Ellison just plain wrong about Granville Calhoun
 

Ellison just plain wrong about Granville Calhoun

To the Editor: I have read with interest the original article by George Ellison questioning the account that Granville Calhoun…
Read More

Comment

More on the saga of Kephart’s arrival at Hazel Creek
 

More on the saga of Kephart’s arrival at Hazel Creek

To the Editor: Readers may well be approaching exhaustion with this ongoing exchange regarding circumstances surrounding Horace Kephart’s arrival at…
Read More

Comment

Webster wants to keep post office open
 

Webster wants to keep post office open

To the Editor: The letter from Mark Jamison of Webster that’s published in your most recent edition (“What does Webster…
Read More

Comment

Old paper mill landfills mostly go unnoticed, un-monitored
 

Old paper mill landfills mostly go unnoticed, un-monitored

More than 200 acres of scattered tracts along the meandering Pigeon River Valley in Haywood County are quiet sentries to…
Read More

Comment

The good, the bad and the silver lining
 

The good, the bad and the silver lining

The Canton paper mill has been an economic anchor in Haywood County since 1908, providing livelihoods for tens of thousands…
Read More

Comment

Industrial landfills: A better way
 

Industrial landfills: A better way

The dangers of coal ash have taken center stage in North Carolina in the wake of the Dan River disaster,…
Read More

Comment

Community notes
 

Community notes

Brush clearing at Monteith Farmstead Appalachian Tree Services of Franklin donated its services to remove several large trees and brush…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Habitat welcomes new director
 

Haywood Habitat welcomes new director

Jamye Cooper will be taking the reins of Haywood Habitat for Humanity, bringing with her 25 years of professional experience…
Read More

Comment

Swain graduate serves on Navy ship
 

Swain graduate serves on Navy ship

Petty Officer 1st Class Chavella Bailey, a 1994 Swain County High School graduate and native of Cherokee, is serving aboard…
Read More

Comment

Swan Man Ken Zulla wins Chief Junaluska award
 

Swan Man Ken Zulla wins Chief Junaluska award

Ken Zulla was called a lot of things during his 30 years as an auditor for the United States government,…
Read More

Comment

Some Swain candidates talk change, some want more of the same
 

Some Swain candidates talk change, some want more of the same

Come November, voters will be selecting candidates to fill all four seats on the Swain County Board of Commissioners. They…
Read More

Comment

Jackson works to shore up security at judicial center
 

Jackson works to shore up security at judicial center

Late last month, Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts wrote a letter. “He kind of drew a line in the sand,” said…
Read More

Comment

Campaign aims to reduce amount of prescription meds in Haywood
 

Campaign aims to reduce amount of prescription meds in Haywood

There’s a good amount of opioids in Haywood County, more than twice the national average. And apparently there’s a good…
Read More

Comment

Macon considers drafting noise ordinance
 

Macon considers drafting noise ordinance

Noise was the main topic of conversation at the Sept. 18 meeting of the Macon County Planning Board. The county’s…
Read More

Comment

Racing towards the sheriff’s seat
 

Racing towards the sheriff’s seat

The retirement of Jackson County’s current sheriff — and widespread dissatisfaction with the way Jimmy Ashe ran his office —…
Read More

Comment

Tribe bans fracking
 

Tribe bans fracking

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has joined a growing number of local governments opposing the state legislature’s decision to…
Read More

Comment

Osborne Farms closes: Embattled dairy sells off livestock
 

Osborne Farms closes: Embattled dairy sells off livestock

Osborne Farms is no longer in the dairy business, according to Joe Reardon, assistant commissioner for consumer protection in the…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Pathways prepares for building bonanza, Ty Pennington
 

Haywood Pathways prepares for building bonanza, Ty Pennington

It’s going to be an eventful next few days in Waynesville. Haywood Pathways Center is in the final stretch of…
Read More

Comment

Wrestling with window dressing: Sylva holds off on plywood-window decree
 

Wrestling with window dressing: Sylva holds off on plywood-window decree

Manufactured homes, metal siding and unfinished concrete blocks are no longer allowed in downtown Sylva. The plywood coverings blocking out…
Read More

Comment

Say no to those who support fracking
 

Say no to those who support fracking

To the Editor: Fracking is a contentious and potentially disastrous environmental and social issue heading for North Carolina and possibly…
Read More

Comment

Surveys reveal serious climate change issues
 

Surveys reveal serious climate change issues

To the Editor: On Sept. 9 the National Audubon Society released the results of several years’ worth of studies that…
Read More

Comment

Elect Tom Hill to replace Rep. Meadows
 

Elect Tom Hill to replace Rep. Meadows

To the Editor: I generally find that when I cast a ballot for anyone in a national election, I’ve voting…
Read More

Comment

Hipps will help state ban fracking
 

Hipps will help state ban fracking

To the Editor: Jane Hipps wants fracking banned in North Carolina. Her opponent, state Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, is a…
Read More

Comment

Sen. Jim Davis dancing on a beach ball
 

Sen. Jim Davis dancing on a beach ball

To the Editor: It seems that state Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, has found his beach ball, and it’s called fracking.…
Read More

Comment

Anti-fracking crowd is just wrong
 

Anti-fracking crowd is just wrong

To the Editor: Vic Drummond has written several times about the silliness of the anti-fracking group, and I would have…
Read More

Comment

What does Webster hope to achieve with planning initiative?
 

