Cherokee show greed toward other tribes
 

Cherokee show greed toward other tribes

To the Editor: The entire article on the Cherokee suing over the Catawba casino proves that the only reason for…
Read More

Comment

Graduate photos dot the hillside below Tuscola High School. Donated photo
 

Less pomp, more circumstance: Western North Carolina’s future leaders graduate amidst pandemic

The Class of 2020 will forever be remembered as the “asterisk” class. Whether it be high school, community college or…
Read More

Comment

Trey Woodard stands ready at second base. Donated photo
 

Franklin senior misses chance at starting lineup

Trey Woodard has been playing baseball as long as he can remember and was looking forward to being a part…
Read More

Comment

SMHS senior Brianna Buchanan fans out the cards she’s received from the Smoky Mountain High School Adopt-A-Senior program. Donated photo
 

Adoption program makes senior year special for SMHS students

The arrival of COVID-19 in the United States caused a storm of cancelations, closures, warnings and fears, but there’s one…
Read More

Comment

Raylen Bark, who will graduate May 28 as valedictorian of Cherokee High School, plans to major in anthropology at Dartmouth College this fall. Cherokee High School photo
 

Something to celebrate: Cherokee valedictorian navigates a pandemic

As February melted into March, Raylen Bark was so busy she had little time to think about the fact that…
Read More

Comment

With in-person classes and clinicals canceled, nursing student Stephanie Morton adopts the deck as her new office. Donated photo
 

Grad looks toward career in nursing

For years, Stephanie Morton had focused her daily energy on homeschooling her four kids, but as the children grew into…
Read More

Comment

Lily Payne (left) poses in cap and gown with her sister, Olivia. Shannon Stokely photo
 

Haywood Early College students support each other

Canton native Lily Payne still remembers her last day of school at Haywood Early College. 
Read More

Comment

Jadyn Schmidt has big plans for the future. Donated photo
 

Student overcomes challenges at HCLC

As the Coronavirus Pandemic developed and schools shut down, senior year began to look drastically different for high school seniors…
Read More

Comment

Swain County seniors spell out ‘STRONG’ at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, not knowing what challenges would lie ahead. Donated photo
 

Swain student moving on to bigger, better dreams

Colby Taylor, a senior at Swain County High School, hasn’t let the COVID-19 Pandemic derail his future goals. Even though…
Read More

Comment

Aidan McCoy-Ybanez takes mechanic classes at Haywood Community College during his senior year at Tuscola High School. Donated photo
 

Tuscola grad looking forward to future

The Class of 2020 — what a year to be alive, much less graduating high school and heading out into the…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Community College grad Maggie Mehaffey. Donated photo
 

Bigger graduations in store for Haywood Community College student

Maggie Mehaffey’s taken a bit of a different academic path than many of her peers — a path that gives…
Read More

Comment

Pisgah grad Chloé Queen is looking forward to resuming her studies. Donated photo
 

For extrovert, no school means no fun

For Chloé Queen, a senior at Pisgah High School, graduation and senior year are turning out drastically different than anticipated. 
Read More

Comment

Dr. Mark Jaben.
 

Haywood takes steps to open businesses safely

Since the Coronavirus Pandemic began in earnest in Haywood County in mid-March, emergency physician Dr. Mark Jaben has been the…
Read More

Comment

Voting underway in NC 11 Second Primary
 

Voting underway in NC 11 Second Primary

The March 3 Republican Primary Election for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District between 12 candidates hoping to represent the party…
Read More

Comment

Maggie Valley maintains tax rate despite revenue drop
 

Maggie Valley maintains tax rate despite revenue drop

Maggie Valley is projecting a more than 16 percent decline in revenue for the 2020-21 fiscal year due to the…
Read More

Comment

Canton’s BearWaters Brewing gave the public a sneak peek of its new Maggie Valley location on May 23. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

North Carolina takes ‘cautious’ step into phase 2

As expected, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that he believes the state is ready to begin phase 2 of…
Read More

Comment

Haywood County Cares — Roberta Harverson
 

Haywood County Cares — Roberta Harverson

Roberta Harverson started her nursing career as a CNA. After completing her LPN at AB-Tech, she began working at Autumn…
Read More

Comment

Mercy Urgent Care offers COVID-19 testing
 

Mercy Urgent Care offers COVID-19 testing

Mercy Urgent Care is now offering two types of COVID-19 testing, viral testing and antibody testing, at all eight of…
Read More

Comment

COVID-19 cluster identified in Macon church
 

COVID-19 cluster identified in Macon church

Macon County Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster of positive cases in an area church located in Franklin.
Read More

Comment

ABC permit holders can extend outdoor seating
 

ABC permit holders can extend outdoor seating

In accordance with Executive Order 141, the ABC Commission will temporarily allow On-Premise ABC permit holders to include additional outdoor…
Read More

Comment

NC reports highest one-day spike of COVID cases
 

NC reports highest one-day spike of COVID cases

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is reporting the state’s highest one-day number of laboratory-confirmed…
Read More

Comment

COVID-19 ravages Asheville nursing home
 

COVID-19 ravages Asheville nursing home

By Sally Kestin AVL Watchdog It began with one employee falling ill from the coronavirus. By Friday morning, just 11 days…
Read More

Comment

Three Macon residents positive for COVID-19
 

Three Macon residents positive for COVID-19

Macon County Public Health has identified three additional positive cases of COVID-19. All three are unrelated to the positive essential…
Read More

Comment

Haywood COVID-19 cases reach 41
 

Haywood COVID-19 cases reach 41

Haywood County Public Health received notice May 22, that another Haywood County resident has tested positive for COVID-19.  This is…
Read More

Comment

First reported case of MIS-C in North Carolina
 

First reported case of MIS-C in North Carolina

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting its first case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children…
Read More

Comment

7 more positive COVID-19 cases in Haywood
 

7 more positive COVID-19 cases in Haywood

Haywood County Public Health received notice May 21, that seven more Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19.  These…
Read More

Comment

Haywood County Program Administrator David Francis explains the county’s new economic development policy to commissioners May 18.
 

