Ron Moser, a founding member and former leader of Haywood Waterways Association, passed away Thursday, Aug. 18, at the age of 68. 

Two environmentally focused camps this summer offered students the chance to get outside while learning about how to care for creation. 

An outbreak of hemorrhagic disease has spurred reports of sick and dead deer in 39 North Carolina counties, with the highest frequency of reports coming from the mountain and piedmont regions. 

The Smoky Mountain News won 16 advertising awards and 20 editorial awards from the N.C. Press Association in a ceremony last week, including the prestigious Public Service Award for its coverage of the flooding from Tropical Storm Fred.

To the Editor:

Republicans like to talk about how Democrats are ruining the country without being specific on how that is taking place. Let’s look at recent events to see who is really concerned about the wellbeing of the American public, the country, and the planet.

A Cherokee County man who sold large quantities of illegal drugs out of a Canton hotel room will spend, at minimum, one month shy of 44 years in state prison.

Following two weeks of evidence and testimony, jury members needed only 29 minutes of deliberations to convict a Jackson County man on seven charges connected with sex abuse of a minor.

A strong blood supply is key to preparedness for disasters and medical emergencies, and donors can ensure blood is on the shelves the moment it’s needed.

More than two tons of paper were collected for shredding and recycling recently at the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC’s Community Shred Event. According to Shred-it, the Chamber’s partner in the project, more than 15 garbage cans were filled with 4,620 pounds of paper material. 

Home sales in the Western North Carolina region continued to slow in July, mirroring broader housing trends and declining affordability across the country.

Beginning in the 1870s, the U.S. government attempted to educate and assimilate American Indians into “civilized” society by placing children — of all ages, from thousands of homes and hundreds of diverse tribes — in distant, residential boarding schools.

The Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville is currently offering a wide variety of classes in the theater arts for all ages, young and old. Whether you are just starting out or want to hone your skills, HART has opportunities for you. 

New air monitors measuring particulate matter, temperature and relative humidity are now up on the Western Carolina University campus. 

A second deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease after North Carolina’s first CWD-positive deer was found in December 2021. 

A portion of Connelly’s Creek Road in the Nantahala National Forest will close starting Sept. 6 to upgrade an existing culvert to a bottomless arch culvert that improves fish habitat. 

New bog bridges and repaired steps are now in place on the Bradley Gap Section of the Appalachian Trail through the Cherokee National Forest following a joint project of the U.S. Forest Service and Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club. 

N.C. State Cooperative Extension, Eastern Band of Cherokee Commerce Department and EmPOWERING Mountain Food Systems are hosting the Street Food Institute from New Mexico Nov. 7-10 to bring fresh ideas and tested solutions to help regional food businesses thrive. 

The Haywood Healthcare Foundation Board of Trustees voted at its June meeting to award $497,500 in grants for fiscal year 2022-23 to fulfill its mission to the following agencies to help them meet the healthcare needs in Haywood County:

Like every other graduate at Southwestern Community College’s High School Equivalency commencement ceremony, Calbert Christian navigated a unique road on his way to receiving his diploma earlier this month.

To the Editor: Thank you, Jane Harrison, for setting me straight about my being in the minority of Americans because I think the unborn have rights. It feels good to be a minority for a change.

To the Editor: 

I’ve been a casual visitor to Highlands for years, becoming more of a seasonal visitor and now contemplating becoming a full-time resident.

To the Editor:

One of the most revealing, declarative statements ever uttered by a politician in the last 50 years was that voiced by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) shortly after Barack Obama’s election to the presidency in 2008 when he expressed, in no uncertain terms; “My aim in life is to make Barack Obama a one-term president.” Please allow those words to sink in.

Friends of the Smokies raised $85,000 to support the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at its Smokies Stomp event held July 23 at Cataloochee Ranch in Haywood County. 

North Carolina is now officially free of High Path Avian Influenza, meaning that the state can resume export and international trade of poultry products. 

