Around $150 million in capital improvements are on the table in Macon County. File photo
 

Despite rising costs, new Franklin High School still on track

Despite increasing cost estimates, Macon County is in a good financial position to move forward with both the Franklin High…
Read More

Comment

The tournament will be held at Haywood Community College’s disc golf course. Donated photo
 

HCC hosts inaugural Charity disc golf event

The Haywood Community College Foundation is hosting the inaugural Charity Disc Golf Tournament, Discs in the Dogwoods, from 8:30 a.m.…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Rec offers hiking outings
 

Haywood Rec offers hiking outings

Haywood County Recreation is hosting a series of hikes throughout June. All hikes are subject to cancelation due to harsh…
Read More

Comment

Franklin club hosts birding walks
 

Franklin club hosts birding walks

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. Walks start at alternating locations:…
Read More

Comment

Hit the stream with Haywood Rec
 

Hit the stream with Haywood Rec

Haywood County Recreation is hosting various fly-fishing expeditions throughout June. 
Read More

Comment

Zahner lectures begin June 13
 

Zahner lectures begin June 13

The Highlands Biological Foundation (HBF) announced the kickoff of its annual Zahner Conservation Lecture series. 
Read More

Comment

Youth hiring event planned
 

Youth hiring event planned

The Town of Waynesville, in collaboration with NCWorks Career Center, will host a youth hiring event from 2-5 p.m. Friday,…
Read More

Comment

An artist rendering shows what the completed Racoon Creek Bike Park might look like. Haywood County photo
 

Endless fun: Raccoon Creek Bike Park takes shape

For years, the old Francis Farm landfill was just that — a leaky, gassy problem that did little but sap…
Read More

Comment

Frog Level will play host to Haywood County's first Pride event.
 

Pride parade prevails in Waynesville as opposition evaporates

A controversial email that led many to bring accusations of homophobia against two local business owners in Frog Level has…
Read More

Comment

Teresa Pennington is a featured artisan at ‘Art After Dark.’ File photo
 

Waynesville art walk, live music

A cherished gathering of locals and visitors alike, “Art After Dark” will launch its 2024 season from 6-9 p.m. Friday,…
Read More

Comment

City Lights poetry reading
 

City Lights poetry reading

Benjamin Cutler will launch his new book of poetry, “Wild Silence,” at 6 p.m. Friday, May 31, at City Lights…
Read More

Comment

Outlaw Whiskey will play Bryson City June 1. Garret K. Woodward photo
 

Outlaw Whiskey returns to Bryson City

Haywood County rock/country act Outlaw Whiskey will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson…
Read More

Comment

Contra dancing returns to Franklin June 1. File photo
 

Want to learn contra dancing?

There will be a contra dance class offered from 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Macon County Public Library…
Read More

Comment

Revenue losses attributable to Pactiv top $1 million. A Shot Above photo
 

Mill closure looms large over Canton municipal budget

Administrators for the Town of Canton have presented a conservative fiscal year 2024-25 budget that seeks some sense of sustainability…
Read More

Comment

Retired Command Sergeant Major Willard Dockery salutes the casket of Capt. Fred Hall during his funeral at Green Hill Cemetery last fall. Hall had been listed as missing in action for 54 years until his remains were finally identified early in 2023. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Veterans commemorated by JROTC cadets

Gloomy skies and pouring rain couldn’t stop a group of about 30 people from gathering at Garrett-Hillcrest Memorial Park on…
Read More

Comment

From left: Mayor Zeb Smathers, Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull, alderman Tim Shepard, Alderman Ralph Hamlett, Alderwoman Kristina Proctor
 

Putting in overtime: Canton leaders work late to solve mill problems

Several notable things happened during the Town of Canton’s regular board meeting on May 23, but the meeting was perhaps…
Read More

Comment

Sylva Pride held its first Pride parade in 2021. Hannah McLeod photo
 

Sylva declares June Pride Month

The Town of Sylva Board of Commissioners signed a proclamation last week declaring June to be LGBTQ Pride Month, just…
Read More

