New stage to open next month
Sitting on a bench one recent sunny afternoon, Steven Lloyd gazes to his right, a big smile immediately rolling across…
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Camera crazy: Downtown Sylva comes alive during filming of big-budget movie
An air of excitement and expectation reigned over downtown Sylva last week as crews and stars alike rolled in to…
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Making the grade: Educator reinvents dropout prevention, but budget cuts jeopardize program
Kyle Ledford spent years working with at-risk youth and high school dropouts in the Haywood school system. Saving kids was…
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How sincere is your smile? Stakes are high in the never-ending quest for seasonal tourism workers
It happens like clockwork every year. As the calendar creeps toward May, the roads get crowded, lines at the grocery…
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Connecting Pets and People
In recognition of National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day on April 30, The Smoky Mountain News is highlighting the organizations…
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Promoting civility: Online posts prompt discussion about race and inclusiveness at WCU
It started with a poster. Or, more accurately, with a collection of posters in the window of Western Carolina University’s…
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Charting a new course: Upstart schools face animosity that usually softens over time
A small group of parents had been working quietly for about three years to get the first charter school established…
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Swain County to sue federal government over North Shore Road settlement money
After waiting for years to get the money promised to them, the Swain County commissioners made a unanimous decision last…
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When duty calls: A critical shortage of volunteer firefighters threatens a time-honored American tradition
Little boys worship them. Bruce Springsteen memorialized them. The helpless count on them. Volunteer firefighters are a symbol of American…
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Little help from lottery: N.C.’s education games falling short of promises
As people across North Carolina daydream about what they would do if they won millions from playing the lottery, they…
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A look at the races
• Republican reboot on tap for House 119 primary• Rep. West’s retirement leads to Republican primary tussle• Congressional primary moved to June 7• Meet…
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Sky’s the limit: Drone operators on front lines of an exciting new industry
Everyone enjoys the ground-level Western North Carolina views, but drones provide a whole new perspective on things. SEE ALSO:• Drone technology…
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From the heart: Parents, teachers and students plead to save Central Elementary from closing
Around 300 supporters of Central Elementary School in Waynesville packed into the school cafeteria Wednesday evening and made a heart-wrenching…
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The ingredients of the good life
Ricardo Fernandez is a renowned chef, master gardener and also a former national diving champion, but there’s one thing he…
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2015: News in review
Time to put a bow on 2015 and call it wrapped. But not just yet, at least not for all…
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Christmas tree industry growing strong
With more than 25 million real Christmas trees sold in the United States every year, growing Christmas trees is a…
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WCU community grapples with academic pursuits in the face of politically-charged outside funding
A firestorm over the outside private funding of academia and its potential to undermine intellectual freedom has erupted in recent…
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In search of a forever home: Number of children in foster care on the rise
In a perfect world, every child would have a loving family and a safe home to return to at the…
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Back in the saddle: Once given up for dead, Hazelwood is beating the odds one small business at a time
It was barely 11 a.m. and Hazelwood was hopping. The scent of freshly roasted coffee beans spilled out of Smoky Mountain…
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Trash or treasure? Jackson leaders discuss future of the Green Energy Park
Get off the U.S. 74 exit for Dillsboro, descend the steep hill to the light, turn right for a 1-mile…
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Honoring our finest: Veteran stories, war artifacts a reminder of sacrifices
Veterans Day is a time set aside each year to honor the people who have put their lives on the…
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New compensation rules for disabled workers worry local organizations
In his 38 years at the helm of Haywood Vocational Opportunities, George Marshall has seen his share of change in…
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Municipal Elections 2015
Small towns all over the region are in the midst of municipal elections and a majority of them are contested…
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Haywood braces for flooding, mudslides as heavy rain sets in
Haywood County convened an emergency joint conference Friday to ensure response readiness in the event of flooding or mudslides triggered…
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HCC students collaborate to commemorate 50 years
