Wal-Mart renovation to be scaled back
 

Wal-Mart renovation to be scaled back

The renovation of Haywood County’s former Wal-Mart will be delayed as architects revise the project to match its budget. Scott…
Read More

Comment

Women in Business address wide-ranging issues
 

Women in Business address wide-ranging issues

Women in Haywood County looking to improve their business savvy can find support and inspiration from the Greater Haywood Chamber…
Read More

Comment

Swain gathers opinions  on how to improve library
 

Swain gathers opinions on how to improve library

Bryson City’s Marianna Black Library could be getting a facelift, and library leaders are looking to patrons for a grasp…
Read More

Comment

Director says community values festival
 

Director says community values festival

By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell Forget Europe. Haywood County is where the action is for Karen Babcock this summer, and she…
Read More

Comment

Long-time Sylva mayor won’t run again
 

Long-time Sylva mayor won’t run again

Sylva’s mayor for the past 17 years, Brenda Oliver, has announced that she will not run for re-election this fall.Oliver,…
Read More

Comment

WCU chancellor to retire
 

WCU chancellor to retire

John Bardo, chancellor of Western North Carolina since 1995, announced this week he would step down. It’s been an extraordinarily…
Read More

Comment

Western caught in crosshairs of First Amendment battle
 

Western caught in crosshairs of First Amendment battle

A First Amendment battle is not what Western Carolina University senior Justin Caudell expected when he returned to campus this…
Read More

Comment

WCU student paper accused of plagiarism
 

WCU student paper accused of plagiarism

Though The Sylva Herald and the Western Carolinian are still at odds about whether plagiarism occurred this summer, The Smoky…
Read More

Comment

Search for new chancellor could be silent process
 

Search for new chancellor could be silent process

A national search for a new Western Carolina University chancellor will start immediately following longtime leader John Bardo’s announcement this…
Read More

Comment

Homeowners in limbo as sides volley blame in Maggie landslide lawsuit
 

Homeowners in limbo as sides volley blame in Maggie landslide lawsuit

The latest filing in a lawsuit over the massive landslide in Maggie Valley last winter claims the collapse of the…
Read More

Comment

Few takers step up to run Haywood’s landfill
 

Few takers step up to run Haywood’s landfill

Selling space in the Haywood County landfill might not be the windfall some county leaders were hoping for.
Read More

Comment

Late-night shuttle to keep  drunken WCU students off the road
 

Late-night shuttle to keep drunken WCU students off the road

The “buzz bus” soon will be ferrying students from bars in Sylva back to the Western Carolina University campus.
Read More

Comment

Brazilian energy company to set up shop on WCU campus
 

Brazilian energy company to set up shop on WCU campus

A partnership between Western Carolina University and a Brazilian-based company could eventually result in up to 300 new jobs for…
Read More

Comment

Sylva merchant fights back against employee parking ban downtown
 

Sylva merchant fights back against employee parking ban downtown

Dodie Allen might be an unlikely hero for those business owners and downtown employees in Sylva who believe a new…
Read More

Comment

Big lot mandate hampers housing growth in Sylva
 

Big lot mandate hampers housing growth in Sylva

Residential density is coming under scrutiny in Sylva after town leaders learned they require larger lots than most similar-sized towns.
Read More

Comment

As American as apple pie
 

As American as apple pie

On a chilly Wednesday night in early October, the small parking lot of the North Hominy Community Center in Haywood…
Read More

Comment

Canton grant empowers citizens to develop revitalization plan
 

Canton grant empowers citizens to develop revitalization plan

Canton may be looking toward a new era of revitalization, thanks to a grant from the North Carolina Rural Center.…
Read More

Comment

Gummi bears and Kool Aid? State says not at daycares
 

Gummi bears and Kool Aid? State says not at daycares

A new state bill aims to encourage children to put down the sugary juices and frolic on the playground outside.
Read More

Comment

Sylva stays in-house for new police chief
 

Sylva stays in-house for new police chief

Davis Woodard, a veteran law enforcement officer in Jackson County, has been selected as Sylva’s new police chief.
Read More

Comment

Groves said goodbye, but comes back again
 

Groves said goodbye, but comes back again

Cecil Groves, former president of Southwestern Community College, is the new CEO of BalsamWest FiberNet. Groves, who had moved to…
Read More

Comment

Celebrate Halloween with dodgeball tournament
 

Celebrate Halloween with dodgeball tournament

Sign-up for teams is now under way for Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center’s Night of Fright Dodgeball Tournament, to…
Read More

Comment

Franklin Chamber to hold e-mail seminar
 

Franklin Chamber to hold e-mail seminar

The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a seminar entitled “The Power of Email Marketing” from 3-5 p.m. on…
Read More

Comment

Swain sheriff receives federal grant
 

Swain sheriff receives federal grant

The Swain County Sheriff’s Office has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice under the 2010 COPS Hiring…
Read More

Comment

Golf tournament to benefit REACH
 

Golf tournament to benefit REACH

A golf tournament will be held Monday, Oct. 18, at Highlands Falls Country Club in Highlands. Registration begins at 9…
Read More

Comment

New Choices moves to REACH thrift store
 

New Choices moves to REACH thrift store

The job training and life skills program, sponsored by REACH of Jackson County, has moved from its original location at…
Read More

