Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced the busiest year on record with 14,137,812 visits. Visitation exceeded the 2019 record by 1.5 million visits and 2020 visitation by more than 2 million visits.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park received emergency assistance from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Tennessee Army National Guard (TANG) to rescue a stranded hiker on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

  Cynthia Chavez Lamar has been named director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, effective Feb. 14. She is the first Native woman to be named as a Smithsonian museum director. Chavez Lamar has been at the museum most recently since...

The Cherokee Central Schools (CCS) Board of Education met on Friday, Jan. 7 following the decision to postpone the start of school. During this meeting they addressed COVID concerns and how to move forward with the year.

The Nikwasi Initiative has the deed to the Nikwasi (sometimes called Noquisiyi) Mound in the town of Franklin and serves as the mound’s current caretakers.  They are hoping to expand educational opportunities at the site with their new Noquisiyi Cultural District site plan. 

The Department of the Interior announced recently that it is seeking nominations for members of the new Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names. The committee will identify geographic names and federal land unit names that are considered derogatory and solicit proposals on replacement names.

The Wolftown Community’s biggest gift this past December certainly couldn’t fit under the tree.

Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD) Sergeant John Phillip Taylor Jr. was arrested on Friday, Jan. 7 at approximately 3:30 p.m. and charged with the following: