Rebecca Fitzgibbon hasn’t breathed easy since her 11-year-old son was put in the back of a police car by his school principal in the parking lot of Shining Rock Classical Academy. Since then, as she’s looked for accountability — or at least answers — she’s faced public scrutiny, legal threats and even criminal charges. 

A judge has ordered Shining Rock Classical Academy to turn over public records at the center of a civil bench trial heard in Haywood County Superior Court over a month ago.

The 2017 inauguration of President Donald Trump was normal in nearly every way — the crowds of enthusiastic supporters, the chants of angry protestors, the iconic swearing-in ceremony at Capitol. But as it turns out, that inauguration will now fondly be remembered as the last “normal” inauguration in recent history.

The number is $53.6 billion. That’s the estimate from the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management for the damage Helene inflicted on Western North Carolina. Those are just dollars; in the bigger picture, lives have been lost, transformed and forever changed. 

The staff of the Smoky Mountain News won 20 combined advertising and editorial awards, including a combined 13 first-place honors, at the 2024 North Carolina Press Association annual awards banquet. Awards were won in Division C, the largest division for nondaily publications. 

On Thursday, June 13, 2024, David Crane, author, scholar and international prosecutor, will provide insights on the implications of the war in Ukraine on our national security and world safety.

On Wednesday, April 10, at 7 p.m., the Western Carolina University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will host a panel discussion on the spread of misinformation and the dangers of fake news.