Committee works to establish guidelines for Beloved titles
Traditionally, the title of Beloved Man or Beloved Woman was reserved for Cherokee people who had proven themselves valiant warriors…
Read More
Funding available for Macon nonprofits
Macon County nonprofit organizations have until March 29 to apply for county funds allocated in the county’s current fiscal year…
Read More
Overdose prevention training offered
The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to implementing harm reduction interventions, public health…
Read More
Cashiers starts leadership program
The inaugural Leadership Cashiers class recently launched its seven-month program with an opening retreat at Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club.…
Read More
Trying to get most out of North Shore funds
Now that Swain County has finally received the entire $52 million from the federal government for the North Shore Road…
Read More
‘Opportunity zone’ could bring business to poor areas
When President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law on Dec. 22, 2017, proponents hailed it…
Read More
Pigeon Center vandalized by intruders
A broken window, classrooms in shambles, irreplaceable items destroyed, kitchen coolers left open and perishable food thrown all over the…
Read More
‘Maggie on Ice’ falls flat
What was hoped to be a slick new attraction designed to bring more visitors to Maggie Valley during wintertime has…
Read More
Nikwasi Initiative wants deed to Cherokee mound
In a historic decision, the town of Franklin voted Monday to move forward with the process of deeding the Nikwasi…
Read More
Haywood County bond rating inches up
Thanks to the hard work and prudent fiscal decision making of both elected officials and administration, Haywood County’s been rewarded…
Read More
Letts reverses retirement decision
Two days after announcing a midterm retirement from the bench, Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts reversed his decision in a…
Read More
Ten years gone: Waynesville board weighs progress, prospects
On Friday, Jan. 29 at the Lake Logan Conference Center, Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown convened a board retreat where he…
Read More
Shaeffer recognized for service to Sylva
The Sylva Board of Commissioners recognized longtime public works director Dan Shaeffer for his nearly 20 years of service to…
Read More
Hometown hate: Haywood Republicans welcome anti-Muslim speaker
Aided by the left and abetted by the media, violent jihadists are slowly but surely infiltrating our government, our schools…
Read More
Meningitis outbreak confirmed in Macon
Macon County Public Health has confirmed an outbreak of meningitis.
Read More
Public records requests shed light on closed sessions
In its role as government watchdog, The Smoky Mountain News submitted public record requests to county and municipal governments in…
Read More
Behind closed doors: Public records laws have exceptions
Woe to those public bodies that fail to comply with North Carolina’s sunshine laws; transparency underpins American democracy to the…
Read More
Closed sessions easily accessible in Jackson
Of all the local governments in The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage area, Jackson County has some of the most complete…
Read More
Detail varies in Sylva minutes
Of the nine closed-session discussions Sylva commissioners held last year, only three — all attorney-client privilege conversations related to an…
Read More
Bryson City tackles personnel issues in closed meetings
Personnel issues have been the only reason why Bryson City Aldermen have held closed meetings in 2018.
Read More
Swain uses closed meetings for contract talks
Swain County commissioners typically hold two meetings per month, and it’s not unusual for them to have a closed session…
Read More
Franklin business rarely out of public view
Of all the town and county governments in The Smoky Mountain News coverage area, the Franklin Town Council had the…
Read More
Closed meetings the norm in Macon
A vast majority of Macon County Board of Commissioners meetings end with a closed session. In fact, commissioners spent more…
Read More
Development, personnel drive Haywood closed sessions
As the largest local government unit in The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area, Haywood County sees more action —…
Read More
Waynesville closed sessions boring, but by the book
The Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen meets every two weeks, or about 24 times a year, depending on the…
Read More
Small-town closed sessions few, far between
Haywood County’s five local governments more or less fall into two tiers — there’s the county and there’s Waynesville, and…
Read More
Judge Letts to retire: Superior Court will see vacancy four months after Election Day
Amid widespread speculation about plans to run for principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Superior Court Judge…
Read More
Slide shifts traffic on U.S. 74
A slide on the westbound side of U.S. 74 on Sunday morning in Jackson County temporarily diverted traffic just west…
Read More
I-40 slide cleanup causes closure
Cleaning a rockslide on Interstate 40 near the Tennessee State lane will require the N.C. Department of Transportation to keep…
Read More
Animal shelter planning to start in Jackson County
Jackson County is facing a plethora of capital projects over the next several years, and a new animal shelter will…
Read More
Shining Rock head of school fired
Barely a year after he was hired, Nathan Duncan is out at Shining Rock Classical Academy.
Read More
Citizens Police Academy still seeking applicants
Not long after retired U.S. Air Force officer and former teacher Mary Ford moved to Waynesville with her husband, she…
Read More
Congress votes to reauthorize Land and Water Conservation Fund
Congress has voted to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund following a 363-62 vote of the U.S. House…
Read More
Smokies records highest-ever visitation in 2018
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park set a new visitation record for 2018, welcoming 11.4 million visitors to its 816…
Read More
Jackson County chews on $12 million Green Energy Park campus proposal
Last week Jackson County commissioners got their first look at what a re-imagined Green Energy Park campus might cost, with…
Read More
Hospital foundations find new mission
Following HCA Healthcare’s purchase of the Mission Health System, the nonprofit foundations that have supported Mission’s hospitals for so long…
Read More
Macon, Franklin work on greenway connection
Macon County and the town of Franklin are working on a collaborative project to create a new greenway connection on…
Read More
African-American history at Sunburst oft overlooked
In a county as old as Haywood, there exist all manner of half-remembered places and faces long gone from the…
Read More
Mission CEO takes job with HCA
According to an internal email leaked to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Mission’s CEO Dr. Ron Paulus will be leaving his post…
Read More
Dogwood hires search firm to find director
As all of Mission’s legacy foundations establish their new mission and board of directors, Dogwood Health Trust is in the…
Read More
Spate of new downtown Waynesville businesses emerges
With his thick Brooklyn accent, Danny Mannlein isn’t exactly the type of “local” most Haywood County residents are used to…
Read More
Room price, capacity drive TDA revenues
As the Great Recession recedes further and further into the rear-view mirror, most local economic indicators in Western North Carolina…
Read More
HCC offers free tuition to needy Haywood students
Financial aid and scholarships are a great way to pay for college, but not everyone qualifies. For those who do,…
Read More
Race against time for Waynesville homeless camp
The longstanding brouhaha over a makeshift dwelling near Frog Level has escalated to the point where enforcement action is likely…
Read More
Cell tower proposed for Sylva
A proposal to build a new cell tower off of Skyland Drive in Sylva will go before the Jackson County…
Read More
Constitution proposed for Cherokee
Cherokee voters will have the chance to give their nation a long-awaited constitution if Tribal Council approves a referendum question…
Read More
Medicaid on their minds at Rep. Queen’s town hall
Four-time freshman legislator and recently re-elected Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, launched into this year’s legislative session by hosting a…
Read More
The table is set: Pancake Day is free to community this year
The table is set — all you have to do is come sit down and be served.
Read More
Woman from the west, for the west: Hipps remembered for her passion, commitment
On the campaign trail, Jane Hipps of Waynesville was often called the “woman from the west, for the west.” With…
Read More
Waynesville woman, child reported missing
UPDATE: The missing woman and child have been located and are safe. Detectives with the Haywood County Sheriff’s office are…
Read More
