Free lunch for Swain Elementary students
All students in Swain County elementary schools will receive free lunch this year with the help of a grant from the Dogwood Health Trust.
Mainspring signs agreement in dam removal effort
After months of discussion and deliberation, Mainspring Conservation Trust and Northbrook Carolina Hydro II have signed an agreement allowing Mainspring to purchase the aging Ela Dam in Swain County — paving the way for dam removal efforts to progress.
WNC mourns Lambert Wilson
The Oct. 20 death of Lambert Wilson — a beloved educator, business owner and supporter of Native American art — sent shock waves through communities across Western North Carolina. However, few details are available regarding the circumstances of what his friends and colleagues say was a tragic and unexpected passing.
Local school boards becoming more politicized
Public schools have grappled with constant change over the last several years due to the impacts of COVID-19.
Four candidates left in race for Swain County School Board
Unique among the Smoky Mountain News’ four county coverage area, the Swain County School Board is a partisan-elected board. This election cycle there are four candidates competing for two seats. One is currently held by Travis Hyatt, a Democrat, who is seeking reelection. The other is held by Kim Carpenter who is not seeking reelection.
Swain runner advocates for sports equality
Amaya Hicks, Swain County High School senior and captain of the women’s cross country, basketball, indoor and outdoor track teams, came before the Swain County Board of Education on Sept. 12 with a unique, albeit impressive problem. She and her peers had won so many state championships over the last several seasons that the teams were having trouble raising enough money for the state championship rings.
Cochran seeks fifth term as Swain Sheriff
To be a sheriff in North Carolina is to be the most powerful elected official in a county.
Experience on the ballot for Swain Commission chairman
The issues facing Swain County are similar to those in other Western North Carolina communities — an affordable housing shortage, a boom in short term rentals, a laundry list of large projects that need to be tackled — but its geography, demographics and economic makeup differ from many of its neighbors, given its relatively sparse population and the amount of federal land within its borders.
Booming Times, Busted Budgets: Growing visitation strains resources in and around the GSMNP
Christine Cole Proctor was home alone with her big sister at the family cabin on Forney Creek when she heard an unfamiliar rumble climbing the isolated mountain road. It was a car — the first they’d ever seen scale the rugged route.
Swain bristles at perceived encroachment by Rep. Clampitt
A feud brewing between Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain) and the governments of Swain County and Bryson City reached a new level over the last couple of weeks as officials balked at Clampitt’s plea for the two entities to consolidate their emergency services.