Tourism to national park contributes $2 billion to local economy
A new National Park Service report shows that approximately 12.2 million visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2024 spent more than $2 billion in communities near the park. That spending had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of more than $2.8 billion.
Preventive health measures important
To the Editor:
Thank you for including the article by SMN News Editor Kyle Perrotti, "COVID mounts late summer surge amid onset of flu season" in the Aug. 27 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. The article was-well written, factual, informative and encouraging.
A mission to make sure local news survives
A large majority of U.S. adults (86%) say they at least sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, including 57% who say they do so often.….
Americans turn to radio and print publications for news far less frequently. In 2024, just 26% of U.S. adults say they often or sometimes get news in print, the lowest number our surveys have recorded.
— Pew Research Center
Voting can change your life
To the Editor:
How can you connect at the community, regional, state and national level? At all levels, you can educate yourself on what can be done to improve your county.
Local news remains as important as ever
Dear Readers and Advertisers
