Selling landfill space gains traction in Haywood
 

Selling landfill space gains traction in Haywood

Haywood County is seriously considering turning over operations of the county landfill to a private company in hopes of saving…
Read More

Comment

DOT probes allegation of fraud in road maintenance contracts
 

DOT probes allegation of fraud in road maintenance contracts

The Department of Transportation isn’t sure how long it will take to investigate anonymous allegations of fraud among road maintenance…
Read More

Comment

Southern cuisine comes to Clyde
 

Southern cuisine comes to Clyde

If you had to pick a concept to describe Mary Catherine Earnest, it would probably be local. The owner and…
Read More

Comment

Group training runs kick off this week for new half marathon
 

Group training runs kick off this week for new half marathon

Runners who need a little inspiration to stay in shape this winter can now look toward a new half marathon…
Read More

Comment

Nothing like old-time boardinghouses
 

Nothing like old-time boardinghouses

Are there boardinghouses still operating here in the Smokies region? There are, of course, hotels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts, and motels galore.…
Read More

Comment

Want more bike lanes? This survey is for you
 

Want more bike lanes? This survey is for you

If you like to bike, but don’t like how few bike lanes there are in your community, now’s the chance…
Read More

Comment

Motorcycle maps make parkway sidetrips a breeze
 

Motorcycle maps make parkway sidetrips a breeze

A new series of maps designed for motorcycle riders chronicle the side trips and excursions along the Blue Ridge Parkway.…
Read More

Comment

New mountain bike trails at Jackrabbit
 

New mountain bike trails at Jackrabbit

After years of hard work by the mountain bike community, a new system of trails at Jackrabbit Recreation Area on…
Read More

Comment

Plott Hound exhibit hits the road
 

Plott Hound exhibit hits the road

Anyone who missed the historical exhibit on the Plott Hound at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center has through April…
Read More

Comment

Agritourism no longer a newfangled venture
 

Agritourism no longer a newfangled venture

Farmers interesting in tapping the potential of agritourism can attend an all-day workshop on Thursday, Jan. 27, at Cataloochee Ranch…
Read More

Comment

The Naturalist's Corner: Triple play
 

The Naturalist's Corner: Triple play

Crawl out of your igloo and take a look around. We had kind of assumed a “snow” mentality here at…
Read More

Comment

WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels
 

WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels

A book co-authored by Western Carolina University professor Rob Young about the global threat to coastal communities posed by rising…
Read More

Comment

Haywood author to read from new novel ‘Sweetie’
 

Haywood author to read from new novel ‘Sweetie’

Kathryn Magendie, an author from Haywood County, will be at City Lights book store in Sylva to read from her…
Read More

Comment

Revisiting one of the last raids of the Civil War
 

Revisiting one of the last raids of the Civil War

Anyone who has driven state roads between Asheville and Winston-Salem has quite possibly seen those state historical markers commemorating the…
Read More

Comment

Logging for cash versus long-range forest health
 

Logging for cash versus long-range forest health

Logging in national forests might take on a radically different look in coming years. The forest service might be moving…
Read More

Comment

Adoption center opens at Sarge’s
 

Adoption center opens at Sarge’s

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will soon open its Animal Adoption Center. The new location will be 256 Industrial Park Drive…
Read More

Comment

Weak zoning laws could pave way for dirt-bike racetrack
 

Weak zoning laws could pave way for dirt-bike racetrack

The Macon County businessman and farmer who stirred up controversy recently by announcing plans to build a dirt-bike racetrack in…
Read More

Comment

Future of Green Energy Park might lie in the numbers
 

Future of Green Energy Park might lie in the numbers

Jackson County has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Green Energy Park since launching the innovative project about…
Read More

Comment

Care of mentally ill may be Arizona tragedy’s lesson
 

Care of mentally ill may be Arizona tragedy’s lesson

There are many issues to discuss in the wake of the tragedy in Arizona that left six dead and 13…
Read More

Comment

Does right equal might? Republicans take control next week
 

Does right equal might? Republicans take control next week

Don’t expect business as usual when the state’s General Assembly convenes January 26: not with an epic power shift from…
Read More

Comment

Harrah’s third hotel tower now open
 

Harrah’s third hotel tower now open

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel third hotel tower which has been under construction as part of its three-year, $633 million…
Read More

Comment

Get involved: volunteer
 

Get involved: volunteer

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners is accepting applications for the following boards: • The Board of Equalization and Review…
Read More

Comment

Altrusa hosts 13th annual soup and cornbread event
 

Altrusa hosts 13th annual soup and cornbread event

Altrusa Club of Waynesville will host its 13th annual Soup and Cornbread Benefit Scholarship Fundraiser from 11 a.m. until 7…
Read More

Comment

HCC to offer business plan workshop
 

HCC to offer business plan workshop

The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar entitled Business Plan Basics on Tuesday, Jan.…
Read More

Comment

Graham sues Swain for millions in back taxes for Fontana generators
 

Graham sues Swain for millions in back taxes for Fontana generators

Swain County has lost more than $17,000 a month from their coffers, and that financial gouge may become a lot…
Read More

Comment

Old hospital to be repurposed into senior housing
 

Old hospital to be repurposed into senior housing

Haywood County’s seniors are one step closer to having more affordable housing options. County commissioners last week agreed to sell…
Read More

Comment

Old Wal-Mart retrofit for county offices to begin soon
 

Old Wal-Mart retrofit for county offices to begin soon

Remodeling work to the old Wal-Mart building in Haywood County could begin within weeks after commissioners approved a contract to…
Read More

Comment

Commissioners tap assistant manager to take the helm permanently
 

Commissioners tap assistant manager to take the helm permanently

Haywood County selected a new manager at their Wednesday meeting, promoting current interim manager Marty Stamey. The board decided to…
Read More

Comment

Save the Mark Watson Park trees
 

Save the Mark Watson Park trees

To the Editor: I recently received the very upsetting news that the parks and recreation office is managing a county…
Read More

Comment

The first 19,000 days
 

The first 19,000 days

By John Beckman • Guest Columnist I had a birthday recently, which seems to happen every year about this time,…
Read More

Comment

A place where two worlds collide head-on
 

A place where two worlds collide head-on

By Scott Muirhead • Guest ColumnistFrog Level is what remains of the golden age of the railroads, the age when…
Read More

Comment

High-energy Koresh Dance Company to perform at WCU
 

High-energy Koresh Dance Company to perform at WCU

The Koresh Dance Company, renowned for its powerful stage presence and high-energy style, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan.…
Read More

Comment

Student poets and musicians perform in Haywood
 

Student poets and musicians perform in Haywood

The Haywood County Arts Council will unveil its 2011 schedule of performances and gallery shows at its annual meeting at…
Read More

Comment

Talk highlights African American heritage in Jackson County
 

Talk highlights African American heritage in Jackson County

A program about African Americans in Jackson County will be held at the Jackson County library in Sylva at 7…
Read More

Comment

Gallery 262 opens in Frog Level
 

Gallery 262 opens in Frog Level

Frog Level will soon find a new art gallery among its ranks when Gallery 262 opens Friday, Jan. 21. The…
Read More

Comment

Catch HART director Steve Lloyd on stage in ‘A Life in the Theatre’
 

Catch HART director Steve Lloyd on stage in ‘A Life in the Theatre’

Haywood Arts Regional Theater has extended the run of “A Life in the Theatre” for a second weekend, with performances…
Read More

Comment

Ronnie McDowell returns to the Smoky Mountain Center
 

Ronnie McDowell returns to the Smoky Mountain Center

Ronnie McDowell, known for his Elvis-infused style of country music, will wow audiences with his smash hits and new creations…
Read More

Comment

Mountain dulcimer master comes to Franklin
 

Mountain dulcimer master comes to Franklin

A master dulcimer player will give a concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21, at Franklin High School Fine…
Read More

Comment

Warm up winter nights with barn dances in Highlands
 

Warm up winter nights with barn dances in Highlands

The first Bascom Winter Barn Dance of the season will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22,…
Read More

Comment

Fire out of Ice: Artist wins ice-carving competition with fire-breathing dragon
 

Fire out of Ice: Artist wins ice-carving competition with fire-breathing dragon

While ice carving may seem like a delicate enterprise — a patient art form executed with a well-aimed chisel and…
Read More

Comment

Suggestions what, when to plant veggies
 

Suggestions what, when to plant veggies

As I noted in this space a couple of weeks ago, this is the time of year to order seeds…
Read More

Comment

When we prod the mountains, they fall
 

When we prod the mountains, they fall

To the Editor: I have been reading letters in the Franklin Press from several angry people in recent days. I…
Read More

Comment

Words have a power we often forget
 

Words have a power we often forget

Just as I was sitting down to write my column on the controversy surrounding a new edition of Mark Twain’s…
Read More

Comment

Coming across words to remember
 

Coming across words to remember

Editor’s note: George Ellison is snowed in without an Internet connection. This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News…
Read More

Comment

Frog Awareness Program Offered at the Cradle of Forestry
 

Frog Awareness Program Offered at the Cradle of Forestry

A February program at the Cradle of Forestry will explore how frogs come out of their hiding places to find…
Read More

Comment

Shooting range sidelined by opposition
 

Shooting range sidelined by opposition

The U.S. Forest Service has backed off a proposed shooting range in Clay County following public opposition. The forest service…
Read More

Comment

Downhill racing season heats up at Cataloochee
 

Downhill racing season heats up at Cataloochee

The ski racing season kicked off at Cataloochee Ski Area last week. More than 200 skiers and snowboarders from middle…
Read More

Comment

After-school ski program includes a ride  to Cataloochee
 

After-school ski program includes a ride to Cataloochee

An after-school ski and snowboard program for middle school students will be held Thursday afternoons starting Jan. 27 and running…
Read More

Comment

Study shows growth in recycling jobs
 

Study shows growth in recycling jobs

The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources released a study this week showing strong growth in recycling jobs in…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Waterways honors water guardians
 

Haywood Waterways honors water guardians

Tom Anspach wrestled 1,020 pounds of trash out of the Pigeon River around the Canton Recreation Park over the past…
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.