Now is a good time for voters to review their registration status and submit voter registration forms, if needed. The 2026 ...

School board elections in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties — The Smoky Mountain News coverage area — have brought ...

Newcomers Sandy Jennings and Amanda Woods will compete for a seat in Jackson County’s only contested Board of Education race: ...

Macon Board of Education District 2 Incumbent Stephanie Hyder Laseter will face Kaleena Messer and Macon County Commission ...

A version of this story appeared in the Smoky Mountain News’ Wednesday, Sept. 30, print edition titled, “Jackson drags heels ...

In Swain County, the only district within The Smoky Mountain News coverage area to hold partisan board of education elections ...

As the weather gets cooler and slowly transitions to those cozy fall days, a bevy of longtime and beloved festivals start to ...

The Mountain Monarch Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, at Gorges State Park in Sapphire. This free event, hosted by the park and sponsored by Friends of Gorges State Park and ...

Three candidates are seeking to represent Haywood County’s Clyde district and replace outgoing incumbent Jimmy Rogers: Terry Ramey, James Robertson, and Myra Watson. Ramey did not respond to The Smoky ...

Two years after Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina, Pisgah Legal Services continues to provide free help to survivors still facing legal issues related to the storm. Two emerging issues ...

The “Orchard Sessions” will present acclaimed singer-songwriter Cruz Contreras at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Farm at Old Edwards in Highlands. Contreras’ music career started early in Nashville, ...

With fall foliage soon to cover Grandfather Mountain in rich hues, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation is set to begin its annual Fall Color Ramble.