Public input counts, but for how much, in road ranking
There’s no clear winner in a complex and multifarious new system for ranking roads projects when it comes to the…
Read More
Dolly’s sister offers to lend a hand for Ghost Town comeback
Ghost Town in the Sky owner Alaska Presley has recruited singer and longtime friend Stella Parton to help her draw…
Read More
Corridor K debate going nowhere
Will it decimate mountain beauty or open the economic flood gates? Either way, the costly missing link of a four-lane…
Read More
Did you miss it? Local lost and founds include some odd, poignant items
Courtney Hall pawed through a cardboard box wedged in the corner of the utility closet at Panacea Coffee Shop bearing…
Read More
Another Macon subdivision, more unhappy lot owners
Not long ago Kristina and Bruce Oliver invited a local couple they’d met in nearby Franklin to come play cards…
Read More
Resurrecting a ghost town: Alaska Presley hopes to revive Maggie Valley by reopening the once-popular Ghost Town amusement park
Tears gathered in Alaska Presley’s eyes as she moved one step closer to attaining a Maggie Valley icon that has…
Read More
Family first: As Shuler steps down to spend time with family, finding a Shuler-esque candidate to fill the void has Democrats scrambling.
When Coach Boyce Dietz got a call from his former standout quarterback Heath Shuler asking him to meet for breakfast…
Read More
Celebrating our little corner of the world
“[I] discovered that my own little postage stamp of native soil was worth writing about and that I would never…
Read More
Just ask this therapist: laughter is definitely the best medicine
Teeheeheehee, yuk yuk yuk, ho ho ho, BAHAHAHA — no matter how you do it, laughter can boost your mood, lower…
Read More
Free speech or rude disruption? Jackson County bans woman from holding signs during meetings
In town and county governments there are those dedicated members of the public who speak out and stand up to…
Read More
One façade at a time: Cherokee makes over downtown appeal
Cherokee is on a mission to remodel the look of its business district, in the hope that an infusion of…
Read More
Architect mix-up over HCC project begs the question: can water run uphill?
Haywood Community College has hit a nearly $227,000 roadblock during the construction of it new creative arts building. The $10.2…
Read More
Desperate for work, WNC residents flock to regional jobs fair
People once again lined up at the Biltmore Square Mall in Asheville last week, but this time they weren't waiting…
Read More
2011 In Review
The Smoky Mountain News takes note this week of some of the newsmakers of 2011 by handing out our annual…
Read More
What price athletics? WCU football costs mount as university pursues wins
The price tag of transforming Western Carolina University’s losing football team into a winner — or anything less than a…
Read More
Getting ready: Growing number of preppers work to ensure survival in case of societal collapse
At Carolina Readiness Supply in Waynesville you can buy freeze-dried macaroni and cheese by the 20-ounce can and a solar…
Read More
Fired up over Devil’s championship run
If you want to talk high school football in Swain County there’s plenty of options. But one of the most…
Read More
Traditional Sylva feed and seed store seizes chance to fill modern organic niche
It’s not everyday that you can shop at the local feed and seed store for organic foods and produce, but…
Read More
Twenty years and counting: Imperial renovations, perhaps, finally coming to a close
It’s anybody’s guess when the Imperial Hotel in Canton will open. The deadline for finishing renovations to the hotel, owned…
Read More
Bryson town officials failed to keep tabs on fire department finances
Despite multiple red flags, Bryson City officials failed to provide proper oversight of the town’s volunteer fire department over the…
Read More
Land use plan ‘truthometer’: What really happened to all those new businesses that were coming to Waynesville?
