Lily Levin

Swain County Sheriff Brian Kirkland came under scrutiny for using taxpayer dollars to attend a conference in Myrtle Beach along with other deputies and their families. Credit: File photo

Collete, Barry and Corey Coggins filed a lawsuit on July 22 against Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, EBCI Principal Chief Michell Hicks and EBCI Secretary of Operations Anthony Sequoyah. Given tribal council’s Aug. 2 passage of an ordinance prohibiting bear caging, it appears EBCI officials could be taken to court over another land-related dispute. The complainants, alleging breach of contract and lease, are seeking prospective injunctive relief “against tribal officials acting in excess of their lawful authority,” according to the document. An injunction cannot be declared against the tribe as a sovereign nation, though plaintiffs argued the Eastern Band had waived some of this immunity “relating to insurance covering the violations by Defendants for breach of the lease and under the Indian Civil Rights Act.” The Cogginses are lessees of an approximately 25-acre EBCI parcel per a Sept. 19, 2016, agreement with the tribe. The lawsuit claimed an unauthorized removal of dirt from five leased acres runs counter to a February 2026 amendment formalizing plaintiffs’ rights of ingress, egress, parking and development.

Pedestrian access to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Fontana Dam begins with a metal turnstile, then a long stretch of sidewalk. Suffocating humidity marked my July 27 entry. The tour required long pants as a safety measure, and I was sweating by the time we entered the building. But the interior, featuring three massive generators churning water to create electricity, took my attention from this predicament. The hydropower generated here is enough to keep the phones charged and lights shining for 210,000 households. In other words, the 480-foot Fontana Dam, the tallest in the eastern United States, is far from archaic more than 81 years post-construction. It appears apt that the tour, constituting of a handful of reporters and a select few non-press invitees, was held in commemoration of America 250. The dam is inextricably linked to this region’s history, which reemerges even as TVA looks to turn the page.

The potential Roadless Rule recission would impact public lands across the country, including in Western North Carolina. Credit: Acroterion photo

Swain County has moved a step closer to using the funds from a settlement with a major opioid manufacturer. Credit: File photo

Shortly after Hurricane Helene, Haywood Community College, Southwestern Community College and nine of their Western North Carolina counterparts got together to consider the unique needs of the region, eventually settling on the necessity to route students toward solid, sustainable employment. Aptly titled the Good Jobs Western North Carolina Program, the initiative funds one of three focus sectors at partner institutions: healthcare, skilled trades or advanced manufacturing. According to President Shelley White, HCC chose skilled trades, investing in relevant equipment, facility improvements and expansion. SCC, with campuses in Swain, Jackson and Macon counties, opted for two employment areas: a healthcare-aligned evening Licensed Professional Nursing program and a skilled trades-aligned HVAC daytime program. “Supported by a Good Jobs WNC grant, SCC will enroll an initial cohort of 10 [LPN] students in Year 1 and expand to full capacity with 20 students per cohort by Year 2,” wrote Dean of Workforce Continuing Education Scott Sutton in an email to The Smoky Mountain News.

As Democrats angle to gain control of the state House, Mark Burrows aims to flip a Western North Carolina seat blue. Credit: Cory Vaillancourt photo

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction on Sept. 2 released its 2025-2026 student performance reports, indicating an overall upward trend statewide and in The Smoky Mountain News coverage area.

Swain County Manager Tommy Dills at a Sept. 1 commission meeting proposed the county purchase 67 Lakeview Drive, colloquially known as the airport property, for nearly $3 million. No tax increase would be necessary, he said, to finance the transaction. Commissioners appeared unanimously onboard with Dills’ recommendation.

Asheville made international headlines last week when its Omni Grove Park Inn hosted the Group of 20 finance track summit. The summit is an annual global forum aimed at securing financial stability and consensus. It consists of delegates from 20 nations representing roughly 85% of the world’s population. Leadership is designated by country on a rotating annual basis, and the United States, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as finance track leader, chose Asheville in part for what it represents to senior officials nearly two years after Hurricane Helene devastated the region. “With its local inspiration leading to global innovation, Asheville stands as a hub for corporate innovation and growth, making it ideal for a G20 focused on driving economic growth and prosperity,” the G20 website stated. President Trump’s administration during the G20 looked chiefly to the Western North Carolina city’s entrepreneurial outlook as proof it had made what one senior Treasury official called a “comeback.” For what had previously been conversations among government representatives, this year’s G20 summit brought in private executives to talk about deregulation for the sake of corporate interests.