Spring always brings revitalizing changes to The North Carolina Arboretum, and this season, one of these is the installation of a magnificent addition to the arboretum’s art collection. “Sacred Earth” by Cherokee Nation sculptor Karen Sixkiller features a larger-than-life water beetle perched on a large, faceted form and can now be seen along the walkways of the Stream Garden. 

James Tyler Lynch, 23, of Asheville, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release last Thursday for assault with intent to commit murder and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence stemming from a shooting incident that occurred on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

Thursday, June 18 • 3pm-6pm

Ingles Markets — 151 Smokey Park Highway — Asheville

Complimentary Samples (Limited Availability) 

Hailing from Asheville, Bryan Sutton is one of the most intricately talented acoustic guitar players of the modern era. He’s also an A-list, in-demand session musician and collaborator in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Sutton first appeared on the national bluegrass scene when, in 1995, he was named lead guitarist for Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, a position he held for three years.

When the U.S. Department of Agriculture first announced its intention to rescind the Roadless Rule in August 2025, Southern Environmental Law Center staff received around 8,000 mailed public comments opposing to the decision, which they stuffed into boxes and delivered to the Forest Service. 

In all, the agency received 625,930 public comments, despite a historically short comment window. 

Hello from the depths of Panacea Coffee Company in the Historic Frog Level District of Waynesville. At the moment, I’m sitting at the prized table. If you’ve ever been to Panacea, you know which one I’m talking about, the one on the second tier, next to the big window looking down upon Richland Creek.  

Lucinda. Before I even need to explain anything about people and things, time and place, you already know who I’m referring to. This is sacred musical ground, the same realm where, if you’re the cream of the crop, you only need to be known by one name, the same territory that Willie and Waylon, Dolly and Loretta reside. Simply put, Lucinda Williams is pure melodic gold. 

In October 2020, amid the shutdown and about halfway through the first set of the sold-out Goose drive-in show at the Smoky Mountain Event Center on the outskirts of Waynesville, a friend turned to me and said with a smile, “You know, we’re probably going to follow this band around for the next few decades, right?”
Nodding in sincere agreement, I sipped my drink and gazed around the massive property.

Yousef routinely travels back to the West Bank to see his family. And always, the Hebron City landscape where he was born and raised looks unfathomably different. 

“I typically try to go every year, at least for a month. I was actually planning to be with my family during the fasting month, Ramadan,” said the Asheville resident who, out of concern for his safety, requested The Smoky Mountain News refer to him on a first-name basis. 

To the Editor:

In Western North Carolina we’ve been insulated from the horror and tragedies across the country. We haven’t seen the ICE raids, but sadly I recently learned that ICE is around. We don’t have the details but in Asheville a friend of one of one of my friends was picked up and sent to Atlanta.