News

High school access road gets state funding

Swain County Board of Education Chairman Gerald McKinney was beaming when sharing the news about Swain County Schools receiving $1.6 million in funding to build a new access road for Swain County High School.

Town board adopts local COVID leave, vaccine policies

Bryson City Town Manager Regina Mathis acknowledged that COVID-19 has made an impact on town employees. “We have two people out right now,” she said during the board of alderman meeting on Monday night, Jan. 4. With a federal COVID-19 policy that covers up to 80 hours having expired on Dec.

Highway dedicated to Cherokee Beloved Man

The only man in more than 200 years to be bestowed as Beloved Man by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will have a highway in Swain and Jackson counties dedicated in his honor. The Tribal Council bestowed Dr. Jerry Wolfe the honorable title of Beloved Man in 2013.

Short line railroad grants awarded

Seventeen short line railroads will soon be making improvements to their infrastructure thanks to approximately $16.7 million in matching grant funds being awarded as part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program (FRRCSI).

School board stays on top of COVID news

The Swain County Board of Education met Wednesday night, Dec. 30 for a special called meeting to discuss the potential impact of COVID-19 on the return to classes. With a nod from the health department, they agreed to the regular schedule of students returning to class Jan. 5 for Group A and Jan.

The SMT under the radar stories of 2020

Landslides in the Nantahala Gorge & flash flooding Swain County got more than its fair share of heavy rain in the first part of the year. This spelled true headaches for first responders and anyone who drives the Nantahala Gorge road regularly.

THE SMT BIGGEST STORIES OF 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic The year 2020 will be defined by one story: the COVID-19 pandemic. It took over all aspects of life beginning with statewide mandates that forced businesses to close, learning to go remote, and the mask mandate as government scrambled to prevent the spread of infection.

Two more COVID-19 deaths in Swain County

The number of active cases of COVID-19 continued their upward trend this past week in Swain County. On Monday, the Swain County Health Department reported 85 actives cases within the county.

Environmental health could use an additional inspector

Given the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 has been a difficult one for many industries, but construction in Swain County isn’t one of them.

Casada releases latest work, ‘A Smoky Mountain Boyhood’

While our childhood memories can hold a dear place in our hearts, there are few of us gifted to bring them to life. Casada has a gift for not just sharing his memories but in bringing the very mountains that served as their backdrop to vivid life.