TVA gives houseboats a 30-year sunset
 

TVA gives houseboats a 30-year sunset

Opposition from local, state and federal politicians, a petition with 3,500 signatures and more than three hours’ worth of poignant…
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Surgery successful for WCU chancellor
 

Surgery successful for WCU chancellor

David Belcher may not have appeared at Western Carolina University’s commencement ceremonies last week, but the university’s chancellor was there…
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Shining Rock stalled on mobile classroom contract
 

Shining Rock stalled on mobile classroom contract

Shining Rock Classical Academy is considering legal action against a modular building company for not being able to honor its…
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Haywood Schools to make layoff announcements this week
 

Haywood Schools to make layoff announcements this week

Budget cuts are forcing Haywood County Schools to lay off 10 teachers and staff at the end of this school…
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Haywood Schools dispute allegations surrounding Central Elementary
 

Haywood Schools dispute allegations surrounding Central Elementary

Haywood County school leaders went on record this week patently disputing the allegations in a lawsuit filed last week questioning…
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Bomb threat made to Jackson, Swain and EBCI government buildings
 

Bomb threat made to Jackson, Swain and EBCI government buildings

A bomb threat was called into 911 during the 11 a.m. hour this morning, with a male voice claiming bombs…
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Haywood commissioners support keeping houseboats
 

Haywood commissioners support keeping houseboats

Haywood County commissioners passed a resolution this week adding their two-cents to the debate over whether floating houseboats on Fontana…
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Top 100 in Smokies history named
 

Top 100 in Smokies history named

Throughout its journey from concept to reality to regional treasure, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has drawn the support…
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Tour the best of Haywood’s gardens this summer
 

Tour the best of Haywood’s gardens this summer

The best blooms and greenery in Haywood County will be on display with this year’s Haywood County Garden Tour Saturday,…
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New maps ‘unlock’ Tsali’s epic trail system
 

New maps ‘unlock’ Tsali’s epic trail system

Newbies to Tsali Recreation Area in Graham County will have an easier time navigating the 37-mile trail network thanks to…
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Operation box turtle: Waynesville vet works to give baby turtles a leg up
 

Operation box turtle: Waynesville vet works to give baby turtles a leg up

Joel Harrington has always been a fan of turtles. Of all animals, really — he is a veterinarian — but Harrington has…
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32 years and counting for birding expedition
 

32 years and counting for birding expedition

This past weekend marked the occasion of the 32nd annual Great Smokies Birding Expedition. Fred Alsop, the ornithologist at East…
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Crazy little thing called love
 

Crazy little thing called love

Love. What a loaded word. Let’s skip the love of country, the love of family, the love of nature, the love…
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WCU students learning valuable lessons on civil discourse
 

WCU students learning valuable lessons on civil discourse

It’s not the 1960s in terms of political activism, but recent episodes at Western Carolina University and across the country…
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No negative connotation in resignation
 

No negative connotation in resignation

To the Editor: As a founding member of the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council, I offer for readers the following…
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Wallet issues and the legislature
 

Wallet issues and the legislature

To the Editor: They’re baaaaaaaaack. Yes, your N.C. Legislature is back in session and talking tax cuts. Hold on to…
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A music nut makes the Merlefest pilgrimage
 

A music nut makes the Merlefest pilgrimage

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am a complete nut about music. There are people for…
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Vaccines important for pets
 

Vaccines important for pets

By Kristen Hammett • Guest Columnist As a pet owner, there are many things we do to keep our fur babies…
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YMCA camp gets ready to open in Swain
 

YMCA camp gets ready to open in Swain

A little more than a year ago it was nothing more than an open grassy field surrounded by forest, but…
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Businesses rally to change Maggie town plan
 

Businesses rally to change Maggie town plan

An alliance of business owners opposing Maggie Valley’s proposed town center master plan is growing stronger and becoming more organized…
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EMS costs throw a wrench in Jackson budget talks
 

EMS costs throw a wrench in Jackson budget talks

Ambulance service in Jackson County could more than double in cost to taxpayers if commissioners decide to fund the full…
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Search for new manager progresses in Jackson
 

Search for new manager progresses in Jackson

The interview process will soon begin in the search to replace Chuck Wooten, who will retire from his position as…
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Animal shelter estimate tops $5 million
 

Animal shelter estimate tops $5 million

When a report estimating cost and space needs for a new animal shelter came back with a staggering price tag…
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Large tax rate increase likely for Sylva
 

Large tax rate increase likely for Sylva

Sylva’s leaders have known for a year that taxes would have to go up in 2016, but it’s unlikely any…
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Haywood Health Foundation sets high goals for 2016
 

Haywood Health Foundation sets high goals for 2016

The Haywood Healthcare Foundation managed to generate enough funding to have a major impact on the health needs of Haywood…
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Blue Ridge National Heritage Area tackles the $50,000 question of hospitality training
 

