Annual fair at Waynesville church
 

Annual fair at Waynesville church

The annual Parish Fair will feature smoked barbecue, a drawing for a locally-made colorful quilt, and music and entertainment, including…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Habitat holds open enrollment
 

Haywood Habitat holds open enrollment

Haywood Habitat for Humanity is holding an open enrollment through July for perspective new-home partner families. Applicants must be residents…
Read More

Comment

Haywood historical presents Cold Mountain heritage tour
 

Haywood historical presents Cold Mountain heritage tour

The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 27 at the Shook House in…
Read More

Comment

SCC launches Plus 50 program for Cashiers and Highlands
 

SCC launches Plus 50 program for Cashiers and Highlands

As the director of Southwestern Community College’s new Plus 50 program, Michael Rich is rapidly working in the community to…
Read More

Comment

Mountain Projects offers free fans for seniors
 

Mountain Projects offers free fans for seniors

Mountain Projects, Inc. through a collaborative effort with the Area Agency on Aging and Progress Energy is sponsoring Operation Fan-Heat…
Read More

Comment

State leaders fund land conservation despite tight budget
 

State leaders fund land conservation despite tight budget

After a tenuous state budget debate, The Farmland Preservation Trust Fund emerged with $2 million in funding for the upcoming…
Read More

Comment

Raffle to benefit Roy Rickman Scholarship
 

Raffle to benefit Roy Rickman Scholarship

A raffle drawing and silent auction will be held on 6 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at Mountain View Intermediate School…
Read More

Comment

Sylva to impose employee parking ban downtown
 

Sylva to impose employee parking ban downtown

The Sylva town board voted unanimously to adopt a new parking ordinance that will fine downtown employees and business owners…
Read More

Comment

Local government doesn’t fare well in poll
 

Local government doesn’t fare well in poll

By Christopher Cooper and Gibbs Knotts Confidence in politics, politicians and government is low. President Obama’s approval rating hovers around…
Read More
Majority supports alcohol sales, and its many benefits
 

Majority supports alcohol sales, and its many benefits

By Michael Morris • Guest ColumnistThe sale of alcohol has become a hot topic in Western North Carolina. In 2010,…
Read More
Conservative Democrats, endangered species and Rep. Heath Shuler
 

Conservative Democrats, endangered species and Rep. Heath Shuler

By Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts A creature once roamed the American South that many now presume to…
Read More
TEA Party catches on, but impact on election still hard to gauge
 

TEA Party catches on, but impact on election still hard to gauge

By Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts Beginning in 2009 with a series of protests focusing on what participants…
Read More
Sediment foils irrigation systems at worst possible time
 

Sediment foils irrigation systems at worst possible time

For farmers who rely on the Tuckasegee River to irrigate their crops, a brutal summer heat wave and dry spell…
Read More

Comment

Evergreen holds assets too tightly, officials say
 

Evergreen holds assets too tightly, officials say

Board members of Smoky Mountain Center, a state mental health agency for the 15 western counties, have questioned whether its…
Read More

Comment

Smoky Mountain, Evergreen lock horns over foundation assets
 

Smoky Mountain, Evergreen lock horns over foundation assets

A state mental health agency and its sister nonprofit are locked in a debate over whether the nonprofit should continue…
Read More

Comment

Growth of dog bakeries tempt owners to indulge their canine companions
 

Growth of dog bakeries tempt owners to indulge their canine companions

At the end of a rough week, your dog might consider stopping in at Smoky Mountain Dog Bakery in Dillsboro…
Read More

Comment

HRMC uses garden therapy
 

HRMC uses garden therapy

The engineering, grounds and Behavioral Health Unit at Haywood Regional Medical worked together to brighten the hospital community by planting…
Read More

Comment

New pavilion shapes Cashiers’ Village Green into high-caliber venue
 

New pavilion shapes Cashiers’ Village Green into high-caliber venue

When the Summit Charter School found a new home last year, it left behind an empty space in the heart…
Read More

Comment

Scam targets hotel owners
 

Scam targets hotel owners

When a $4,000 payment showed up in the mail to cover a $1,195 bill, Jim Freeman knew something was up.…
Read More

Comment

Franklin to decide whether to allow Super Wal-Mart to proceed
 

Franklin to decide whether to allow Super Wal-Mart to proceed

Franklin Alderman Bob Scott wants to know what people think about a proposed Super Wal-Mart on the edge of town.…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Market hits full stride this weekend
 

Haywood Market hits full stride this weekend

Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market will have a festival in conjunction with the long-awaited arrival of summer corn and tomatoes from…
Read More

Comment

Feds listening to our outdoors agenda
 

Feds listening to our outdoors agenda

By Ken MurphyWestern North Carolina is a special place, a region with awe-inspiring scenic vistas, waterways and forested watersheds that…
Read More

Comment

The real problem with the economy
 

The real problem with the economy

To the Editor: Let’s look at what truly stimulates an economy, creates jobs, drives markets and produces tax revenue to…
Read More

Comment

Poll reveals discontent among the populace
 

Poll reveals discontent among the populace

To the Editor: The Smoky Mountain News and Western Carolina University’s Gibb Knotts and Chris Cooper are to be commended…
Read More

Comment

Bryson City rock purists Big House Radio get comfortable in their skin
 

Bryson City rock purists Big House Radio get comfortable in their skin

Aaron Plantenberg was relaxing by a lake in northern Wisconsin when his vacation was abruptly cut short by a phone…
Read More