What does Webster hope to achieve with planning initiative?

To the Editor: I read the news that Webster had obtained a planning grant with mixed emotions. Local planning is…
Read More

Comment

There’s cool ... and then there’s Glenda cool
 

There’s cool ... and then there’s Glenda cool

Her name was Glenda. She was a senior and one of the more popular girls in school, a volleyball star…
Read More

Comment

WCU to host spoken word event
 

WCU to host spoken word event

Spoken word poet and teacher Matthew Foley will present a spoken-word workshop on Friday, Sept. 26, in the Hunter Library…
Read More

Comment

Scarecrow Festival returns to Bryson City
 

Scarecrow Festival returns to Bryson City

The Scarecrow Festival will be held Sept. 27 through Oct. 10 in Bryson City.
Read More

Comment

Vintage trailer open house
 

Vintage trailer open house

The Southern Vintage Trailer Friends, members of the national group the Tin Can Tourists, will be hosting their annual fall…
Read More

Comment

Stitch artist to be showcased at WCU
 

Stitch artist to be showcased at WCU

An exhibit featuring stitch drawing artist Rebecca Ringquist will be held through Nov. 7 at the Fine Art Museum at…
Read More

Comment

Asheville Symphony string musicians to play WCU
 

Asheville Symphony string musicians to play WCU

String musicians from the Asheville Symphony Orchestra will join students and faculty members from the Western Carolina University School of…
Read More

Comment

This must be the place
 

This must be the place

I did it again. It’s 9 a.m. last Saturday at the starting line of the Cashiers Trail Mix five-mile backwoods…
Read More

Comment

Crossing the musical bridge of Appalachia
 

Crossing the musical bridge of Appalachia

For the better part of the last 45 years, David Holt has ventured down a rabbit hole. Born in Texas,…
Read More

Comment

Collective guilt permeates novel’s characters
 

Collective guilt permeates novel’s characters

A little over one year ago, Mark Powell published The Dark Corner, a novel that was set in the northwest…
Read More

Comment

Ahead of the CuRvE: Cullowhee group look to river park for downtown revitalization
 

Ahead of the CuRvE: Cullowhee group look to river park for downtown revitalization

Downtown Cullowhee doesn’t look much like the thriving little town Rick Bennett found when he first moved to Jackson County…
Read More

Comment

Program takes on nuisance beavers
 

Program takes on nuisance beavers

Jackson County residents having problems with nuisance beavers can get help through the N.C. Beaver Management Assistance Program, locally administrated…
Read More

Comment

Get out and say goodbye
 

Get out and say goodbye

At last! I finally had a birding outing planned last Saturday – the first one since April when I helped…
Read More

Comment

NOC says thanks with weekend of fun
 

NOC says thanks with weekend of fun

The Guest Appreciation Festival at Nantahala Outdoor Center Sept. 26-28 will feature an array of activities and attractions for outdoors…
Read More

Comment

Stream volunteers wanted
 

Stream volunteers wanted

Volunteers are needed to help monitor stream quality in Haywood County, and a training program 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.…
Read More

Comment

Elk rut spells caution for Smokies visitors
 

Elk rut spells caution for Smokies visitors

It’s breeding season for elk, and that means that fields in the Cataloochee and Oconaluftee areas of the Great Smoky…
Read More

Comment

Audubon study analyzes expected impact of climate change
 

Audubon study analyzes expected impact of climate change

A National Audubon Society study of bird species in the continental United States and Canada released last week shows that…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Waterways hike to hit salamander capital of the world
 

Haywood Waterways hike to hit salamander capital of the world

A hike to the salamander capital of the world will come bundled with highland views and explanation from a National…
Read More

Comment

NCCAT leaders breathing easier: Cullowhee teaching center to get recurring funding
 

NCCAT leaders breathing easier: Cullowhee teaching center to get recurring funding

Dr. Richard Thompson is breathing a bit easier this semester. He’s not worrying about funding. Not wondering if the North…
Read More

Comment

UNC board meeting draws governor, congressman to WCU
 

UNC board meeting draws governor, congressman to WCU

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ three-day visit on the Western Carolina University campus came to a close…
Read More

Comment

Hospital sale over, but when can we get our money?
 

Hospital sale over, but when can we get our money?

Although the ink is dry on the sale of Haywood Regional Medical Center, how much the county will get for…
Read More

Comment

Town of Sylva makes history
 

Town of Sylva makes history

The Sylva Downtown Historic District was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is administered…
Read More

Comment

Haywood leaders weigh in on fracking fray
 

Haywood leaders weigh in on fracking fray

Haywood County commissioners have joined the growing ranks of local elected leaders to take a stand on fracking.
Read More

Comment

Jackson dodges fracking, sans resolution
 

Jackson dodges fracking, sans resolution

Jackson County officials were recently set to discuss the possibility of joining other local governments in the region and consider…
Read More

Comment

Theft, vandalism spur Forest Service to build gate
 

Theft, vandalism spur Forest Service to build gate

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to install a gate on Wine Spring Road near Franklin after communications equipment housed…
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.