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COVID update

COVID update

COVID plays havoc with schools

Jake Browning
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
COVID-19 cases have been spiking all over the state, and unfortunately, Macon County Schools have not been spared. Between the board of education’s last meeting on Nov. 16 and the meeting on Dec.
Press photo/Will Woolever - Smoky Mountain Toys for Tots regional coordinator Randy Hughes is pictured in the group’s current storage space ahead of the Christmas holiday. Toys for Tots is currently seeking a new space for the new year.

Press photo/Will Woolever - Smoky Mountain Toys for Tots regional coordinator Randy Hughes is pictured in the group’s current storage space ahead of the Christmas holiday. Toys for Tots is currently seeking a new space for the new year.

Toys for Tots looking for a home – again

Will Woolever
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Smoky Mountain Toys for Tots is looking for a home once again.
Press photo/Jake Browning - Ms. Lois' Restaurant has been able to get through the pandemic reasonably well due to their loyal customer base.

Press photo/Jake Browning - Ms. Lois' Restaurant has been able to get through the pandemic reasonably well due to their loyal customer base.

Restaurants struggling to keep up amid pandemic

Jake Browning
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
When Gov. Roy Cooper ordered restaurants to close their dining rooms in March, restaurateurs all over the state were sent into a tailspin. Their best efforts to maintain normal business operations weren’t always enough to keep them going.
Jake Browning reporter@thefranklinpress.com After numerous delays, plans to renovate Macon County’s convenience centers haven’t been scrapped yet. Scaly Mountain’s new convenience center has been finished and open for over a month, and construction has wrapped up for the Junaluska Center in Nantahala. The latter isn’t open yet, however, because the site is partially located in a floodplain and a topographical survey had to be done to make sure newly installed compactor controls weren’t at risk of flooding.

Jake Browning reporter@thefranklinpress.com After numerous delays, plans to renovate Macon County’s convenience centers haven’t been scrapped yet. Scaly Mountain’s new convenience center has been finished and open for over a month, and construction has wrapped up for the Junaluska Center in Nantahala. The latter isn’t open yet, however, because the site is partially located in a floodplain and a topographical survey had to be done to make sure newly installed compactor controls weren’t at risk of flooding.

Two recycling center renovations done; Carson next

Jake Browning
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
After numerous delays, plans to renovate Macon County’s convenience centers haven’t been scrapped yet. Scaly Mountain’s new convenience center has been finished and open for over a month, and construction has wrapped up for the Junaluska Center in Nantahala.

Arnold to fill Goldsmith’s seat on school board

Jake Browning
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Carol Arnold will fill the remaining two years of Fred Goldsmith’s term on the Macon County Board of Education. Goldsmith announced earlier this month that he would be resigning from his seat on the board so that he could attend to a family matter in Georgia.
Press photo/Jake Browning - The first of two Winter Wonderland celebrations in Franklin culminated with the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree. Look for more photos of the Christmas parade and Winter Wonderland in next week’s issue.

Press photo/Jake Browning - The first of two Winter Wonderland celebrations in Franklin culminated with the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree. Look for more photos of the Christmas parade and Winter Wonderland in next week’s issue.

Christmas Magic

Jake Browning
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Franklin residents and visitors alike rung in the holiday season with the first Winter Wonderland on Saturday night and the Christmas Parade on Sunday afternoon.
File photo - MANNA’s pop-up food markets are drawing about double the number of clients since the pandemic set in.

File photo - MANNA’s pop-up food markets are drawing about double the number of clients since the pandemic set in.

Pandemic fuels need for food programs

Jake Browning
Monday, November 23, 2020
A growing number of Macon County families are turning to food banks to help get them through the holidays and beyond.
Photo submitted - One of the projects the grant funded will be used to expand the Pinnacle Park view shed in Jackson County.

Photo submitted - One of the projects the grant funded will be used to expand the Pinnacle Park view shed in Jackson County.

Grant funds four Mainspring conservation projects

Lee Buchanan
Monday, November 23, 2020
Mainspring Conservation Trust has been awarded an $800,000 grant to support four projects in three counties, including the protection of a stretch of the Little Tennessee River in Macon County that includes a rare wetland.
File photo - The property will be the site of a new burn building for SCC training. The current burn building was found to be structurally deficient in 2017.

File photo - The property will be the site of a new burn building for SCC training. The current burn building was found to be structurally deficient in 2017.

County offers 25-year lease of armory to SCC

Jake Browning
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
The Macon County Board of Commissioners agreed to grant Southwestern Community College a 25-year lease for the National Guard Armory Building after an extensive debate at the board’s Nov. 10 meeting.