Comment

HART leads the pack with “Chicago” production
 

HART leads the pack with “Chicago” production

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre is pulling the stops out for its production of the smash hit “Chicago,” which opened…
Read More

Comment

American Craft Today seeks submissions for juried show
 

American Craft Today seeks submissions for juried show

Craft artists are invited to submit digital images of their work by July 19 to be considered for inclusion in…
Read More

Comment

Piano sensations Mark and Clark to perform at Eaglenest
 

Piano sensations Mark and Clark to perform at Eaglenest

The Original Twin Piano Twins, Mark and Clark, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 16, and Saturday, July 17,…
Read More

Comment

Help feed Folkmoot’s dancers
 

Help feed Folkmoot’s dancers

More than 350 dancers and musicians from across the globe will arrive in Waynesville on July 19 to participate in…
Read More

Comment

Moonshiner’s Daughter Memoir Book launch
 

Moonshiner’s Daughter Memoir Book launch

Mary J. Messer, author of the Haywood County based memoir, Moonshiner’s Daughter, will hold the kick-off launch for her newly…
Read More

Comment

Piecing together a picture of home
 

Piecing together a picture of home

Although Americans are known for their wandering ways, traveling to California in Conestoga wagons, taking the train to find a…
Read More

Comment

Blue Ridge Breakaway to bring cyclists to Haywood County
 

Blue Ridge Breakaway to bring cyclists to Haywood County

The mountains of Western North Carolina are rapidly becoming the top destination for serious cyclists east of the Mississippi. The…
Read More

Comment

New toilets in Cataloochee Valley
 

New toilets in Cataloochee Valley

Cataloochee Valley, a popular section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Haywood County, finally has restrooms. Cataloochee Valley…
Read More

Comment

Bee balm
 

Bee balm

The girls love to surprise Mom with bouquets of wildflowers. The other day they came in with a handful of…
Read More

Comment

Grants encourage creative use of forest resources
 

Grants encourage creative use of forest resources

From bark shingles to edible mushrooms, entrepreneurs across Western North Carolina are being encouraged to tap the resources of the…
Read More

Comment

WATR holds meeting and annual Walk ‘n Talk
 

WATR holds meeting and annual Walk ‘n Talk

The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River members and all who are interested in clean mountain streams are invited to…
Read More

Comment

Hosta, hosta, hosta
 

Hosta, hosta, hosta

The Dixie Region Hosta Convention will be in Waynesville Friday and Saturday, July 16 and 17, at Rux Gardens. Lovers…
Read More

Comment

“America’s Great Outdoors” comes to WNC
 

“America’s Great Outdoors” comes to WNC

Whether you’re a birder or mountain biker, paddler or hiker, photographer or hunter, now is your chance to bend the…
Read More

Comment

It’s hot, and the lizards are in heaven
 

It’s hot, and the lizards are in heaven

The sweltering heat this summer is restricting some outdoor activities, but it’s a prime time for lizard watching. Lizards don’t…
Read More

Comment

County health rankings yield mixed results
 

County health rankings yield mixed results

Measuring the overall health of a population at the local level is an elusive and cumbersome task. As a result,…
Read More

Comment

Yates named Kimmel Professor of Construction Management
 

Yates named Kimmel Professor of Construction Management

The only woman to head a college or university construction management department in the United States has joined the faculty…
Read More

Comment

SCC recognized for performance
 

SCC recognized for performance

Southwestern Community College was one of only 11 colleges to earn an exceptional rating in the annual performance measures report…
Read More

Comment

Martial arts master leads small-town team to unlikely victory on the mat
 

Martial arts master leads small-town team to unlikely victory on the mat

Armando Basulto had his opponent’s arm sandwiched between his legs. He leaned forward, putting pressure on the man’s shoulder. The…
Read More

Comment

Builders fear slope rules aimed at safety could drive up costs
 

Builders fear slope rules aimed at safety could drive up costs

As Macon County closes in on a steep slope ordinance, some members of the building and real estate industry fear…
Read More

Comment

Rekindling memories of High Rocks
 

Rekindling memories of High Rocks

This is about a place, High Rocks, a lookout situated at just over 5,000 feet on Welch Ridge in the…
Read More

Comment

Jackson farmers roll out the welcome mat
 

Jackson farmers roll out the welcome mat

A staggering 15 farms and gardens will open their fields and greenhouses to the public during the Jackson County Farm…
Read More

Comment

Parkway’s glories honored by Congress
 

Parkway’s glories honored by Congress

A resolution commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway is slated for passage by Congress. “The Blue Ridge…
Read More

Comment

Kick up your heels for Folkmoot 5K
 

Kick up your heels for Folkmoot 5K

A race with an international flare, the annual Folkmoot 5K, will be held on Saturday, July 31, in Waynesville. The…
Read More

Comment

Into the wild at Mountain Wildlife Days
 

Into the wild at Mountain Wildlife Days

Mountain Wildlife Days will bring a line-up of nature talks, wildlife programs and guided hikes to the Cashiers area on…
Read More

Comment

Bear country tutorial uses new medium to reach hikers
 

Bear country tutorial uses new medium to reach hikers

A new video podcast called “Day Hiking and Wildlife” has been created to educate hikers in the Great Smoky Mountains…
Read More

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.