is a rare to non-existent sight.  A member…
Read More

Comment

Swain gets new wildlife officer
 

Swain gets new wildlife officer

Dakota Curtis of Sumpter, South Carolina, was sworn in as a new Swain County wildlife law enforcement officer with the…
Read More

Comment

Red wolf proposal draws criticism
 

Red wolf proposal draws criticism

A long-awaited proposal for future management of the imperiled red wolf population was released last week, drawing ire from environmental…
Read More

Comment

The Little River rips through the Elkmont area following heavy rains last week. Donated photo
 

Flood threat prompts evacuation in the Smokies

Heavy rains and rising rivers prompted the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to evacuate campers at Elkmont Campground last week,…
Read More

Comment

Red wolf. creative commons photo
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Death sentence?

On June 27 U.S. Fish and Wildlife (F&W) announced a proposed rule many in the conservation forefront have deemed as…
Read More

Comment

Frazier’s latest novel is a marvelous read
 

Frazier’s latest novel is a marvelous read

... never acknowledging that the general culture is often stupid or evil and would vote out God in favor of…
Read More

Comment

Small-town papers help knit communities together
 

Small-town papers help knit communities together

I’m dedicating my July 4 to the courageous journalists who were murdered last week at the Capital Gazette in Maryland.…
Read More

Comment

Thoughts on water and traditions during the holiday
 

Thoughts on water and traditions during the holiday

Are you a lake person or a beach person? I always thought I was a beach person, but now I’m…
Read More

Comment

Leaders need to act like adults
 

Leaders need to act like adults

To the Editor: Thank you so much for so eloquently stating your opinion in this article about “not much room…
Read More

Comment

We are a nation in crisis
 

We are a nation in crisis

To the Editor: Children are being shipped around the nation with no records and officials are either lying about their whereabouts or…
Read More

Comment

Troubling times for this country
 

Troubling times for this country

To the Editor: Troubling times? Very troubling times! Is America the beacon of liberty we claim to be? Is America…
Read More

Comment

Performing arts center named in Belcher’s honor
 

Performing arts center named in Belcher’s honor

The academic unit that is home to Western Carolina University’s programs in music, stage, screen, art and design will be…
Read More

Comment

Maggie Valley to join quilt trail
 

Maggie Valley to join quilt trail

Maggie Valley will be the next town to join the Appalachian Quilt Trail once a mural is completed inside local…
Read More

Comment

The mural design was modeled on 1940s postcards from Sylva. Holly Kays photo
 

Sylva mural complete

A long-awaited mural is now complete in Sylva, marking the end of the Sylva Public Art Committee’s inaugural project. 
Read More

Comment

Canton fifth is for the kiddies
 

Canton fifth is for the kiddies

The United States is and has been for some time embroiled in a great discussion about its role in the…
Read More

Comment

Nearly 40 people turned up to Canton’s Town Board meeting June 28, many of whom were opposed to a proposed vehicle tax. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Vehicle tax hits roadblock in Canton

After two consecutive town board meetings during which Cantonians expressed strong opposition to a proposed vehicle registration tax, one thing…
Read More

Comment

Candidates file for judicial races
 

Candidates file for judicial races

In addition to several referenda as well as federal, state and local legislative candidates that will appear on Haywood County’s…
Read More

Comment

Sentence delivered in 2015 Smokemont murder
 

Sentence delivered in 2015 Smokemont murder

A Cherokee resident will spend four years in federal prison for his involvement in the 2015 stabbing death of 25-year-old…
Read More

Comment

Haywood school board names principals
 

Haywood school board names principals

Several key staff positions within Haywood County’s high-performing public school system have been filled by some familiar faces, and there…
Read More

Comment

Jay Coward addresses community members at the June 26 revival of the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance. Holly Kays photo
 

Sylva business community organizes against N.C. 107 plans

Dismay over preliminary road construction plans that would force 54 Sylva businesses to relocate has sparked a revival of the…
Read More

Comment

Quilters celebrate 10 years of honoring veterans
 

Quilters celebrate 10 years of honoring veterans

Carlie Nichols has vivid memories of growing up during the Vietnam War — specifically she remembers how poorly Vietnam veterans were…
Read More

Comment

A seat on Main Street: Waynesville approves sidewalk encroachments
 

A seat on Main Street: Waynesville approves sidewalk encroachments

A long-standing informal agreement between the Town of Waynesville and Main Street merchants has now been formalized, clarified and expanded…
Read More

Comment

Waynesville budget gumbo could be hard to swallow
 

Waynesville budget gumbo could be hard to swallow

Property owners, single-family homebuilders and any Waynesville residents who own a car will see their cost of living increase over…
Read More

Comment

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, (from left) Swain County Commission Chairman Phil Carson, Rep. Mike Clampitt, Sen. Jim Davis, Rep. Kevin Corbin and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis pose for a $35.2 million check presentation to Swain County, closing out the North Shore Road settlement. Jessi Stone photo
 

Finally! Swain County receives North Shore settlement money

It’s a day many in Swain County didn’t think they’d ever live to see, but last Saturday county leaders were…
Read More

Comment

Ricky Skaggs.
 

Music to my ears: A conversation with Ricky Skaggs

At 63, Ricky Skaggs has spent just about 58 of those years completely enamored and immersed in that singular “high,…
Read More

Comment

The late Rob Hiassen, features writer/editor for the Capital Gazette.
 

This must be the place: Don’t shoot the messenger, literally

It’s something that’s been in the back of my mind for a while now. When news broke last week of…
Read More

Comment

Plein Air Festival wins award
 

Plein Air Festival wins award

Southeast Tourism Society has Cashiers Plein Air Festival one of the STS Top 20 Events in the Southeast for July…
Read More

Comment

Bill Holbrook, a longtime farmer in Haywood County, reflects back over his years working the 175 acres in Bethel that make up Cold Mountain Farms. Now retired from farming, Holbrook was recently inducted into the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame.
 

From the ground up: Holbrook reflects on a lifetime of agriculture

Bill Holbrook has been a lot of things in his 71 years on earth — a factory worker, a manager, a…
Read More

Comment

Volunteers help plant native trees and shrubs along the Pigeon River at BearWaters Brewing in Canton. Donated photo
 

BearWaters develops river access

The Pigeon River flows a little healthier thanks to several riverbank improvements made at BearWaters Brewing in Canton. 
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.