Archived (29788)
Children categories
Becoming a trail town: Sylva embraces the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
White dots will soon pepper the sidewalks of downtown Sylva as the town sets out to claim its identity as…
Read More
Brownfield lands a beehive
A restored brownfield property in Franklin is now home to a hive of Carniolan honeybees.
Read More
Water quality projects receive Pigeon River Fund grants
Environmental groups working to improve water quality, aquatic habitat and recreational access recently saw $182,000 in grants from the Pigeon…
Read More
WNC water plants honored for extra-clean water
The N.C. Division of Water Resources has honored 49 water treatment plants statewide for surpassing federal and state drinking water…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: Escargot — no
There was much concern regarding the noonday globe snail, Petera clarkia nantahala, after the Tellico Fire burned through the Nantahala…
Read More
Was this all a dream?
The other night while channel-surfing I stumbled upon an online Sunday School class sponsored by a host of Baptist churches…
Read More
Health bill critics ignore facts
To the Editor: Last week’s letters to the editor were critical of the proposed healthcare reform. HRMC executives write, “Without…
Read More
Trump pushes boundaries of legality
To the Editor: On Sunday morning, July 2, Donald Trump tweeted a short doctored video clip of him attacking an…
Read More
Finding daily adventure in a place I love
I call myself an adventurer. While I do love to travel, adventuring isn’t just about experiencing new places and seeing…
Read More
Politics may fail us, but our ideals endure
As I sit to write a day before Independence Day, it seems I keep hearing voices questioning whether the shared…
Read More
Beaches and great mysteries go hand in hand
For many people, summer means vacation, and vacation means beach. For readers, the beach in turn means packing books to…
Read More
This must be the place: The year is half-over, my cup half-full
I remembered those places, and those faces. Scrolling through Facebook — through the “fun in the sun” Fourth of July…
Read More
The next chapter: Blue Ridge Books celebrates 10 years
Sitting at a booth in the back of her store on recent morning, Allison Lee remembers the days long ago…
Read More
Religion in early America
The World Methodist Museum in Lake Junaluska announces its participation in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History exhibit. The…
Read More
State tries to curb indigent defense expenses
Court-appointed lawyers are the crux of the U.S justice system because it is their duty to ensure every U.S. citizen…
Read More
State charges dropped in Gatlinburg fires
State charges against the two teenagers arrested in connection with November’s deadly Gatlinburg fires have been dropped, but prosecution could…
Read More
TDA fine-tunes its approach
Double-digit increases in both monthly and year-to-date tourist spending have the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority flush with cash, but…
Read More
‘It’s five past five and time to jive’: Moonlighting mailman’s star won’t fade
As the sun rises over Papertown one bright morning in 1958, a 30-year-old African-American by the name of Nathaniel Lowery…
Read More
Frog Level facelift: Funds flowing into streetscaping
With all the attention paid to downtown Waynesville’s bustling Main Street, the Frog Level Historic District is often overlooked by…
Read More
Waynesville discretionary spending reveals trends
In each year’s budget, the Town of Waynesville makes discretionary special appropriations contributions to a plethora of local nonprofits that…
Read More
Macon forms task force to fix fire service inconsistencies
Macon County Commissioners hope a newly established Fire Task Force will be able to create more consistency among the county’s…
Read More
Forest management planning process moves forward
While a draft forest management plan is still nearly a year away, a group of recently released documents gives a…
Read More
‘Disloyalty resolution’ allegedly targets five
In a story that sounds like it should have come out of Moscow in 1938 or Havana in 1961 rather…
Read More
Election season begins for municipalities
As the candidate sign-up period for November’s municipal elections opens at noon on Friday, July 7, voters in most municipalities…
Read More
What’s in the cards? Growing the greens
The cultivation of agriculture is the first and most important way Homo sapiens differentiate themselves from other creatures.
Read More
Freshman enrollment at Western Carolina high for ‘17
The tuition reduction program N.C. Promise won’t go into effect until 2018, but its impending implementation could already be affecting…
Read More
New traffic pattern on I-40 in Haywood County
The present pains for drivers on Interstate 40 in Haywood County are temporary.
Read More
Long may they sing
It’s a Saturday night in Sparta, and the three sisters — all of them widows — are heading off to…
Read More
American Health Care Act will negatively affect this community
By Rod Harkelroad and Maurice Phillips Our country’s healthcare system is in the midst of a massive upheaval. Never before have…
Read More
A plea for fairness from D.C.
To the Editor: A wise good man once said, approximately, “politics is about making people’s lives better.” I don’t believe…
Read More
Price campaign visits Haywood
To the Editor: We had the great pleasure of visiting Haywood County on Saturday, June 17, as we attended the…
Read More
People need to take back the power
To the Editor: Editor Scott McLeod’s thoughtful analysis (May 24 edition, www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/20019) described the formidable marketplace corporate control that permeates…
Read More
Health care needs reasoned, open debate
To the Editor: My organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the AARP, the American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association…
Read More
Whitewater Falls to reopen
The Whitewater Falls viewing area is on track to reopen by July 4 after being closed since wildfire destroyed it…
Read More
A magical thing: Retiring Parkway superintendent reflects on 37 years with the Park Service
Mark Woods will retire as superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway on July 3, but on July 4 he’ll don…
Read More
Land purchase protects crown jewel of the A.T.
Views from the breathtaking Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands are now protected thanks to a 324-acre purchase the Southern…
Read More
Rec access to expand on the Chattooga
A plan to make recreational access to the Chattooga River ecologically sustainable calls for construction of three kayak launch sites,…
Read More
In praise of the local library
Some people are devotees of whiskey, cigars, wine, and craft beer. Some are aficionados of the fine arts, experts on…
Read More
The day lily is a beautiful, hardy outlander
How many naturalized plants do you recognize from your vehicle this time of year as you drive around taking care…
Read More
STOP Act to combat opioid addiction
The North Carolina Senate unanimously passed comprehensive legislation to combat the opioid addiction crisis that is plaguing the state.
Read More
Celebrate Independence Day
Many generations of families look forward to the Fourth of July festivities at Lake Junaluska every year, and this year’s…
Read More
Summit Charter plans $8 million expansion
Summit Charter School in Cashiers is planning to expand its K-8 operation to include high school as well, recently announcing…
Read More
Armachain pleads not guilty
A bail bondsman who faces federal charges for sexual abuse of a minor has been detained at the Buncombe County…
Read More
State budget fight comes down to the wire
Leaders in both the North Carolina House and Senate have reached consensus on a $23 billion fiscal year 2017-18 budget…
Read More
Bellying up to the trough
Any local, state and federal budget typically includes what is technically called discretionary spending but is commonly known as “pork.”
Read More
N.C. residents in for big tax cuts if budget passes
Assuming a legislative override of Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget veto — which happened as The Smoky Mountain News went to…
Read More
Win some, lose some: State’s education spending gets mixed reviews
A legislative majority of House and Senate members have reached a state budget agreement, one that is providing nearly $700…
Read More
Meadows fights for ARC
In what’s becoming a bit of a pattern for Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, he and his House Freedom Caucus aren’t…
Read More
Senate health care bill panned by Meadows
The day after the Senate’s own version of a new health care bill came out, influential leader of the House…
Read More
Waynesville’s serial entrepreneur: Richard Miller honored by chamber
Richard Miller may have received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce for 2017,…
Read More
