Haywood gets financial reporting award

Haywood County has been recognized with the prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson TDA announces new cycle for tourism capital project fund

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA) will reopen its cycle for tourism capital projects Jan. 1, 2024. $600,000 is available…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood Chamber of Commerce gains rare accreditation

The Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) recognized the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce as one of two…
Read More

Comment

 

Murphy gaming expansion set to open in spring

The Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in Murphy is abuzz these days as 200 on-site construction workers hustle…
Read More

Comment

 

HCSO to release body cam footage to plaintiff alleging Fourth Amendment violation

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has been ordered by a judge to provide dash and body cam footage to a…
Read More

Comment

 

Just days remain in 2024 candidate filing period

North Carolina’s candidate filing period for the 2024 General Election ends at noon , Friday, Dec. 15, and if the…
Read More

Comment

 

Woodhouse returns as NC-11 GOP chair

Henderson County resident Michele Woodhouse has been reelected as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District after…
Read More

Comment

 

Judge rules on motion to dismiss claims in police shooting suit

The court has made its decision in the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office’s request to dismiss  many of the complaints in…
Read More

Comment

 

Courting disloyalty: New program encourages shoppers to patronize Waynesville businesses

The disloyalty card is here and it’s, in a sense, exactly what it sounds like. 
Read More

Comment

 

Alumna gift will create endowment for interior design program

Students in Western Carolina University’s interior design program soon will have access to new experiential learning opportunities thanks to a…
Read More

Comment

 

Cherokee Editorial Board ordinance withdrawn: Council, chiefs will retain appointments

An ordinance seeking to change the makeup of the Cherokee One Feather’s editorial board made it back in front of…
Read More

Comment

 

Public hearing set for Franklin social district

The Town of Franklin will move forward with a public hearing for its proposed social district, despite inaction from the…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon schools to consider policy on Narcan

Macon County Schools will follow the example of several other school districts and consider a policy on administration of Narcan. 
Read More

Comment

 

Ribbon cutting for the house cat museum

On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Team held a grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony for the…
Read More

Comment

 

The next chapter: New owner at Blue Moon Books

One of Haywood County’s used bookstores is entering its next chapter with a change of ownership and a continuation of…
Read More

Comment

 

Mountain Projects calls for participation in housing surveys

Three surveys from Mountain Projects that aim to help the nonprofit develop a housing plan, identify housing projects that will…
Read More

Comment

 

Jackson County license plate agency to close: Office will reopen under new contractor

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ license plate agency in Jackson County will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 15. 
Read More

Comment

 

Statewide holiday ‘Booze It & Lose It’ enforcement campaign underway

 This holiday season, the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program joins local and state law enforcement to urge drivers against impaired driving. 
Read More

Comment

 

Up in the air: North Canton Fire Department puts eyes in the sky to save lives

As technology evolves, every entity and industry finds new and innovative ways to use those advances to improve their operations.
Read More

Comment

 

Vision for the future: WCU program helps intellectually disabled students achieve their dreams

As he entered his sophomore year at Andrews High School in Cherokee County, David Maennle started to notice his classmates…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon school board opposes partisan elections

After county commissioners considered signing a resolution in support of transitioning the Macon County Board of Education to a partisan-elected…
Read More

Comment

 

WCU men's basketball picks up steam

It’s a great time to be a Catamount basketball fan, certainly the best in a while. 
Read More

Comment

 

Habitat’s ‘return on investment': Building strong communities, strong futures

It’s  tough out there for anyone hoping to gain entry into the housing market. 
Read More

Comment

 

Fire activity resumes

Despite an uptick in precipitation and humidity levels, the region is still facing the worst drought conditions  since 2017, with…
Read More

Comment

 

Two grants help Haywood students

Haywood County Schools recently received two grants from Dogwood Health Trust. One will benefit students at the Haywood Community Learning…
Read More

Comment

 

Candidates continue filing for 2024 election

North Carolina’s candidate filing period for the 2024 General Election began on Monday, Dec. 4, with candidates slowly making their…
Read More

Comment

 

Fox named interim county manager

Less than a month after Jackson County Manager Don Adams announced his resignation, commissioners have appointed an interim to fill…
Read More

