State of the waterways: Water Quality Advisory Committee releases new report
 

State of the waterways: Water Quality Advisory Committee releases new report

The Water Quality Advisory Committee has released its latest report detailing potential impacts of revising the Macon County Flood Damage…
Read More

Comment

Bradley B. Letts. File photo
 

Letts appointed to EBCI Supreme Court, vacates superior court seat

Last month, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians swore in Bradley B. Letts as the tribe’s new chief supreme court…
Read More

Comment

Jackson’s school improvement plan under question from board member
 

Jackson’s school improvement plan under question from board member

When district leadership presented school improvement plans to the Jackson County Board of Education during its October meeting, one school…
Read More

Comment

Zachary J. Schneider, a resident of Asheville who graduated from WCU in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in art, died Aug. 17, 2024, from complications related to cancer treatment. Donated photo
 

Memorial scholarship established to assist nontraditional art students at WCU

Nontraditional students working to earn a degree in an art-related major at Western Carolina University soon will have financial assistance…
Read More

Comment

Small businesses wiped out by Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27 are looking for a lifeline after the North Carolina General Assembly’s latest relief bill left many of them underwater. Jack Snyder photo
 

Grants for businesses impacted by Helene are on the way in Haywood County

A coalition of Haywood County community organizations, quasi-governmental institutions, local businesses and private individuals have stepped in where the North Carolina…
Read More

Comment

Swain awarded $52 million for new middle school
 

Swain awarded $52 million for new middle school

Swain County is on its way to building a new middle school after securing $52 million in grant funds from…
Read More

Comment

Connecting local businesses with the outside world
 

Connecting local businesses with the outside world

Challenges still abound after Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina a little over a month ago. But one resource…
Read More

Comment

Haywood County's board of commissioners will remain a 5-0 Republican majority for at least the next two years.
 

Haywood voters stick with Ensley, Rogers for commission

Two Republicans seeking to fend off a challenge by a lone Democrat, Waynesville native Tausha Forney, have done so, and…
Read More

Comment

Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) returns to Washington for two more years.
 

Edwards overperforms, wins in 11th Congressional District

Western North Carolina Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who became a Hurricane Helene hero for debunking storm response lies spread by…
Read More

Comment

Rep. Mark Pless, seen here during a visit from the Israeli Consul General Oct. 29, won handily.
 

Pless easily cruises to third term in House District 118

Haywood County native and Republican Rep. Mark Pless will return to the North Carolina General Assembly for a third term…
Read More

Comment

Sen. Kevin Corbin, the dean of Western North Carolina’s Republican legislative delegation, will continue his work at the capitol for two more years.
 

Corbin will return as North Carolina’s westernmost senator

Macon County native Kevin Corbin just keeps on winning and will return to Raleigh for his third term as the…
Read More

Comment

Rep. Mike Clampitt has earned another term.
 

Clampitt keeps 119th House District

The man still known for his protracted electoral feud with former Democratic Rep. Joe Sam Queen — the two faced…
Read More

Comment

Rep. Karl Gillespie, North Carolina’s westernmost state representative, has at least two more years of that long drive to Raleigh.
 

Gillespie continues dominance in House District 120

Over the past four years, Macon County native and second-term House Rep. Karl Gillespie has represented one of the most…
Read More

Comment

Republicans take Jackson Commission
 

Republicans take Jackson Commission

With all precincts reporting, Republican candidates appear to have secured two more seats in the Jackson county commission, creating a…
Read More

Comment

Incumbents keep Macon County Board of Education
 

Incumbents keep Macon County Board of Education

With all precincts reporting, three incumbents have maintained their seats on the Macon County Board of Education. 
Read More

Comment

Newcomers win Swain County Commission seats
 

Newcomers win Swain County Commission seats

Swain County has elected two political newcomers to its board of commissioners.
Read More

Comment

Massive soil nails are being drilled into the earth to shore up the westbound lanes of I-40.
 

NCDOT estimates date for 2-lane traffic on I-40 in gorge

Traffic may be flowing in both directions on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge — albeit slower than normal…
Read More

Comment

Minnesota governor and Democratic nominee for Vice President Tim Walz speaks at The Orange Peel in Asheville on Oct. 30.
 

Walz makes final campaign push in return to Asheville

With just days remaining before voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov.…
Read More

Comment

Choose wisely with your vote
 

Choose wisely with your vote

To the Editor:  This upcoming election is going to be a close call. According to many of the polls being…
Read More

Comment

It’s about living our faith
 

It’s about living our faith

To the Editor: I still remember September 27, 1953. That was the Sunday my brother, Greg, and I were baptized…
Read More

Comment

Don’t feed us lies during this tragedy
 

Don’t feed us lies during this tragedy

To the Editor: Donald Trump has been guilty of spewing so many fact-free statements over the years that ‘fact checking’…
Read More

Comment

By all means, do the research
 

By all means, do the research

To the Editor: One of the few good things to come from the pandemic is you hear more and more…
Read More

Comment

Stunningly false mailers are absurd
 

Stunningly false mailers are absurd

To the Editor: Medicare and Social Security are programs that have always been priorities of the Democratic Party. Democrats started…
Read More

Comment

Elected leaders who will address climate
 

Elected leaders who will address climate

To the Editor: Our EMS and fire departments, law-enforcement and many in serving military units have come to our region’s…
Read More

Comment

We must put planet over profit
 

We must put planet over profit

To the Editor: A vote for Trump is a vote for Project 2025, the incredibly dangerous game plan for a…
Read More

Comment

Brothers Gillespie will play Waynesville Nov. 2. File photo
 

‘Haywood Heroes’ welcomes Brothers Gillespie

Presented by Axe & Awl Leatherworks and powered by the Historic Frog Level Merchants Association, the “Haywood Heroes” flood benefit…
Read More

