Donations needed for Cops for Kids
 

Donations needed for Cops for Kids

Martin M. Sohovich, financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial, will once again be helping children in Haywood County at Christmas time. 
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Eveland, both Wights win in Maggie Valley
 

Eveland, both Wights win in Maggie Valley

Although the race between two incumbent alderman for the Maggie Valley mayor’s gavel was an important one, the bigger story…
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Alderman Gary Caldwell.
 

Waynesville mayor, board reshuffled

On Election Day, Waynesville voters could have chosen to send almost every single incumbent back to their seats, but when…
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No surprises in Bryson City election
 

No surprises in Bryson City election

The town of Bryson City didn’t have any contested races this year, which means no big surprises on election night. 
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Voter turnout doubles in Franklin
 

Voter turnout doubles in Franklin

The town of Franklin will keep its incumbent mayor while welcoming two new faces to the town board.
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Sylva election results up in the air
 

Sylva election results up in the air

The General Election has been over for a week, but in Sylva the results won’t be certain until provisional ballots…
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William Ritter (left). Bobby McMillon (top right); Bob Plott (bottom right).
 

Folkmoot ‘Mountain Memories’ series

Folkmoot is proud to partner with the Mountain Memories organization and Waynesville’s own Bob Plott to launch the Mountain Memories…
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Brandon Boyd, lead singer of Incubus, onstage in Asheville. (photo: Connor Burchett)
 

This must be the place: Don’t ever let life pass you by

With over 2,000 folks piling into the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville for Incubus on Thursday evening, those in…
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Brandon Boyd, lead singer of Incubus, onstage in Asheville.
 

Don’t ever let life pass you by: Incubus roars through Asheville

With over 2,000 folks piling into the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville for Incubus on Thursday evening, those in…
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Contract awarded includes I-40 West closure
 

Contract awarded includes I-40 West closure

SYLVA – N.C. Department of Transportation officials have awarded an emergency repair contract to Buckeye Bridge to repair a bridge…
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Can you put a value on what we provide?
 

Can you put a value on what we provide?

Does the information we provide each week — information that we have been producing free for the last 20 years…
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A sweet reminder of fate
 

A sweet reminder of fate

My two boys are children of divorce. That’s a phrase I never thought I’d say. But then again, life never…
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Compassion needed for homelessness
 

Compassion needed for homelessness

By Jesse-lee Dunlap • Guest Columnist After last Tuesday’s town hall forum at Frog Level Brewing, I found myself shocked and…
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Moving Open Door won’t solve anything
 

Moving Open Door won’t solve anything

To the Editor: I keep trying to grasp how a brewery can be the voice for a community battling addiction. 
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It was still pitch black during the first of Nancy East’s and Chris Ford’s three Mount LeConte summits on Friday, Oct. 25. Donated photo
 

Mission accomplished: Waynesville woman sets record, raises trail rehab money with LeConte hike

The first time Nancy East visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it was the 1990s and she was in…
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The latest drought map was published Oct. 31 based on data gathered through 8 a.m. Oct. 29. N.C. Drought Monitor map
 

Drought weakens statewide

A new drought map released Thursday, Oct. 31, shows conditions normalizing throughout the state for the first time since an…
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Aurelia Kennedy was a pioneering paddler in Western North Carolina. Donated photo
 

Celebration of life planned for NOC co-founder

A celebration of life for Aurelia Turpin Kennedy, co-founder of the Nantahala Outdoor Center, will be held at 2 p.m.…
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Stay safe during hunting season
 

Stay safe during hunting season

It’s hunting season in Western North Carolina, and non-hunters are encouraged to be proactive about ensuring their safety while in…
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Snowmaking at Cataloochee Ski Area began on Thursday, Oct. 31. Cataloochee photo
 

Slopes open at Cataloochee

Cataloochee Ski Area became the first ski resort on the East Coast — and one of 11 nationwide — to…
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It’s time for hog jowls and greens
 

It’s time for hog jowls and greens

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a November 2003 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. When I was a boy,…
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A look at The Best Loved Poems of the American People
 

A look at The Best Loved Poems of the American People

Two years ago in December, I vowed to read the 11-volume set of Will and Ariel Durant’s The Story of…
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This must be the place: Roads that we abandon and others that we take
 

This must be the place: Roads that we abandon and others that we take

When I lace up my running shoes lately, I’ve found that I usually need to add a windbreaker on top…
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Jimmy Herring. Drew Burke photo
 

Don’t sweat the small stuff – just play: A conversation with Jimmy Herring

Longtime guitarist for legendary rock act Widespread Panic, Jimmy Herring’s sole focus as a musician is — and has always…
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Abundant Labs now operating in Canton
 

Abundant Labs now operating in Canton

Abundant Labs CEO Chip Miller looked like a college chemistry professor as he started drawing diagrams and compound percentages on…
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Abundant Labs in Canton is one of many processing facilities started up following the legalization of industrial hemp in North Carolina. Donated photo
 

Legislature to ban smokable hemp in N.C.

