Macon County, NC

During a walk or hike on the many trails and paths throughout Macon County, sighting a tree with unnaturally bent limbs may cause one to pause. Yet, without realizing “trail trees” actually exist throughout the region, the curiosity could be passed by without much consideration. Long before an...

A team of people worked for more than a year to pull together, edit, and publish the free “River of Words” a 55-page literary compilation of local writers’ works. Focusing on the theme, “a river of words,” due to the area’s natural waterways, the publication is the first edition of its Three Rivers Review series of the Arts Council of Macon County’s planned publications to celebrate area talents. The purpose is outlined in the publication’s introductory welcome “… to provide you, the reader, with a chance to sample all these writers’ works in a single publication, in the hope that you’ll want to read more, and seek them out at area bookstores and online.”

The Macon County Sheriff’s Department, Franklin Police Department or Jackson County Sheriff’s Department made the following arrests July 21 – Aug. 1. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Macon County Sheriff’s Department. July 26. Donald McLean Long, was charged with...

Uptown Gallery’s “ArtFest” will be held Aug. 11-13 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. The event will benefit art programs in Macon County Public Schools. More than 30 sessions with various artists will be held during the three days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, plus special films at 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The activities are free and open to the public.

The first class to graduate from the current Franklin High School did so in 1952. Back then, there were fewer buildings and less developed grounds, but 70 years later, much of the high school remains largely the same. Now, Macon County is coming together to build a new high school...

Swain County 4-H livestock club held a three-county livestock clinic on Thursday evening to help youngsters get ready for the Swain Agricultural Fair show. Participants from Swain, Jackson and Macon counties got to practice with their lambs in the newly built arena at Great Smoky Mountains Event Park, as Macon County Livestock Agent, Joe Deal gave them feedback and pointers.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Farmers in several mountain counties are eligible for the Western North Carolina Agricultural Crop Loss Program for damages and losses because of flooding and excessive rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred and an April 2021 freeze and frost. “We offered a similar program...

In separate incidents, two visitors in North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest died while exploring the area on the same day. On July 23, emergency crews responded to distress calls regarding two men in trouble. The first was an unnamed man that was swimming at Secret Falls in Macon County in the North Carolina national forest.

Capital needs are never ending. That statement is true in your own home and it is certainly true in the public domain. The Town of Highlands and Macon County are constantly reviewing major projects…

The Annual Macon County Gemboree will be held at the Macon County Community Building. Each year rock hounds from all across the United States descend on Franklin for gem & mineral shows. These shows feature everything from fine jewelry to rough and cut gems & minerals, fossils, lapidary equipment, and more!

With the support of the board of education, the Macon County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday night to move forward with plans to build a new high school facility on the current campus of Franklin High. The vote gives County Manager Derek Roland the authority to enter into contract...

The Macon County School Board met for its regular monthly meeting on Monday, July 25, with a fairly light agenda. Aside from several requests for field trips and yearly fundraising events, capital outlay priorities were discussed. Capital Outlay. The sum of $550,000 was set aside in the budget for building...

A North Carolina firefighter tragically died over the weekend in an off-duty accident. On Sunday, Clarks Chapel Fire-Rescue, a fire department located in Macon County, announced on Facebook that firefighter Joseph Orr "lost his life in a tragic accident yesterday while enjoying the great outdoors that he loved." Although the...

Jackson County has approved an architectural contract and laid out a timeline for the construction of its domestic violence shelter, acting on a plan that has been several years in the making. “This is really the next step in this process of bringing the contract before the board so that...

Substitute teachers in Macon County can expect a raise in the coming school year after a vote by the Macon County Board of Education. The board will discuss a plan for bus driver pay next month. Last year, non-certified substitutes were paid $100 per day and certified substitutes were paid...

The Macon County Sheriff’s Department, Franklin Police Department or Jackson County Sheriff’s Department made the following arrests July 11 – 24. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Macon County Sheriff’s Department. July 18. Austin Shane McNutt, was charged with possession...

Manna Food Bank is now at Bethel United Methodist Church. To reserve a food box, call (828)634-1116 and leave a message with the following information: your first name and last initial; phone number to confirm pick-up time; number of people in your family; if there are allergies in the family; and any specialty items you might need, like diapers, etc. Pick up is at Bethel UMC, 81 Bethel Church Road, off Highlands Road.

The Macon County News letters page is a public forum open to a wide variety of opinions as a right guaranteed in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Letters are neither accepted nor rejected based on content. Letters must be signed and contact information provided. Views expressed are not necessarily reflective of the opinions of publisher, editor or staff. Writers are asked to refrain from personal attacks against individuals or businesses.

The U.S. Forest Service and other agencies have confirmed two July 23 accidents at Western North Carolina waterfalls, including one that resulted in a fatality. Transylvania County Rescue Squad Chief Dale Whitlock told the Citizen Times that a man on a ledge "approximately 10 to 15 feet" up on Looking Glass Falls fell and was flown to Mission Hospital for trauma he suffered on July 23.