Nothing Will Change If You Don't Change
 

Nothing Will Change If You Don't Change

Dear everyone thinking they still have a day of crumbiness to happen to them before 2021 rings in a miraculous…
Read More
Let's Rumble - Ask Us Anything
 

Let's Rumble - Ask Us Anything

Part of our goal here at Rumble is to start and continue conversations among women. We want to know what’s…
Read More
Leah McGrath, Ingles Dietitian
 

Make sustainable diet changes in 2021

It’s that time of year! We’ve gorged ourselves on turkey, ham, stuffing, casseroles, cakes, pies, cookies, and eggnog — now we’re…
Read More
New COVID cases not slowing down in Haywood
 

New COVID cases not slowing down in Haywood

Between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 185 new cases of COVID-19.  
Read More

Comment

COVID cluster identified at Macon 911 center
 

COVID cluster identified at Macon 911 center

Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in Macon County’s 9-1-1 Communication Center.
Read More

Comment

COVID cluster found at Macon nonprofit
 

COVID cluster found at Macon nonprofit

Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases at the nonprofit Macon Program for Progress.
Read More

Comment

Macon educator finalist for 'Beginning Teacher' award
 

Macon educator finalist for 'Beginning Teacher' award

Teachers from across North Carolina have been selected as finalists for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching…
Read More

Comment

COVID-19 update from Haywood Health
 

COVID-19 update from Haywood Health

Between Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 129 new cases of COVID-19. 
Read More

Comment

SCC re-opens from winter break on Jan. 4
 

SCC re-opens from winter break on Jan. 4

To allow all employees an opportunity to get tested for COVID-19 after the winter break, Southwestern Community College will be…
Read More

Comment

Ceasars Southern Indiana Casino is home to 1,200 slot machines, as well as sports betting, poker and table games. Laurencio Ronquillo photo
 

Ceasars, EBCI announce Indiana deal

Ceasars Entertainment and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians today released a formal announcement regarding the sale of operations at…
Read More

Comment

Kids in the Kitchen
 

Kids in the Kitchen

Every year I have high hopes to be in the kitchen more over the holidays, baking and making savory treats.…
Read More
Wild Market Offers Wellness Advice
 

Wild Market Offers Wellness Advice

Kathy Hardin, health food expert, former teacher and owner of Wild Market in Maggie Valley, sat down with Rumble to…
Read More
'The Crocuses,' by Kate Coleman, 24x24, mixed media
 

New Art 'Blooms' At Asheville Gallery

“Blooms” marks Asheville Gallery of Art’s second new member show of the new year and celebrates the early signs of…
Read More
Go to guide school
 

Go to guide school

Nantahala Outdoor Center will offer its much-loved Guide School in 2021 
Read More

Comment

New bike trails coming to Wilson Creek
 

New bike trails coming to Wilson Creek

A project that will add 10 additional miles of mountain biking and hiking trails to the Wilson Creek Area in…
Read More

Comment

The handcycle allows Bradley, whose legs are paralyzed, to power the bike with her arms. Donated photos
 

Trail of Love: Despite paralysis, EBCI member will cycle Remember the Removal

Maranda Bradley knows exactly what her 2015 self would say if she knew what the 2020 version was up to…
Read More

Comment

Teens explore the mountains during a summer adventure camp. Tremont photo
 

Spend the summer at Tremont

Registration is now open for 2021 summer and adult programs at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. 
Read More

Comment

After 10 months of construction and nearly $3 million, a new parking lot and retaining wall is complete at Chimney Rock. Donated photo
 

Parking lot project concludes at Chimney Rock

A 10-month-long construction project to restore a retaining wall and expand a parking lot washed out during heavy rains in…
Read More

Comment

Mark Megalos won the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his 34 years in forestry. Donated photo
 

Awards honor sustainable forestry

A new round of winners has been announced for the annual EcoForester Awards, honoring the people and organizations that are…
Read More

Comment

Hunters and anglers should wear blaze orange when heading out to the woods. Missy McGaw/NCWRC photo
 

Hunt safe this Christmas

Inland fishing and hunting license sales have skyrocketed in 2020, with a 23 percent increase in licenses sold since stay-at-home…
Read More

Comment

A resolution to get back to the books
 

A resolution to get back to the books

Harper Lee of To Kill A Mockingbird fame once wrote, “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved…
Read More

Comment

Public rhetoric should prompt removal
 

Public rhetoric should prompt removal

By Jesse Lee Dunlap • Guest Columnist | As someone whose politics are centered on bodily autonomy, I sympathize with…
Read More

Comment

Cawthorn shows ignorance on current issues
 

Cawthorn shows ignorance on current issues

By Erick Mendez • Guest Columnist | According to the U.S. House records, at 25 years old, Madison Cawthorn —…
Read More

Comment

Thanks to all the election volunteers
 

Thanks to all the election volunteers

To the Editor: With the most contentious presidential election in modern American history coming to a close, there is enough…
Read More

Comment

I was watched over by angels
 

I was watched over by angels

To the Editor: I wanted to let everyone know what an amazing medical community we are fortunate enough to live…
Read More

Comment

School board to borrow county funds for office renovations
 

School board to borrow county funds for office renovations

At a school board meeting Monday, Dec. 14, Haywood County School Board members were split on how to pay for…
Read More

