Smoky Mountain News

01/11/2026

"This is going to be fun. I enjoyed reading American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author and photographer Patti Smith’s new memoir 'Bread of Angels: A Memoir' (Random House, 2025, 267 pages). Smith, who has fused rock music and poetry in her 12 recordings over the years and who is the author of 11 books, now at age 78, is still rockin’ and rollin’ and scribbling some mighty fine biographical prose."

 “The unsullied memory of unpremeditated gestures of kindness. These are the bread of angels.”— Patti Smith This is going to be fun. I enjoyed reading American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author and photographer Patti Smith’s new memoir “Bread of Angels: A Memoir” (Random Hou...

01/11/2026

Column: "We love our bears here in the Smokies. It’s estimated there are around 15,000 in the four-state area surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and they’ve become an iconic symbol of the region. So, it’s no wonder that of the hundreds of stories we published on The Smoky Mountain News website in 2025, it was one about relocating bears that was the most popular."

We love our bears here in the Smokies. It’s estimated there are around 15,000 in the four-state area surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and they’ve become an iconic symbol of the region.  So, it’s no wonder that of the hundreds of stories we published on The Smoky Mounta...

01/10/2026

"It finally happened. Exactly 10 years in the making, my daily running streak officially celebrated one decade of continuation on Dec. 31, 2025. End-to-end, that span of time is 3,654 straight days."

It finally happened. Exactly 10 years in the making, my daily running streak officially celebrated one decade of continuation on Dec. 31, 2025. End-to-end, that span of time is 3,654 straight days. The mile I’ve run? Countless. I can’t even fathom the total distance jogged throughout that time p...

01/10/2026

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: "The best response to the early voting closure would be for WCU to arrange easily accessible and plentiful transportation for all students who want to cast their votes in the upcoming election."

To the Editor: Partisan actions to create electoral advantages have likely always been rampant for both factions in the U.S. The fact that social media permits virtually instant communication to huge populations has added to the perception that such manipulations are much worse now than in the past....

01/10/2026

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: "The 'Pisgah Legal’s bind' article in the December 17 issue of your paper was very informative. Once again we can thank the Republicans in office for harming their constituents. Our representatives in Raleigh (and Washington) seem to be ignorant and insensitive."

To the Editor: The “Pisgah Legal’s bind” article in the December 17 issue of your paper was very informative. Once again we can thank the Republicans in office for harming their constituents. Our representatives in Raleigh (and Washington) seem to be ignorant and insensitive.  Howeve...

01/10/2026

Good morning, Western North Carolina! Try to stay dry today.

01/09/2026

A special showcase, “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop,” is now on display at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee. On view through May 2026, the exhibition features works by students of Tara McCoy (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) handcrafted during an intensive three-month workshop.

A special showcase, “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop,” is now on display at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee.  On view through May 2026, the exhibition features works by students of Tara McCoy (Eastern Band of Cherokee I...

01/09/2026

Chikomo Marimba is a high-energy, Zimbabwean-style marimba ensemble based in Asheville. Founded over a decade ago, the group is known for its joyful, danceable music that blends traditional Shona melodies with modern African-inspired rhythms.

Folkmoot LIVE! will present “Chikomo Marimba: An Evening of High-Energy Zimbabwean Marimba” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Chikomo Marimba is a high-energy, Zimbabwean-style marimba ensemble based in Asheville. Founded over a decade ago, the group ...

01/08/2026

Haywood County Community and Economic Development Manager Hannah White used a Jan. 5 presentation to give commissioners a detailed accounting of where broadband access stands today, how far the county has come since the depths of the digital divide were exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and what work remains before reliable high-speed internet reaches every single household tucked into the county’s ridges, hollers and remote valleys.

Haywood County Community and Economic Development Manager Hannah White used a Jan. 5 presentation to give commissioners a detailed accounting of where broadband access stands today, how far the county has come since the depths of the digital divide were exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and what....

01/08/2026

Here's Smoky Mountain News A&E Editor Garret K. Woodward's interview with Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer ahead of the band's show this weekend.

In the 1970s, Grand Funk Railroad was one of the bestselling American rock bands on the planet. To that, in 1971, the Flint, Michigan, trio broke the Beatles ticket sales record at New York’s Shea Stadium, a feat coinciding with GFR having six platinum albums and seven gold within the original lin...

01/08/2026

Popular Florida-based indie/soul singer-songwriter Shane Meade will perform at 5:30 p.m. tonight at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

Popular Florida-based indie/soul singer-songwriter Shane Meade will perform at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Hailing from Elkins, West Virginia, Meade is a self-taught late bloomer who borrowed an old guitar from his father. He began playing and writing songs in t...

01/08/2026

Over the first eight months of leading the Elevate Digital Collaborative, Southwestern Community College has made significant progress while working with its partners to reduce the digital divide within Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary.

Over the first eight months of leading the Elevate Digital Collaborative, Southwestern Community College has made significant progress while working with its partners to reduce the digital divide within Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary.  It’s one of nine regional coll...