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GOP comes to Cherokee for state convention
The North Carolina GOP generally holds its annual conventions in places like Raleigh or Greensboro. This year, state Republicans will…
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Evergreen paper mill, union in negotiations
Union employees at Evergreen Packaging’s Canton and Waynesville factories are currently engaged in contract negotiations.
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Jackson County looks to neighbors in search for nonprofit funding policy
From animal shelters to free clinics to food banks, nonprofit organizations of all stripes make a yearly knock on county…
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Flat budget recommended for Macon schools
As this year’s budget talks kicked off, Macon County Schools presented its petition for a $500,000 funding increase to pay…
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Schools grapple with three doors and a tough choice
Haywood County Schools may have a tough choice to make in coming weeks: add additional teachers or give existing teachers…
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Haywood commissioners, schools stick to funding formula
Haywood County Schools will see a slight budget increase from county commissioners next year, although it will fall far short…
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Grant recipients announced in Haywood
The first grants from the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund, established by their family last July, have been announced…
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WCU campus leaders explore WNC from Murphy to Asheville
Thirty campus leaders from Western Carolina University crisscrossed the mountains of Western North Carolina for a weeklong tour May 12-16…
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Maggie Valley amusement park shoots for June opening
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and Ghost Town in the Sky still appears much as the name implies.…
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A trip back in time: New heritage museum tells the story of Swain’s people, by Swain’s people
The Smoky Mountain News recently got a sneak peek of the new Swain County Heritage Museum and Visitor’s Center. Leading…
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New visitor center to serve as tourist magnet for Swain
The new Swain County Heritage Museum slated to open in downtown Bryson City this weekend not only honors Swain County’s…
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The black sheep of the blackbird family
2014 seems to be a banner year for cowbirds. I saw them in large numbers in southeastern Arizona two weeks…
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Wilderness celebration planned in Asheville
The Wilderness Act’s 50th birthday will get some recognition at “An Evening of Wilderness Champions — Celebrating 50 Years of…
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Summer nature programs kickoff in Highlands
Regular weekday programs will begin at Highlands Nature Center next week. The programs include guided plant walks, children’s activities, storybook-based…
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New bike shop set to open in Bryson City
Bryson City is about to get a second bike shop with the grand opening of Tsali Cycles on May 23.…
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Red wolves spared fatal case of mistaken identity, for now
A federal court issued a preliminary injunction against coyote hunting — which includes spotlight hunting — in the five eastern…
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Smokies gets new acting superintendent
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will get a new acting superintendent June 1, replacing the currect acting superintendent who…
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Turn it off: WCU comes out on top in national energy reduction competition
When the Campus Conservation Nationals Competition wrapped up this spring, Western Carolina University came out near the top of a…
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Social media gone awry in this compelling novel
In recent years, I have developed a growing discomfort with the Internet. Services like Facebook, Amazon, Linked-in have become increasingly…
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Don’t leave dogs in hot cars
To the Editor: It’s that time of year again when the cool mountain air can rise rapidly by noon. I…
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GOP has done much to help state
To the Editor: Asheville is a town full of smart, aggressive people and a town with a lot more winners…
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Haywood’s economic path was set early last century
The rapid pace of change these days often leaves many of us feeling helpless in its wake. Things change, then…
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Two unfortunate consequences: a one-two punch for hospitals and the working poor donut hole
Hospitals in North Carolina face a catch-22 of the worst kind: the $600 million kind, the kind they have no…
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State stance on more Medicaid for the poor unlikely to shift
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are standing by their controversial decision last year to deny Medicaid expansion to 500,000 low-income…
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July 4 Fireworks fizzle in north Jackson
The northern portion of Jackson County will go without fireworks again this Fourth of July. Last year’s display in Dillsboro…
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SCC seeks DENR input in shooting range management
Southwestern Community College is gearing up for some soil testing following a meeting with Robin Proctor, environmental chemist with the…
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Vandals spur Sylva to put more cameras in parks
Vandalism is apparently still a problem in Sylva public parks.It’s a problem that cost the town about ten grand last…
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Local educators cheer ruling: Judge declares 25 percent law unconstitutional
Local school leaders and educators are celebrating last week’s court ruling declaring a 2013 law that doles out a small…
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Voucher program still in play
School vouchers are back on the table for the 2014-15 school year following a ruling in the North Carolina Supreme…
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Education funding tops legislature’s short session list
North Carolina legislators have returned to Raleigh for the General Assembly’s short session. In the weeks ahead, lawmakers will wrestle…
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Local NAACP chapters elect officers
Both the Haywood and Jackson county chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have elected officers. …
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Macon considers $50K for REACH
REACH of Macon County won’t find out for another month or so whether its application for a $909,000 grant toward…
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Money on the books: Jackson libraries request increased funding
Jackson County Librarian Tracy Fitzmaurice recently pitched her first proposal for library funding before county commissioners. She asked for a…
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Feature film to shoot in Haywood
Three Haywood County towns will be used as filming sites for an upcoming feature movie. The film — a Catalyst…
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The mechanics behind the Lake J petition
Lake Junaluska residents spearheading the annexation effort realized they needed more and better ammunition to prove their case and sway holdouts in the General Assembly to let the community merge with next-door Waynesville.
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Lake Junaluska petition could move the ball in Raleigh on merger
The large majority of Lake Junaluska property owners and registered voters want to join the town of Waynesville, according to a volunteer petition drive carried out over the last six months.
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Back to the future: Preppers learn old-time skills to ready themselves for times ahead
Fire, smoke, and efforts to make more of both fill the event pavilion at Haywood County Fair Grounds on a…
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ConMet to lease old Tuckaseigee Mills building
The mostly vacant Tuckaseigee Mills factory in Jackson County will soon become a warehouse and shipping site for ConMet, a…
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Hope is on the horizon for partial Road to Nowhere settlement
A $4 million payment to Swain County for the so-called Road to Nowhere cash settlement may soon be freed of…
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In search of the sound: WNC summer concert series
From welcoming backwoods front porches to raucous downtown stages, the music of Western North Carolina weaves together the rich history,…
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This must be the place
He was completely shocked. Standing in front of an empty warehouse in Dillsboro, which will soon be the site of his…
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Frog Level Brewing to teach SCC brewing class
Brewmaster Clark Williams, owner of Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville, will teach a beer-making class from June 3 to July…
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Open call for Jackson art grants
The Jackson County Arts Council is currently accepting applications for the North Carolina Grassroots Grant and the Jackson County Grant.…
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‘Unto These Hills’ opens May 31
The “Unto These Hills” outdoor drama will run at 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday May 31-Aug. 16 at the Mountainside…
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Liar’s Bench says farewell with Lough
The Liar’s Bench will hold its final performance of Appalachian storytelling and music at 7 p.m. May 29 in the…
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A not too shabby second
May 3 and 4 were the dates for this year’s 30th annual edition of the Great Smoky Mountains Birding Expedition.…
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Pitch in to cleanup along the Pigeon River in Canton
Volunteers are needed for a cleanup day along the walking trail and stream bank of the Pigeon River at Canton…
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Marathon mountain bike race rolls in to Tsali
A 12-hour bike race in Nantahala National Forest near Bryson City will test the mettle and stamina of participating peddlers.…
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Duckett’s Produce enters tenth season
Duckett’s Produce has reopened for a tenth season at three locations in Haywood County, including Maggie Valley, Crabtree and Canton,…
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Salamander to be celebrated at Cradle of Forestry
The Southern Appalachians have the world’s highest diversity of salamanders, and Salamander Saturday will introduce some of the key players,…
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