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Waynesville could finally see long-awaited make-over of South Main Street
Waynesville’s South Main Street — the two-lane thoroughfare that is the major artery between downtown and the new Super Wal-Mart…
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Swain’s tax base just got even smaller
Swain County, 86 percent of which is already owned by the federal government, lost a little more land from its…
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Jackson Paper bucks manufacturing trend
Last week’s announcement that 61 new jobs are coming to Sylva with the expansion of Jackson Paper is relief for…
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Waynesville land use plan back on the drawing board
Waynesville leaders will finally kick off the town’s much-anticipated review of its six-year-old land use plan on April 22. Town…
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Funding for festivals and visitor centers hinges on tourism board decisions
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will weigh the merits of grant applications from tourism groups over the coming week.…
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Macon leaders question Georgia sewer headed their way
Macon County commissioners voiced concern this week over a proposed sewer treatment plant that would discharge into the Little Tennessee…
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Cherokee tackles long-standing problems of housing and drugs
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has announced plans for an affordable housing development and substance abuse treatment center in…
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Everyone's mother
Mother Jones by Elliott J. Gorn. Hill and Wang, 2002. 408 pages. When Mother Jones celebrated her (allegedly) 100th birthday…
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Dogwoods in the mountains
In the Smokies region, there are three species of dogwood. Everyone is familiar with flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), which is…
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Nuisance debate both crass and credible
Every now and then a government proposal takes on such a vigorous life of its own that its intent gets…
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New library complex will honor courthouse heritage
In Massachusetts, a vacant textile mill is now an art museum. An old city hall became a restaurant. In California,…
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Cherokee parents protest losses in children’s trust fund
A throng of about 150 angry members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians turned out to the Birdtown Community…
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Noisy and determined opponents get their way with nuisance ordinance
Take note — members of the public with an agenda to push could learn a thing or two from the…
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Lake Junaluska Duathlon: Athletes give rave reviews to new race
Between blue skies and blue water, the inaugural Lake Junaluska Duathlon won over dozens of runners and bikers this weekend.…
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Multi-family unit OK’d by judge, but court rules against proposed expansion
The neighborhood covenants of a Maggie Valley homeowners association were put to the test in court recently. A developer sued…
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Affordable senior condos spark opposition among downtown Waynesville neighbors
Residents of a downtown Waynesville neighborhood are up in arms about a proposed three-story, 64-unit condo development that would provide…
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Ghost Town partners establish own credit line
Owners of Ghost Town in the Sky hope to funnel up to $500,000 into the amusement park in order to…
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Macon airport lands more money for artifact surveys
Opposition to the airport runway extension in Macon County continues to mount, with a standing-room-only crowd attending last week’s Airport…
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Vacated library could become new home for Sylva police
The Sylva Police Department may find a new home in the Jackson County Public Library on Main Street once the…
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From South America to the Appalachians
Alpacas herald from South America, but are increasingly being found on farms in the Southern Appalachians. Alpacas are in the…
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New Swain jail continues to rack up costs
Weeks following an escape at the brand-new Swain County jail, county commissioners agreed to an emergency appropriation of $139,000 at…
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Weavers bring finest of craft to WNC
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer This April, nearly 100 professional weavers and spinners will converge at Lake Junaluska in…
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Jackson ordered to relinquish permits that pave way for dam removal
Despite losing yet another court battle over the Dillsboro dam, the majority of Jackson County commissioners have vowed to continue…
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Jackson Paper adding 61 jobs in Sylva
Stonewall Packaging LLC, a joint venture of Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co., announced today that it will invest more than $17…
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Anne Rice’s spiritual journey
Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession by Anne Rice. Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. 256 pages. The books are piling…
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Park starts lengthy reorganization process
Despite the daunting hurdles faced by Ghost Town in the Sky to get the Maggie Valley amusement park open by…
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State wants assurances before approving loan for Sylva fire department
The town of Sylva continues to be plagued by a financial mistake made last year in which $2 million in…
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Get ready for life in the fast lane
It seems impossible that my niece is going to have a baby. She is 20 years old, which is about…
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Local couple recognized for land stewardship
John and Jane Young of Haywood County have been recognized by the North Carolina Forest Stewardship Program for their commitment…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Watershed dreaming Last Saturday (April 4) was another sojourn into the town of Waynesville’s 8,500-acre plus watershed. The town initiated…
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Alpacas: Furry, friendly and in 23 colors
The group that Joe Moore hangs out with most days is an eclectic one, with names like Jack Straw, Reuben,…
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Ghost Town’s struggles challenge community
As Ghost Town continues to struggle, many are finally coming to grips with the reality that the Old West theme…
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All airport documents requested in lead up to runway lawsuit
An environmental group out of Asheville plans to sue the Macon County Airport Authority and other parties involved in the…
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Old stone walls redux
(Author’s Note: While running random Internet searches, I occasionally am confronted from out of the blue, as it were, with…
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Fired jail employee says he warned of relationship between murder suspect and jailer
The Swain County sheriff and jail administrators were warned that a jailer who freed a double murder suspect March 21…
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Haywood proposes incentives for green business
Economic development officials have adopted a policy that will give business incentives to clean, renewable energy projects that locate in…
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Canton has new town manager: Lengthy search ends back where it started — with interim manager Matthews
After a search that has dragged on for more than a year, the Canton Board of Alderman has finally selected…
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New Sylva manager’s salary below state average of similar-sized towns
Though some are complaining that the salary for the recently hired Sylva town manager is high for her level of…
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A gem of a novel
The Missing by Tim Gautreaux. Knopf Double Publishing Group, 2009. 384 pages. This is a novel that seems to vibrate…
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Ghost Town faces huge challenges as it tries to restructure debt, open park
The business partners behind Ghost Town in the Sky are facing significant logistical and financial challenges as they pursue their…
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Shuler proving his independence
Openly conservative Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, is blazing his own path in Congress. That characteristic is easy to admire,…
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Debts mount at theme park
Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park in Maggie Valley has left a wake of unpaid bills with local companies…
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The Naturalist's Corner
Caving moratorium sought Three weeks ago (Naturalist’s Corner 3/11) I wrote about a mysterious malady dubbed White Nose Syndrome (WNS)…
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Ghost Town responds
The following comment was provided by Steve Shiver, Ghost Town CEO and president, in response to questions about the challenges…
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New face on Waynesville board: Funeral home director fills Kenneth Moore’s seat
One would be be hard-pressed to find someone uttering anything but praise for new Waynesville Alderman Wells Greeley. The 6-foot,…
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Tight budget forces libraries to trim hours
In the latest tangible consequence of countywide budget cuts, the Haywood County Library system is scaling back hours at each…
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Finding a home for fresh water mussels
Barrels of mussels being bred at the state’s fish hatcheries are awaiting release into the region’s rivers, helping to restore…
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Do not plant Bradford Pear
By Jim Janke We moved here from Chicago, where there are only two seasons: winter and road-under-construction.* By comparison, the…
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Pondering the future of newspapers
Much as I dislike posing the question, here it is: can you imagine a future without newspapers? Would it be…
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Mountain beauty is an asset we all own
To the Editor: We appreciate The Smoky Mountain News coverage on the steep slope issues in Macon County and would…
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