Comment

 

Man arrested for child sex crimes in Haywood

On Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, Haywood County Sheriff’s deputies from the Criminal Suppression Unit located and arrested Tyler James Ponder,…
Read More

Comment

 

Johnson named Preceptor of the Year

Haywood Regional Medical Center announced that Dr. Allison Johnson was named Preceptor of the Year by the Virginia College of…
Read More

Comment

 

Wildfire season 2023: live updates

After months of dry weather, drought is translating into wildfires and burn bans.
Read More

Comment

 

Medicaid expansion is here; Pisgah Legal offers free advice on gaining access

More than 500,000 North Carolinians stand to gain free health coverage in the coming months. 
Read More

Comment

 

Rudow announces congressional bid in Western North Carolina

The 2024 election season isn’t quite yet officially underway, but one Democrat isn’t waiting for Dec. 4 to get into…
Read More

Comment

 

Burn bans lift and wildfires wind down following rain

Burn bans have been lifted and wildfires contained after steady rains Tuesday, Nov. 21, put a pause in a relentless drought that…
Read More

Comment

 

Cherokee man arrested in cold case murder

Nearly a decade after 26-year-old Marie Walkingstick Pheasant’s body was found in a burned-out vehicle in Cherokee’s Big Cove community,…
Read More

Comment

 

No county property for proposed Franklin Social District

Without discussion or stated reasoning, Macon County commissioners decided not to allow Franklin to use county property for its proposed…
Read More

Comment

 

Arson investigations follow some wildfires

Arsonists were responsible for some of the wildfires first responders have battled over the past month, with one arrest made…
Read More

Comment

 

The state of emergency services: Macon’s EMS Director highlights transport and staffing concerns

Macon County Emergency Services Director Warren Cabe came before the Board of Commissioners this month to outline problems his department…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon signs resolution to restructure commission elections

Macon County Commissioners are divided over a resolution in support of revising the system to elect county commissioners in order…
Read More

Comment

 

Per cap numbers indicate faltering casino revenues

The most recent per capita distribution numbers indicate flagging revenues at the two casinos operating on Eastern Band of Cherokee…
Read More

Comment

 

Candidate filing begins for 2024 elections

National, state and local offices will be on the ballot across North Carolina for a high-stakes 2024 election, and it…
Read More

Comment

 

Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation names new executive director

 The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation announced that Charlotte Muir has been appointed as its new executive director. The announcement comes…
Read More

Comment

 

Macon tables partisan school board discussion

After contentious debate over the decision to make the Macon County Board of Education partisan-elected, county commissioners tabled the issue…
Read More

Comment

 

Mayhem in Macon

In a public meeting that lasted more than five hours, Macon County Commissioners approved premium pay for county employees, 3-2.…
Read More

Comment

 

Buck the system: Macon recommends changes to Fontana Regional Library agreement

With the 10-year Fontana Regional Library agreement up for review, commissions in all three counties are considering changes to the…
Read More

Comment

 

Living culture: WCU undertakes project showcasing Cherokee heritage on campus

At mid-morning on Wednesday, Nov. 15, the fountain at the heart of Western Carolina University’s campus is a thoroughfare.
Read More

Comment

 

Wildfires burn as rain reaches WNC

A steady rain arrived in Western North Carolina Tuesday, Nov. 21, marking the first precipitation of that magnitude the region has…
Read More

Comment

 

Watershed restoration underway after 2021 flooding

More than two years after flooding along the Pigeon River and its tributaries killed half a dozen people and destroyed…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood County and Waynesville look to stay ahead of cryptocurrency mining

It’s novel, it’s trendy and it’s a great way to become fabulously wealthy — or lose everything you have —…
Read More

Comment

 

The state of the sheriff’s office: Haywood’s top cop drops data, details from his first year

It’s been just under a year since Bill Wilke became Haywood County’s sheriff, after longtime popular incumbent, Greg Christopher, decided…
Read More

Comment

 

Lake Santeetlah back to business after election wins

New town leadership is looking forward to getting things moving again in the tiny Graham County municipality of Lake Santeetlah,…
Read More

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.