SMN staff
Construction of 4 miles of new trail will soon be underway on the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort, part of a planned 42-mile trail expansion in the Old Fort area.
To the Editor: I enjoy the articles written by Chris Cox. They are always thoughtful and thought provoking. I particularly appreciated his Feb. 8 article about meeting Jean Ellen Magers and beginning his work at Southwestern Community College.
Megan Emily Tate, 28, of Sylva, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf last month and pleaded guilty to distributing a substance that contained fentanyl which resulted in serious bodily injury, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
An act of arson will cost James Ralph Brady, 55, of Cherokee, four years in prison, five years of supervised release and $10,000 in restitution.
The immersive installation ”Courtney M. Leonard — BREACH: Logbook | CORIOLIS” is being showcased through May 5 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
For the next two years, Appalachian Trail users will experience delays at Stecoah Gap due to construction on Corridor K.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which is the nonprofit partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, has confirmed new leadership to its organization.
Access to the entire Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed from Feb. 13 until at least March 31 for flood damage repairs.
Boone-based Destination by Design will be leading efforts to create an economic development plan tying together all 29 counties along the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor, following a decision by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act that became law on Dec. 29, 2022, included a major win for wildlife advocates — inclusion of the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act.
To the Editor: I recently read in The Smoky Mountain News the article regarding the January 17, 2023, county commissioner meeting on the grant offered to Haywood County to help educate people about the safety of the COVID vaccine.
To the Editor: I don’t like paying taxes. Why should I pay my hard-earned money to a government? Governments are full of waste and corruption, I could spend it better for what I need. Why can’t my church help the poor? Are Social Security and Medicare just socialist programs? These are valid questions.
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), along with regional partners — including the Asheville Area Arts Council, Transylvania Community Arts Council, the Tryon Fine Arts Center, and the Arts Council of Henderson County — recently announced the 2022-2023 Artist Support Grant awardees.
Discover Life in America had a busy year, with many new species added to the nonprofit’s ever-increasing inventory of species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Friends of DuPont Forest has received $99,000 in grants from the Tourism Development Authorities in Henderson and Transylvania counties. The money will help fund creation of a master recreation plan to plan a sustainable future for DuPont State Recreational Forest.
Twelve rock faces in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are closed to climbing, rappelling, hang-gliding and other activities through Aug. 15 in order to protect the rare peregrine falcons that nest there.
Registration is open for two upcoming sessions of Outdoor Adventure Kids, or OAK, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.
To the Editor: I’m writing a very heartfelt concern I have for the health and safety of all the people in our community. Many are influenced by the local news media from the reports made on important topics. Specifically, I’m referencing the piece in Issue 35, Jan. 25, 2023, Vol. 24.
On Jan. 26, one day before the Memphis, Tennessee Police Department released video footage of the beating that led to the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, the Town of Waynesville Police Department issued a statement calling the conduct of the five MPD officers involved “indefensible.”
Mountain BizWorks is now accepting applications for its first Latino Catalyst Cohort, which will be facilitated entirely in Spanish.
Corrina Ruffieux has been hired as the executive director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority (HCTDA) following a national search. She has served in destination executive leadership positions for the last 10 years, most recently as the Executive Director of the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank (North Carolina) County Tourism Development Authority (doing business as Visit Elizabeth City). Prior to Visit Elizabeth City, Ruffieux was the director of Visit Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. for five years.
A proposal for the future of the Overmountain Shelter on the Appalachian Trail, closed since 2019, will be discussed during a virtual presentation and public scoping meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Save the date for a magical evening watching the synchronous fireflies of the Smokies, with tickets available to see the show at Norton Creek June 8-11.
Highlands Aerial Park in Scaly Mountain is a new A.T. Supporter with the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council.
Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library is proud to present a new workshop series for aspiring writers. Beginning Feb. 2, the Winter Writer’s Workshop will be held every Thursday in Feb. and March at 1:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Cashiers Library.
To help address the mental health crisis facing the nation and this region, four Southwestern Community College students recently completed their studies in the Human Services Technology career pathway and are ready to enter the field as professionals.
Friends of DuPont Forest is looking for new board members to start a term beginning in April.
To the Editor: To crib part of a title from Phillip Longman’s book — “Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care Would Work Better for Everyone” — this describes my recent experience at the VA Medical Center in Asheville.
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles routinely receives complaints from customers who have been targeted by scammers claiming to be representatives of either the DMV or the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Joshua Johnson has been hired as the new lands specialist for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
It’s not too early to start training for a big race in 2023, with race organizer Glory Hound Events already announcing several dates on its calendar this year.
To the Editor: “Nothing can work damage to me except myself; the harm that I sustain I carry about with me and never am a real sufferer except by my own fault.” Those are words from Ralph Waldo Emerson that are in my book of meditations called “One Day at a Time” in Al-Anon.
Enrollment for 2023 health insurance through the ACA Marketplace ends Jan. 15. Folks who sign up now can have quality, affordable health insurance starting Feb. 1.
Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation (HCHF) has awarded a grant to Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau to fund a recreational therapist position at their Cashiers facility.
The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) mission is to promote art, art education, and innovation in art. Located on Main Street in Waynesville, the HCAC Haywood Handmade Gallery is currently seeking volunteers to help keep the gallery open this winter.
The holidays have come and gone, and we are in that New Year period where the kids are still out of school and all the days blend together. This is a great time of year to begin thinking about spending for Christmas 2023.
Barbara Hatcher, previously a supervisory project manager and engineer for the park, is its new chief of facility management, replacing Alan Sumeriski, who is now the park’s deputy superintendent.
Tunnel repairs have begun on the northbound Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, with ongoing lane closures expected through April 7.
A six-week winter sports program aimed at women who learn better with female instructors starts on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley.
A Finding of No Significant Impact from the National Park Service clears the way for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to start planning a 14-mile trail system in the Wears Valley area that would bring the park its first purpose-built mountain biking trails.
The Rock Gap Shelter on the Appalachian Trail in Macon County is no more, as the Nantahala Hiking Club works to replace the aged structure.
To the Editor: The headlines read — “Texas governor & others bus immigrants to VP house, and drop them in freezing weather.”
To the Editor: A recent letter in the Waynesville Mountaineer claimed that climate change is a myth.
A recent round of grants from Duke Energy will include $75,000 in funding to support emergency management services in Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation marked its 25th anniversary with a celebration on Thursday, Nov. 17, at Highland Brewing Company in Asheville. More than 100 guests attended to mark the nonprofit’s years of support for projects and programs that enhance the country’s most visited national park.
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Whether it’s a family gathering or a co-worker get together, what kind of meal can you make that will please everyone?
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Hurricane Helene was and continues to be a traumatic event for our region, but even within the worst of it, there are stories of resilience and ingenuity in ways that many had to deal with making or getting meals while having no power or water for days.
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There are many churches and community relief and service organizations that are and will continue to help in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Please make sure you check on what local area churches may be doing or need in terms of donations. Money is often the best thing to donate so they can buy what they need. Volunteer time is also often appreciated.
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It is difficult to know what to write after a disaster of the magnitude caused by Hurricane Helene. It certainly teaches us the importance of coming together as a community to check on and help our friends and neighbors, and how vital our emergency response teams, first responders, National Guard, churches, shelters for both humans and animals, and relief organizations are in times like this.
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