Hemp has only been legal in North Carolina for a couple of years, but already the plant is presenting an…
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Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts introduces North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley last week before she spoke to Haywood Democrats. Donated photo
 

N.C. Chief Justice Beasley speaks in Haywood

The small room of the Democratic headquarters for Haywood County was packed Oct. 31 for a speech by the Chief…
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North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby hopes to expand Republican influence on the state’s highest court. Donated photo
 

Republican seeks N.C. Chief Justice seat

His name is Newby, but he’s far from new — Justice Paul Newby was first elected to the North Carolina…
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Animal shelter estimates within budget
 

Animal shelter estimates within budget

It could cost less than originally anticipated to build a new 10,000-square-foot animal shelter facility in Jackson County, according to…
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Security upgrades underway at Jackson Schools
 

Security upgrades underway at Jackson Schools

After 2018’s deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, county and school system officials in Jackson County put their heads together…
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Surrounded by his fellow Cherokee language learners, Matt Tooni addresses Tribal Council regarding the group’s request for $15 million in funding to support language preservation programs. ECBI image
 

Annual Council focuses on language preservation

In the wake of a June 27 joint resolution from the three Cherokee tribes that declared the native language to…
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Shining Rock has refused to divulge how much taxpayer money was spent on a failed building project. Cory Vaillancourt photo
 

Shining Rock demands illegal payment for public records

Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series of stories on Haywood County’s public charter school, Shining Rock Classical Academy,…
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Clark Williams, owner of Frog Level Brewing, asks a question during a public forum held at the brewery to discuss the growing homelessness issue in Haywood County. Jessi Stone photo
 

Community searches for homelessness solutions

A wide-ranging forum held last week at Frog Level Brewing to discuss Haywood’s homeless population revealed deep divisions about how…
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It's Eveland in Maggie, both Wights win alderman seats
 

It's Eveland in Maggie, both Wights win alderman seats

Alderman Mike Eveland will be Maggie Valley's next mayor, after a convincing 191-145 victory over Alderman and Mayor Pro Tem…
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For the first time in a long time, Waynesville will see a new mayor.
 

Caldwell cruises, Dickson, Sutton join Waynesville board, Feichter, Freeman return

With all eight Waynesville precincts reporting, it appears as though there will be some major changes in the Town of…
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Scott wins Franklin mayoral election
 

Scott wins Franklin mayoral election

Incumbent Mayor Bob Scott has won his fourth term in office against challenger Barbara McRae.
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Sylva board race ends in a tie
 

Sylva board race ends in a tie

Sylva residents gave incumbent commissioners David Nestler and Greg McPherson a vote of confidence by granting them another four years…
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Early voting results released
 

Early voting results released

Just after the polls close but before Election Day results are compiled, candidate totals from North Carolina’s early voting period…
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Alderman Gary Caldwell (second from right) and Kimberly Brown Czaja (center) campaign at the Pigeon Street poll.
 

Waynesville vote totals suggest sluggish morning

It’s still early, but judging by Election Day vote totals at Waynesville’s four largest precincts, it’s going to be a…
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High winds cause Smokies road closures
 

High winds cause Smokies road closures

High winds ahead of a cold front expected to move in later today have caused the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Community searches for homelessness solutions
 

Community searches for homelessness solutions

Frog Level Brewing Co. was packed to capacity Tuesday night as community members came together for some good old tavern…
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High stakes in municipal elections
 

High stakes in municipal elections

Voters across Western North Carolina will be making important local decisions at the polls this election season, including choosing who…
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New Friends of the Parkway chapter to form in WNC
 

New Friends of the Parkway chapter to form in WNC

A new Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway chapter is forming in Western North Carolina, and everyone interested in learning…
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Members of the WCU Cycling Club get some air on the track.
 

Ride on: Kids mountain biking park opens in Jackson

More than a year of planning, collaboration and plain old-fashioned hard work has resulted in a new kids bike park…
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Horace Kephart biography wins literary award
 

Horace Kephart biography wins literary award

Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography has been named the winner of the 2019 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award,…
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The girls get a look at the Southern Nantahala Wilderness from Pickens Nose. Don Hendershot photo
 

The Naturalist's Corner: And then it happened

My wife, daughter Maddie, a friend of hers and I took a short hike out to Pickens Nose last Monday,…
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You don’t turn your back on friends
 

You don’t turn your back on friends

By Hannah McLeod • Guest Columnist The raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was…
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The drive-in brings back memories
 

The drive-in brings back memories

I’m as nostalgic as the next guy. I mean, I don’t get choked up over the thought of bell bottoms…
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Thanks for offering diverse perspectives
 

Thanks for offering diverse perspectives

To the Editor: Even though I do not agree with everything Franklin Graham said in the interview that appeared two…
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GOP grandstanding is an embarrassment
 

GOP grandstanding is an embarrassment

To the Editor: On Wednesday, Oct. 23 — the day after William Taylor gave damning testimony about the Trump Administration’s quid…
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