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area tackles the $50,000 question of hospitality training

The tourism industry doesn’t always agree on much. They argue over the best logos and ad campaigns, whether to fund…
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Casino strategizes to keep good hires on board
 

Casino strategizes to keep good hires on board

Busy season is coming at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, and management there is working to get all hired up for summer. 
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Hospitality help is hard to find: Tourism businesses looking for seasonal help
 

Hospitality help is hard to find: Tourism businesses looking for seasonal help

Melanee Lester has been sorting through a 4-inch-high stack of applications on her desk for the last couple of weeks,…
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How sincere is your smile? Stakes are high in the never-ending quest for seasonal tourism workers
 

How sincere is your smile? Stakes are high in the never-ending quest for seasonal tourism workers

It happens like clockwork every year. As the calendar creeps toward May, the roads get crowded, lines at the grocery…
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How may we help you? Tourism’s future in the hands of frontline workers
 

How may we help you? Tourism’s future in the hands of frontline workers

It’s a conundrum the best minds in tourism have been trying to crack for decades.
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Lawsuit filed over closure of Central Elementary
 

Lawsuit filed over closure of Central Elementary

A lawsuit was filed this week against the Haywood County School Board alleges ulterior motives were at play for closing…
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TVA to make a decision on houseboats May 5
 

TVA to make a decision on houseboats May 5

Tennessee Valley Authority officials have confirmed that its board of directors will make a decision on May 5 regarding the…
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Haywood’s best kept secret: Bosu’s Wine Shop opens new space
 

Haywood’s best kept secret: Bosu’s Wine Shop opens new space

With the quiet evening sun fading behind the Great Smoky Mountains last Thursday evening, a single building glowed bright at…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

America has never been great. Let’s just get that out of the way. Sure, we’ve had plenty of high points,…
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Historic Canton hotel enters next chapter
 

Historic Canton hotel enters next chapter

Heading up the stairs at the historic Imperial Hotel, there’s an electricity in the air, a vibe that’s familiar, yet…
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Greening Up Youth Talent winners
 

Greening Up Youth Talent winners

The 19th annual Mountain Youth Talent Contest was held at the Greening Up the Mountains Festival in Sylva on Saturday,…
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Art exhibit at Canton Library
 

Art exhibit at Canton Library

The Canton Library Visual Arts Exhibit is currently featuring work by Denise McCullough, a 94-year-old acrylic artist.
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Trout Capital, North Carolina: Jackson County pushes to land unique designation
 

Trout Capital, North Carolina: Jackson County pushes to land unique designation

Jackson County is on its way to becoming the trout capital of North Carolina after county leaders unveiled a plan…
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Whitewater club gets a boost from grants
 

Whitewater club gets a boost from grants

The Nantahala Racing Club has landed nearly $45,000 in grants for the 2016 season, encouraging the Swain County nonprofit in…
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Bear baiting rules loosened
 

Bear baiting rules loosened

Bear hunters can now use unprocessed food as bait for a larger part of the hunting season, according to temporary…
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Firefly lottery opens
 

Firefly lottery opens

A lottery to see the synchronous fireflies light up the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will open at noon Friday,…
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Fire danger high
 

Fire danger high

Fire danger is high in North Carolina, with low humidity and lack of rain over the past few weeks resulting…
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Elkmont building in Smokies burns
 

Elkmont building in Smokies burns

Nature knocked an item off the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s to-do list when a fire sparked a structure in…
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Ozone season is here
 

Ozone season is here

It’s ozone season in North Carolina again, that time of year when warm weather and pollution can combine to result…
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Watershed moments
 

Watershed moments

Elizabeth Vickery, a senior at Western Carolina University, peers into a dip net along with Cullowhee Valley Elementary School student…
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Swain A.T. hiker raises money for kids at risk one step at a time
 

Swain A.T. hiker raises money for kids at risk one step at a time

A Swain County fishing guide has left his rod behind to embark on an Appalachian Trail thru-hike, aiming to raise…
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Waynesville men come out on top in Alaska motor adventure
 

Waynesville men come out on top in Alaska motor adventure

A pair of Waynesville men are home after a third-place finish in the harrowing Alcan 5000 motor vehicle race across…
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Smoky birds
 

Smoky birds

I just finished four wonderful days of birding in the Smokies, helping out with the 66th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.…
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An epic tale of revenge on the frontier
 

An epic tale of revenge on the frontier

As you probably know, The Revenant, this astonishing survival tale was recently made into a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in…
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Carden mixes up the facts in book review
 

Carden mixes up the facts in book review

To the Editor: Gary Carden, in his book review in the April 6 issue (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/17428), claims that the McCarthy hearings…
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