Small in stature but towering in her decades-long influence on Haywood County, Alaska Presley passed away on April 7 at Smoky Mountain Health and Rehabilitation, according to an obituary from Wells Funeral Home. 

During the regularly scheduled Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, April 6, Alderman John Hinton made a motion to replace Allen Alsbrooks on the zoning board of adjustments. After less than five minutes of discussion, the motion passed, 3-2, a common vote margin in Maggie these days, with Jim Owens and Mayor Mike Eveland joining Hinton in the majority and Tammy and Phillip White voting against the removal.

A fire that began Monday afternoon on Sheepback Mountain in Maggie Valley and initially spread quickly was 100% contained as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. 

Update 4:20 p.m.: Aerial support in the form of a spotter plane and a helicopter carrying a bucket is now being used, and a reunification center has been opened at Cavalry Road Baptist Church, where separated loved ones can find one another.

Dry, breezy conditions over the past several days are contributing to increased fire danger across the region, and although four fires just across the Tennessee border appear to be contained, another one is now visible just outside of Maggie Valley.

Maggie Valley is one step closer to completing its unified development ordinance after Town Planner Kaitland Finkle presented a draft proposal to the town board during a workshop last week.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting September Burton and Taylor Miller, who opened The Chef & The Baker in Maggie Valley this January. They are a talented couple boasting a multitude of culinary skills. September and I sat down for a Q&A where she shared a little about their lives and the story of their new business. 

“The motion passes, three to two,” is becoming an ever more common phrase during Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen meetings. Whether the board is discussing food trucks or property zoning, the vote is becoming predictable. Last Tuesday was no different. 

The issue of Food Trucks has come up once again for the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen. This latest discussion may lead to a final decision about food trucks in the valley.

More than a week after an unattended death was reported at Maggie Valley’s Our Place Inn, law enforcement officials still haven’t released any details on the incident, but one of the motel’s owners has revealed the identity of the deceased.

Sun is shifting in and out of the clouds covering Cataloochee Ski Area on Friday, Jan. 14, as I catch a ride to the top of Easy Way with Greenville, South Carolina, resident William Oliver. It’s my first run of the day, but he’s been riding for a while now — and after the warm weather and closures that plagued eastern ski resorts in December, he’s enthusiastic about today’s snow report.