News

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. County residents attend a regular commission meeting Dec. 16.

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. County residents attend a regular commission meeting Dec. 16.

Swain County expands public participation in board meetings

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Swain County residents will now have increased opportunities to participate in local government with the introduction of town hall-style public comment periods during bi-monthly work sessions, occurring the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m.
SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Swain County Manager Lottie Barker submits a 60-day resignation, officially accepted by the county board in a 4-1 vote during a meeting Dec. 16.

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Swain County Manager Lottie Barker submits a 60-day resignation, officially accepted by the county board in a 4-1 vote during a meeting Dec. 16.

Barker resigns

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Swain County Manager Lottie Barker submitted her 60-day resignation last week, officially accepted by the county board in a 4-1 vote during a Tuesday meeting, Dec. 16. Commissioner Bobby Jenkins cast the lone dissenting vote.
SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Beth Cline, P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter director, addresses commissioners with concerns Dec. 4.

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Beth Cline, P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter director, addresses commissioners with concerns Dec. 4.

Animal Services ordinance faces criticism, rejected by commission

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Swain County’s proposed 2025 Animal Services Ordinance, intended to replace the 2019 version, was met with strong opposition at a Dec. 4 public hearing and ultimately rejected in a 4-1 vote during a subsequent meeting Tuesday, Dec. 17.
SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Principal Ryan McMahan (left to right), seventh-grade student Dakota and GEAR UP coordinator Taylor Rae Dodge Brown at Swain Middle School Tuesday afternoon. Johnson was nominated as a recipient of the Victor E. Bell Scholarship recipient.

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Principal Ryan McMahan (left to right), seventh-grade student Dakota and GEAR UP coordinator Taylor Rae Dodge Brown at Swain Middle School Tuesday afternoon. Johnson was nominated as a recipient of the Victor E. Bell Scholarship recipient.

Gearing up for success

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
A seventh-grade student received life-changing news over the weekend – Dakota Johnson was nominated as a Victor E. Bell Scholarship recipient. “I found out on Sunday,” Johnson said. “I was excited. My grandma handed me the paper and it said congratulations.
Photo/Kent Maxey. Flooding in Bryson City in 2024 qualified the town for two grants aimed at improving drinking water and wastewater management.

Photo/Kent Maxey. Flooding in Bryson City in 2024 qualified the town for two grants aimed at improving drinking water and wastewater management.

Town awarded $9.8 million for water resiliency projects

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Bryson City has received confirmation of two 2025 State Revolving Fund Supplemental Appropriations related to Hurricane Helene, said Bryson City Mayor Tom Sutton. The town was awarded $4,998,000 for Wastewater Resiliency Improvements and $4,758,300 for Drinking Water Resiliency Improvements.
SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Judy Allman and Karen Matthews embrace over stage 3 cancer diagnosis Dec. 3. Matthews owns a nonprofit known as Cancer Awareness Foundation.

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Judy Allman and Karen Matthews embrace over stage 3 cancer diagnosis Dec. 3. Matthews owns a nonprofit known as Cancer Awareness Foundation.

Miracle on Main Street

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Weak and exhausted from chemotherapy treatments three days a week every three weeks, Judy Allman struggled to leave the house Wednesday afternoon. “You just get weaker, and I am a go-getter, so I had to get outside,” Allman said. She ended up at St.
SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Swain County Sheriff’s Office deputies Tony Reynaldo and Chase Hughes eagerly help local students shop for Christmas during the county’s first Shop with a Cop event at Walmart in Franklin Dec. 8.

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Swain County Sheriff’s Office deputies Tony Reynaldo and Chase Hughes eagerly help local students shop for Christmas during the county’s first Shop with a Cop event at Walmart in Franklin Dec. 8.

Shopping with a cop: Kids, officers form connections

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Shop with a Cop has officially arrived in Swain County, thanks to a new community outreach initiative led by Sheriff Brian Kirkland and his team. “I thought it went really well, and I was happy to see support from other agencies and organizations,” said Kirkland after shopping Monday.
Photo/George Carter. Tracie Edwards and Gina Wiggins ride The Wiggins Family Candy Cane Lane float through town during the Annual Bryson City Christmas Parade Saturday afternoon.

Photo/George Carter. Tracie Edwards and Gina Wiggins ride The Wiggins Family Candy Cane Lane float through town during the Annual Bryson City Christmas Parade Saturday afternoon.

Christmas is here!

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
The Annual Bryson City Christmas Parade — themed “Candy Cane Lane” — filled the streets with holiday cheer and excitement over the weekend. A total of 57 floats and more than 80 vehicles took part as spectators lined Everett and Main streets, waving to their favorite entries.
SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Mike Shakar, owner at Everett Street Diner, collects Christmas gifts in partnership with Swain County Family Resource Center Dec. 1

SMT photo/Sara Eisinger. Mike Shakar, owner at Everett Street Diner, collects Christmas gifts in partnership with Swain County Family Resource Center Dec. 1

Collecting toys for Christmas

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Collecting toys for Christmas is a long-standing tradition in Swain County. This year, Everett Street Diner, La Dolce Vita Bakery and Mountain Layers Brewing Company have teamed up with Swain County Family Resource Center to ensure a Christmas for kids in need. Toys will be collected through Dec.
Photo submitted. WNC Lighthouse founder and director Melinda Shuler, MHS donates Thanksgiving food boxes to the Chris Morrison Family at Camp Living Water.

Photo submitted. WNC Lighthouse founder and director Melinda Shuler, MHS donates Thanksgiving food boxes to the Chris Morrison Family at Camp Living Water.

A beacon of hope in Western North Carolina

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
WNC Lighthouse, Inc., a 501(c)(3) faith-based organization, opened its doors in August 2024, just one month before Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina.