Defendant in Toineeta murder faces additional charges
 

Defendant in Toineeta murder faces additional charges

Brandon Tyler Buchanan, 25, of Cherokee is now facing new criminal charges in addition to the first-degree murder charge he…
Read More

Comment

SBI passes Meadows voter fraud investigation findings onto AG’s office
 

SBI passes Meadows voter fraud investigation findings onto AG’s office

Mark Meadows may soon know whether he’ll face voter fraud charges in North Carolina.
Read More

Comment

Tribal Council has authorized production of medical marijuana but is eyeing the potential of future expansion to general adult use.
 

Cherokee cannabis company receives $63 million from Council

Cherokee’s recently created medical cannabis LLC will likely have $63 million at its disposal as it prepares for its first…
Read More

Comment

From left, Distinguished Service Award winner Marty Ramsey, Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, Distinguished Service Award winners Connie and Phil Haire, Alumni Association award winners Allen Queen and Paul Johnson, and Jamie T. Raynor, vice chancellor for advancement.
 

WCU hands out honors at Homecoming 2022

Western Carolina University’s Homecoming 2022 celebration featured the recognition of three alumni for professional accomplishments in college football coaching, sports…
Read More

Comment

Macon County School Board welcomed its new members Dec. 5. From left: Stephanie Laseter, Hillary Wilkes, Jim Breedlove, Melissa Evans, Diedre Breeden and Chris Baldwin. MCS photo
 

Macon Schools latest to address budget squeeze

This month, the Macon County Schools Board of Education voted to approve its 2022-23 Budget Resolution.
Read More

Comment

WCU’s results were at the front of the pack compared to other UNC System schools. WCU graphic
 

WCU employees express high satisfaction

Western Carolina University is ahead of the pack on employee satisfaction, according to the results of a survey to University…
Read More

Comment

Robyn Tsinnajinnie “Cold Water” 2022.
 

Art Basel brings indigenous work to Miami Beach

Throughout the ages, art has given us a means to display all facets of our lives to the world; it…
Read More

Comment

The entrance to Big Creek. (Garret K. Woodward photo)
 

This must be the place: Know it’s a wonderful world, if you can put aside the sadness

It’s 51 degrees with a warm sun and blue skies hovering above downtown Waynesville. A little after 2 p.m. Monday…
Read More

Comment

Eddie Columbus Taylor died here at the Jackson County Jail of “acute fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity.” File photo
 

Autopsy shows Jackson jail death was an overdose

Autopsy results for the June death of a man in custody at Jackson County Detention Center indicate that he died…
Read More

Comment

Equine disease suspected
 

Equine disease suspected

A horse in Henderson County has been tested for suspected equine infectious anemia shortly after a horse in Surry County…
Read More

Comment

Pipeline on Parkway would have no significant impact, Park Service says
 

Pipeline on Parkway would have no significant impact, Park Service says

The National Park Service has found that allowing an underground natural gas pipeline within the Blue Ridge Parkway will have…
Read More

Comment

Western North Carolina is home to the southernmost populations of wild cranberry. Adam Bigelow photo
 

Notes from a plant nerd: Leftover Cranberries

Many of us may be tired of cranberries by now, having eaten our fill, and then some, at our recent…
Read More

Comment

The final perimeter of the Hurricane Ridge Fire includes 796 acres between Hurricane Gap and Interstate 40. USFS map
 

Hurricane Ridge Fire response concludes

Progress continues on the Hurricane Ridge Fire, which in a final update from the U.S. Forest Service Friday, Dec. 2,…
Read More

Comment

C.S. Lewis bio is worth a read
 

C.S. Lewis bio is worth a read

Mention the name C.S. Lewis to other readers, and they might recollect him in any number of roles. The younger…
Read More

Comment

The truth about climate change is staring us down
 

The truth about climate change is staring us down

The truth, even when it’s staring you down Clint Eastwood style, is easier to ignore than to act on. Just…
Read More

Comment

Your one and only Christmas 2022
 

Your one and only Christmas 2022

As they say, “What screws us up the most in life is the picture in our head of how it’s…
Read More

