Archived (30384)
Children categories
Planning board opposes flood plain ordinance change
In a turn of events for the volunteers and members of the public that have been showing up in an…
Read More
Dozens of flood reduction projects to launch in 2025
With about 280 projects approved across the state, the new year will bring visible on-the-ground progress in the effort to…
Read More
Lake Junaluska pickleball courts completed
The pickleball courts renovations at Lake Junaluska are complete. This project, which highlights the growing popularity of pickleball in the…
Read More
Hike Panthertown with Jackson County Rec
The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department announced a Jan. 17 hike on the Panthertown Loop trail. Trail is about…
Read More
WNC no longer abnormally dry
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council continues to classify much of Eastern North Carolina as being in a moderate…
Read More
Haywood hosts Master Gardener advice session
NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect,…
Read More
Stein moves quickly on Hurricane Helene relief
Newly elected Gov. Josh Stein wasted no time addressing some of the state’s biggest challenges after being sworn in on…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Continuous groan award
The fallout immediately following the disaster wrought by Hurricane Helene was tragic and traumatizing, but as time has gone on…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Least influential YouTube influencer award
The last few years have been a helluva ride for Haywood County Commissioner Terry “double down” Ramey. Prior to his…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Trailblazer award
By the end of the 1900s, groups of marginalized Americans like women, Blacks, Hispanics and others had made great strides…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Hometown pride award
Evy Leibfarth was welcomed home in style this summer after her medal-winning performance at the Olympics. In her second Olympic…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Hometown hero award
When Tropical Storm Fred cut a half billion-dollar swath of destruction through the eastern part of Haywood County and killed…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Big Brother award
In May, Payton McNabb shrouded herself in the cloak of Big Brother when she took to a Western Carolina University…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree award
This one goes out to the North Carolina General Assembly and Congress, but it will take a little explaining.
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Ready to throw down award
It’s nice to have an elected board of representatives who care about their county and are willing to fight for…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Keep quiet award
Rep. Chuck Edwards has refused to speak to The Smoky Mountain News since shortly after he was elected in 2022.…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Public engagement award
You might think people don’t care about local government, but sometimes you’re reminded that they absolutely do. Bryson City’s town…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: The steamroller award
We hate to belabor one topic, but we have more than one marijuana-related award to hand out this year. The…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: If at first you don’t succeed try, try, try again award
Sylva first considered a proposal to address panhandling in November 2022 but ultimately decided against it after a majority of the board…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: On the up and up award
Haywood County Schools’ stock just keep rising. This year the school system was ranked sixth out of 115 school districts…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Audacity award
It makes potheads giggle and cops roll their eyes, and in Western North Carolina this year, the stoner holiday 4/20…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: First in flight award
After Hurricane Helene rocked the eastern reaches of Western North Carolina, Crystal Cochran sprang into action. A resident of Sylva,…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: If it ain’t broke award
Following this year’s budget season, Macon County maintains its position with the lowest property tax of any county in the…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Building the future award
This year both Jackson and Swain counties received state grants of $52 million to build new middle schools. For Jackson County, this…
Read More
2024 A Look Back: Maconians united award
Maconians are known among the citizens of Western North Carolina for robust and regular public input at local government meetings…
Read More
Word from the Smokies: Ramsey Cascades Trail reopens following multiyear rehabilitation
For the first time in nearly three years, the trail to Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s tallest waterfall is fully open…
Read More
USDA implements new wood processing program
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled a new program to support American wood processing facilities.
Read More
Wilderness Wildlife Week
More than 90 free educational sessions, five days of outdoor excursions and key note speakers await attendees of Pigeon Forge’s…
Read More
Fake News Freakout: Episode 9
I started this annual feature nearly a decade ago to poke fun at the emerging scourge of fake news — lies, really…
Read More
A moment to celebrate: Haywood’s Recovery Court graduates second participant
Last Friday wasn’t Mark Beam’s first time facing a judge at the defendant’s table in Haywood County District Court, but…
Read More
After fiasco, Congress fails to meet North Carolina’s hurricane recovery needs
Hurricane Helene victims in Western North Carolina have eagerly been awaiting an expected holiday gift in the form of federal…
Read More
School board considers options for Jackson Community School
Jackson Community School — Jackson County’s alternative learning center — is the most expensive school in the district per pupil,…
Read More
Macon animal control in need of staff
After a team of volunteers converged on a Macon County Board of Health meeting to express concerns about the state…
Read More
Macon County couple endows fund to diversify WCU Fine Art Museum collections
The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center will be broadening…
Read More
Upstream Rebellion to play Sylva
Rising regional Americana/bluegrass act Upstream Rebellion will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at The Junction Pub…
Read More
Ready for classic rock, country gold?
Haywood County rock/country act Outlaw Whiskey will perform as part of the “New Year’s Eve Party” at 8 p.m. Tuesday,…
Read More
Macon to address floodplain, Lake Emory Dam in new year
After almost a year of work, discussion and often tense disagreement on the issue, Macon County is set to continue…
Read More
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust conserves 54.45 acres of forested land
The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) announced the permanent conservation of 54.45 acres of forested land just two miles from downtown…
Read More
Rehab efforts begin on popular Smokies trail
The National Park Service (NPS) will begin a major rehabilitation on Laurel Falls Trail, one of the most popular trails…
Read More
Burning permit requirement reinstated in WNC
The N.C. Forest Service has reinstated the requirement for open burning permits in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell,…
Read More
Drought conditions lessen in WNC
After several weeks of increasingly dry conditions, Western North Carolina has finally seen some much-needed rain, taking the whole region…
Read More
Orchestra rolls into Highlands
A renowned jazz/soul ensemble, the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, at the Highlands Performing…
Read More
HCC hosts spring hunter safety courses
Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer two opportunities for…
Read More
Additional Slide Delays I-40 Reopening
An additional chunk of asphalt fell away from an eastbound lane of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge this…
Read More
Haywood Waterways creates jobs to clean up Helene litter
After Tropical Storm Fred moved through Western North Carolina in 2021, litter cleanup throughout the East Fork and downstream along…
Read More
Design studies on tap for Foothills Parkway
The National Park Service will conduct additional design work and technical studies for Foothills Parkway Section 8D. This decision was…
Read More
Sylva to host Cycle NC Moutain Ride
North Carolina Amateur Sports announced that the Cycle North Carolina Mountain Ride is headed to Jackson County Aug. 1-3, 2025. …
Read More
Public comment sought on proposal to list hellbender as endangered
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list the eastern hellbender as an endangered species throughout its…
Read More
State sees widespread moderate drought
Most of North Carolina continues to experience moderate drought, according to the latest advisory from the North Carolina Drought Management…
Read More
Troxler encourages watershed protection applications
N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler encourages communities impacted by Hurricane Helene to apply for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program,…
Read More
