News Headlines

 

Pigeon Center hosts farm-to-table dinner

Celebrate the change of seasons with your friends and neighbors at a farm-to-table dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville. 

Read More

Comment

 

Bus drivers wanted: Local schools face non-certified staffing shortages

Finding enough bus drivers to operate all necessary routes has become a common issue for school systems across North Carolina and districts in the westernmost part of the state are not immune.

Read More

Comment

 

Rachel Hunt seeks to build on her own legacy in Lt. Gov. race

It’s a name familiar to older North Carolina voters largely due to her father’s two separate eight-year terms as the state’s governor, but Mecklenburg attorney, former House representative and current Sen. Rachel Hunt’s been building her own legacy and is poised to serve as lieutenant governor in what she hopes will be a Gov. Josh Stein administration, if they can both win. 

Read More

Comment

 

Bryson City residents decry water rate increase

It’s been a long time coming, in a sense, but frustrations have finally reached a boiling point as Bryson City raised water rates ahead of what promises to be a few expensive municipal projects. 

Read More

Comment

 

Waynesville police chief to appeal certification suspension

Waynesville Police Chief David Adams had all of his law enforcement instructor certifications suspended by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission; however, he told The Smoky Mountain News late last week that he plans to appeal the commission’s ruling. 

Read More

Comment

 

Parkway visitation, spending grows

Visitors to one of the country’s most unique national park units pumped nearly $1.4 billion into local economies in 2023, continuing a growing trend that has powered rural Western North Carolina’s economy over the past decade. 

Read More

Comment

 

Cherokee adult recreational cannabis sales begin Saturday

Beginning this Saturday, Sept. 7, anyone over the age of 21 will be able to purchase and use marijuana on the Qualla Boundary.  

Read More

Comment

 

Blue Ridge School families demand action

Members of the Blue Ridge School community showed up to the Jackson County Board of Education’s August meeting to express concerns regarding the state of the school. 

Read More

Comment

 

WCU hosts 14th annual ‘Rooted in the Mountains’ symposium

Western Carolina University is set to host the 14th Annual Rooted in the Mountains Symposium, a two-day event aimed at exposing attendees to the interwoven relationships between climate, health, traditional knowledge and the indigenous worldview.

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.