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Photo/Sara Eisinger. Shelly Foreman, community relations regional director at Vaya Health, provides a brief update at a Swain County Commissioners meeting Nov. 18.

Photo/Sara Eisinger. Shelly Foreman, community relations regional director at Vaya Health, provides a brief update at a Swain County Commissioners meeting Nov. 18.

Medicaid cuts anticipated

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Shelly Foreman, community relations regional director at Vaya Health, provided a brief update at a Swain County Commissioners meeting Nov. 18. Vaya Health is a public agency that manages Medicaid, federal, state and local funding to connect residents with health and behavioral healthcare services.
Photo submitted. Skye Woodard and Corbin Cochran display their whitetail mounts at Great Smokey Mountain Bait and Tackle aka Jack’s Nov. 18.

Photo submitted. Skye Woodard and Corbin Cochran display their whitetail mounts at Great Smokey Mountain Bait and Tackle aka Jack’s Nov. 18.

Jack’s: Where hunters gather

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Great Smokey Mountain Bait and Tackle aka Jack’s, owned by Jackie Parton, is a staple in Bryson City, family owned and operated for nearly 30 years. A 1965 Swain High graduate, Jack Parton and his wife, Joanne, returned to the area upon retirement from Duke Energy.
Photo/Sara Eisinger. Nate Bowe, Town of Bryson City engineer (left to right), Hazel Edmond, director rural engagement and investment rural economic development division, Lyric Thompson and Lee Lilley, North Carolina’s Secretary of Commerce at Bryson City Town Hall Nov. 14.

Photo/Sara Eisinger. Nate Bowe, Town of Bryson City engineer (left to right), Hazel Edmond, director rural engagement and investment rural economic development division, Lyric Thompson and Lee Lilley, North Carolina’s Secretary of Commerce at Bryson City Town Hall Nov. 14.

Town to replace water main with $1 million grant

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Bryson City was awarded a $1 million grant to support the installation of a 1,600-foot, 12-inch HDPE water main under the Tuckasegee.
Swain County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Sgt. Eli Kirkland with his detection dog, Toro, a five-year-old male German shepherd and Belgium mix in summer 2025. (Submitted photo)

Swain County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Sgt. Eli Kirkland with his detection dog, Toro, a five-year-old male German shepherd and Belgium mix in summer 2025. (Submitted photo)

Kirkland, Toro join Swain Sheriff’s Department

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Meet Swain County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Sgt. Eli Kirkland and his detection dog, Toro, a five-year-old male German shepherd and Belgium mix. Kirkland served with Franklin Police Department 18 years and handled dogs for five of those years.
Photo/Sara Eisinger. Alita Cunningham (front, left to right), Kaye McConnell, Jeannie Lerch, Marsha Sherrod; (middle, left to right) Tonya Clifton, Melissa barker, Terri Lynn Crider; (back, left to right) Nancy Jones, Candy Benton, Candy Wilson and Rhonda Tschida donate shoes and socks to kids in need at as part of a Shoes for Steps initiative headed by Swain County Resource Center to keep children’s feet warm this season at New Attitudes Hair Salon Friday, Nov. 7.

Photo/Sara Eisinger. Alita Cunningham (front, left to right), Kaye McConnell, Jeannie Lerch, Marsha Sherrod; (middle, left to right) Tonya Clifton, Melissa barker, Terri Lynn Crider; (back, left to right) Nancy Jones, Candy Benton, Candy Wilson and Rhonda Tschida donate shoes and socks to kids in need at as part of a Shoes for Steps initiative headed by Swain County Resource Center to keep children’s feet warm this season at New Attitudes Hair Salon Friday, Nov. 7.

Shoes for Steps

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Shoes and socks for kids 0-18 are being collected at New Attitudes Hair Salon and Swain County Resource Center as part of the Shoes for Steps initiative to keep children’s feet warm this winter season. New Attitudes Hair Salon hosted a shoe drive fundraising event Friday, Nov. 7.
Submitted photo. Chrome Angels Misty Dawn (left to right), Heather Osborne and Shelly Gable seek to bring Christmas joy to every child in Swain County.

Submitted photo. Chrome Angels Misty Dawn (left to right), Heather Osborne and Shelly Gable seek to bring Christmas joy to every child in Swain County.

Christmas Parade to include toy drive

News Staff
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Doreen Guma Contributor   Memories will be made during the 51st Annual Bryson City Christmas Parade Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. where the Chrome Angelz of Bryson City will participate in its first ever Toy Run. Parade attendees are asked to bring a new and unwrapped toys with them to the parade.
Photo/Sara Eisinger. Jason Foster hugs his little girl, Fern Foster, during the chili cook-off at The Grove Church Saturday.

Photo/Sara Eisinger. Jason Foster hugs his little girl, Fern Foster, during the chili cook-off at The Grove Church Saturday.

Chili cook-off funds Warming Center

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
As a fundraiser for the Warming Center, which opened under freezing temperatures Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of this week, The Grove Church held a chili cook-off Saturday. The fundraiser raised $3,000 plus a generous $5,000 donation from an anonymous source. Approximately 75 wristbands were sold.
Photo/Sarah Jones. Volunteers clean approximately 60,000 pounds of garbage from this year’s Fontana Lakeshore Trash Cleanup, hosted by Brandon Jones, Nov. 2.

Photo/Sarah Jones. Volunteers clean approximately 60,000 pounds of garbage from this year’s Fontana Lakeshore Trash Cleanup, hosted by Brandon Jones, Nov. 2.

Volunteers clean up Fontana

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Brandon and Sarah Jones organized the 8th annual Fontana Lakeshore Trash Cleanup at Fontana Marina Nov. 1-2. “This year, we cleaned from the dam past Sawyers Creek,” said Brandon Jones. “We had 90 volunteers; 50 the first day and 40 the second day.
Photo/George Carter. The oldest veteran in the room, United States Army veteran Edwin Shook, received the honors of cutting the 250th Marine Corps birthday cake at Camp Living Waters Monday, Nov. 10.

Photo/George Carter. The oldest veteran in the room, United States Army veteran Edwin Shook, received the honors of cutting the 250th Marine Corps birthday cake at Camp Living Waters Monday, Nov. 10.

Celebrating Marines

Sara Eisinger
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
The 250th Marine Corps Birthday Celebration and Veteran’s Day Dinner turned out to be everything its organizer, veteran Sean Parish, had hoped for. Despite the town’s first snowfall of the year, approximately 65 adults and 15 kids attended the event at Camp Living Water.