Comment

No tax increase for Macon
 

No tax increase for Macon

Macon County will be able to cover all its upcoming capital projects in the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget without a…
Read More

Comment

Jonathan Brown will serve as a commissioner for the Town of Sylva. File photo
 

Brown appointed Sylva commissioner

Following the resignation of Natalie Newman from the Sylva Town Board in April, commissioners have appointed Jonathan Brown to fill…
Read More

Comment

New Waynesville arch to be unveiled
 

New Waynesville arch to be unveiled

Join local leaders, civic groups and citizens of Waynesville for a historic occasion — the unveiling of a new decorative…
Read More

Comment

Jackson TDA’s Addy celebrates new certification
 

Jackson TDA’s Addy celebrates new certification

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA) announced that Kara Addy, APR, its Social Media Manager, has completed the Professional…
Read More

Comment

HCC holds charity disc golf tournament
 

HCC holds charity disc golf tournament

The Haywood Community College Foundation is hosting the inaugural charity disc golf tournament, Discs in the Dogwoods, from 8:30 a.m.…
Read More

Comment

Smokies Life wins national public engagement award
 

Smokies Life wins national public engagement award

Smokies Life, formerly Great Smoky Mountains Association, received national recognition at the 2024 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards for its…
Read More

Comment

When areas become infested with spongy moths, trees may be completely stripped of foliage. File photo
 

Moth infestation in Haywood to be treated

Treatments for spongy moth (formerly known as the gypsy moth) infestations in several areas across North Carolina will start as…
Read More

Comment

Earth Day brought big clean-up in Haywood
 

Earth Day brought big clean-up in Haywood

On Earth Day, April 22, members of the Haywood County Solid Waste Management team worked with a local environmental group…
Read More

Comment

Jackson hosts youth soccer camp
 

Jackson hosts youth soccer camp

The Future Mustang Soccer Camp, sponsored by Jackson County Parks and Recreation, will welcome local kids to build their skills…
Read More

Comment

An N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission official releases trout into a river.
 

Trout stocking reduced as hatchery gets rebuild

As the Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery in Transylvania County readies to shut down for a lengthy renovation, local anglers,…
Read More

Comment

Participants practiced casting, learning how to let the fly drift down to the water in a way that will have the fish biting in the future.
 

Wading in: An inside look at Haywood County’s fly fishing class

When my wife told me she’d signed me up for a fly-fishing class, I probably let out an audible groan.…
Read More

Comment

Pactiv Evergreen's Canton mill closed in June 2023.
 

State suit alleges Pactiv violated grant agreement

Pactiv Evergreen’s shocking announcement that it would close its 115-year-old paper mill broke lots of hearts — and wallets —…
Read More

Comment

The Little Tennessee River in Macon County has flooded before, and officials fear it will again. Braulio Fonseca photo
 

Macon takes a hard look at floodplain ordinances

Proposed revisions to Macon County’s flood damage prevention, soil erosion and sedimentation control, and water supply watershed protection ordinances have…
Read More

Comment

The Pigeon River has been the site of two separate cleanups that involve the EPA. File photo
 

How the sale of Canton’s mill site may impact EPA efforts

In the hours following the announcement that Pactiv Evergreen’s paper mill property in Canton may have a new owner in…
Read More

Comment

Jennie Ratcliff and Jackson found each other over 30 years ago at a horse trader’s ranch. Mackenzie Atkinson photo
 

Spared from slaughter, horse celebrates 50th birthday

Jennie Ratcliff was only 21 years old when she met Jackson, a 16-hand-tall horse with a chestnut coat that matched…
Read More

Comment

Quarter-cent sales tax spending options expanded
 

Quarter-cent sales tax spending options expanded

Macon County Commissioners already decided that the quarter-cent sales tax referendum would be back on the ballot this November, but…
Read More

Comment

Bo Crowe was given probation but still awaits trial in Cherokee Tribal Court. File photo
 