Comment

A Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) gazes into the camera at the Lowry Park Zoo in Florida during a National Geographic Photo Ark shoot. See more portraits at natgeophotoark.org. Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark photo
 

Through National Geographic Photo Ark, people can look endangered wildlife in the eye

Joel Sartore lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, but he — and his camera — are constantly on the move.
Read More

Comment

More than 11,600 students are enrolled at Western Carolina University. WCU photo
 

WCU Trustees approve tuition, fee increases

“Extraordinary” inflation and the need to match state salary increases will prompt increases to the cost of attendance at Western…
Read More

Comment

Clubs announce new approach annual blanket drive
 

Clubs announce new approach annual blanket drive

Mountain Projects and Waynesville Rotary Club paired for many years to coordinate a popular Christmas holiday blanket drive.
Read More

Comment

WNC Historical Association selects Brent Martin as winner of literary award
 

WNC Historical Association selects Brent Martin as winner of literary award

The Western North Carolina Historical has selected author Brent Martin’s “George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North…
Read More

Comment

Team members Logan Fender, Lane Horton, John Brand, Jackson Parrott, Scout Schulhofer and Grayson Perkins competed in the open concrete category.
 

Construction students compete in Atlanta

Students from Western Carolina University’s Kimmel School of Construction recently had the opportunity to participate in real-world construction scenarios at…
Read More

Comment

Jackson County’s new board of commissioners is, from left to right, John Smith, Todd Bryson, Mark Letson, Mark Jones, Tom Stribling. Jackson County photo
 

Jackson County Commission welcomes new members

On Monday evening, Dec. 5, before a room full of family and community members alike, three men took the oath…
Read More

Comment

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. addresses the House Rules Committee during a Nov. 16 hearing. Photo from U.S. Congress video
 

Congressional committee discusses seating Cherokee Nation delegate

Shortly after the 1835 Christmas holiday celebrating peace and good will toward men, U.S. government officials met with a group…
Read More

Comment

JCPS will once again expand pre-K capacity
 

JCPS will once again expand pre-K capacity

Jackson County schools will once again expand its pre-K capacity at the start of the 2023-24 school year, this time…
Read More

Comment

Wilke was sworn in earlier this week by District Court Judge Donna Forga. Kyle Perrotti photo
 

New sheriffs shuffle staffs

Across North Carolina’s seven westernmost counties, a whole slew of new sheriffs was sworn in on Monday, Dec. 5.
Read More

Comment

Haywood Community College’s new Health Sciences Building is impressive to look at, but it’s what’s inside that really counts as it will expand, enhance and modernize the nursing student experience.
 

HCC opens new health sciences building amid statewide nursing shortage

At a time when North Carolina faces a serious nursing shortage, Haywood Community College has invested in its nursing program…
Read More

Comment

‘Not our jurisdiction’:
 Office of Charter Schools will not get involved in SRCA dispute
 

‘Not our jurisdiction’:
 Office of Charter Schools will not get involved in SRCA dispute

The Office of Charter Schools decided a recent dispute between Shining Rock Classical Academy and a parent is outside its…
Read More

Comment

Left to right: Abby Bryant, Eleanor Underhill, and Kevin Fuller. (File photos)
 

The sound of community: With Christmas Jam back from hiatus, ‘Jam By Day’ returns

After four years of radio silence, the nationally revered Warren Haynes Christmas Jam will return for its 31st installment on…
Read More

Comment

Moses Creek Conservation Area, Florida. (Garret K. Woodward photo)
 

This must be the place: Morning comes wearing diamonds, where she is, the sun is shining

Hello from Room 128 at the Red Roof Inn in Hardeeville, South Carolina, just north of the Georgia state line…
Read More

Comment

Mission Hospital and HCA are accused of gross negligence and reckless misconduct.
 

