Latest news stories from around the Great Smoky Mountains.
A federal grand jury has issued an indictment in the murder of a man found dead inside a mountain church in March. Forrest Hill, 22, is now charged with first-degree murder. Authorities say he stabbed Tyler Gaddis to death on the night of March 29 in the doorway of Swain County’s Smokemont Baptist Church. The
Reports of bear sightings are happening all over East Tennessee recently. A bear and her three cubs were spotted this week roaming all through downtown Sevierville. WATE 6 On Your Side viewers sent pictures of the bear family making their way through town, and police even blocked traffic to make sure the bears got through
My two sisters and I had been planning this weekend getaway for months. A four-hour drive from Lexington would take us to Maggie Valley on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and our ultimate destination, The Swag. Getting its name from the dip between two mountain peaks, The Swag Country Inn is
For the fifth year, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the nonprofit that oversees management of the famous long distance trail, has made wildlife health and backpacker safety a priority in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by helping to keep bears out of backpackers’ food. The Conservancy has provided $5,000 from its specialty license plate funds
With the possibility of another government shutdown happening almost exactly two years after the last one, the National Park Service is making plans in case they have to close during one of their busiest times of year. “We’re taking steps to plan in case there is a lack of appropriated funds and we’ve began that
Fall color in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is dazzling, with crisp hues of red, brown, yellow and orange painting the landscape. Each September and October, the national park features another autumn spectacle—the migration of the monarch. Hundreds of these bright orange and black butterflies dance through the landscape as they begin their journey south to overwinter in Mexico. >>
It’s not your everyday crime. Bears broke into a Gatlinburg woman’s car. Kathy Gafford sent the WATE 6 On Your Side newsroom pictures of two bears climbing inside her car while she was working at a cabin along Ski Line Drive. “The baby was sitting in the passenger seat. The mama was sitting in that
An autopsy shows that an experienced hiker died of hypothermia after she fell into an icy creek, but she may also have taken an overdose of prescription drugs before her death. Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park found the body of Jenny Bennett, 62, of Sylva, North Carolina, on June 9 in the Greenbrier area of the park.
Trout anglers can experience good-to-great fishing now through November in North Carolina’s high country, according to a Bryson City guide. “Fishing’s really good right now,” said Gene Shuler, owner of Fly Fishing the Smokies Guide Service (828-488-7665). “The Little Sallie (stonefly) hatch is excellent in Great Smoky Mountains National Park streams.” >> Read Complete
It was March 18, 1976 when a park ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park responded to a report of what appeared to be an abandoned automobile. The station wagon in question was found in a secluded parking lot in the Elkmont section of the Smokies. Upon further investigation the car was traced to
