Nuts and bolts of landslide mapping
Macon County was the first to be targeted under a statewide initiative launched in 2006 to map areas prone to…
Read More
Geologists: Maggie landslide still unstable
While residents wait for answers and 16,000 tons of debris hangs precariously over the Rich Cove community, an army of…
Read More
Creditors to vote on whether Ghost Town reorganizes or liquidates
Dozens of local businesses owed money by Ghost Town are mulling over ballots this week that will ultimately decide the…
Read More
Haywood commissioners urged to stick by Christian prayers despite court ruling
A group of Christians paid a visit to Haywood County commissioners Monday night to urge them to pray to Jesus…
Read More
Macon fly-over shows what’s at stake
There’s no way to prevent landslides in the mountains, but there is a way to make their impact on humans…
Read More
Swain jail may finally see return of federal prisoners to help offset costs
In rare good news for Swain County’s jail, a new agreement will soon usher federal prisoners into the often half-empty…
Read More
Void of state and federal aid prompts community to step up in landslide disaster
The threat of another landslide isn’t stopping volunteers from facing the mudslide head-on and helping wherever they can. Local volunteers…
Read More
Local fishermen sad to see the dam go
The first day of demolition on the Dillsboro Dam attracted hundreds of spectators last Wednesday. A roadside pull-off overlooking the…
Read More
A time for healing
The signing of a cash settlement deal for Swain County last week was a heartbreaking end to a lifelong struggle…
Read More
Safeguards in place, but cracks remain
While buckling and cracks were readily visible in old retaining walls built out of railroad ties at Ghost Town in…
Read More
What is Kituwah?
Kituwah is a concept much larger than the mound site proper, which is recorded with the state register of historic…
Read More
Waynesville moves on skate park
Skateboard enthusiasts in Waynesville will be happy to hear the town has been busily preparing for a long-awaited skate park…
Read More
Duke project threatens sacred character of Kituwah site
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians may pursue legal action against Duke Energy after learning about the utility company’s plans…
Read More
After scare of slide wears off, residents want answers
Betty Miner was standing in her kitchen getting ready to fix supper last Friday when the pictures on her walls…
Read More
Going, going, gone
When Duke first broached the idea of tearing down the Dillsboro dam eight years ago, Mark Singleton thought he would…
Read More
Corridor K sent back to drawing board
A proposed four-lane highway through a mountainous region of Graham County has suffered a setback. The N.C. Department of Transportation…
Read More
Messy lawsuits likely left in landslide’s wake
It could take months or even years for lawsuits over a massive landslide in Maggie Valley to be resolved, leaving…
Read More
Cash settlement here at last
Swain County officially signed a cash settlement with the federal government in a moving and historic ceremony Saturday, ending a…
Read More
Rescue workers act fast in landslide disaster despite threat of more to fall
Chris Carver found himself in the unusual position of being both rescuer and evacuee when a massive mudslide struck Rich…
Read More
Haywood Waterways applauds water guardians
Haywood Waterways Association recently gave out 2009 stewardship awards to several people and organizations that have worked to protect and…
Read More
Childcare openings fall far short of demand in Macon
Macon County Chairman Ronnie Beale knew the county had a problem when two young working mothers contacted him directly following…
Read More
Sun power supplies a path to simplicity
Lydia Aydlett first moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina during the height of the back-to-the-land movement, and it’s…
Read More
Quick facts
• The mill is operating within state pollution limits on most counts. The current permit allows a variance in two…
Read More
Back to the old homestead
Sometimes you have to go away to come home again. Way up Coweeta Gap in south Macon County is a…
Read More
SCC’s Cecil Groves to retire at end of year
Cecil Groves, president of Southwestern Community College since 1997, informed the board of trustees and college faculty and staff that…
Read More
Jackson County board race to meter voter confidence
Jackson The Jackson County board consists of four commissioners and one chairman. This year, the two commissioner seats and chairman…
Read More
Finances likely to dominate Haywood commissioner race
Haywood The Haywood County board has five commissioner seats. Three seats are up for election this year. A party primary…
Read More
Dillsboro, WCU move forward with marketing relationship
Leaders of the town of Dillsboro and members of Western Carolina University’s faculty unveiled the framework for an ongoing partnership…
Read More
Emotions run high at hearing on paper mill pollution
Two contrasting images of the Pigeon River emerged at a public hearing on a controversial new water pollution permit for…
Read More
Road to Nowhere crusade over at last
A defining moment in the decades-long debate over the North Shore Road will play out in Swain County this week.…
Read More
Two wide-open seats will define Swain race
Swain The Swain County board has four commissioner seats and one chairman. All five seats are up for election every…
Read More
Court ruling bars county endorsement of Christian prayer
County commissioners in Western North Carolina face a fork in the road after a federal judge in Forsyth County made…
Read More
All three incumbents to run again in Macon
Macon The Macon County board has four commissioners and one chairman. This year, the seats of two commissioners and the…
Read More
Ski, Worship and Grow with your friends and MYP at Lake Junaluska
Get ready to hit the slopes and participate in meaningful worship at Lake Junaluska’s Ministries with Young People (MYP) annual…
Read More
Small-time theft by travel agent a big-time violation of trust
William Maney, owner of Fantasy Travel in Sylva, allegedly defrauded an elderly woman from Franklin out of $7,000 last year…
Read More
Macon comprehensive plan stutters as work begins
Comprehensive planning is supposed to be, well, comprehensive. But as Macon County leaders are finding out, it’s not that easy…
Read More
Life on the rock
Workers on the rockslide slope are laboring around the clock. There’s a day crew and a night crew, ranging from…
Read More
Family farm builds Brasstown Beef brand
It’s a slogan even the slickest New York ad firm couldn’t top if it tried: “Real Beef. Raised Right. Around…
Read More
Waynesville producer wins national award
Producer, editor and videographer John Kenyon of Waynesville has been selected to receive the Award of Excellence in the slide…
Read More
Public art to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Waynesville Public Art Commission recently issued a Call for Artists for its fourth public art project. The proposed art…
Read More
A new rockslide on I-40 over the weekend may take up to three weeks to clear
Another rockslide struck along the already closed section of Interstate 40 over the weekend. The new slide is nothing like…
Read More
Historic Cherokee letterpress carries exciting potential for new art
The newest addition to Southwestern Community College’s Oconaluftee Institute of Cultural Arts holds a piece of Cherokee history. OICA will…
Read More
Jackson finally folds in long feud with Duke
The seven-year battle between Jackson County commissioners and Duke Energy has come to a close. After losing a critical court…
Read More
Chinese teacher adapts and thrives in Swain County
After making the journey to Western North Carolina from China, Niu Jun discovered Bryson City was nothing like she imagined.…
Read More
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino building for big future
With the rest of the region’s construction economy at a standstill, Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino is in the midst…
Read More
How to fix a mountainside
In the first days following the rockslide on Interstate 40 last October, Jody Kuhne had the unenviable job of rappelling…
Read More
Balsam Mountain Preserve foreclosure now official
Balsam Mountain Preserve, a mega-development in Jackson County, was sold to the highest bidder on the courthouse steps Monday (Jan.…
Read More
Struggling cattle farmers await new auction house
If all goes according to plan, a new regional livestock market will open in Canton by late May to more…
Read More
All about tea
Editor’s Note: Since January is National Tea Month, The Smoky Mountain News talked to some of the tea connoisseurs in…
Read More
Haywood to buy old Wal-Mart to replace aging DSS, Health Department buildings
Year after year, Haywood County commissioners recognized the social service and health department buildings were falling apart. Yet they passed…
Read More