Comment

The Kruger Brothers will play WCU Nov. 7. File photo
 

'Echoes Across the Smokies’

The Western Carolina University Mountain Heritage Center will present “Echoes Across the Smokies: A Night of Bluegrass, Ballads, and Tall…
Read More

Comment

Fancy & The Gentlemen. File photo
 

Lake Logan flood benefit

The “Cold Mountain Community Cookout & Concert” featuring blues-rockers Fancy & The Gentlemen will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2,…
Read More

Comment

Mac Arnold will play Hayesville Nov. 9. File photo
 

Blues legend comes to Hayesville

Renowned blues act Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues appears at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Peacock Performing…
Read More

Comment

Many small businesses in Waynesville’s Frog Level district were wiped out by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Jack Snyder photo
 

Latest flood relief bill leaves businesses underwater

The Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly took its second step in flood recovery on Oct. 24, designating from the state’s…
Read More

Comment

Left a loan: Small businesses continue to wait for Helene help
 

Left a loan: Small businesses continue to wait for Helene help

When the Coronavirus Pandemic resulted in the closing of millions of businesses across the United States in March 2020, federal…
Read More

Comment

Lisa Briggs (front left) with her K-9 Onna. Donated photo
 

WCU human remains detection expert debunks Helene misinformation

Lisa Briggs, director of Western Carolina University’s Human Remains Detection K-9 training program and Emergency Disaster Management program, and Edwin…
Read More

Comment

Chuck Edwards. File photo
 

Edwards silent, but his record speaks for itself

The legacies of Western North Carolina’s two previous Republican congressmen, Mark Meadows and Madison Cawthorn, haven’t exactly aged well. 
Read More

Comment

Rep. Jeff Jackson (left), Rep. Dan Bishop (right)
 

NC Attorney General candidates discuss key issues

Among the most important races in North Carolina is the contest to see who will become the state’s next attorney…
Read More

Comment

Jackson voters to choose two new commissioners
 

Jackson voters to choose two new commissioners

With two current commissioners not seeking reelection, no matter the outcome, the Jackson County Commission will have two new faces…
Read More

Comment

Four candidates vie for two seats on Swain Commission
 

Four candidates vie for two seats on Swain Commission

There are two seats open on the Swain County Board of Commissioners this year, and voters will see four candidates…
Read More

Comment

Jackson County experienced flooding and wind damage from Hurricane Helene. Donated photo
 

Grant program assists Jackson businesses post-Helene

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Jackson County Economic Development has put together a grant opportunity for businesses impacted by…
Read More

Comment

Early voting ends this weekend
 

Early voting ends this weekend

In-person early voting ends Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m., but voters will still have one last opportunity to cast…
Read More

Comment

Macon to consider waiving environmental health fees
 

Macon to consider waiving environmental health fees

In the coming months, the Macon County Commission will consider waiving environmental health fees, and possibly building inspection fees, after…
Read More

Comment

How to deal with damaged wells and septic systems
 

How to deal with damaged wells and septic systems

North Carolinians who lost access to water through a private well or damaged septic system as a result of Hurricane Helene may…
Read More

Comment

Resources for the agricultural industry are widely available. Bob Scott photo
 

U.S. agriculture secretary visits WNC

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Asheville to hear firsthand from local, state and Tribal officials, emergency managers, food bank…
Read More

Comment

N.C. welcomes breed pair of Red Wolves
 

N.C. welcomes breed pair of Red Wolves

The Red Wolf Center in Columbia, North Carolina, is set to welcome its first-ever breeding pair of Red Wolves. This…
Read More

Comment

Waterrock Knob Overlook facing east at milepost 451.2.
 

More Blue Ridge Parkway sections open up

On Wednesday morning, Oct. 30, 2024, the National Park Service restored access to nearly 55 miles the Blue Ridge Parkway…
Read More

Comment

George Ivey, N.C. Development Director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation photo
 

Ivey named to Appalachian Leadership Institute

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) named George Ivey, North Carolina Development Director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, to participate…
Read More

Comment

Ready for the Rotary Club turkey trot?
 

Ready for the Rotary Club turkey trot?

“First the huffin’, then the stuffin’.”  That’s the motto for the Waynesville-Sunrise Rotary Club’s fourth annual 5K turkey trot, held…
Read More

Comment

Junaluska Sanitary District receives $9.5 million award
 

Junaluska Sanitary District receives $9.5 million award

Junaluska Sanitary District (JSD) has been awarded $9,495,104 from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) for the HCC/Broyhill and…
Read More

Comment

Jackson County Greenway provides access update
 

Jackson County Greenway provides access update

While most of the river access points and parks are open along the Jackson County Greenway, there has been some…
Read More

Comment

Rep. Mark Pless (left) hosted Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon on a tour of Helene damage in Haywood and Madison counties on Oct 29.
 

Israeli delegation visit highlights international concern over Helene

When Hurricane Helene slammed into the Gulf Coast on Sept. 27, the storm’s destructive capabilities instantly grabbed national headlines. Now,…
Read More

Comment

Several Canton municipal buildings have been unusable since flooding in August 2021.
 

Canton, still recovering from 2021 flood, moves forward

Lost in the aftermath of the damage Hurricane Helene dealt to Canton is the fact that when the storm hit…
Read More

Comment

Jason Simmons was elected chair of the NCGOP in March.
 

NCGOP chair tours hard-hit western counties

As Western North Carolina recovers from one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the state, residents alongside local…
Read More

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
JSN Time 2 is designed by JoomlaShine.com | powered by JSN Sun Framework
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.