Crowe receives federal probation for assault: Cherokee Tribal Court to hear case next month

After pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault in federal court last August, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council Member Rep.…
Read More

Comment

Macon PULSE program connects students and employers
 

Macon PULSE program connects students and employers

Thanks to a partnership between the Macon County Economic Development Commission and the Career and Technical Education department, Macon County…
Read More

Comment

Weatherman, Boliek advance in Republican runoffs
 

Weatherman, Boliek advance in Republican runoffs

The final two candidates for North Carolina’s Council of State have been chosen by voters after a May 14 runoff…
Read More

Comment

The Swain Heritage Festival celebrates regional culture. Swain Heritage Festival photo
 

Come out to Swain County Heritage Day

This week, Swain County will host its 28th annual Heritage Day Festival.  The Festival began as Bryson City’s Memorial Day…
Read More

Comment

Highway Patrol promotes safe driving during summer months
 

Highway Patrol promotes safe driving during summer months

An estimated 38 million motorists are expected to travel by roadways this Memorial Day weekend and the State Highway Patrol is…
Read More

Comment

Jackson County hosts rabies vaccinatio­n clinics
 

Jackson County hosts rabies vaccinatio­n clinics

Come out Cartoogechaye School in Macon County for a rabies vaccination clinic. 
Read More

Comment

Toubab Krewe will play Canton June 1. File photo
 

Cold Mountain Music Festival

The annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will be held on Saturday, June 1, at the Lake Logan Retreat Center in…
Read More

Comment

Dashboard Blue will play Sylva Aug. 23. File photo
 

‘Concerts on the Creek’

The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce are proud to present…
Read More

Comment

The Maggie Valley Band will play Sylva August 30. File photo
 

‘Concerts on the Creek’

The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce are proud to present…
Read More

Comment

WOW will host karaoke May 24 in Waynesville. Donated photo
 

‘Queens of Country’ karaoke

The Women of Waynesville (WOW) will host a “Queens of Country” themed karaoke party at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24,…
Read More

Comment

Bird in Hand will play Bryson City May 24. File photo
 

Americana, folk at Mountain Layers

Jackson County Americana/folk duo Bird in Hand will perform at 6 p.m. Friday, May 24, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company…
Read More

Comment

Woolybooger will play Franklin May 25. File photo
 

Currahee gets the blues

Americana/folk singer-songwriter Woolybooger will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at Currahee Brewing in Franklin. 
Read More

Comment

Located just outside of Canton, the Lake Logan Retreat Center has been a place of respite and recreation for many years. File photo
 

Jump right in: Lake Logan reflects on rich history, ponders next step

Nearly seven years ago, Laura Elliot first stepped foot on the bucolic grounds of the Lake Logan Retreat Center, cradled…
Read More

Comment

Juanita Wilson (right) and Bob McCollum, co-chairs of the Nikwasi Initiative, plant a tree along the new Barbara McRae Cherokee Heritage Apple Trail March 7. Holly Kays photo
 

Volunteers work on Franklin’s Cherokee heritage trail

Local hands are nurturing the Barbara McRae Cherokee Heritage Apple Trail in Franklin. 
Read More

Comment

Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday will be designated as Youth Days in the western season, and youth under 18 can use any lawful weapon, including all firearms, to harvest deer on those days. Stock photo
 

Wildlife Commission adopts new rules

Commissioners at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) have adopted new rules for the 2024-25 seasons effective Aug 1. The…
Read More

Comment

Competitors can vie for $10,000 in cash prizes. Visit Cherokee photo
 

Cherokee hosts fishing tournament: Registration deadline May 24

Cherokee is hosting a fishing tournament this weekend that offers competitors the chance to vie for $10,000 in tagged fish. 
Read More

Comment

Part of greenway trail closed indefinitely
 

Part of greenway trail closed indefinitely

A portion of the Waynesville Greenway is closed to the public starting from the end of Industrial Park Drive on…
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.