News Headlines
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 six people in 2021, the tragedy gave residents a chance to come together across political, racial and socioeconomic lines as never before. But it also had another hidden upside, revealed this past September.
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 bathroom to film an unsuspecting student.
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.
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 what they think is right.
Well, maybe fight isn’t the right word — that is, unless you’re on Swain County’s board of commissioners.
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.
He’s been silent on critical issues of national and regional importance — silent on protecting Social Security, silent on preserving veterans health care, silent on what he did to prevent the Pactiv-Evergreen paper mill in Canton from closing, silent on funding our national parks, silent on why North Carolina didn’t get the congressional funding it needs to recover fully from the damage associated with Hurricane Helene.
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 government was served a stark reminder of that concept this year when the town proposed significantly raising the water rates.
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 steamroller award goes to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who launched their cannabis venture despite no shortage of opposition from outside the Qualla Boundary.
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 and several members of the public spoke out in opposition to the measure.
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 in the state following the release of testing data. This is compared to its seventh place ranking the year prior and 10th place ranking just a few years ago.
