News

File photo / Candid Critters - Bears roaming through open fields, and backyards, were captured during the Candid Critters project.

File photo / Candid Critters - Bears roaming through open fields, and backyards, were captured during the Candid Critters project.

Strike a pose

News Staff
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
In his time operating a wildlife camera on his property, Greg Clarkson has seen all manner of wildlife come and go. “We’ve had bears, raccoons, possums, rabbits, squirrels, grey foxes …” Clarkson ticked off all the kinds of animals his camera has picked up.
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/Lee Buchanan - Smart Pharmacy owner Jacob Reiche stands at the site of his store’s future location at the Wayah Street/Maple Street roundabout.

Press photo/Lee Buchanan - Smart Pharmacy owner Jacob Reiche stands at the site of his store’s future location at the Wayah Street/Maple Street roundabout.

Smart move: Pharmacy has big plans

News Staff
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Smart Pharmacy has thrived in its West Palmer Street location since the business opened in 2013, but for the past several years owner Jacob Reiche has seen the potential for a bigger business at a busier location. When a roundabout started going up at Wayah and Maple streets, he found his site.
Mindful eating

Mindful eating

Food for thought

Jake Browning
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Losing weight has long been a top New Year’s resolution for many, but nutrition experts today are touting longer-term lifestyle changes as a safer, healthier approach. After facing the ravages of a worldwide pandemic in 2020, staying healthy is on more people’s minds than ever before.
Photo submitted - Karl Gillespie was sworn in as the NC House representative for the 120th district by newly elected 30th District Court Judge Kaleb Wingate as Gillespie’s wife, Janet, and son, Logan look on.

Photo submitted - Karl Gillespie was sworn in as the NC House representative for the 120th district by newly elected 30th District Court Judge Kaleb Wingate as Gillespie’s wife, Janet, and son, Logan look on.

Corbin, Gillespie head to Raleigh with bipartisan hopes

Jake Browning
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Kevin Corbin and Karl Gillespie are ready to hit the road to Raleigh to represent Western North Carolina in a General Assembly that will look mostly unchanged in the new year. In November’s elections, Democratic Gov.
Photo submitted - Macon County Public Health is administering the Moderna vaccine.

Photo submitted - Macon County Public Health is administering the Moderna vaccine.

Vaccine rollout still in first phase as COVID cases mount

Lee Buchanan
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Macon health officials have established a schedule for COVID-19 vaccinations and testing, though as of Tuesday, Jan. 5, vaccinations remained limited to health care workers and long-term care residents and staff.
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.