Maggie Valley is gonna Maggie Valley.

It comes with the territory. To win a seat on that town’s board of aldermen one has to endure some contentious moments, likely over a residential development or (gasp) a park. 

This year, the Sylva Police Department received a grant from the Dogwood Health Foundation to continue the Community Care Program with a paid, full-time community care liaison position for the next three years. 

O Zito, O Zito, wherefore art thou, Zito? In case you didn’t know, the phrase “wherefore art thou” is fancy Shakespeare talk for “why?” Which brings us to the point. Why, Zito. Why? 

This year was filled with slights and attacks on the LGBTQ+ community by local elected officials. But despite the environment, Sylva Pride and Sylva Belles Drag have continued to do their work of celebrating, uplifting and bringing together the LGBTQ+ community. 

This award goes out to the Fontana Regional Library, which, despite consistent attacks throughout 2023, is still standing, and continues to serve the residents of Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. 

Congressman Chuck Edwards apparently doesn’t read The Smoky Mountain News, but if he did, it may have saved him some humiliation earlier this year. 

The Macon County Board of Education has put in countless hours this year working to provide the best education possible for its students.

Not all heroes wear capes.

At least not Amanda Seay. She seems more the utility pants and boots type. 

Raise your hand if you’ve been paying attention to Western Carolina University athletics this academic year. 

Million-dollar mountaintop vacation homes, phony moonshine from corporate mega-distilleries, dime-a-dozen seedy strip malls — none of these things are Appalachian things, and if one of the hardy old Mountaineers of yore was magically transported through time to the present day, they’d hardly recognize the place.