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Former educator now leading Bryson City
After a 30-year career in public education, Regina Mathis is trying her hand in public administration as the new Bryson…
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MLK’s ‘Poor People’s Campaign’ revived in North Carolina
Two weeks ago marked the 53rd anniversary of a watershed moment in the civil rights movement — the Selma to…
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Franklin trying out new traffic pattern
The town of Franklin will begin a 90-day trial of a new one block long parking plan for Main Street…
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Macon sheriff now able to seize digital forfeitures
Drug dealers are constantly finding new ways to protect their assets and the Macon County Sheriff’s office is trying to…
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Regional commission completes broadband study
With the results of a regional broadband survey now available, leaders have expansive data on the underserved areas in their…
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Hard times, come again no more: An evening with Scott Ainslie
Literally and figuratively, the idea of “listening” is somewhat of a lost art in our digital world. When a voice…
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This must be the place: There’s a reason you should care, seriously
Sitting in a chair on a front lawn late Sunday afternoon, the sun had already disappeared behind the mountains, a…
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The Swag changes hands
David and Annie Colquitt of Knoxville, Tennessee, are purchasing The Swag, a popular mountain retreat near Waynesville.
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Brunch Bill hearing planned for Jackson
A public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, will give Jackson County residents a chance to weigh in on…
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Too often, we ignore the calls for help
Doing nothing to enhance school safety is not an option. Thoughtful gun control measures would be helpful and are one…
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Maintaining a nostalgia for unique main streets
Recently, I spent time in the tri-cities of Rutherford County, N.C. Spindale, Forest City and Rutherfordton make up this trifecta…
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The U.S. has become an oligarchy
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist Do politicians read their mail? It depends. A recent New Yorker article on Christopher…
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Books that help bridge the political divide
Time for spring-cleaning. The basement apartment in which I live could use a deep cleaning: dusting, washing, vacuuming. It’s tidy…
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Scholarships available for outdoor camp
More than $25,000 in scholarships is available for kids interested in attending Youth for Christ Outdoor Mission Camp in Maggie…
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Solar project finished in the Smokies
Completion of a solar energy project in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will result…
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Trail town chow down: Franklin A.T. season launches with hiker meal
When Sharon Van Horn organized the first-ever Thru-Hiker Chow Down in Franklin, she and her husband Bill were pretty fresh…
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Work crews return to Elkmont
Rehabilitation work in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has started up again, with work crews…
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Fingers still crossed
Status of the Lake Junaluska eagles remains a mystery, but I still have my fingers crossed for a successful nesting…
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New pictorial book on Cherokee released
Images of America: Cherokee, Anna Fariello’s new pictorial history book, will be presented during a special event at 6:30 p.m.…
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‘Let the freaks take back the night…’
The further you meander down the road of life, the more you come to realize just how haphazardly bumpy and…
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Passion, politics intertwine for Haywood tax collector candidates
Outside the Haywood County Justice Center in downtown Waynesville, Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews stands with a slim manila…
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Relocation project leaves contractors unpaid
Months after work wrapped up to relocate Caney Fork General Store in Jackson County, multiple subcontractors who worked on the…
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Officials considering armed volunteers for schools
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Stoneman Douglas — those names ring out like the bullets that once flew through their hallways, stark…
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High school students in Haywood will walk out Wednesday
Right about the time this newspaper hits the stands on Wednesday, March 14, students at Haywood County’s two public high…
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Beloved Man leaves behind lasting legacy
Jeremiah “Jerry” Wolfe, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Beloved Man, passed away Monday at the age of 93.
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Drug crisis unit vote delayed in Cherokee
Plans to build a crisis stabilization unit in Cherokee for people battling addictions stalled this month when Tribal Council, for…
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State, local boards of elections still in limbo
Gov. Roy Cooper’s legal battle challenging the Session Law 2017-6 — passed by a Republican-majority legislature — is having local ramifications…
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No decision on Duke Energy rate hike for WNC
The North Carolina Public Utilities Commission has not yet ruled on a rate increase request for Duke Energy customers in…
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Small increase in Haywood schools budget
Haywood County’s high-performing public schools will see a small budget increase for the FY 2018-19 school year, but at the…
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Despite threats to funding, ARC soldiers on
The $100,000 grant to Haywood Community College from the Appalachian Regional Commission wasn’t the first made by the ARC in…
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Maker space movement comes to Haywood
The type of traditional manufacturing that put many small towns on the map and provided a decent living to generations…
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TWSA struggles with open meetings laws
When the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority held its annual meeting Tuesday, March 6, no members of the media were…
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Sylva’s Creekside Oyster House to expand
Sylva’s Creekside Oyster House and Grill will soon upgrade to a new building following the Tuckseigee Water and Sewer Authority’s…
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Unaffiliated candidate mounts congressional bid
The five men — three Democrats, a Republican and a Libertarian — hoping to unseat Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows…
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Parking decks planned for Western Carolina
Parking decks could come to Western Carolina University sooner rather than later following the Board of Trustees’ unanimous vote to…
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‘Your everlasting summer. You can see it fading fast’
Half the battle is just getting out of the house and on the road. Whenever we travel, we all understand…
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Psychologists, counselors and nurses will make schools safer
By Virginia Jicha • Guest Columnist I was in the process of writing about the need for school nurses when the…
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Time to take back the NRA
To the Editor: I would like to add some additional comments to Martin Dyckman’s guest column in the Feb. 21…
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Our senators are bought and paid for
To the Editor: Our state’s senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, have consistently opposed event he most modest form of…
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Liberals have lost touch with reality
To the Editor: In reference to a recent article I read in The Smoky Mountain News, maybe if you took…
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Horrific twister is catalyst for insightful novel
It was April 5, 1936, Palm Sunday, about nine o’clock in the evening. People were tidying up their kitchens, strolling…
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One mile at a time: Long-distance run will raise money for SCC students in need
The first time Matt Kirby attempted the 72-mile Georgia Death Race, he almost didn’t finish. “I had a friend who…
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Wildlife Commission votes on management changes
A proposal to add two weeks to the bear-hunting season in North Carolina’s Mountain Bear Management Unit didn’t pass muster…
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Hiker found dead near Waterrock Knob
A missing person search along the Blue Ridge Parkway last weekend ended when Jackson County emergency responders found the body…
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Environmental ed groups win cash
Three area organizations landed a collective $6,000 to support youth environmental education following an online voting contest hosted by Diamond…
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Pier under construction at Lake Junaluska
A new meditation pier that will extend more than 40 feet into the water and seat eight people is under…
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The woodcock — secretive, rotund and acrobatic
While walking stream banks or low-lying wetlands, you have perhaps had the memorable experience of flushing a woodcock — that…
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The gold in the mountain of our madness: A conversation with Wayne Coyne
For the last 35 years, the Flaming Lips have gone from a fringe rock act in Oklahoma to a highly-sought-after…
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This must be the place: ‘Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again’
When you’re young — full of confusion about the ways and means of a “stable adulthood,” amid a hazy sense…
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Cherokee to open first brewery
In keeping with the long tradition of women within indigenous cultures crafting fermented beverages, Seven Clans Brewing is born.
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