Haywood County sweetens economic development pot

An economic development incentive plan first passed by the Haywood County Board of Commissioners in 2004 underwent a significant retooling…
Read More

Comment

Farmers market starting in Cashiers
 

Farmers market starting in Cashiers

Locally Grown on the Green farmers market offers local produce 3 to 6 p.m. each Wednesday during the growing season…
Read More

Comment

A.T. trailheads to open in four states
 

A.T. trailheads to open in four states

Appalachian Trail trailheads and access points on U.S. Forest Service lands in the Southeast will reopen on Friday, May 22.
Read More

Comment

Four more COVID-19 cases reported in Haywood
 

Four more COVID-19 cases reported in Haywood

Haywood County Public Health received notice May 20 that four more Haywood County residents have tested positive for COVID-19. These…
Read More

Comment

Gov. Roy Cooper (left) holds a press conference on May 20.
 

North Carolina phase 2 will reopen restaurants, not bars

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced moments ago that he believes the state is ready to begin phase 2 of…
Read More

Comment

An artist rendering of the proposed casino.
 

Cherokee sues feds over Catawba decision

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has filed a federal lawsuit over a recent decision from the U.S. Department of…
Read More

Comment

Honking for Jesus: Churches adapt, ponder reopening after lawsuit
 

Honking for Jesus: Churches adapt, ponder reopening after lawsuit

On May 17, a typical sunny spring Sunday in this community of churches, congregants gathered for religious services all across…
Read More

Comment

Planning to begin on massive Canton recreation parcel
 

Planning to begin on massive Canton recreation parcel

Despite the reticence of some local governments to spend money on non-essential services due to uncertainty in revenues amidst the…
Read More

Comment

Macon budget priorities change amid pandemic
 

Macon budget priorities change amid pandemic

When Macon County officials started their 2020-21 budget process back in early February, COVID-19 was barely a blip on their…
Read More

Comment

Franklin sets budget priorities for 2020-21
 

Franklin sets budget priorities for 2020-21

Just like every other local government in the nation, the Town of Franklin is facing uncertainty when it comes to…
Read More

Comment

Waynesville presents grave budget message
 

Waynesville presents grave budget message

Waynesville Town Manager Rob Hites, an experienced professional with almost 40 years in municipal government, called the current budget year…
Read More

Comment

Despite coronavirus, Canton budget stays the course
 

Despite coronavirus, Canton budget stays the course

As local government units across the state work on their annual budgets a variety of approaches have been taken by…
Read More

Comment

Fontana libraries provide curbside services
 

Fontana libraries provide curbside services

All Fontana Regional Library locations in Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties will provide curbside pickup service starting the week of…
Read More

Comment

County COVID-19 updates
 

County COVID-19 updates

On May 24, Macon County Public Health announced a cluster of cases centered around the Evangelical Ebenezer Church. As of…
Read More

Comment

Free COVID-19 testing site opens in Sylva
 

Free COVID-19 testing site opens in Sylva

Jackson County saw a modest increase in COVID-19 cases this week, with the disease confirmed in 25 residents as of…
Read More

Comment

Elaine Eisenbraun.
 

Nikwasi Initiative hires first executive director

Nikwasi Initiative, a new nonprofit established in 2018 with the mission of preserving the Nikwasi Mound in downtown Franklin and…
Read More

Comment

Maj. David Cope poses in front of a mobile canteen that will soon be put to use in Waynesville. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Open Door goes mobile with Salvation Army help

The Coronavirus Pandemic has made it that much more difficult for many low income and unsheltered individuals to feed themselves…
Read More

Comment

A powerful need to help those in need
 

A powerful need to help those in need

National Emergency Medical Services Week is May 17-23, and in the midst of a global pandemic the timing resonates more…
Read More

Comment

We’ve been here before … sort of
 

We’ve been here before … sort of

It’s funny how you can hear a story your entire life but don’t see its relevance until it smacks you…
Read More

Comment

AR-15 useless against this virus
 

AR-15 useless against this virus

To the Editor: I see these folks protesting, yelling and carrying weapons, as if a gun is an argument that…
Read More

Comment

I prefer to be a live jerk
 

I prefer to be a live jerk

To the Editor: Come on guys, your MAGA hats won’t make me sick. Your bumper stickers can’t hurt me. Your…
Read More

Comment

Soldiers who shaped our nation
 

Soldiers who shaped our nation

May the memory of these men sustain us all and remind us of their sacrifice to secure our freedom. May…
Read More

Comment

George Ellison.
 

European boar proliferated in WNC

Numerous non-native plants have been introduced into the southern mountains during the last century or so. Many are now classified…
Read More

Comment

New shelter-in-place medical course offered
 

New shelter-in-place medical course offered

A new online course from Cullowhee-based Landmark Learning is teaching first aid skills for people who are sheltering in place. 
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.