Smoky Mountain News

04/24/2025

In a town where history lives not just in the pages of books but on every brick-lined sidewalk, beneath every gabled rooftop and deep within every stately mansion, Waynesville’s Historic Preservation Commission is stepping boldly into the future by leaning into a past that, for many locals, hasn’t yet passed.

In a town where history lives not just in the pages of books but on every brick-lined sidewalk, beneath every gabled rooftop and deep within every stately mansion, Waynesville’s Historic Preservation Commission is stepping boldly into the future by leaning into a past that, for many locals, hasn.....

04/23/2025

Registration for youth flag Football clinics and youth flag football league is now open. Registration will remain so until April 28 for the clinic and May 15 for the league.

Registration for youth flag Football clinics and youth flag football league is now open. Registration will remain so until April 28 for the clinic and May 15 for the league. Participants can register online at rec.jacksonnc.org. For questions, contact Joe Lyon at [email protected] ...

04/23/2025

Emmy-nominated producer Dan Tapster will host a special presentation, “Our Planet Live,” at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

“Our Planet Live” is a new and immersive live show featuring behind-the-scenes stories from the explorers, filmmakers, scientists and adventurers that created some of the most eye-catching footage of our planet.

As a young child, growing up right outside of London, Dan Tapster fondly remembers watching David Attenborough’s nature documentaries with his mother, these family moments that were “a cherished ritual.” “She proudly claims to be his number one fan,” Tapster said. “And those early experi...

04/23/2025

A beloved Western North Carolina musical tradition, the 37th annual MerleFest gathering will be held April 24-27 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. A&E Editor Garret K. Woodward spoke with Tammy Rogers, Fiddler for headlining act The SteelDrivers, for a feature ahead of the festival.

Standing on the precipice of their 20th anniversary, The SteelDrivers aren’t looking over their shoulders at the road to the here and now. Quite the contrary, where the Americana/bluegrass icons are aiming headlong towards the unknowns of tomorrow. And with one simple, yet powerful, thought permea...

04/23/2025

Haywood County has partnered with Consolidated Waste Services and EcoFlo to hold its spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) located at 278 Recycle Rd. in Clyde.

Haywood County has partnered with Consolidated Waste Services and EcoFlo to hold its spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) located at 278 Recycle Rd. in Clyde.  This event is only for Haywood Count...

04/22/2025

During the first six months of Superintendent Trevor Putnam’s tenure, he said he cut 42 positions, both faculty and administration at the Central Office. But now, Putnam says, there’s no more cutting to be done.

Haywood County Schools is working with a tight budget for the coming year.  After making cuts where possible over the last few years, Superintendent Trevor Putnam told county commissioners last week that the school system was as lean as it could be and would dip into its fund balance for the se...

04/22/2025

Haywood Community College is asking Haywood County commissioners for a modest increase in its operating budget for fiscal year 2025–26, citing inflationary pressures, employee retention initiatives, rising costs across multiple service categories and a surprising surge in enrollment.

Haywood Community College is asking Haywood County commissioners for a modest increase in its operating budget for fiscal year 2025–26, citing inflationary pressures, employee retention initiatives, rising costs across multiple service categories and a surprising surge in enrollment.  The pro...

04/22/2025

The four-state mountain region that includes Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to an estimated 14,500 black bears, but one particular animal had caught the attention of a watchful police chief in one of the park’s gateway communities.

The four-state mountain region that includes Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to an estimated 14,500 black bears, but one particular animal had caught the attention of a watchful police chief in one of the park’s gateway communities. The bear hadn’t hurt or threatened anybody — yet ...

04/21/2025

Dillon Huffman, public information officer for Haywood County government, Allison Richmond, public information officer for Haywood County Emergency Services and Gina Zachary, public information officer for the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, will all share a first-place award for General Use on a Single Platform — Facebook — to keep the public updated during Hurricane Helene last fall.

Three public information officers who serve the people of Haywood County were recently recognized in Asheville by the North Carolina City and County Communicators, a statewide network of dedicated professionals working in public information, communications, marketing and media across local governmen...

04/21/2025

“This is a year of needs, not wants,” said Town Manager Vicki Best during an April 11 preliminary budget presentation at Maggie Valley’s town hall.

