Open in NewsBreak

Purlear

See all locations
Customize your news
43°F
publisher avatar

Events

wataugaonline.com

website

U.S. House District 5 Lead Changes Again as Provisional Ballots Are Counted

Updated 7:18 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11: The N.C. State Board of Elections’ results site shows Democrat Chuck Hubbard ahead of Rep. Virginia Foxx by 325 votes in the 5th Congressional District, with all 230 precincts reporting. The totals include provisional ballots counted Tuesday in most of the district’s counties; Rockingham County’s provisional results had not yet been posted to the site. This story has been updated with the latest figures.

Watauga County, NC · 2d
article img

WBTV

website

White powder identified after going airborne, sending 14 to hospital at Caldwell County facility

“We’re working with the hazmat team to ensure we have a complete understanding of their findings."

Caldwell County, NC · 23h
article img

whqr.org

website

Renowned Virginia-based luthier makes his 1,000th guitar

Renowned Virginia-based guitar maker Wayne Henderson is being recognized after completing his 1,000th guitar. During his 60-year career, Henderson has made countless contributions to music makers across the country and around the world. He's built guitars by hand for a Who’s Who list of pickers, including Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs...

Wilkesboro, NC · 17h
article img

WLOS.com

website

Asheville HAZMAT team identifies white powder that sickened 22 workers at recycling plant

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A white powder that sickened 22 people at a North Carolina recycling plant has been identified as urea, a chemical used in fertilizers and products that clean diesel fuel systems. Asheville Fire Department's hazardous materials (HAZMAT) team responded to Prime Recycling in Lenoir to help...

Asheville, NC · 2d
article img

FOX Carolina

website

Closings & delays: Season’s first freeze impacts western NC schools

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Several western North Carolina school districts are expected to announce class changes due to the season’s first freeze. Here are the latest changes as of 6:20 a.m. on Friday:. School districtClosings/delays. Avery County SchoolsVirtual learning Friday. Madison County SchoolsClosed Friday, optional teacher workday. Yancey...

North Carolina · 3h

Ashe Post & Times

partner publisher · 5.4K followers

Don’t feed the bears: Warrensville man requests nuisance ordinance to prevent attacks

JEFFERSON — Warrensville resident Jonathan Parker requested the Ashe County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 2 to consider an ordinance or nuisance provision to deter bear-feeding. Addressing the board during its scheduled meeting’s public comment, Parker said indiscriminate bear feeding on West Mill Creek Road has led to a “concentration of bears in the community to the point that residents are concerned about walking their dogs and being outside after dark.” He also said bear feeding can lead to neighborhood property damage. Although Ashe County has a significant wildlife population, Parker said that recent bear sightings occur “more frequently than what most (Ashe County) residents consider normal.” He also said the community has limited recourse for the growing bear population, which has become more accustomed to human interaction and regular feedings. Parker explained that bear feeding isn’t about legality, punishment, or “enjoying wildlife.” He’s worried that consistent feedings could lead to injury because wildlife has become “so habituated to humans” and has destroyed property. However, commissioners didn’t address Parker’s concerns, as is the norm under board decorum. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission discourages feeding wildlife because it creates public safety hazards, spreads disease, and leads to property damage. The

Ashe County, NC · 1d

Ashe Post & Times

partner publisher · 5.4K followers

High Country Council of Governments presents awards at 51st annual banquet

BOONE — On Oct. 16, High Country Council of Governments held its annual awards ceremony at the Grandview Ballroom on Appalachian State University’s campus to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions by elected officials, local government employees, and advisory committee members. The High Country Council of Governments (HCCOG) is a regional organization dedicated to serving and supporting local governments in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties. Award winners were nominated by elected and appointed officials from the seven-county region. Mayor of Jefferson Peter Eller was selected as the 2026 Outstanding Local Elected Official in the High Country region. This award honors outstanding service and leadership to the community. This award is voted on by managers, administrators, staff, and local elected officials in the region. Few people know the Town of Jefferson as well as Peter Eller, and few have given more of themselves to it. A lifelong Jefferson resident, his service to the town began before he was old enough to vote: his very first summer job, taken in high school just after he earned his driver's license, was working for the Town of Jefferson. Decades later, he returned to lead it. Mayor Eller spent 35 years with

Jefferson, NC · 19h

wvlt.tv

website

Manufacturer to close another East TN plant, affecting dozens of workers

Tsubaki Nakashima has announced plans to close a second plant in East Tennessee. The plant is scheduled to close effective Dec. 17, 2027, affecting a total of 73 workers. The company said production carried out at the three plants it is closing will be transferred primarily to plants in India.

Mountain City, TN · 3d

Ashe Post & Times

partner publisher · 5.4K followers

Ashe County progressives strategize for future elections

WEST JEFFERSON — Patti Miller, a field canvasser for a local nonprofit, described her recent interaction with a voter while leaving a polling station who didn’t speak English as his primary language. While he isn’t fluent, she said his English was still “very good.” Still, she said the voter found the ballot intimidating to read. Miller and other voter rights advocates want to improve future access while eliminating implicit disenfranchisement. They plan to post a translated ballot at each Ashe County polling site so the confusion “won’t happen again.” Voter engagement goes beyond education, she explained. It’s about outreach and support, regardless of the outcome at the ballot box. “He voted and left content because he voted,” she said. Miller was among 18 local left-leaning voters who attended a post-election reflection meeting at Down Home North Carolina’s Ashe County Chapter on Nov. 4. Although Democrats secured major victories statewide, Ashe County voters backed Republican candidates in several closely contested races. Voters also approved three constitutional amendments that could reshape state and local government. While the amendments passed, the post-election group said the mobilization is groundwork for future campaigns. “I know a lot of people are discouraged by the amendments,” Democratic

