Tropical Storm Helene hits Western North Carolina
Editor's note: Hurricane Helene has already produced flash flooding and dangerous winds across the region, and it has come on the heels of heavy rains, downed trees, sporadic tornadoes and some minor flooding due to a separate system that entered the region from the west. Smoky Mountain News Staff will be out gathering photos and firsthand reports throughout Friday and beyond. This page will be updated with those pictures and stories as they come in from across our coverage area, but you can always find more on our Facebook, Instagram and X accounts.
Americana, folk at Mountain Layers
Jackson County Americana/folk duo Bird in Hand will perform at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City.
Testing data is in, HCS reaches sixth in the state
This month the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released performance and growth data for the 2023-24 school year, and for another year in a row, Haywood County dominated regional rankings with the top two high schools in the western region.
Swain man convicted in drug trafficking case
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch today said a Haywood County jury recently convicted a Bryson City man on seven criminal charges in connection with trafficking in illegal drugs.
Drought expands in WNC
Over the last couple of weeks, the drought has expanded in Western North Carolina, and it now covers all of Haywood, Swain, Jackson and Macon counties. There was widespread rain over the last week, but it remains to be seen whether that precipitation cut into the drought.
Appalachian Smoke rolls into Bryson City
Americana/bluegrass act Appalachian Smoke will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Swain Arts Center in Bryson City.
Fall into Darnell Farms
The annual corn maze and pumpkin patch will return through Oct. 31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City.
Hometown Pride: Bryson City welcomes home Olympic medalist
Evy Leibfarth may as well have been born on the river. Her parents met while working as raft guides on the Nantahala and had her on the water with them before she could even hold a paddle.
Swain mulls what to do with opioid settlement funds
As fiscal year 2024-2025 begins, North Carolina’s county governments are receiving their third installment of the Opioid Settlement Fund. This year, Swain County received $236,111.
Swain County Commission weighs code of conduct
Following a lengthy closed session during the Swain County Board of Commission’s July 2 work session, commission chair Kevin Seagle said the board had reached a consensus that it would obtain the advice of a lawyer to draft a code of conduct.