The Bardo Arts Center (BAC) at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee is excited to welcome patrons into its spaces for a dynamic series of events and exhibitions this fall. 

To the Editor:

Oh, good grief! The often-repeated exasperation by the cartoon character Charlie Brown came to mind upon reading the letter from a Waynesville reader on July 27. The writer seems to have everything backwards.

To the Editor:

Until 2018, judges in North Carolina had been non-partisan, after which the Republican legislature changed the law to require candidates for judges to declare party affiliation. Even though judges and justices are now partisan candidates, impartiality is still the cornerstone of their job.  

Waynesville’s Laurel Ridge Country Club has changed ownership, with a new era beginning. 

All seven lake sites on the Hiwassee, Nottely and Chatuge rivers, as well as Fires Creek, have passed MountainTrue’s weekly E. coli testing with flying colors so far this summer. 

The N.C. Wildlife Federation has announced the winners of its 58th annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards, and Western North Carolina residents will take home two of them. 

The first North Carolinian to ever be elected as leader of the National Wildlife Federation’s Board of Directors hails from Asheville. 

The U.S. Forest Service, Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy and Southeast Conservation Corps are expanding their partnership to offer a natural resources career development program this fall for ages 18-30, or up to 35 for veterans. 

Sylva resident Cole Burch is among the 15 new wildlife law enforcement officers sworn in during the 58th Basic School graduation ceremony July 20. 

The N.C. Forest Service is now accepting tree seedling orders for its annual sale. 

To the Editor: 

The only thing I learned from a letter in a recent edition is that the letter writer doesn’t have a clue as to what socialism actually is. 

To the Editor: 

I read with interest Mr. Crider’s “Another view on Abortion”  opinion piece in the Aug. 3 edition of the Smoky Mountain News. Mr. Crider makes several correct points about who is anti-abortion and who is pro- abortion rights, and I appreciate that he admits that he has been hypocritical in his pro-life beliefs. He is not alone.

The Town of Franklin partnered with Duke Energy to install a level 3 fast-charging station in the town hall parking lot. Town Planner/IT Director Justin Setser worked closely with Duke to have the installation done without cost to taxpayers. 

A recent federal grant award for the Preventing School Violence initiative was awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice to the Thirtieth Judicial District Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Alliance in partnership with Haywood County Schools and the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. 

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced that farmers in 11 additional counties are eligible for the Western N.C. Agricultural Crop Loss Program for damages and losses due to flooding and excessive rain from Tropical Storm Fred and an April 2021 freeze and frost. The deadline to apply is Aug. 31. A total of $10 million is available.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has issued a land use permit allowing the Museum of the Cherokee Indian  to operate an offsite facility housing Museum collections, archives, and Tribal artifacts. The permit follows a February resolution that designated a piece of land in Swain County, near Bryson City, for the future building.

Long-time Lake Junaluska supporters Steve Berwager and husband-and-wife Bernie and Snookie Brown are the 2022 recipients of the Junaluska Leadership Award, an honor bestowed annually during Associates Celebration Weekend at Lake Junaluska. 

Dr. Bill Nolte announced his retirement earlier today in meetings with principals and Central Office staff. His retirement is effective Nov. 1, 2022. The Board of Education will immediately begin the process of hiring a new Superintendent.

In many ways, high school graduates are mature young adults ready to live on their own and begin an exciting college career, but are they prepared to manage their own finances?

Hazelwood Family Medicine and the Salon & Skin Spa of Hazelwood Village is now offering two state-of-the-art treatments, Emsella and EMSCULPT NEO. 

Declining ginseng populations have prompted the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee to halt harvesting permits for the prized plant, following in the footsteps of the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest, which halted harvest in 2021. 

Peter Holderness Ledford has been appointed as North Carolina’s new clean energy director, Gov. Roy Cooper announced July 27.

Julie Mayfield is stepping down as co-director of MountainTrue after serving alongside co-director Bob Wagner since 2013. Prior to that, she had worked as executive director of the organization then known as the Western North Carolina Alliance since 2008.