Of the lawsuit’s 31 defendants,  17 are or were associated with the  Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Holly Kays photo
 

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office answers police shooting lawsuit

In a 65-page answer to an extensive lawsuit  filed in response to the December 2022 police shooting of Jason Harley…
Read More

Comment

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office was ordered to turn over recordings from Nov. 9. File photo
 

Haywood sheriff to release footage of alleged constitutional violation

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has been ordered by a judge to provide dash and body cam footage to a…
Read More

Comment

The outgoing chair, Commissioner Paul Higdon (right), congratulates  the new chair, Commissioner Gary Shields. Bob Scott photo
 

New leadership sees new direction for Macon

Macon County will see a change of leadership for the coming year after the county commission unanimously voted to appoint…
Read More

Comment

Reduced funding will affect a number of nonprofits in the coming year. File photo
 

Reduction in federal funding for crime victims hits home

The holidays are often viewed as an opportunity for families to gather together and share seasonal cheer, but when there’s…
Read More

Comment

Macon County commissioners proposed several changes to the Fontana Regional Library system. File photo
 

Changes for FRL: Jackson looks at Macon’s recommendations for library system

After Macon County proposed several changes to the Fontana Regional Library system agreement, Jackson County commissioners are taking a look at…
Read More

Comment

Partisan races for 2024 election set
 

Partisan races for 2024 election set

North Carolina’s candidate filing period for the 2024 General Election ended last week, and after a slow start, a flurry…
Read More

Comment

The Macon County Board of Education was unanimously opposed  to a partisan school board race. File photo
 

Macon BOE to remain non-partisan

Despite the intention by some commissioners to make the school board race partisan in Macon County, it will remain non-partisan,…
Read More

Comment

Cherokee adopts budget reflecting lower casino revenues
 

Cherokee adopts budget reflecting lower casino revenues

After more than two months of operating under a continuing resolution, Tribal Council has approved a new budget for the…
Read More

Comment

Jackson considers moving school board race to General Election
 

Jackson considers moving school board race to General Election

The race for Jackson County Board of Education is unique in that it is decided during the Primary Election, despite…
Read More

Comment

Haywood gets financial reporting award
 

Haywood gets financial reporting award

Haywood County has been recognized with the prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance…
Read More

Comment

Jackson TDA announces new cycle for tourism capital project fund
 

Jackson TDA announces new cycle for tourism capital project fund

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA) will reopen its cycle for tourism capital projects Jan. 1, 2024. $600,000 is available…
Read More

Comment

Haywood Chamber of Commerce gains rare accreditation
 

Haywood Chamber of Commerce gains rare accreditation

The Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) recognized the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce as one of two…
Read More

Comment

Because trout require clean, cold water, trout fishing goes hand-in-hand with environmental conservation. NCWRC photo
 

Billion-dollar catch: Report reveals economic impact of N.C. trout fishing industry

The economic impact of trout fishing in North Carolina has more than tripled since 2014, clocking in at $1.38 billion…
Read More

Comment

A record 4,056 bears were harvested in North Carolina during the 2022 bear season. NCWRC photo
 

Expanded bear season proposed for WNC

A significantly expanded bear hunting season and loosened rules about bait usage are among the rule changes the N.C. Wildlife…
Read More

Comment

The Black Bear Fire sparked Nov. 16  following a tractor-trailer crash. USFS photo
 

Last WNC wildfires contained

For the first time since Oct. 23, Western North Carolina is free of active wildfires. 
Read More

Comment

Updated drought maps are released every Thursday. U.S. Drought Monitor of North Carolina map
 

Extreme drought leaves North Carolina

Drought conditions are the best they’ve been in a month, according to the latest map from the Drought Management Advisory…
Read More

Comment

Cataloochee Ski Area opened  for the season Nov. 29. File photo
 

Explore the world of snowmaking

Go behind the scenes with snowmaking at Cataloochee Ski area with field trips offered Tuesday, Jan. 23, and Tuesday, Feb.…
Read More

Comment

Wildlife photo contest open
 

Wildlife photo contest open

The Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition is now open, accepting entries until 5 p.m. Jan. 31, 2024. 
Read More

Comment

Namesake chosen for red spruce greenhouse
 

Namesake chosen for red spruce greenhouse

A namesake has been chosen for the $2 million greenhouse the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway is building to…
Read More

Comment

The Haywood County Sheriff's Office was ordered to turn over their recordings from Nov. 9.
 

HCSO to release body cam footage to plaintiff alleging Fourth Amendment violation

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has been ordered by a judge to provide dash and body cam footage to a…
Read More

Comment

Adjusting to life in a meat locker
 

Adjusting to life in a meat locker

I’m trying my best to get this column out to you, but it’s not as easy as it seems. My…
Read More

Comment

Friendship House.
 

It only takes one person to change a life

Many years ago when I was an educator, my school was tasked with reading a book titled “The Cycle of…
Read More

Comment

Knife fights over deck chairs
 

Knife fights over deck chairs

To the Editor: The world as we know it is changing dramatically. We have entered the era of the polycrisis…
Read More

Comment

Lumpy Lambert, executive director of Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino, shares progress from the construction site Dec. 11.
 

Murphy gaming expansion set to open in spring

The Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in Murphy is abuzz these days as 200 on-site construction workers hustle…
Read More

Comment

The lawsuit is filed in the U.S. District Court in Asheville.
 

Judge rules on motion to dismiss claims in police shooting suit

The court has made its decision in the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office’s request to dismiss  many of the complaints in…
Read More

Comment

Kathy Greeley.
 

Alumna gift will create endowment for interior design program

Students in Western Carolina University’s interior design program soon will have access to new experiential learning opportunities thanks to a…
Read More

Comment

Here’s what the disloyalty cards look like in downtown Waynesville’s Twigs & Leaves Gallery.
 