Maggie Valley’s proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year reflects a cautious and calculated approach, with officials holding the line on taxes but planning modest increases to some service fees.  “This is a year of needs, not wants,” said Town Manager Vicki Best during an April 11 prel...

04/21/2025

In a year-in-review summary report released last week, Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke outlined key accomplishments and challenges from 2024, marking a year of operational growth, community engagement and the continuing fight against crime and drugs.

In a year-in-review summary report released this week, Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke outlined key accomplishments and challenges from 2024, marking a year of operational growth, community engagement and the continuing fight against crime and drugs.  “Nothing remains static, particularly i...

04/21/2025

“White led Haywood through significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, historic flooding, and the closure of the county’s largest employer, the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill,” a March 13 announcement reads. “Under her leadership, the College secured over $3 million in grants to expand workforce training in high-demand fields, launched new programs and implemented cutting-edge instructional technologies. She has fostered strategic partnerships with four-year universities, businesses and community organizations while advocating for workforce training at local, state and federal levels. Her leadership has also driven long-range strategic planning, resulting in increased enrollment and expanded student support services.”

Shelley White, president of Haywood Community College, has been named the North Carolina Community College President of the Year by the North Carolina Community College System State Board and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation.  Presented by the John M. Belk Endowment, the ho...

04/20/2025

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey,

but rather spiritual beings on a human journey.”

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, but rather spiritual beings on a human journey.” Teilhard de Chardin — from: “Thoreau’s God”  I discovered Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson when I was in high school. From that point on, Thoreau and Emerson became true...

04/20/2025

Gary Carden is one of Southern Appalachia’s most revered literary figures and has won a number of significant awards for his books and plays over the years, including the Book of the Year Award from the Appalachian Writers Association in 2001, the Brown Hudson Award for Folklore in 2006 and the North Carolina Arts Council Award for Literature in 2012. His most recent book, “Stories I lived to tell,” is available at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, or online through uncpress.org.

Several weeks ago, I published an article that dealt with a trip to Tellico Plains with the Principal Chief of the Cherokees, John Crowe. This was back in 1976 and the Tennessee Valley Authority had announced their plans to flood the Tellico Plains. Although the Cherokees did not occupy Tellico, the...

04/20/2025

OPINION: "Companies want a complacent consumer, so they make us think recycling is a much larger production than it actually is. Through manipulative marketing, we assume we’re doing good by tossing our items in the recycling bin, but really it’s all a strategic tactic to keep us buying."

Picture this — your bottle of body wash, discarded and forgotten, now sits floating in the Pacific Ocean, mingling with millions of others in a toxic soup of waste. Like you, I toss containers into the trash without thinking twice. A few weeks ago, I threw away a bottle of Axe body wash, but just ...

04/19/2025

4/19/2025 4:15 PM 🚨 EVACUATION NOTICE 🚨 IMMEDIATE EVACUATION ORDER for Big Rocky’s Road and the Sky Cove Development. All residents must evacuate NOW due to safety concerns. 4/19/2025 4:15 PM

🏠 A shelter is being set up at the Swain County Senior Center for those in need. 125 Brendle St, Bryson City, NC 28713
🚫 Please note: Pets are not allowed at this shelter.

Your safety is our top priority—please take this order seriously and leave immediately.

04/19/2025

"I woke up this morning with this heavy feeling of how fast time is moving. I mean, in essence, time doesn’t exist and everything is all one moment. But, I still see those increasing grey hairs in my beard and well-earned laugh wrinkles in my face."

I woke up this morning with this heavy feeling of how fast time is moving. I mean, in essence, time doesn’t exist and everything is all one moment. But, I still see those increasing grey hairs in my beard and well-earned laugh wrinkles in my face.  Regardless, the heaviness came from thi...

04/19/2025

OPINION: "Let’s be clear: opposition to the Lewis gas station is not rooted in some backroom political plot. It simply comes from a place of concern — about the environment, traffic safety, overdevelopment, local history and character. These are real, tangible issues that affect the residents of our community, regardless of political affiliation."

To the Editor: My family has called Webster, N.C., home for six generations. In the past I have served the community as the vice mayor of Webster, president of the Webster Memorial Cemetery Fund and currently serve on the Webster Board of Adjustments and as a board member on the Webster Historical S...