Archived (29788)
Children categories
We need to know more about HCA’s plans
By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist The proposed Mission/HCA sale could be the most significant event — negative or positive…
Read More
Macon sheriff candidate gets Giglio order
Accusations of dishonesty and inappropriate behavior lodged against Macon County sheriff candidate Eric Giles have led the district attorney’s office…
Read More
Cherokee from the heart: Beloved Woman reflects on a wandering life rooted in Cherokee language
If anyone ever had an excuse to leave her hometown and never return, it would be Myrtle Driver Johnson. Born…
Read More
State of emergency in Haywood, Canton, Maggie Valley
Early on Sept. 14, a flurry of press releases from Haywood County, the Town of Maggie Valley and the Town…
Read More
Hurricane Florence resources for Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina may not be over-“Flo”-ing with water just yet, but the region is awash in information about available…
Read More
As the buckeyes fall, I await my old friend
The sounds, the feel of the coming fall is always comforting, like reconnecting with an old and dear friend. It…
Read More
My mission: outer order, inner calm
My name is Susanna and I am terribly unorganized. I’m not a messy person or a hoarder, just disorganized. My…
Read More
Why waste money repaving a good road?
To the Editor: Repaving a perfectly good Smoky Mountain Expressway appears to be another classic example of government wasteful spending.…
Read More
Op-ed needs to be read by all Americans
To the Editor: This letter will by definition have to be somewhat brief to avoid backlash from those seeking bias…
Read More
Why you should vote in all elections
To the Editor: Decisions made at all levels of government (president and Congress in Washington, D.C., General Assembly in Raleigh…
Read More
Vote to save the country
To the Editor: There has been a coup unfolding in the White House. Our Republic is in imminent danger of…
Read More
Nine years yields new state forest: Headwaters State Forest will offer landowner education and primitive recreation
North Carolina got a new slice of public land last week when Headwaters State Forest was opened to the public…
Read More
Chimney Rock hike-in only
Chimney Rock State Park is now hike-in only following the start of work to stabilize its upper parking lot Sept.…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: Hearts are a-bursting
I started out the front door, in the early morning light the other day, to check on the whereabouts of…
Read More
Tyler delivers another delightful novel
Years ago, my wife and I belonged to a Waynesville book club in which a couple would act as host…
Read More
This must be the place: In pitch dark, I go walking in your landscape
With a slight jog around an empty basketball court at the Waynesville Rec Center last Monday evening, I dribbled the…
Read More
‘Women Songwriters Showcase'
There will be a “Women Songwriters Showcase” held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, in the Macon County Public Library…
Read More
How do you define ‘America’?
The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to announce a year-long exhibition inspired by…
Read More
For the love of the arts: Macon County Art Association
Following the passing of her husband last year, after a lengthy illness, Betsey Sloan was looking for an outlet, something…
Read More
WCU breaks enrollment records — again
Western Carolina University’s enrollment hit an all-time high this fall for the seventh out of the past eight years, with…
Read More
Franklin board holds off on hospital purchase input
Franklin Town Council members decided to hold off on providing input to the attorney general regarding HCA Healthcare’s impending $1.5…
Read More
Hurricane prep begins in Western North Carolina
As The Smoky Mountain News went to print Tuesday, a potentially catastrophic storm was barreling down on the Carolinas, with…
Read More
LEADing the way: Jail diversion program aims to address opioid crisis
Between 1999 and 2016, more than 12,000 people in North Carolina died from opioid overdoses. Not only are families losing…
Read More
Peer specialists go inside jail to assist inmates
Being incarcerated and not knowing what your future may hold is a terrifying experience, but being released from jail and…
Read More
Cherokee strengthens free press law
Free press law in Cherokee got a little more free following Tribal Council’s passage of amendments to the tribe’s Free…
Read More
McCoy alleges political motivation in marriage fraud prosecution
While the federal marriage fraud case that’s been the topic of much discussion on the Qualla Boundary over the past…
Read More
Ghost Town sale still not final
Slow progress and a string of broken promises from new Ghost Town operator and former Disney exec Valeria Oberle haven’t…
Read More
SCC health building gets $2 million grant
Southwestern Community College’s planned health sciences building has earned recognition for its economic development potential — with dollar signs attached.
Read More
Haywood County tax office fiasco continues
Recent uproar over dozens of tax payments improperly waived by Haywood County Tax Collector Mike Matthews seemed to be quieted…
Read More
Trooper saves drowning woman
A North Carolina State Trooper and a few good Samaritans helped save the life of a woman caught in rapids…
Read More
Slight slip for Haywood Schools rank
Achieving high academic performance levels is one thing, but maintaining them is quite another, and after two straight years ranked…
Read More
Waynesville Salt Room now open
Why don’t Polish salt miners ever get sick? No, it’s not a joke, according to Marisa Spagnoli, owner of Waynesville…
Read More
Coaching you through it: Physical therapy can tackle number of ailments
A majority of people wait until they’re ordered to undergo physical therapy after a surgery or injury, but physical therapy…
Read More
Cherokee program yields harvest of self-reliance
With harvest season underway, members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are now reaping the benefits of a springtime…
Read More
Sitting: Could it be as bad for your body as smoking?
By Dr. Tara Hogan, D.C. • Guest writer According to the Mayo clinic’s experts, sitting too often can cause a…
Read More
Get fit: Challenge asks all in WNC to ramp up activity
This year’s eight-week WNC Get Fit Challenge is set to return Monday, Sept. 10, challenging not just Jackson County residents…
Read More
Nervous to try yoga?
By Jerica Rossi • Guest writer While people were walking into class, I heard a woman whisper to her friend, “I’m…
Read More
Everyone goes Keto: Health experts explain potential risks
It seems like every year there’s a new fad diet people swear is the panacea for quick weight loss. This…
Read More
Journey toward positivity
By Wende Goode • Guest writer Negativity surrounds us, is embodied in us. Until a couple of years ago, I…
Read More
Don’t be confused about CBD
Despite pages and pages of published studies and hundreds or thousands of anecdotes extolling the benefits of cannabidiol, it’s the…
Read More
The American worker is not getting their due
Every Labor Day we celebrate the American worker. We wax nostalgic about the bygone days of the great American middle…
Read More
A good story is food for the soul
I’ve always been fascinated by storytellers and the stories they tell. As a small child, I loved hearing my parents,…
Read More
Like an old friend: Two decades of rock climbing getaways build friendship, identity for Sylva woman
Twenty years ago, Erin McManus and her friend Amy Miller were 22-year-olds fresh out of college, with no jobs, no…
Read More
Confederate statues are a problem
To the Editor: Just over a year ago, Charlottesville, Virginia, was flooded with hate, thinly-veiled fascism, and white supremacy, all…
Read More
Politics at play in Jackson debate
To the Editor: I recently attended the Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting specifically to apologize to Commissioner Charles Elders. …
Read More
Fall color will likely be dimmer than normal
Autumnal vibrancy will depend on weather conditions over the next few weeks, according to Western Carolina University’s fall color soothsayer.
Read More
‘Ironfoot,’ the hermit of Island Park
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a September 2014 issue of The Smoky Mountain News. I generally enjoy working in…
Read More
Older books are still worth a read
Two days ago, I finished reading Jon Hassler’s Rookery Blues (Ballantine Books, 1995, 485 pages). Hassler focuses his novel on…
Read More
