Smoky Mountain News

Smoky Mountain News Free independent news in WNC covering The Qualla Boundary; Haywood, Jackson, Macon & Swain counties
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With offices in Waynesville and Sylva, the Smoky Mountain News distributes 16,000 papers each and every Wednesday, free at more than 600 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, on the Qualla Boundary and in downtown Asheville. Learn more at www.smokymountiannews.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SmokyMtnNews.

Most of the action in “Winds” happens between the September 1939 German invasion of Poland and the December 1941 attack ...
01/04/2026

Most of the action in “Winds” happens between the September 1939 German invasion of Poland and the December 1941 attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor. Centered on Navy Commander Victor “Pug” Henry, his wife Rhoda, and their three grown children, “Winds” features a large cast of characters, including Hi**er, Churchill, FDR and even writer Somerset Maugham.

In my younger years, I read Herman Wouk’s “The Caine Mutiny” and “Marjorie Morningstar,” but somehow neglected two other bestsellers, his World War II saga “The Winds of War” and its sequel, “War and Remembrance.” Inspired after reading David McCullough’s tribute to Wouk in “Hi...

"I was once a real sucker for the New Year’s Eve hoopla — toasting with champagne and making grandiose resolutions, but ...
01/04/2026

"I was once a real sucker for the New Year’s Eve hoopla — toasting with champagne and making grandiose resolutions, but the past couple of December 31sts, I’ve felt a little lackluster in terms of the anticipatory energy that typically surrounds the beginning of another year."

I was once a real sucker for the New Year’s Eve hoopla — toasting with champagne and making grandiose resolutions, but the past couple of December 31sts, I’ve felt a little lackluster in terms of the anticipatory energy that typically surrounds the beginning of another year.  Today, ...

"Late Monday morning. While taking a sip of my coffee at the Main Street Diner in Waynesville, I scanned the room at the...
01/03/2026

"Late Monday morning. While taking a sip of my coffee at the Main Street Diner in Waynesville, I scanned the room at the tables filled with faces enjoying warm meals and hearty conversation. It was at that very moment when I started thinking about this anonymous postcard I received several years ago."

Late Monday morning. While taking a sip of my coffee at the Main Street Diner in Waynesville, I scanned the room at the tables filled with faces enjoying warm meals and hearty conversation. It was at that very moment when I started thinking about this anonymous postcard I received several years ago....

As ever, the stories in this year’s Fake News Freakout were reported using only the highest journalistic standards avail...
01/03/2026

As ever, the stories in this year’s Fake News Freakout were reported using only the highest journalistic standards available to satire, including multiple dubious sources, selective context, errors of omission and an unwavering refusal to explain the joke.

Western North Carolina entered 2025 with a familiar sense of dread, confusion and misplaced confidence as local governments, public agencies and assorted boards once again demonstrated an unwavering commitment to solving problems that do not exist while inventing several new ones along the way. ...

A special showcase, “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop,” is now on di...
01/02/2026

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...

Here's a look at Smoky Mountain News A&E Editor Garret K. Woodward's top albums of the year, including snippets of repor...
01/02/2026

Here's a look at Smoky Mountain News A&E Editor Garret K. Woodward's top albums of the year, including snippets of reporting on each of the acts.

Editor’s Note: Since August 2012, Garret K. Woodward has held the position of arts and entertainment editor for The Smoky Mountain News. In December 2018, he also became a contributing writer for Rolling Stone. Below are a handful of excerpts from my Rolling Stone travels this year covering some o...

NEXT WEEK: The Smoky Mountain News is hosting a forum for the three candidates running for Haywood County Sheriff in 202...
01/02/2026

NEXT WEEK: The Smoky Mountain News is hosting a forum for the three candidates running for Haywood County Sheriff in 2026. Click the link for more details.

The Smoky Mountain News is hosting a forum for the three candidates running for Haywood County Sheriff in 2026. Sheriff Bill Wilke was first elected to the office in November 2022 and will run as an incumbent. Challenging Wilke in the primary is fellow Republican Mark Mease, who served under fo...

When Eric Spirtas and Two Banks Development LLC bought the dormant Canton mill property in early January from global cor...
01/01/2026

When Eric Spirtas and Two Banks Development LLC bought the dormant Canton mill property in early January from global corporate supervillain Pactiv Evergreen, the reaction across town was equal parts relief and side-eye.

When Eric Spirtas and Two Banks Development LLC bought the dormant Canton mill property in early January from global corporate supervillain Pactiv Evergreen, the reaction across town was equal parts relief and side-eye. Relief, because communities across the country have seen too many hulking indust...

Four women — Shennelle Feather, Lavita Hill, Shannon Swimmer and Venita Wolfe — were elected to a previously all-male Ea...
01/01/2026

Four women — Shennelle Feather, Lavita Hill, Shannon Swimmer and Venita Wolfe — were elected to a previously all-male Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal council this fall, and they’re ready to make things happen.

Four women — Shennelle Feather, Lavita Hill, Shannon Swimmer and Venita Wolfe — were elected to a previously all-male Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal council this fall, and they’re ready to make things happen.  The 12-person tribal council historically is not entirely men, so...

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”— Benjamin Franklin (probabl...
01/01/2026

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

— Benjamin Franklin (probably)

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” — Benjamin Franklin (probably) When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, an oft repeated theme among elected and civic leaders was that the area would be built back better. That ambitiou...

People from these mountains have gone on to do some pretty great things, but it’s hard to imagine someone in quite a whi...
01/01/2026

People from these mountains have gone on to do some pretty great things, but it’s hard to imagine someone in quite a while who’s been a point of pride like Cal Raleigh.

People from these mountains have gone on to do some pretty great things, but it’s hard to imagine someone in quite a while who’s been a point of pride like Cal Raleigh. Raleigh, an all-star catcher for the Seattle Mariners, was a star in both basketball and baseball at Smoky Mountain High School...

If there were an award for being hardest to find while holding an important job, Michael Whatley would have no competiti...
01/01/2026

If there were an award for being hardest to find while holding an important job, Michael Whatley would have no competition, because he’s the only entry.

If there were an award for being hardest to find while holding an important job, Michael Whatley would have no competition, because he’s the only entry. President Donald Trump named Whatley Western North Carolina’s hurricane recovery czar at a Jan. 24 briefing, saying he wanted Whatley in charge...

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The Smoky Mountain News distributes 16,000 papers per week, comes out every Wednesday, and is distributed free at more than 600 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, and on the Cherokee Reservation. There are also stops in downtown Asheville. Smoky Mountain News has offices in both Waynesville and Sylva.

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