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Submitted photo/Habitat - John Wert of Habitat for Humanity removes a sidewalk at Vaughn Sanders’ home as part of the Healthy Home Initiative. The sidewalk was sunken and too narrow for Sanders’ wheelchair, so the construction crew replaced it with a front porch and ramp.

Submitted photo/Habitat - John Wert of Habitat for Humanity removes a sidewalk at Vaughn Sanders’ home as part of the Healthy Home Initiative. The sidewalk was sunken and too narrow for Sanders’ wheelchair, so the construction crew replaced it with a front porch and ramp.

MPP, Habitat partner to repair homes

News Staff
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Macon Program for Progress and Habitat for Humanity have joined forces to help 10 Macon County residents feel safer in their homes. Last February, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina invested $8 million into expanding rural health ventures, including the Healthy Home Initiative.
Press photo/Jake Browning - Shirl Frantz helps pack boxes of food for clients at CareNet. CareNet also hopes to distribute plenty of warm winter clothes following Cold for a Cause this weekend.

Press photo/Jake Browning - Shirl Frantz helps pack boxes of food for clients at CareNet. CareNet also hopes to distribute plenty of warm winter clothes following Cold for a Cause this weekend.

Cold for a Cause

Jake Browning
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Jake Browning reporter@thefranklinpress.com Winter is in full swing in Macon County, which means it’s time for residents to turn an eye to those less fortunate with the 12th annual Cold for a Cause.
Press photo/Jake Browning - Officers from the Macon County Sheriff’s Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol were among the dozens of officers who responded to the incident.

Press photo/Jake Browning - Officers from the Macon County Sheriff’s Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol were among the dozens of officers who responded to the incident.

High speed chase crashes to a halt in Macon County

Jake Browning
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
A man on the run from the law was apprehended in dramatic fashion on Hwy 64 West near Winding Stair Gap on Thursday morning.  On Jan.
Press photo/Linda Mathias - Kim Clark teaches her third-grade class at East Franklin Elementary with nine students in the classroom and six joining in online.

Press photo/Linda Mathias - Kim Clark teaches her third-grade class at East Franklin Elementary with nine students in the classroom and six joining in online.

Fingers crossed as classes resume

Jake Browning
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
The second half of the school year has begun, and schools are mostly following the same schedules they had before Christmas break. During a special called meeting of the Macon County Board of Education on Jan.
Downtown Fitness Training owner Rick Tarleton is pictured in his gym on West Palmer Street. Tarleton preempted the state’s shutdown order this spring to protect his clients and trainers from COVID-19.

Downtown Fitness Training owner Rick Tarleton is pictured in his gym on West Palmer Street. Tarleton preempted the state’s shutdown order this spring to protect his clients and trainers from COVID-19.

Working it out

Will Woolever
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Like most other businesses in Franklin, fitness centers have had a challenging year.  As the COVID-19 pandemic nearly ground the economy to a halt this spring, the town’s exercise gyms were forced to shut down for several weeks.
Photo submitted Tommie Blalock, ICU/Medsurg team leader at Angel Medical Center, was the first to be vaccinated at the hospital.

Photo submitted Tommie Blalock, ICU/Medsurg team leader at Angel Medical Center, was the first to be vaccinated at the hospital.

First vaccines arrive in Macon

Lee Buchanan
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Macon County Public Health has received its first shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The health department said it had received 300 doses that will be used to begin to vaccinate health care workers in the county beginning the week of Dec. 28.

FHS delivers Christmas cheer at Habilities

Jake Browning
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America and Skills USA students didn’t get to make their annual visit to Macon Citizens Habilities this year, but they still sent a carriage full of gifts and holiday joy to a modified celebration.
Press photo/Linda Mathias - Sally Williams puts a ribbon at the top of the Hickory Knoll United Methodist Church’s first Christmas tree as pastor Stephanie Thompson steadies the ladder. Hickory Knoll will have an outdoor Christmas Eve service at 8 p.m.

Press photo/Linda Mathias - Sally Williams puts a ribbon at the top of the Hickory Knoll United Methodist Church’s first Christmas tree as pastor Stephanie Thompson steadies the ladder. Hickory Knoll will have an outdoor Christmas Eve service at 8 p.m.

Churches plan Christmas around COVID

Jake Browning
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Churchgoers throughout Macon County agree on the reason for the season, but the ways they celebrate it this year will be very different from years past.
COVID update

COVID update

Virus spreads as vaccines arrive

Lee Buchanan
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
The arrival of vaccines marks a major milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, but the crisis is far from over as health officials warily look for another post-holiday surge. Macon County Public Health reported two COVID clusters on Dec. 17-18.