SMN staff
To the Editor:
The Highlands Neighborhood Coalition was formed by homeowners throughout Highlands to preserve the historic character of our town and to ensure that there are neighborhoods in Highlands that are purely residential and free from commercial activity, specifically short-term rentals (STR’s).
To the Editor:
Can you imagine this: Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates, Larry Page, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, Rob Walton, Charles Koch, Charles Schwab, Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft and a few other super-rich Americans having the epiphany that since they amassed their wealth in a democratic society they should support the fight for democracy in Ukraine?
Haywood County Animal Services announced a $7,500 grant investment from Petco Love to help newly adopted dogs, who are wonderful but somewhat lacking in manners, to stay adopted.
The body of a 72-year-old man was recovered from Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after somebody reported seeing it approximately a mile west of Metcalf Bottoms, at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 9.
Deer harvest in North Carolina remains robust, with numbers from the 2021-22 hunting season remaining nearly level with those recorded with the pandemic’s arrival in 2020.
Sean McKeon has been hired as the new WNC Agricultural Center and WNC Mountain State Fair manager, replacing long-time manager Matt Buchanan, who retired earlier this year.
A project aiming to keep drinking water clean by helping people repair failing septic systems has earned Haywood County organizations statewide recognition from the N.C. Source Water Collaborative.
A pair of grants totaling $911,000 aim to support economic development planning in the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor, including both Virginia and North Carolina.
A 960-acre conservation purchase in McDowell County protects an ecologically important area along the Pinnacle Mountains.
To the Editor:
The Western North Carolina Climate Action Coalition and the Outdoor Mission Community wish to express our sincere thanks to the residents of Haywood County for their support of our reusable bag giveaway called Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) Haywood that took place in honor of Earth Day on April 22.
To the Editor:
A recently released video shows Maddy and friends having fun and filming some foolish, immature pranks. I have no problem with that; he was young, foolish and immature. Who among us did not do foolish things when we were young?
To the Editor:
In response to the Swain County commissioners’ opposition to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park parking fee proposal, I have several points. Most importantly, let’s agree that the national park provides a precious asset, both locally and nationally, and is well worth supporting.
Whether you own a business or are simply trying to manage a household budget, phishing scams and cyberattacks are a risk to your security.
The Great Smoky Mountains Association has earned some recognition recently for producing top-tier educational materials.
The Quilt Garden at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville now features a brand new design titled “North Carolina Lily,” inspired by the state’s wildflower — the Carolina lily.
Despite representing different spectrums of the agricultural community, participants in this year’s Appalachian Farm School have at least one thing in common: They all have expansion goals centered around agritourism.
The U.S. Forest Service is collecting Christmas ornaments to decorate the North Carolina tree set to adorn the U.S. Capitol this Christmas. The National Forests in North Carolina has been selected to provide the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, the third time it’s been charged with that task.
Drake Software announced today the appointment of Dominic (Dom) Morea as President and CEO. Interim CEO Euan Menzies will continue in his role as Chairman of Drake Software.
To the Editor:
Decisions made at all levels of government (President and Congress in Washington, D.C., General Assembly in Raleigh and county commissioners, sheriffs, courts, etc.) affect our daily lives.
To the Editor:
Is inflation eating into your budget? Is your small business struggling to stay open? High prices at the grocery checkout or the gas pump are likely the result of huge corporations passing along costs to you because they can.
Winchester Creek Farm in Waynesville, NC, is a family-owned, 20-acre farm with rolling green pastures surrounded by the Smoky Mountains.
Public comment is open through May 5 for draft species conservation plans concerning the Atlantic pigtoe mussel and Henslow’s sparrow.
Fifty volunteers distributed more than 1,400 reusable bags in Haywood County on Earth Day and the following Saturday, April 22-23, to draw attention to the large number of single-use plastic bags consumed in the county and their impact on health and environment.
A mother bear stuck in a lid is now fully recovered following two days and nights of work from N.C. Wildlife Commission Staff.
The Ocoee Whitewater Center in Polk County, Tennessee, built for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, is permanently closed following an early morning fire April 26.
A forest fire that broke out April 27 on the Pisgah National Forest near the Pisgah Inn has been contained, estimated to cover 370 acres of rough terrain.
Weekly festive gatherings are underway at the Rickman Store in Macon County.
To the Editor:
Martin Luther King Jr. always believed “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Half a century later, would he be as convinced? I’m not so sure.
To the Editor:
The late great singer Kenny Rogers recorded many songs written by other artists. Yet, he wrote one very powerful song. The title: “Sweet Music Man.” This was before the Donald Trump era, but, it evokes emotions about the man and the fraud he has foisted on America.
Join City Lights Bookstore for a conversation between authors, Luke Manget and Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, at 3 p.m. this Saturday, April 30 in Sylva. Manget will be presenting his new book, “Ginseng Diggers: A History of Root and Herb Gathering in Appalachia.”
The popular Catawba Falls Trail on the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest will close Monday, May 2, not to reopen until spring 2023.
It’s a busy time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as visitation ramps up while the park works to complete needed maintenance projects. Stay up to date on what’s open, what’s closed and what’s new.
The Great American Outdoors Act will give the Blue Ridge Parkway $127 million for projects to address its deferred maintenance backlog of more than $500 million.
To the Editor:
Pam McAloon's letter “The woke family is bad for U.S.” in last week’s paper is a clear exercise in Republican tropes and displays remarkable ignorance about how things actually work in our country.
To the Editor:
The recent letter from a Sylva reader critical of support for Ukraine could have been written by a Russian intelligence agency. The assertions do not fit the facts.
Breaking previous records, approximately 130 volunteers helped spruce up Highlands and surrounding highways this past Saturday, April 23, as part of the annual Plateau Pickup, organized and hosted by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC. Volunteers collected approximately 15 tons of garbage along the roadways.
Folkmoot USA, home to North Carolina’s Official International Folk Festival, welcomes Evan Hatch as the new executive director to lead the nonprofit organization that embraces diverse cultures through music and dance.
The “Spirit of the Smokies” certificate program is starting up again, offered by the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School for adults who love the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and desire a deeper connection to this landscape. This will be the field school’s 45th season.
The Bobs Creek State Natural Area in McDowell County now totals more than 6,000 acres following completion of the third and final phase of property acquisition March 30.
The executive director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has invoked emergency powers to prevent spread of Chronic Wasting Disease following its detection in a deer in Yadkin County.
A section of the Waynesville greenway next to Richland Creek at Vance Street Park is now closed for a construction project that will ultimately grow the park’s acreage.
The long-awaited Chestnut Mountain Nature Park just outside Canton will open to the public Saturday, April 23, with a family-friendly grand opening 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Situated as a park-within-a-park, Berm Park will open to mountain bikers the same day.
Celebrate the 200th birthday of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.
To the Editor:
The nuclear family in America has been the backbone of its strength. This sacred unit has been under attack since 1965 when then President Lyndon Baines Johnson along with its laws and policies of “The Great Society” gradually redefined “family.”
To the Editor:
Every once in a while an every-day experience provides the perfect example of a major issue and one may not even realize it. I usually wear a baseball hat around Waynesville. I generally get positive comments about it.
To the Editor:
Although I have no school-aged children, I read with interest the article about the Haywood County Association of Educators coming up with a new proposal for the review of instructional materials that a parent has found objectionable.
It is never too early to teach children and adolescents about budgeting and finance. Even the youngest of kids can learn how to manage money in a healthy way. The goal is for them to create habits that move with them into adulthood and ensure they make wise financial decision throughout their lives.