Local

Photo/Eric Haggart - This slide on Dobson Mountain flowed about 4,000 feet. This photo shows just the top of the debris flow.

Photo/Eric Haggart - This slide on Dobson Mountain flowed about 4,000 feet. This photo shows just the top of the debris flow.

Study of April slides finds no imminent danger

Lee Buchanan
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
The N.C. Geological Survey sent teams to study the debris flows that occurred following torrential rains on April 12 and has reported the findings to Macon County Emergency Services.
Press photo/Jake Browning - The Comfort Inn has been operating at about 20 percent capacity.

Press photo/Jake Browning - The Comfort Inn has been operating at about 20 percent capacity.

Hotels, campgrounds focused on survival

Jake Browning
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Gov. Roy Cooper’s three-phase plan to reopen the state doesn’t specifically mention hotels, campgrounds and other lodging sites, but owners of such businesses in Macon County are largely in agreement – they want to open back up as soon as possible.
Press graphic

Press graphic

Macon on track to reopen

Lee Buchanan
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Macon County has lifted the regulations put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, effective May 8, and will allow hotels and other temporary lodging to open in time for Memorial Day. That news comes as Macon County reported its third COVID-19 case on April 29.
Press photo/Andy Scheidler - Vendor Paul Chew talks to customer Debi Gedling while she purchases produce at the Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market.

Press photo/Andy Scheidler - Vendor Paul Chew talks to customer Debi Gedling while she purchases produce at the Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market.

Farmers Market coping with coronavirus

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Vendors sit or stand underneath tents, with yellow caution tape stretched across the front from pole to pole.  A hand-washing station sits at the entrance, along with signs listing tips for maintaining a healthy market.
Press photo/Jake Browning - Several carloads of people rallied on Main Street in Franklin on Friday, April 24, calling for lifting coronavirus restrictions.

Press photo/Jake Browning - Several carloads of people rallied on Main Street in Franklin on Friday, April 24, calling for lifting coronavirus restrictions.

Business owners eager to reopen Macon

Jake Browning
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Gov. Roy Cooper has laid out a three-phase plan to cautiously reopen North Carolina, but for some Macon County business owners, lifting the restrictions mandated to combat the coronavirus can’t come soon enough.
Photo submitted - Ann Clark, a resident of Macon Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, uses her new tablet to Skype with her family.

Photo submitted - Ann Clark, a resident of Macon Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, uses her new tablet to Skype with her family.

Volunteers provide new lifeline for love ones in care facilities

Jake Browning
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Everyone has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, but perhaps none have suffered as much as senior citizens in long-term care facilities who find themselves even more isolated than before.
Photo submitted - Amy Ballard and her family cherish their garden and bounty it produces.

Photo submitted - Amy Ballard and her family cherish their garden and bounty it produces.

Home gardening growing in coronavirus shutdown

Andy Scheidler
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
When Amy Ballard wants green beans, she goes downstairs and grabs a jar that she canned last year that were grown in her garden. When she wants eggs, she goes outside and collects them from the hens.  During a pandemic, simple pleasures like this mean even more.