Billy Graham left legacy of humility, compassion, unity
Billy Graham was just a local preacher from Montreat the first time that the Methodist Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat…
Read More
New leaders inaugurated in Cherokee
A new chapter in tribal government began this week when the winners of September’s General Election were sworn in before…
Read More
Jackson Republicans push for commissioner removal
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners has gathered to conduct official business on 14 days since June began, but Commissioner…
Read More
Canton alderman candidate backs out of race
The race to fill an unexpired aldermanic seat in Canton just got a lot easier for Pisgah High School science…
Read More
Ghost Town under contract again
Beloved but long-shuttered Maggie Valley mountaintop amusement park Ghost Town in the Sky is once again under contract, giving new…
Read More
Lawsuit could redraw North Carolina Congressional Districts
As expected, a lawsuit alleging partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina’s congressional districts will utilize some of the same arguments that…
Read More
Harbaugh resigns as TWSA director
After more than seven years at the helm, Dan Harbaugh has left his role as executive director of the Tuckasiegee…
Read More
Tribal Council approves Cannabis Commission in Cherokee
UPDATE: Principal Chief Richard Sneed vetoed this resolution on Oct. 2, after The Smoky Mountain News' press time. Tribal Council will…
Read More
Macon approves funding for broadband projects
Getting impatient waiting for private providers or the government to help in the effort to bring high-speed internet service to…
Read More
Waynesville to review appearance standards
Within the multi-layered strata of American governance, many people assume that the nation’s most sacred values — liberty and justice…
Read More
Sylva strikes down annexation request
Sylva’s town board voted unanimously Sept. 12 to deny a petition from Dillardtown resident Aaron Littlefield to have his property…
Read More
WCU honors first black student
Nearly 300 members of the Western Carolina University community came together Thursday, Sept. 5, to dedicate the campus’s newest residence…
Read More
Jackson’s domestic violence agency aims for independence
The Center for Domestic Peace — the successor to REACH of Jackson County — is hoping to take over domestic violence…
Read More
Sylva candidate drops out of race
This year Sylva voters will be given a ballot listing six possible names for three open seats on the town’s…
Read More
Election protest denied in Cherokee
After coming up short in the General Election Sept. 5, principal chief candidate Teresa McCoy filed an election protest Sept.…
Read More
Budget stalemate could leave WCU out in the cold
Like all of North Carolina’s universities, Western Carolina University in Cullowhee has some pressing capital project funding needs that aren’t…
Read More
Drought worsens in North Carolina
Drought has deepened throughout Central and Western North Carolina, according to a new map published today.
Read More
Mumps outbreak reported at N.C. universities
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging all North Carolinians to make sure they…
Read More
Drought arrives in Western North Carolina
A ban on backcountry fires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was announced today following the release of a…
Read More
Haywood investigates Legionella case
Haywood County Public Health, in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is investigating a case…
Read More
A look at health and fitness in WNC
The Smoky Mountain News’ annual Living Well special section aims to give readers a broad view of the many different…
Read More
Western Carolina University event ‘walks the walk’ on opioid crisis
It’s been said time and time again after forums, panels and public meetings held in communities across the country over…
Read More
Early plans for animal shelter presented
Plans are progressing for a new animal shelter in Jackson County, the first new construction to be completed in the…
Read More
UNC-Charlotte shooter sentenced
The man who opened fire in an UNC-Charlotte campus classroom, killing Waynesville native Riley Howell, will now spend the rest…
Read More
Local firefighter killed in the line of duty
A volunteer firefighter who died while responding to a call was laid to rest on Sunday, after a procession made…
Read More
Board of Inquiry recommends removing ranger’s commission
A Blue Ridge Parkway law enforcement supervisor who admitted to using illegal substances still retains his position as head ranger…
Read More
New president named at Haywood Community College
After more than six months spent searching, the Haywood Community College Board of Trustees announced on Sept. 19 that it…
Read More
“Deliverance” villain Cowboy Coward is not what he seems
The last of Fred and Moody Parker Coward’s nine children, Herbert “Cowboy” Coward, was born in rural Haywood County in…
Read More
The softer side of Cowboy Coward
While Haywood County native Herbert “Cowboy” Coward may be best known for his spine-tingling performance as a toothless mountain man…
Read More
Cherokee to crack down on fake Native goods
Passing off mass-produced tchotchkes as authentic Native American crafts could soon be illegal in Cherokee following Tribal Council’s unanimous vote…
Read More
Haywood Commissioners decry cuts to mental health funding
The need for mental health, substance use disorder and intellectual/developmental disabilities resources in North Carolina is growing, but funding is…
Read More
Cashiers Community Fund Awards Grants Totaling $141,000
The Cashiers Community Fund has awarded $141,000 in grants to nonprofits serving Cashiers and the surrounding region.
Read More
Shining Rock fails to properly notice meeting — again
Taxpayer-funded Shining Rock Classical Academy’s attempt to address its long history of public transparency law violations got off to an…
Read More
UNC strategizes for sustained enrollment
It’s no secret that Western Carolina University is a growing community, with enrollment topping 12,000 for the first time this…
Read More
Boarding school moves into part of Folkmoot Center
Waynesville arts and cultural organization Folkmoot has reached an agreement with the Academy at SOAR, a longtime boarding school in…
Read More
BRH to open new clinic in Swain County
Blue Ridge Health (BRH) has been awarded a $650,000 New Access Point grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration…
Read More
Planning to begin on proposed Haywood Schools facility
Haywood County has taken its first formal step forward in pursuit of a proposed $13 million, 40,000-square-foot central administration facility…
Read More
Shape of N.C. 107 plans set, DOT says
The time to tweak plans for Sylva’s controversial N.C. 107 project is past, residents were told during a well-attended town…
Read More
New housing planned for Sylva
Five families could find themselves in a brand new home in Sylva if a planned endeavor by Mountain Projects comes…
Read More
New voting machines demonstrated in Haywood
Election officials from across the region gathered in Haywood County last week to be among the first to witness public…
Read More
Election Day in Cherokee: Voters speak at the polls
Election Day dawned clear and sunny in Cherokee Sept. 5, with polls opening at 6 a.m. for voters to choose…
Read More
Lockdown lifted at SCC
A lockdown at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson County campus has been lifted after law enforcement determined that students who reported…
Read More
Incumbents sweep Cherokee election
Principal Chief Richard Sneed produced a decisive victory in Cherokee’s Sept. 5 election, pulling in 55.11 percent of the vote…
Read More
Hospital leaders reflect on five years with LifePoint
In 2014, Duke LifePoint Healthcare purchased three hospitals in Western North Carolina with the promise of drastically improving rural health…
Read More
Land sale could offset cost of recycling center relocation
Jackson County hopes to offset the cost of moving its Dillsboro recycling center with proceeds from selling a piece of…
Read More
Court says gerrymandered NC districts must change, immediately
A ruling handed down by a North Carolina court last week declared N.C.’s legislative districts to be illegal partisan gerrymanders…
Read More
Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Rep. Corbin
A powerful voice for Western North Carolina in the North Carolina General Assembly is about to pop the kickstand on…
Read More
BI-LO’s transformation to housing moves forward
First steps are being taken on a major new residential development proposed for the site of a former grocery store…
Read More
Shining Rock surges, Haywood Schools slips again
After a tumultuous year that saw all manner of controversy — from parental complaints to illegal meetings, transparency issues, secret…
Read More
Waynesville’s Masonic Temple building ready for tenants
After years of disuse, a hidden gem in the heart of Waynesville’s downtown is finally ready to reclaim its rightful…
Read More