Did Waynesville run off a Cracker Barrel? What about Chick-fil-A? Challengers running in next week’s town election say Waynesville’s appearance…
Read More
From humble beginnings to goodwill enterprise: Manufacturing medical supplies provides jobs for disabled
Crafting cornhusk dolls is a far cry from mass-producing blue surgical drapes, but one local non-profit made that leap in…
Read More
WATCH ONLINE: Every Breath Sings Mountains provides an entertaining and thoughtful evening
Voices from the American Land — along with local partners Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, the Wilderness Society, Tuckasegee…
Read More
Casino a catalyst for re-discovery of Cherokee power
Casino dollars, and lots of them, have brought the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians newfound clout this past decade, from…
Read More
From bankruptcy to riches, Phil Drake builds a business empire
Phil Drake acknowledges that he has two kinds of enterprises. There are those launched or purchased for strategic business reasons;…
Read More
A cut above the competition
Haywood Community College can now boast a national champion after Daniel Jones took the title at the Stihl Collegiate Timbersports…
Read More
Produce vouchers connect farmers with the needy
Food stamps and food pantry vouchers are finding their way into the farmers markets in Jackson and Swain counties, putting…
Read More
Swain football team tackles summer reading list
There are a lot of things associated with the words “high school football.” Three-a-days. Pep rallies. Weight rooms. The quarterback…
Read More
A dry county? Hardly. Booze abounds in Jackson thanks to creative state laws
It’s midday on a weekday, and the bar is hopping at Sapphire Brewing Company near Cashiers. Jackson County, technically, is…
Read More
Bottoms up? Alcohol vote on next year’s ballot in Jackson County
Voters in Jackson County will get to decide next year whether to allow alcohol sales countywide. Four of the county’s…
Read More
Sylva police department to find new home on Main Street
A dire space crunch for Sylva’s police officers has been solved. Jackson County will give the old library building on…
Read More
Paddling on the decline, but still alive in WNC schools
In North Carolina, it’s illegal to hit a prison inmate. You can’t hit a child in a day care center.…
Read More
Cuts target childhood development during critical early years
When SmartStart, an early childhood education program, was launched in 1993, it was hailed nationally as a model for reaching…
Read More
Landslide hazard maps axed by state: Risky slopes in Jackson, Haywood to remain a mystery for now
Republican lawmakers have pulled the plug on the state’s landslide mapping unit, terminating a controversial project to assess which slopes…
Read More
Back taxes on Ghost Town help fund festivals in Maggie
Maggie Valley gave the thumbs up to a 2011-12 budget, voting 4-1 to approve the spending plan at a town…
Read More
The science and art of cadaver dog training
“A dog is an amazing thing,” says Orval Banks, smiling wryly and adjusting his faded gray ballcap. He’s explaining the…
Read More
Jackson’s new library might be economic boon
Set high on a mountaintop above Sylva, the historic courthouse has long been a focal point in this Jackson County…
Read More
Maggie festival grounds still trying to prove its mettle
When the town of Maggie Valley bought a grassy field to serve as a town festival grounds in 2005, the…
Read More
Cherokee hopes for dealers as casino expansion debt looms
Principal Chief Michell Hicks hinted last week at a renewed effort to bring live dealers to Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and…
Read More
McCoy bridge compromise muddies debate
A proposed compromise by Macon County commissioners on a historic bridge outside of Franklin isn’t sitting well with those who’ve…
Read More
Politics, Cherokee style, are in high gear leading up to primary
The July 7 primary is drawing closer in Cherokee, when the field for principal chief will narrow from five to…
Read More
A recipe for helping kids
It’s 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon, and in a kitchen in Frog Level, a chocolate almond layered torte is beginning…
Read More
Gearing up: Mill outage to bring hundreds of outside laborers to Canton
For the last month, Greg Petty has been on a leaflet campaign around Canton. He’s been to parking lots. He’s…
Read More
Spiritual community: A matter of being part of something greater
Plink plink plink. A moment of silence. Again – plink plink plink. It’s 6 a.m. and the sky is still…
Read More
WCU meets its new chancellor: First new leadership in 16 years
Western Carolina University’s next chancellor is David Belcher, a classically trained pianist who is currently a top administrator at the…
Read More
New TDA visitor center will leave Haywood Chamber with funding woes
Less than a year after opening a new visitor center in downtown Waynesville, the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce learned…
Read More
Restaurants in Sylva busy despite worries about economy
The economy be damned — the burgeoning restaurant scene in Sylva continues to boom, with four eating establishments in this…
Read More
Swain commissioners recommend DSS employee suspension DSS board to meet on the matter Tuesday
Swain County commissioners voted 4 to 1 in a special meeting Thursday (March 3) to formally recommend that the Department…
Read More
Plows miss part of I-40
Motorists beware: a no man’s land at exit 37 on Interstate 40 may not be plowed and salted in bad…
Read More
Maggie ABC stores face questions amid losses
Maggie Valley’s liquor stores lost money in 2010 for the second year in a row, prompting some aldermen to question…
Read More