Comment

The day Santa came to Red Fox Loop: In search of the Christmas spirit in Appalachia
 

The day Santa came to Red Fox Loop: In search of the Christmas spirit in Appalachia

With a frigid wind pushing across the parking lot of the Clyde Volunteer Fire Department last Saturday afternoon, Santa Claus…
Read More

Comment

Thanks to Make A Wish Foundation, Amanda McLeod was flown to Hollywood to hang out with the cast and crew of NCIS. Donated photo
 

Help make a child’s last wish come true

As Amanda McLeod celebrated her sweet 16 birthday last week, she wasn’t thinking about herself or the rare auto-immune disease…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Regional Medical Center employees receive the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Donated photo
 

First COVID-19 vaccines make it to WNC

The COVID-19 vaccine distribution has begun in Western North Carolina with the first doses going to healthcare workers and emergency…
Read More

Comment

The 2021 County Development Tiers map shows persistent poverty—and prosperity—in the usual regions. NCDOC map.
 

Economic development ranking system ‘cuts both ways’

Each year around this time, North Carolina takes a look at the economic prosperity, or lack thereof, in every one…
Read More

Comment

Transparency concerns surround Council casino discussions
 

Transparency concerns surround Council casino discussions

When the Cherokee Tribal Council waded through its final hours of discussion — and, ultimately, a vote — on the…
Read More

Comment

Cashiers residents organize against proposed development
 

Cashiers residents organize against proposed development

As the Jan. 6 hearing that will determine the project’s fate draws nearer, opposition is mounting to a plan that…
Read More

Comment

This must be the place: There’s too much in this world I can’t seem to shake
 

This must be the place: There’s too much in this world I can’t seem to shake

I live in a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Waynesville. Been here going on eight and a half years. Aside from…
Read More

Comment

Waynesville painter Jo Ridge Kelley.
 

Haywood art studio tour

The Haywood County Arts Council invites all Haywood County studio artists to participate in the annual Haywood County Studio Tour…
Read More

Comment

‘Triggerfish’ yardage by Hannah Mitsu Shimabukuro.
 

‘A Decade in Fiber’ exhibition

Haywood Community College in Clyde recently wrapped up an exhibition to celebrate graduates in the Professional Crafts Fiber program from…
Read More

Comment

Check Your Vanity At the Door - Or On Zoom
 

Check Your Vanity At the Door - Or On Zoom

Holidays going on, pandemic still going on, virtual shopping going on x 1000, and my face going on everywhere! I…
Read More
"Hope" by Carol Cole Czeczot
 

The Art of Survival - Spartanburg Exhibits Works Created During Pandemic

Artists Collective | Spartanburg will host The Art of Survival, an art exhibition on tap for Jan. 5-Feb. 27, 2021,…
Read More
Seven more COVID-19 deaths reported in Haywood
 

Seven more COVID-19 deaths reported in Haywood

Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting seven more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number now to 62. 
Read More

Comment

Macon identifies COVID-19 cluster at sheriff's office
 

Macon identifies COVID-19 cluster at sheriff's office

Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
Read More

Comment

Haywood County to get a new high school
 

Haywood County to get a new high school

At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Shining Rock Classical Academy Board of Directors, the decision was made to begin…
Read More

Comment

Dog Park Initiative by Vision Cashiers Moves Forward
 

Dog Park Initiative by Vision Cashiers Moves Forward

Vision Cashiers, a not-for-profit organization led by volunteers and devoted to improving the Cashiers community, recently announced it has received…
Read More

Comment

Haywood announces spring school calendar
 

Haywood announces spring school calendar

Following the semester and holiday break, Haywood County Schools will return for blended and in-person learning on Monday, Jan. 11,…
Read More

Comment

Ceasars Southern Indiana Casino is home to 1,200 slot machines, as well as sports betting, poker and table games. Laurencio Ronquillo photo
 

Council votes to purchase Indiana casino operation

Tribal Council decided by a razor-thin margin last week to pursue a $280 million deal to purchase the gaming operation…
Read More

Comment

Franklin man pleads guilty to drug trafficking
 

Franklin man pleads guilty to drug trafficking

Caught out and arrested by a sharp-eyed deputy sheriff, a Franklin man is headed to state prison after a failed…
Read More

Comment

Soup and Cornbread canceled, support still needed
 

Soup and Cornbread canceled, support still needed

Altrusa of Waynesville is part of an International nonprofit organization that emphasizes community service including literacy, education and other needs…
Read More

Comment

Holiday gatherings lead to more COVID spread
 

Holiday gatherings lead to more COVID spread

Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 14, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 112 new cases of COVID-19.  As…
Read More

Comment

Pomegranate, Apple & Mint Salad
 

Pomegranate, Apple & Mint Salad

During the holiday season we seek out certain types of food. Those that are based in tradition, or that we…
Read More
Jessi and Leilah Stone pictured next to the Dolly Parton statue, Christmas 2018.
 

A Little Sister For Christmas

After living in different states for the last 10 years, I’m finally within a short driving distance of my little…
Read More
How To Handle Season Depression, Isolation
 

How To Handle Season Depression, Isolation

The winter season is upon us and the colder weather may bring individuals further into isolation. Many Americans have been…
Read More
Being A Home Health Worker during COVID
 

Being A Home Health Worker during COVID

Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of us had a notion of what “frontline” or “essential” workers meant. Who they were,…
Read More
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.