It isn’t often students in the creative arts program and the high-tech machinery program get to collaborate on a project,…
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Native American journalists face unique issues when it comes to free press
Joe Martin had never worked for a newspaper or owned a handgun when he took the reins of the tribally…
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Mobile vendors finding permanent homes in WNC
As the food truck fad filters into counties west of Asheville, local governments are trying to find a fair balance…
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Finding common ground
Standing in the back of The Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley last week, several languages could be heard in every…
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Mayor remembered for reshaping Maggie’s future
There are two types of mayors — the ones who show up to shake hands and kiss babies and the…
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Maggie moves forward with or without Ghost Town
Illuminated neon lettering indicated full occupancy on many of the hotels in Maggie Valley during the Fourth of July weekend.…
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Franklin outdoors camp helps military kids heal from loss
It was an intense few days for Virginia Beach, Virginia, resident Seth. Eight miles of hiking, 4.5 of those bushwhacking,…
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The golden children: Bolivian orphanage fosters international bond with Western North Carolina
It’s 6:30 in the morning when 24 hours of travel ends with the plane’s landing in Bolivia, but even through…
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A painful problem: Haywood teams up to fight prescription drug abuse
Recently recovered from rotator cuff surgery, Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher hasn’t popped a single prescription pain pill since the…
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Local NAACP members still fighting for voters
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern It may be too late to change North Carolina’s new voting laws, but it’s not…
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One tote at a time: Waynesville woman takes aim at human trafficking — by selling tote bags
Two short years ago, Fay Grant was living on the other side of the country, a professional music editor for…
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When worlds collide: Vexed by loitering homeless, Frog Level merchants beg for help combatting soup kitchen’s overflow
Teri Siewert picked up a pink Hello Kitty alarm clock by the cord and dragged it out from under the…
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Legislation crosses over, has chance to become law
State lawmakers unleashed a torrent of proposed bills in the halls of the General Assembly this year — more than…
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Last man standing: Waynesville makes history with an untidy ending to an untidy war
Union Col. William Bartlett tried to keep his cool as he watched his bitter, battle-hardened Confederate enemies riding down Main…
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The case of Haywood’s missing students: a cause-and-effect story
Haywood County Schools have been losing students slowly but steadily over the past decade. Despite high academic performance, the school…
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Festival frenzy fueling local economies
As a tourism expert in the Southeast, Dr. Steve Morse has been asked to judge competitions at festivals all over…
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From a mustard seed: Churches get gardening to fight hometown hunger
June Johnson’s foray into the world of gardening began in the dead of winter. A sunny January day last year…
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The logging legacy unchained: In Serena, Rash lays bare the real story of the Smokies timber boom
It’s been nearly a century since the logging boom swept across Appalachia, but the story is timeless, forever engraved on…
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Inside immunizations: Parents weigh the risks and benefits
Lana Quinn of Waynesville has lost friends, been called crazy and was turned away from a pediatrician’s office because of…
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Charting a new course: Haywood’s first charter school gets set to open in Waynesville
Anna Eason has nothing but good things to say about Haywood County Public Schools. It’s a “good school system,” doing…
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Haywood GOP members draw the line over inflammatory emails
Monroe Miller is no stranger to the inbox. Hundreds of emails from Miller have peppered the email accounts of people…
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Back from rock bottom: Macon Realtors reflect on the past, present and future
June Tassillo loves real estate, but she never knew how exciting it could be until she worked her first all-or-nothing,…
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Community rallies to keep Evergreen clinic
Evergreen Packaging in Canton plans to close the Evergreen Family Medical Center and pharmacy on March 31, but county officials…
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Study shows Swain benefited most from ACA
More than 10 million people now have health care coverage because of the Affordable Care Act, and Swain County residents…
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2014: Newsworthy award winners
2014 is all but in the rearview mirror now, and all the stories reported over the last 12 months are…
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