Mission offers ‘COVID immunity’ defense in response to malpractice suit

Hospital Corporation of America and Asheville’s Mission Hospital have responded to a lawsuit filed by a Canton woman that claims…
Read More

Comment

PARTF funds grow Pisgah View State Park
 

PARTF funds grow Pisgah View State Park

The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority, which oversees the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, recently approved $17.4 million to…
Read More

Comment

A cyclist goes bike packing on Ivestor Gap Trail in the Pisgah National Forest. Industry Nine photo
 

Cashing in on adventure: Outdoor recreation economy launches strong pandemic rebound

New data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis show that 2021 was a year of growth…
Read More

Comment

Andy Tait presents Mark Yeager (left) with the EcoForester of the Year Award. Donated photo
 

Forest conservation advocates honored

Winners of EcoForesters’ Annual Awards were announced this month, celebrating achievement in ecological forestry and highlighting important issues that the…
Read More

Comment

A new retaining wall now stabilizes the trail. USFS photo
 

Joyce Kilmer trail reopens

The Joyce Kilmer National Recreation Trail in Graham County is reopen after more than two years of closure. 
Read More

Comment

Cherokee women honored for name restoration efforts
 

Cherokee women honored for name restoration efforts

Tribal members Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe have received an Attorney General’s Dogwood Award from N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein…
Read More

Comment

A perfect gift for local lore buffs
 

A perfect gift for local lore buffs

If you’re looking for a gift for the holidays for that person in your life who enjoys reading about local…
Read More

Comment

Here’s to inflation-fighting holiday gifts
 

Here’s to inflation-fighting holiday gifts

According to a recent U.S. News & World Report article, “The 15 Richest Counties in the U.S.,” five of these…
Read More

Comment

A running route in South Carolina. (Garret K. Woodward photo)
 

This must be the place: Lace up the running shoes, head out the door and get after it

As of yesterday, Monday, Nov. 28, I’ve run 2,525 days in a row. I hadn’t checked in on “the streak”…
Read More

Comment

For the love of those gathered at the feast
 

For the love of those gathered at the feast

My wife and I were truly blessed to have our children, some relatives and close friends gathered for Thanksgiving, which…
Read More

Comment

Free speech trumps party politics any day
 

Free speech trumps party politics any day

To the Editor: Here I am, a constitutional conservative who for 40-plus years has voted, held office, and worked as a…
Read More

Comment

It may be time to amend Constitution
 

It may be time to amend Constitution

To the Editor: Rob Schofield in last week’s Smoky Mountain News decried the current Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS)…
Read More

Comment

Will Trump answer to the American people?
 

Will Trump answer to the American people?

To the Editor: A college football coach will tell you there are three basic units that comprise a football team: offense,…
Read More

Comment

Balsam Range performing onstage at the Bele Chere festival in Asheville. (Garret K. Woodward photo)
 

Brotherhood and backwoods tradition: A retrospective on Balsam Range

Writers’ Note: Since I started in the position of arts and entertainment editor at The Smoky Mountain News in 2012,…
Read More

Comment

The next chapter: Balsam Range celebrates 15 years, looks ahead
 

The next chapter: Balsam Range celebrates 15 years, looks ahead

In a year that’ll surely end on a bittersweet note, beloved Haywood County bluegrass sensation Balsam Range is not only…
Read More

Comment

Cherokee prepares for special election
 

Cherokee prepares for special election

On Thursday, Dec. 15, Cherokee voters will head to the polls for a special election that will seat two new…
Read More

Comment

Pictured here is Swain County High School. The county’s schools have struggled to pay for state-mandated pay increases.
 

Schools struggle with state-mandated pay increases

As Swain County Schools digs into the 2022-23 budget, staff are planning for the largest fund balance allocation needed in…
Read More

Comment

Free lunch for Swain Elementary students
 

Free lunch for Swain Elementary students

All students in Swain County elementary schools will receive free lunch this year with the help of a grant from…
Read More

Comment

WCU’s cadaver dog training program received an award recognizing its professional development programs. Donated photo
 

WCU human remains detection K9 training program wins award

Western Carolina University’s human remains detection cadaver dog training program was recently awarded the 2022 University Professional and Continuing Education…
Read More

Comment

Dr. Carl Schenck is shown here (front row, right) posing with his students at the Boomer Inn cabin. Note that in the left background is the stable where their horses were sheltered. Donated photo
 

Searching for Boomer Inn

Readers are now likely to be searching their own minds for the meaning of the term “boomer inn.” Could it…
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.