Thurmond
“My whole goal in this was to go down there and get with the locals because the locals are just like us,” said Delilah Brady, who turned the microphone around and faced the audience. “I wanted to find all the negatives…. I went everywhere and I talked to everybody and they were happy. It was almost like they lived in this little utopia or something… Overall, I mean, everybody liked them.” Goodge owned data centers made a big impression on Carroll County visitors. Carroll County pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat James River 40-20 in Buchanan, Va. on Friday, November 6, in the process completing the first perfect regular season in program history. “It’s a blessing,” said running back Hunter Gravley. “This is something I thought Carroll County would never see and I’m just grateful to be part of it.”
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.
The High Country could see its first snowfall of the season this weekend. National Weather Service meteorologists said Ashe and Watauga counties could see some hazardous weather starting Friday morning, with gusty winds and snow showers in the forecast. Some areas could get as much as three inches of snow.
Data centers have been front-and-center in both local and national debate, including just across the border in Virginia, where opposition to a proposed data center there has been widespread, including among some county officials. But a few county officials, along with residents, who generally opposed such centers may be changing their minds after several visited a Google-owned data center in Jackson County, Alabama. A public hearing regarding the recently adopted Emergency Data Center Ordinance occurred at the beginning of a recent Board of Supervisors meeting in Carroll County, with the goal of making the emergency ordinance permanent. The Data Center Ordinance was formulated to place restrictions on data centers locating in the county and includes limits to water consumption, noise pollution and places strict decommissioning requirements on facilities after they close. Delilah Brady spoke during the public hearing portion of the meeting and requested that the supervisors adapt the emergency data center ordinance and make it a permanent part of the county code. The Data Center Ordinance was subsequently adopted by a unanimous vote of the board. Google has expressed an interest in locating a data center on a piece of property owned by a private landowner near the Wildwood
JEFFERSON — Members of the Rotary Club of Ashe County made a visit to American Emergency Vehicles (AEV) for a facility tour this week. James Reed and Roy Badger had the privilege of providing an extensive tour of AEV’s operation, showcasing the people, processes, and teamwork that go into building world-class emergency vehicles. The Rotary Club of Ashe County is a volunteer-driven organization made up of business, civic, and community leaders dedicated to improving the local community through service, scholarships, economic development, charitable initiatives and leadership. For more than 75 years, their efforts have helped strengthen Ashe County through community projects, educational support, and service to others. AEV appreciates the opportunity to share what they do at AEV and are grateful for organizations like the Rotary Club that continue to make a lasting impact across Ashe County. Thank you for your visit and for all you do to support the community!
Julia Howard has represented the people of her district since the 1980s, and she is heading back to Raleigh for at least two more years. The incumbent in District 77 […]
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
Following the Nov. 3 midterm elections, the Surry County Board of Elections met Tuesday afternoon to review and vote on provisional ballots, giving partial or full approval to 148 of 244 of the ballots. As with many meetings held to verify results following the election, several attendees were present to oversee the three-and-a-half-hour process. During the public forum, some attendees voiced their gratitude to the board and thanked them for running a smooth election. “We’re family right here. We got a good board,” Surry County Board of Elections Chair Chris White said following the public forum portion of the meeting. “I’m very appreciative of my board.” Elections Director Sydney Bedsaul Romine organized the review of provisional ballots into nine categories. Each ballot, which has been researched and reviewed by two election staff members, was reviewed once again in the meeting, this time by the board, where they were either approved or not approved based on state recommendations and guidelines. Some votes were partially approved based on conditions the ballot met or did not meet, which required the board to manually remark partially approved ballots on the correct ballot style. In all, 148 provisional ballots were approved by the board —
Alexander County Economic Development and The Taylorsville Times are partnering again this year to promote local businesses through the Thirteenth Annual Alexander County Readers’ Choice Awards. In the special section inside the Nov. 11, 2026 print issue, there is a complete listing of the many businesses that were voted...
The Stony Point Volunteer Fire Department recently held its 19th Annual Cruise-In. The department’s parking lot was overflowing with an amazing showcase of cars and trucks. Local cruisers make this annual event such a success and this year included numerous new cruisers. This year’s theme was “Small Town BIG...
Appalachian Community Histories – Woodlawn, Carroll County: From a Historic School to Agricultural Education and Appalachian Music. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia, between the communities of Galax and Hillsville, lies Woodlawn, a Carroll County community whose history reaches well beyond its rural roads and surrounding farmland. For generations, Woodlawn was a place where families gathered around churches, schools, businesses, and agricultural traditions, while musicians carried the sounds of the mountains into homes and eventually recording studios across the country.