Courting disloyalty: New program encourages shoppers to patronize Waynesville businesses

The disloyalty card is here and it’s, in a sense, exactly what it sounds like. 
Read More

Comment

Cherokee One Feather Editor Robert Jumper discusses proposed changes to the Editorial Board ordinance with Tribal Council during a Nov. 21 work session.
 

Cherokee Editorial Board ordinance withdrawn: Council, chiefs will retain appointments

An ordinance seeking to change the makeup of the Cherokee One Feather’s editorial board made it back in front of…
Read More

Comment

This map shows where the social district would exist in Franklin.
 

Public hearing set for Franklin social district

The Town of Franklin will move forward with a public hearing for its proposed social district, despite inaction from the…
Read More

Comment

Macon County School Board.
 

Macon schools to consider policy on Narcan

Macon County Schools will follow the example of several other school districts and consider a policy on administration of Narcan. 
Read More

Comment

Just days remain in 2024 candidate filing period
 

Just days remain in 2024 candidate filing period

North Carolina’s candidate filing period for the 2024 General Election ends at noon , Friday, Dec. 15, and if the…
Read More

Comment

From left are Chamber Ambassadors Chad Gerrety, Matt Saenger, Marne Harris, Patricia Bryson-Wink, American Museum of the House Cat Director Harold Sims, Marketing Director Kimberly Crow, Museum Manager Julie Kimbrell (holding official museum cat Mimi), and ambassadors Patricia Stanberry, Karson Walston, Natalie Newman and Chris Stuckey.
 

Ribbon cutting for the house cat museum

On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Team held a grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony for the…
Read More

Comment

Rachel Sease, a longtime employee of Blue Moon, purchased the downtown Canton bookstore.
 

The next chapter: New owner at Blue Moon Books

One of Haywood County’s used bookstores is entering its next chapter with a change of ownership and a continuation of…
Read More

Comment

Michele Woodhouse.
 

Woodhouse returns as NC-11 GOP chair

Henderson County resident Michele Woodhouse has been reelected as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District after…
Read More

Comment

Mountain Projects calls for participation in housing surveys
 

Mountain Projects calls for participation in housing surveys

Three surveys from Mountain Projects that aim to help the nonprofit develop a housing plan, identify housing projects that will…
Read More

Comment

Jackson County license plate agency to close: Office will reopen under new contractor
 

Jackson County license plate agency to close: Office will reopen under new contractor

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ license plate agency in Jackson County will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 15. 
Read More

Comment

Statewide holiday ‘Booze It & Lose It’ enforcement campaign underway
 

Statewide holiday ‘Booze It & Lose It’ enforcement campaign underway

 This holiday season, the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program joins local and state law enforcement to urge drivers against impaired driving. 
Read More

Comment

The Sarge’s pack explores the Dahlia Ridge Trail System at Haywood Community College. Lyndsey Tate photo
 

Nose for adventure: New program gets Sarge's shelter dogs hiking

Monday mornings have a bad reputation, but for dogs at Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Waynesville, they’ve become the best part…
Read More

Comment

Amy McIntosh snuggles one of Misfit Mountain’s furry residents. Donated photo
 

Misfit Mountain seeks to help animals and owners alike

The holiday season is among the toughest times in the animal rescue world. Adopting pets isn’t always front of mind…
Read More

Comment

Study reveals the red wolf’s ecological impact
 

Study reveals the red wolf’s ecological impact

According to a study published last month in the scientific journal Animal Conservation, wild red wolves in eastern North Carolina…
Read More

Comment

Franklin County deer tests positive for CWD
 

Franklin County deer tests positive for CWD

A 2.5-year-old female white-tailed deer harvested during firearm season in Franklin County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, an…
Read More

Comment

Ski after school or after work
 

Ski after school or after work

Cataloochee Ski Area offers discounted rates for youth and adults to explore the slopes and hone their skills with several…
Read More

Comment

Race Cataloochee
 

Race Cataloochee

The racing season is back at Cataloochee Ski Area, starting in January for ages 8 through adult. 
Read More

Comment

Money available for farmers who experienced lending discrimination
 

Money available for farmers who experienced lending discrimination

Through Jan. 13, farmers, forest landowners and ranchers who have experienced discrimination in farm lending from the U.S. Department of…
Read More

Comment

Friends group launches for Cherokee National Forest
 

Friends group launches for Cherokee National Forest

Friends of the Cherokee National Forest, a new nonprofit based in Knoxville, aims to become a driving force in preserving…
Read More

Comment

Joe Russo.
 

What does it mean to be: A conversation with Joe Russo

When drummer Joe Russo takes a moment to reflect on his decades-long friendship and collaboration with guitarist Tom Hamilton, he…
Read More

Comment

A church in communion with all creatures
 

A church in communion with all creatures

The Covid pandemic has produced many new books with many of them addressing the current situation in which we humans…
Read More

Comment

First Lady Rosalyn Carter. Official White House portrait, 1977
 

A lesson from First Lady Rosalynn Carter

“Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.”  — David McCullough Jr. 
Read More

Comment

Important freedoms are under siege
 

Important freedoms are under siege

To the Editor: We now live in a free country. We cherished the freedom to worship as we choose; the freedom…
Read More

Comment

Pictured from left to right are members of North Canton Fire Department’s drone unit  — Allen Newland, Tony Pope, Steve Kelley, Chance Best and Billy Hannah.  Not pictured are Levi Allen and Christian Wilkie. Julie Newland photo
 

Up in the air: North Canton Fire Department puts eyes in the sky to save lives

As technology evolves, every entity and industry finds new and innovative ways to use those advances to improve their operations.
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.