ABC Chairman visit Cherokee Nation
North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission Chairman Zander Guy met with Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed and other representatives of…
Read More
Committee to lead search for WCU chancellor
Western Carolina University announced the appointment of a 21-member search committee that will recommend a successor to Chancellor David O.…
Read More
Landslide closes N.C. 28 through February
A plan is in place to re-open N.C. 28 in Graham County by the end of February.
Read More
Fake news freakout! All of this really happened in 2017*
Last year it was still just a quaint, silly little term — fake news.
Read More
2017: Year in review
Before we ring in the New Year, The Smoky Mountain News likes to look back and reflect on the last…
Read More
Town of Clyde appoints new mayor, alderman
The recent passing of longtime Clyde Mayor Jerry Walker left a hole not only in the hearts of residents, but…
Read More
Jackson delays pool referendum decision
An already-tight timeline to get a referendum question about funding an indoor pool on Jackson County’s November 2018 ballot just…
Read More
Fired tribal employees receive $100K settlement
Seven tribal employees who were fired or demoted when former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert took office in 2015 have received…
Read More
Sylva commissioners butt heads over TWSA appointment
A routine board appointment turned contentious last week when Sylva Commissioner Harold Hensley announced that he’d like to see someone…
Read More
Tourists taste Maggie Valley as season grows ever longer
For all of its bluster and bikers and bling in the summertime, Maggie Valley can be one sleepy little town…
Read More
Sponsors, donations needed to provide Christmas for kids
There are still plenty of children in need this Christmas in Swain County and your donation to the Swain County…
Read More
Waynesville reservoir study could result in capacity increase
Pristine and nearly untouched by the hands of humans, the Town of Waynesville’s watershed has been hailed as a visionary…
Read More
Public not invited to Franklin hospital hearing
Angel Medical Center held a public hearing Tuesday morning regarding a new potential location for the hospital on U.S. 441,…
Read More
Haywood sheriff investigating two deaths in Fines Creek
Haywood County Sheriff’s Office detectives continue to investigate two deaths that occurred in the Fines Creek area.
Read More
Haywood’s assistant county manager resigns
In a statement issued by Haywood County moments ago, the resignation of Assistant County Manager Talmadge “Stoney” Blevins was announced.…
Read More
Macon League of Women Voters disbands: Members reflect on 27 years of work toward a well-informed community
An aging membership, the inability to recruit younger members, a lack of civic engagement and a shift away from nonpartisanship…
Read More
Asheville LWV chapter picking up steam
While the Macon County League of Women Voters had to disband this year due to low membership and community involvement,…
Read More
Spread of opioids puts strain on sheriff resources
On any given day, the Haywood County Detention Center is full of people suffering from substance abuse and/or mental illness…
Read More
Sheriff receives grant to hire four new deputies
The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $480,963 grant that will allow the department to hire four full-time…
Read More
Canton Confederate Christmas controversy quashed
When Canton Alderman Dr. Ralph Hamlett recently proposed a parade entry policy that would limit inappropriate speech during the town’s…
Read More
Pride of a nation: Cherokee wins first-ever state football championship
Pride-filled pandemonium reigned in Cherokee Saturday night, Dec. 8, as the victorious Cherokee Braves football team returned to town. Police…
Read More
Mission back in network for BCBS policyholders
After a months’ long battle, Mission Health hospitals and its affiliates will be back in Blue Cross Blue Shield’s network…
Read More
Franklin council, mayor sworn into office
Franklin’s new and returning councilmembers were recently sworn into office and immediately started conducting business during the December regular meeting.
Read More
Brunch Bill one step closer to reality in Maggie Valley
As the town’s former police chief and also as a woman of faith, Maggie Valley Mayor Saralyn Price said last…
Read More
Freshman retention dips at WCU
After years of steady upward progress, the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate at Western Carolina University dipped slightly for students who enrolled…
Read More
Admissions interest rises at Western
When Chancellor David Belcher asked Sam Miller, Western Carolina University’s vice chancellor for students success, to tell the Board of…
Read More
Haywood School Board to fill vacancy
After submitting applications, one of three men will be selected to fill a vacancy on the Haywood County School board…
Read More
New home for Nudge City?
The Town of Waynesville solved one problem Nov. 28 by deciding where, exactly, video gaming parlors may in the future…
Read More
Tribal Council removes alcohol commissioner
In a split decision, the Cherokee Tribal Council voted Dec. 7 to remove a member of the Tribal Alcoholic Beverage…
Read More
Homeless in Haywood for the holidays
I don’t really want to go into the domestic circumstances that led up to it, but even though I had…
Read More
Beyond words: WCU community overflows with gratitude for Belcher’s leadership
Business as usual was a difficult thing to achieve at the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees meeting Friday, Dec.…
Read More
Art of Music Festival gets boost from tourism agency
Balsam Range will be beefing up its annual Art of Music Festival next year thanks to a $35,000 grant from…
Read More
TDA makes funding decisions for Haywood zip codes
After receiving recommendations from the 1 percent subcommittees, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has made final decisions on which…
Read More
Term ends for TDA chairman
After leading the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority through what will likely become four of the most formative years in…
Read More
Ramsey Center to get new skin
The black glass Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center is an iconic structure on the Western Carolina University campus, but…
Read More
New book chronicles African American history in WNC
An oral history project documenting African American history in the far western reaches of North Carolina is now a book,…
Read More
Every Day is Veterans Day at the Pigeon Center
Although honoring veterans each Nov. 11 is a substantial gesture by the grateful citizens of this country, a new program…
Read More
Season of Light celebration comes to Pigeon Center
The Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center will host an inclusive holiday celebration complete with music, snacks and desserts from 5…
Read More
Lake Junaluska decorates for Christmas
A crew of more than 50 volunteers from the community decorated Lake Junaluska for the holiday season, including the Rose…
Read More
Bridge across Lake Junaluska Dam could reopen in 2018
Ka-chunk, ka-chunk … Ka-chunk, ka-chunk…. For over a century the sound of wheels on wood have greeted residents of and…
Read More
Jackson ponders pool repairs
The Sylva pool saw $100,000 in repairs before opening this summer, but more work is on the way to get…
Read More
Shooting range sound spurs complaint
Located behind the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority treatment plant off North River Road, Southwestern Community College’s shooting range is…
Read More
Jackson commissioners OK 185-foot radio tower
A unanimous vote from the Jackson County commissioners will allow construction of a 185-foot radio tower in Cullowhee to move…
Read More
Sarge’s photo contest
Sarge’s Pet Photo Contest is back and it’s a holiday theme. Enter printed photos of your pets in costume or…
Read More
Cancer battle causes WCU chancellor to step down
After battling brain cancer since April 2016, Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher announced Nov. 27 that his treatment…
Read More
Trio of Haywood efforts to bolster economic development
Three complementary actions taken by the Haywood County Board of County Commissioners Nov. 20 show that despite changing conditions in…
Read More
WCU seeks waiver on tower regulations
What began as an effort to give Western Carolina University’s campus radio station broader coverage could end with construction of…
Read More
Waynesville wastewater woes warrant study redux
If you don’t like what you hear, get a second opinion — at least, that’s what the Waynesville Board of…
Read More
New plan for Walnut Street met with satisfaction
After a series of contentious public hearings almost a year ago resulted in outcry from nearly all quarters of Waynesville,…
Read More
Jackson to merge health and social services departments
Jackson County will pursue a plan to consolidate its health and social services departments following a special-called commissioners meeting held…
Read More
