Auto emissions testing in Haywood to go?
Residents of Haywood County stand to save at least $1 million a year if relaxed emissions standards become law —…
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New rural fire districts coming to Waynesville
Widespread inequality in the rates Haywood County residents pay for fire protection is about to come to an end.
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Mainspring projects to transform East Franklin
Mainspring Conservation Trust has several cleanup projects in the works that once completed will transform East Franklin for the better.
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Joint initiative to create Nikwasi-Cowee corridor
Much of Western North Carolina’s native history is hidden in plain sight along the Tennessee River Valley from Otto to…
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Folkmoot's Cultural Conversations: At the intersection of inequality
Cultural bias and conflict aren’t new to Western North Carolina; chattel slavery and Cherokee removal still leave a deep and…
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Canton seeks input on bike and pedestrian plan
Cycling enthusiasts who want to help steer the direction of Canton’s proposed Comprehensive Bicyclist and Pedestrian Plan may want to…
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Lake Junaluska wins six awards
Lake Junaluska has won six awards from the United Methodist Association of Communicators for video production, publications, social media, photography…
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Haywood GOP leaders overthrown
A power struggle has embroiled the Haywood County Republican Party over the past several months, culminating in the mass overthrow…
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Patriot faction of Haywood GOP blindsided by ousting
Eddie Cabe suspected something big was afoot in the weeks leading up to the annual precinct gathering of the Haywood…
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Resolution targets Presnell partisan bill
After expressing his outrage early last month over a bill that would make school board elections partisan in Haywood County,…
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Cost could keep Franklin aldermen from changing their name
“What’s an alderman?” is a common question town officials hear when trying to explain what they do to members of…
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Strange bedfellows emerge in HB2 ‘repeal’
An admittedly imperfect compromise that could end the tempest of controversy surrounding North Carolina’s HB2 has been reached, but not…
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More Trump budget cuts hit home
Renewed concerns about the local impact of President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts and his attempts to repeal the Affordable…
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Jackson ponders $20 million health building
A new health sciences building at Southwestern Community College would allow an additional 288 students to prepare for in-demand health…
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Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations: Identifying identity
Hundreds, if not thousands of “civic ambassador” programs begin each month in cities and counties across the nation, including in…
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Town denies train’s request for Fry Street closure
Kim Albritton was visibly shaken up when she walked out of Bryson City Town Hall on Monday night.
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Election season begins for Cherokee council race
The race for Cherokee Tribal Council will feature 45 candidates competing for 12 seats around the horseshoe table when the…
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Sylva to vote on funding for Mill Street lane reduction
A plan to turn two-lane Mill Street in Sylva into a one-lane road will soon move forward if town commissioners…
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High hopes in Hazelwood hang on revamped parking lot
A small assortment of businesses in the 400 block of Hazelwood Avenue have been flourishing of late despite suffering through…
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Dillsboro river park gets unanimous approval
A new river park in Dillsboro is no longer just a proposal after the Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously April…
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Out of sight: Macon, Swain departments largely off-cam
Smaller cities and counties with smaller tax bases can’t always afford the capital expenses of their wealthier neighbors — it’s…
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Haywood cop cam use low, may grow
A variety of law enforcement agencies serve the 60,000 residents speckled about the 555 square miles of Haywood County, and…
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Jackson law enforcement navigates new age of police video
On Aug. 9, 2014, an encounter between Officer Darren Wilson and 18-year-old Michael Brown on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri,…
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The tools of truth
As the digital revolution proceeds unabated and technology exponentially shrinks in size and cost, law enforcement agencies have more tools…
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Police cameras in WNC
The increasing use of body-worn and dash-mounted police cameras in Western North Carolina has sparked privacy concerns from citizens and…
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Memorial service planned for Rev. Jimmy Carr
Lake Junaluska will hold a memorial service for Rev. Dr. Jimmy Carr at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 30, in Stuart…
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Dillsboro river park vote planned in Jackson
With an April 3 vote on a proposed river park in Dillsboro just days away, all five members of the…
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Consolidated health department under discussion in Jackson
The Jackson County Commissioners got some food for thought during a meeting last week exploring the possibility of consolidating some…
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Following Tribal Council decision, former vice chief’s widow will lose her home
The widow of former Vice Chief Bill Ledford is refusing to move after Tribal Council’s January vote to strike the…
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Classroom size uncertainty to impact budgets
School systems in Western North Carolina were hoping a proposed piece of legislation regarding class size requirements would make it…
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Meadows in the middle of repeal and replace
Republicans under President Barack Obama voted more than 40 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no luck. Now,…
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App-alling: Trump budget gut shot to down-and-out Appalachia
Many rural Americans who voted for Donald Trump last November did so based on his promise to cut the federal…
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Empowering women to run for office
Women have a lot of internal dialogue when considering a run for public office — I don’t have time. I…
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Search for new Canton town manager begins
The sudden but amicable resignation of Canton Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss came as a surprise to many, but as the…
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Tapping Western North Carolina: Local craft breweries spill onto economy, culture
By all accounts, the craft beer business continues to boom in Western North Carolina. And that’s not just in Asheville…
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WCU’s physical therapy clinic expands
Western Carolina University’s student-run Mountain Area Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic has set a goal to expand the availability of…
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The tales the tombstones tell
High atop a knobby bald in central Haywood County sits lonely Dix Hill Cemetery, just yards from Jones Temple AME…
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Digitizing the deceased
From frost-churned fields on steep hills above shadow-soaked coves spring mossy fieldstones, hopelessly eroded and only becoming more so, season…
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Folkmoot’s Cultural Conversations: One big circle
Arriving in Waynesville shortly before last year’s Folkmoot Friendship Festival, I like many who’d come before me had no idea…
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Jackson considers giving toward land conservation effort
The fundraising deadline is drawing nearer for an effort to conserve 15.9 acres adjacent to Panthertown Valley, and the Jackson…
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Increased need prompts change in shelter management
Correction: In the March 1 issue, The Smoky Mountain News incorrectly reported that Jackson Neighbors in Need requested funding from…
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2016: A Year.
The tidal wave of negative political news in 2016 was staggering in its magnitude and emotionally overwhelming. Thankfully all that…
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Missing aircraft found in national park
A reconnaissance flight by the Tennessee Army National Guard was able to locate the missing single engine airplane within Great…
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FAKE NEWS FREAKOUT!
In keeping with the theme of The Smoky Mountain News spoof awards in this week’s edition, I thought now might…
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The very first Christmas (in space)
While perusing the vast litany of uplifting Christmas stories, one might not think to probe the mission archives of the…
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Christmas giving in WNC
Christmas is a time of year when communities band together to help others in need, and there’s definitely no shortage…
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Waynesville police win SWAT competition
Waynesville Police Department’s Special Response Team recently returned home from the SWAT Round-Up International competition in Orlando with multiple awards.
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Church delivers warmth of meals and companionship on Christmas Day
Caitlin Derico was 11 years old when her family’s Christmas tradition shifted from stockings to service.
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Meeting a need
It’s bittersweet. “I really would hope that this program would expire,” said Tom Knapko. “But, that hasn’t been the case…
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WOW helps pay off Christmas layaway purchases
What sometimes gets lost amidst the blizzard of radio, television and internet advertising so ubiquitous this time of year is…
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