Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to assist a Trails Forever trail crew on rehabilitation projects on the Alum Cave Trail every Wednesday from May 20th through October 28th, 2015. The Trails Forever program provides opportunities for both skilled and non-skilled volunteers to work along-side national park crews to complete various trail projects. Trail volunteers perform a wide ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have reopened the Whiteoak Sink area with limited access effective April 1 through May 15 to limit human disturbance in critical bat habitat and help hikers avoid interactions with bats. Park biologists will continue monitoring bat populations near the site as they emerge from winter hibernacula to collect population, ecological and behavioral data that ...

LeConte Medical Center observed Certified Nurses Day on Tuesday, by honoring seven board-certified nurses who work at the hospital. Board certification of nurses plays an important role in assuring high standards of patient care. “Nursing, like health care in general, has become increasingly complex,” said Janice McKinley, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for Covenant Health, parent company of ...

If someone tells you to “take a hike,” and it prompts daydreams of fresh air, sunshine, and autumn breezes, you might be ready to get serious about getting on the trails this spring. Covenant Health fitness expert Missy Kane is presenting Hiking 101 help East Tennesseans start hiking, improve health and fitness through hiking, or jump start new hiking groups. ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that a project to repave 4.3 miles of Newfound Gap Road will begin on April 13, 2015. This work is part of a multi-phased rehabilitation project started in 2007. The section to be resurfaced extends from Sugarlands Visitor Center south to Chimney’s Picnic Area where the last phase ended. This section of Newfound ...

Kenny Maples has announced his candidacy for Pigeon Forge City Commission. Maples will be seeking his first term in the May 12, 2015 election. “Ever since obtaining passion for public service from my late father, I’ve had an ambition to follow in his footsteps as a Pigeon Forge Commissioner,” Maples said. “I am fortunate to have been raised in Pigeon ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced plans to open Clingmans Dome Road this weekend beginning Friday, March 27, 2015 as weather permits. Due to mild temperatures this week, park crews have been able to prepare the road and facilities for the seasonal spring opening ahead of schedule allowing additional opportunities for visitors to reach the popular destination. Accessible by ...

The Sevier County Democratic Party will hold a Biennial Reorganization Convention where local Democrats will elect new leaders. The Biennial Reorganization Convention of the Sevier County Democrats will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at the King Family Library in Sevierville. Doors will open at 12:15 p.m. and the convention will begin promptly at 1 p.m. All Democrat residents ...

If you love pets and want to save 100 animals, fix just one cat or dog. This is the message of Sevier County Humane Society’s SPOT (Stop Pet Overpopulation Today) program. SPOT is the low cost spay and neuter program that fixed over 1000 animals in 2014. According to Julie Jacobson, program manager for the statewide spay and neuter referral ...

The Sevier County Hospitality Alliance (SCHA) will host the largest and most attended hospitality and tourism trade show in Tennessee on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. “This will be our 14th Annual Hospitality Trade Show in Sevier County and we are expecting this year’s show to be the ...