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.
06/24/2025
The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane.
The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane. The public is welcome. All walks are weather dependent. Additional information, including d...
06/23/2025
Leaders from Western Carolina University kicked off a massive $37 million renovation to the school’s E.J. Whitmire Stadium last Thursday.
Leaders from Western Carolina University kicked off a massive $37 million renovation to the school’s E.J. Whitmire Stadium last Thursday. The event, which brought in a large and energetic crowd, severed as a groundbreaking ceremony for the project, which will include a new press box, coaches’ of...
06/23/2025
It’s not yet 9 a.m. on a weekday, but Alum Cave Trail is already bustling. With parking scarce, hikers might walk nearly a mile to reach the trailhead along Newfound Gap Road.
“I’ve probably already talked to 20 people,” says Joshua Albritton, supervisory preventative search and rescue ranger for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, joining PSAR Ranger Cutter Wheeler at the trailhead around a quarter after nine.
It’s not yet 9 a.m. on a weekday, but Alum Cave Trail is already bustling. With parking scarce, hikers might walk nearly a mile to reach the trailhead along Newfound Gap Road. “I’ve probably already talked to 20 people,” says Joshua Albritton, supervisory preventative search and rescu...
06/23/2025
Heavy Metal Ric Savage couldn’t stand it. He was helpless, sidelined while his tag-team partner, Shane Austin, took a beating from a pair of masked maniacs.
Heavy Metal Ric Savage couldn’t stand it. He was helpless, sidelined while his tag-team partner, Shane Austin, took a beating from a pair of masked maniacs. Just when things looked their bleakest, after barely breaking free of a chokehold, Austin mustered the strength to tag Savage in. Savage went...
06/23/2025
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is providing guidance to livestock owners on methods to protect their animals from becoming prey to black bears.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is providing guidance to livestock owners on methods to protect their animals from becoming prey to black bears. Black bears tend to consume a mostly plant-based diet and are attracted to livestock feed, such as grains and corn. However,...
06/22/2025
SMN book reviewer Jeff Minick recalls his recent visit with Mark Helprin, one of the nation's greatest living novelists.
Friday, May 30, was a banner day I’ll long remember. A soft Carolina-blue sky topped the Virginia hills and fields as I drove to novelist Mark Helprin’s farm, Windrow, in the countryside north of Charlottesville. Helprin and his wife Lisa greeted me at the front door, and for the rest of my four...
06/22/2025
"If you’re unfamiliar with the blue zone concept, it’s a phrase coined by National Geographic explorer and longevity expert Dan Buettner. There are five original blue zones — places around the world with the healthiest, longest-living populations. They include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. These five locations share a cluster of lifestyle choices that make them significantly healthier than other groups."
With each passing year, I think more and more about the longevity of life. When I was young, I couldn’t wait to be older, to reach those milestone birthdays — 16, 18, 21. Even turning 10 was fun because it’s the first double digit and also 13 because one can finally use the descriptor “teena...
06/22/2025
Finally face to face amid a simmering standoff over library governance and subjectively inappropriate material in a regional library system that’s served locals for more than 80 years, Jackson County commissioners spent nearly three hours in a joint meeting with the Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees on June 19 learning just how much they don’t know about running a library.
It was billed as a joint meeting. It ended up more like a joint reckoning.
Finally face to face amid a simmering standoff over library governance and subjectively inappropriate material in a regional library system that’s served locals for more than 80 years, Jackson County commissioners spent nearly three hours in a joint meeting with the Fontana Regional Library Board ...
06/21/2025
"Coming into the impending summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about the age-old question, 'Where to from here?' I’ve never questioned my path. I’m doing what I love for a job and live where I choose to live. But, sometimes, I find myself wondering just where I’m currently standing, and what do I see as I look around at the landscape surrounding?"
The Universe. It never ceases to amaze me. This evening (last Monday be the time you read this), I felt kind of lonely. A lot of that feeling has to do with the last eight months or so of my life. Work burnout. The flood. The aftermath. The breakup. The aftermath. Turning 40. Starting therapy. Life,...
06/21/2025
OPINION: "There was never controversy until the American Library Association (of which the Fontana Regional Library system staff are members) decided several years ago to 'move libraries to the left.' That statement came directly from the former ALA president who is a self-proclaimed Marxist. How would people react to the ALA and the FRL 'moving libraries to the right?'"
I have supported libraries in WNC for over 12 years and been a lifelong library patron. I support all viewpoints being equally represented on shelves providing that librarian gatekeepers allow true balance. However, I do not support or trust an unaccountable bureaucracy with its thumb on the scales....
06/21/2025
OPINION: "Over the past few weeks, I’ve invested as much time in this issue as I have in my business and family because I believe, as you do, that our library is a true gem. People from across the country and beyond visit and praise it, often calling it 'wonderful.' As your representative on the library board, I’d like to provide a clear, transparent summary of what’s happening."
Citizens and constituents of Sylva, I’d like to offer you an apology. In fact, I owe you two. All Sylva residents are also Jackson County constituents — Sylva is the county seat, and county-level decisions affect us directly. The Jackson County Public Library is a clear example. Sylva has ...
06/20/2025
Americana/folk singer-songwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.
Edwards has been a singer-songwriter for over 30 years. His music holds an honesty and an authenticity, not built on outward style, but inner substance. He is joined by a backing band of some of the top players in the region, all of which with vocal harmonies reminiscent of The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Buck Owens and Don Rich.
Americana/folk singer-songwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. Edwards has been a singer-songwriter for over 30 years. His music holds an honesty and an authenticity, not built on outward style, but inner substance. He is j...
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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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