Comment

Candidates forum held in Franklin
 

Candidates forum held in Franklin

A forum for Macon County Commissioner candidates will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Macon County at…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Hospice volunteer training
 

Haywood Hospice volunteer training

Training for hospice is scheduled for the end of this month at Lake Junaluska First Baptist Church. Haywood Regional Medical…
Read More

Comment

Franklin gets reprieve from oversized radio tower
 

Franklin gets reprieve from oversized radio tower

A radio tower that caused an outcry in Franklin because of its height — 471 feet — and its location…
Read More

Comment

Lake Junaluska Multicultural Conference early registration approaches
 

Lake Junaluska Multicultural Conference early registration approaches

A conference at Lake Janaluska Dec. 2-4 will be, “Embracing Christ’s Multi-Ethnic Body: Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges.” This…
Read More

Comment

Swain embarks on new vision for old library
 

Swain embarks on new vision for old library

More bestsellers? A computer lab? Meeting space? This month, Swain County residents will be asked what it is they crave…
Read More

Comment

Forestry, farmland tax breaks reduced
 

Forestry, farmland tax breaks reduced

Haywood County landowners who get a property tax break for agriculture or foresty will see a reduction in that benefit…
Read More

Comment

WCU celebrates homecoming Oct. 8-10
 

WCU celebrates homecoming Oct. 8-10

The Alumni Scholarship Homecoming Golf Tournament will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at Sequoyah National Golf Club in…
Read More

Comment

Foray into turbine business part of WCU’s mission, college says
 

Foray into turbine business part of WCU’s mission, college says

Is going into business with a Brazilian company within the mission of Western Carolina University? Dean Robert McMahan says so,…
Read More

Comment

Learn about early college high school
 

Learn about early college high school

Jackson County Early College High School (JCEC) is recruiting for the 2011-2012 school year.   Several information sessions are scheduled…
Read More

Comment

Gargantuan radio tower prompts outcry in Macon County
 

Gargantuan radio tower prompts outcry in Macon County

Town and county leaders will meet with the N.C. Highway Patrol this week in Franklin to discuss where in Macon…
Read More

Comment

Long-awaited livestock market gets needed boost toward finish line
 

Long-awaited livestock market gets needed boost toward finish line

Haywood County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to pitch in $25,000 toward the regional livestock market under construction in Canton, adding…
Read More

Comment

Haywood commissioner candidates debate merits of spending
 

Haywood commissioner candidates debate merits of spending

Taxes and spending in a recession economy have emerged as the top issue in the race for Haywood County commissioner…
Read More

Comment

Built for growth that hasn’t come, costly Whittier sewer system struggles to stay viable
 

Built for growth that hasn’t come, costly Whittier sewer system struggles to stay viable

Back about a decade ago, setting the table for economic growth around Whittier seemed something of a no-brainer — the…
Read More

Comment

Judge candidates to take stage in Jackson, Haywood next week
 

Judge candidates to take stage in Jackson, Haywood next week

Candidates for District Court judge will espouse their vision for the bench at election forums held next week in Haywood…
Read More

Comment

Breathing life into the Museum that Runs
 

Breathing life into the Museum that Runs

A few steps past the door at Maggie Valley’s Wheels Through Time museum, and the characteristic, unmistakable scent of a…
Read More

Comment

WCU strikes business deal with Brazilian-based company
 

WCU strikes business deal with Brazilian-based company

A company with South American roots will set up U.S. headquarters on the campus of Western Carolina University in a…
Read More

Comment

Judge’s race to have lasting impact, say attorneys
 

Judge’s race to have lasting impact, say attorneys

Not a day goes by that Judge Monica Leslie doesn’t realize the gravity of her decisions. Leslie is one of…
Read More

Comment

No road in or out
 

No road in or out

On Friday night, a mudslide thundered across Rich Cove Road in Maggie Valley, taking out a section of a guardrail…
Read More

Comment

Not for the faint of heart
 

Not for the faint of heart

The highly technical and extremely dangerous work to stabilize the rockslide is being carried out by Janod, a Canadian company.…
Read More

Comment

Caring for Creation bridges faith and environment
 

Caring for Creation bridges faith and environment

A conference that connects faith and the environment will be held at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center April 8…
Read More

Comment

Casino impact on ABC sales not a windfall yet
 

Casino impact on ABC sales not a windfall yet

When the Bryson City and Sylva ABC boards hammered out a profit-sharing agreement for liquor orders from Harrah’s Casino, there…
Read More

Comment

Double your money and land on the Wall of Fame
 

Double your money and land on the Wall of Fame

In today’s economy, people want to stretch their dollars to the max. What if you could actually double your money?…
Read More

Comment

Farmers and chefs come to table
 

Farmers and chefs come to table

The Buy Haywood Project is bringing farmers and chefs from Haywood County and surrounding counties together for the third in…
Read More

Comment

Where ideology meets environmental reality
 

Where ideology meets environmental reality

The term “off-the-grid” means living in a self-sufficient manner without the services of a public utility. Wikipedia estimates that in…
Read More

Comment

Wheels Through Time celebrates reopening
 

Wheels Through Time celebrates reopening

The Wheels Through Time Museum had a grand reopening in Maggie Valley after resuming five-day per week operations earlier this…
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.