Ashe County, NC · 1d

Ashe Post & Times

partner publisher · 5.4K followers

Ashe adopts values for 2027 property reappraisal

JEFFERSON — The Ashe County Board of Commissioners adopted the 2027 scheduled values on Nov. 2 for the county’s upcoming reappraisal. Ashe County is one of 37 counties statewide, including Watauga, Avery, and Alleghany, that will conduct reappraisals in 2027. Property tax revenues are Ashe County’s primary funding source. Ashe County Tax Administrator Chris Lambert expects the county’s tax base to increase by 28.3%. A schedule of values is an official county manual containing standardized pricing tables, building costs, and land rates used to calculate fair market property values during a revaluation, according to wake.gov . County governments must adopt a schedule of values before upcoming property revaluations. North Carolina requires tax assessors to appraise all real property uniformly at 100% of market value as of Jan. 2027, Lambert said. Lambert previously told the commissioners that his office’s 451-page schedule of values manual contains appraisal overviews, location codes, property and residential information, manufactured home data and rates, property classification charts, commercial information, present use value, and neighborhood pricing guides. His office will use the manual to reevaluate local property values for the next four years. Although state law requires county tax offices to reevaluate property every eight years, Ashe County

Ashe County, NC · 2d

wataugaonline.com

website

Hazardous Weather Outlook: Friday, November 13, 2026

Light snow, gusty winds and much colder air are the story across the High Country today. The National Weather Service in Blacksburg issued this Hazardous Weather Outlook at 3:02 a.m. Friday, and it includes both Watauga and Ashe counties. Today and Tonight. Light measurable snowfall is expected, with the highest...

Watauga County, NC · 4h

Metro News

website

Emotional week in store for Herd ahead of matchup against Appalachian State

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — This Saturday, there will be plenty of emotion in and around Joan C. Edwards Stadium when Marshall welcomes Appalachian State. The game will be played on the 56th anniversary of the 1970 plane crash near Tri-State Airport that resulted in the death of 75 Marshall football players, coaches, administrators, fans and the flight crew.

Huntington, WV · 1d

sevenlakes.news

website

Several Inches of Snow Possible for Boone, Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, and the Smokies Friday Into Saturday as Strong Cold Front Arrives

BOONE, N.C. — Snow lovers in the North Carolina mountains are in for a treat later this week. A strong cold front will sweep through the state Thursday into Friday, bringing the coldest air of the season statewide. Behind the front, gusty northwest winds will set up a classic northwest flow snow event across the higher elevations. Accumulating snow is expected mainly above 2,500 feet, with the best totals above 3,500 feet.

Boone, NC · 2d

nildealnow.com

website

First Accumulating Snow of the Season Brings 3 to 6 Inches to North Carolina Mountains Including Boone, Banner Elk, and Mount Mitchell

NORTH CAROLINA — The first accumulating snowfall of the season is underway for the highest elevations of the North Carolina mountains. Areas above 4,200 feet along the North Carolina and Tennessee border could see 3 to 6 inches or more, with bursts of snow on and off through Saturday morning. A strong cold front moving through the state is setting the stage for the coldest air of the season so far.

North Carolina · 10h

lastcar.info

website

CUP CHAMP: 1961: Jimmy Pardue

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina driver Jimmy Pardue picked up his first LASTCAR Cup Series Championship in 1961, breaking George Parrish’s single-season last-place record in 1955 by scoring five last-place finishes in forty-four starts during a fifty-two-race season. Pardue edged second-place Curtis Crider, soon to become the 1963 LASTCAR Cup Champion, and defending LASTCAR Cup Champion Junior Johnson. Johnson’s three finishes upped his career total to 11, giving him the most last-place finishes in NASCAR Cup Series history.

North Wilkesboro, NC · 1d

fastfoodclub.com

website

Hickory Locals Pack The Drive-Thru At This Family-Owned North Carolina Chicken Joint Instead Of Hitting Fast Food

Every weekday around lunchtime, a line of cars snakes around a small building on a busy Hickory highway. The people in those cars could hit any big chain in town, but they keep coming back here instead. Some of them drive half an hour, and at least a few have...

Hickory, NC · 1d

Carolina Public Press

partner publisher · 2.8K followers

Still counting votes. Some NC contests have flipped and others remain too close to call.

NC county boards of election will conduct canvass of votes on Nov. 13, after which protests or recount requests could still delay results.

North Carolina · 1d

Ashe Post & Times

partner publisher · 5.4K followers

County approves replacement sheriff’s vehicle lease

JEFFERSON — Ashe County Commissioners approved the sheriff’s office Enterprise lease agreement on Nov. 2 to replace a totaled patrol vehicle. Two ACSO vehicles were declared total losses in separate incidents, one involving a vehicle pursuit and another while an officer was transporting someone. After reviewing dashboard camera footage, ACSO staff determined the incidents were unavoidable. The pursuit also followed department policy, the sheriff’s office said. The ACSO also said other department vehicles sustained damage from deer collisions. County Manager Adam Stumb said the county has already received insurance credit for one vehicle and is “waiting to settle” the other claim. Stumb said the county would also save on lease payments for the remainder of the year by operating with one fewer vehicle. “At the end of the day, budget-wise, it’s close to a wash,” Stumb said of the replacement costs through insurance. Leveraging his EMS background, Commissioner Wes Greene requested additional details about the accidents for clarification while stating his position on driver safety with county equipment, comparing it to firearm safety training. “We receive safety credits from our insurance,” Greene explained. “Anytime we can do driver training, we receive safety credits which saves us money. I want to

Ashe County, NC · 1d