Something about those black bears
A GPS-collared bear runs into the woods after being trapped in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and relocated to Cherokee National Forest.
Kristin Botzet photo
We love our bears here in the Smokies. It’s estimated there are around 15,000 in the four-state area surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and they’ve become an iconic symbol of the region.
So, it’s no wonder that of the hundreds of stories we published on The Smoky Mountain News website in 2025, it was one about relocating bears that was the most popular.
The story was written by Holly Kays, a former SMN staff writer who is now the lead writer for Smokies Life, a nonprofit that raises money to help the GSMNP.
Next up for the most popular stories of 2025 were a couple written in March just as Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its somewhat controversial leader, Elon Musk, were just getting up and going. The Social Security office in Franklin appeared on a DOGE list of offices that might close. That story obviously hit close to home, and so people in the region were interested. For the record, that office is still open, as the initial DOGE wave of closures petered out, and Musk left the administration after having a falling out with Trump.
Right behind that story in popularity was a press conference held by Rep. Chuck Edwards where he was asked about Medicare cuts and that same Franklin Social Security office that was slated for closing. Edwards dodged the questions, but again, there was a lot of interest in what was happening in Washington, D.C. at that time.
I won’t go down the entire list of our most clicked-on stories, but a couple of others do deserve a little context. One is the viral video story of an encounter at the privately owned Canton dump where truck drivers were dumping debris from Hurricane Helene. A video of the encounter between a truck driver and some of the dump employees went viral, and subsequently a lawsuit was filed by the truck driver. Those interested can read the story and some follow-ups if interested, but the fact that this story made the list speaks to the power of the internet and video clips (whether verifiable or not).
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Finally, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ opening of a recreational use cannabis dispensary made the list, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Polling consistently shows that more than 60% of Americans support legal THC products, and Cherokee’s dispensary makes it the only legal place to buy cannabis in the region. None of the states surrounding the Qualla Boundary — North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Tennessee — have legalized weed, so right now the EBCI have a regional monopoly that is doing quite well, and apparently a lot of people wanted to read about it.
Here’s to 2025, and thanks for reading and supporting local, independent, family-owned journalism in the mountain region. We appreciate you.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
Most clicked stories of 2025
• “For bears, relocation is no happily ever after”
• “DOGE website says Franklin Social Security office to close”
• “Edwards dodges questions on Medicare, Franklin Social Security office”
• “NCDMV announces moratorium on driver license expirations”
• “Man who shot viral video at local dump sues Haywood sheriff, dump owner”
• “Amazon to close Franklin warehouse, open new site in Hayesville”
• “Cherokee celebrate first day of adult recreation cannabis use”
• “Order seals Cherokee County sheriff’s evidence”
• “VA secretary greeted by demonstrators during visit to Asheville”
