UPDATE: WLOS reports that four of six Charlotte-based Air National Guards members died in a Sunday, July 1, crash in South Dakota where crews are fighting wildfires. UPDATE: The Charlotte Observer reports that at least one crew member is dead and three survivors were taken to a nearby hospital: “While the Air Force has declined […]
Author: Margaret Williams
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N.C. Senate overrides Gov. Perdue’s veto of fracking bill
From the Raleigh News&Observer: The state Senate voted to override Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of legislation that would legalize fracking in the state, setting up a showdown in the N.C. House. The Senate voted 29 to 13 after a brief discussion. A three-fifths majority is required to override a gubernatorial veto. … Read more here: […]
Area students earn scholarships from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
PRESS RELEASE The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently approved scholarships totaling $360,450 to 94 students from Western North Carolina. The Foundation administers approximately 60 scholarships funds, about 40 of which run a spring cycle offered to high school seniors each year. “The students we talked with are an interesting group, who want to […]
Storms across N.C. kill 3 in east; many WNC residents without power
The Associated Press reported earlier today, July 2, that three were killed in last night’s severe thunderstorms. The deaths occurred in the east part of the state. In Western North Carolina, most of the remaining power outages appear to be in Mitchell County, with scattered outages in Buncombe and surrounding counties.
N.C. Utilities Commission approves Duke-Progress Energy merger
PRESS RELEASE The North Carolina Utilities Commission announced today its approval of the proposed merger between Duke Energy Corporation and Progress Energy, Inc. The combined company will serve approximately 3 million customers in North Carolina. “In light of consolidation now underway in the energy sector, we believe this merger will best serve the interests of […]
Air-quality officials issue health notice for all North Carolina regions
PRESS RELEASE Air quality officials have issued a health notice for air pollution for all North Carolina air quality forecast regions on Friday. Forecasters have predicted Code Orange conditions in most major metropolitan areas and high mountain elevations, which means that air quality is likely to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. People who are sensitive […]
Western Carolina Medical Society releases statement on Supreme Court health-care decision
PRESS RELEASE Miriam Schwarz, CEO of the Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) and Dr. Cynthia Brown, President of the WCMS Association have issued the following statement in response to today’s Supreme Court ruling. WCMS plans to study the impact of today’s Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and […]
N.C.‘s Rep. Heath Shuler releases statement on Supreme Court health-care ruling
PRESS RELEASE Today U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC) released the following statement following the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act: “Independent of today’s Supreme Court ruling I continue to believe that we must work together to improve key health care policies including curbing the cost of health care and preventing illness instead of […]
N.C.‘s Sen. Richard Burr releases statement on Supreme Court’s health-care ruling
PRESS RELEASE Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision on the president’s health care law: “The Court has now fulfilled its obligation as final arbiter of the constitutionality of the President’s health care law, and I thank them for their service. While the Court has been […]
The Mountaineer: Father, son struck by lightning near Blue Ridge Parkway
From The Mountaineer (Waynesville, NC), June 22: A man and his son were airlifted out of the Blue Ridge Parkway Friday evening after their tent was struck by lightning. The call came in around 1:45 p.m. after a violent thunderstorm swept across Western North Carolina. …
Hendersonville Times-News: Seven area residents arrested in copper theft ring
From BlueRidgeNow.com (the Hendersonville Times-News site): Six Hendersonville residents and a Saluda man have been arrested and charged in connection with a copper theft ring, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. Henderson County deputies have been investigating numerous reports of stolen copper in recent months, according to a news release issued Wednesday by Capt. […]
U.S. Geological Survey: Sea level rise increasing three to four times faster on part of East Coast
PRESS RELEASE from the U.S. Geological Survey: Rates of sea level rise are increasing three-to-four times faster along portions of the U.S. Atlantic Coast than globally, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report published in Nature Climate Change. Since about 1990, sea-level rise in the 600-mile stretch of coastal zone from Cape Hatteras, N.C. […]
Raleigh News&Observer: Decision on Progress-Duke Energy merger could come “any day”
From the Raleigh News&Observer: “The state’s lead utility regulator suggested Monday that a much-anticipated N.C. Utilities Commission ruling on the proposed merger between Progress Energy and Duke Energy could come any day. … The Progress-Duke merger was approved earlier this month by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which imposed more than a dozen conditions. Those […]
Land-of-Sky gets $60,000 grant for an Neighborhood Water Watch project in Brevard
PRESS RELEASE The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $60,000 grant to Land of Sky Regional Council for a Brevard, N.C., project: The Regional Council will build stewardship within the Rosenwald neighborhood through education, hands-on activities, identification of water quality concerns, and the development of a watershed action plan. The project builds on a […]
Go fishin’ in Haywood County’s Mountain Heritage Trout Waters (July 4 is free-fishing day in N.C.)
PRESS RELEASE If you’re planning a trip to Western North Carolina and looking for affordable things to do as well as experience activities that are indigenous to the area, trout fishing is a great option in Haywood County. A three-day license can be purchased for only $5 for fishing in designated “Mountain Heritage Trout Waters.” […]
WCQS gets new frequency restores service to Brevard-area listeners
PRESS RELEASE A new frequency for WCQS restores service to listeners in Transylvania County! WCQS can now be heard on 105.1 FM. This replaces WCQS’ old frequency at 91.9, which has experienced significant interference from a transmitter out of Cokesbury, SC since last fall. Since translators do not have the same protected status as primary […]
Seen a fox during the day or in the city? N.C. Wildlife Resources Commissions offers a few tips
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding residents that foxes sighted in daylight, or in urban and suburban settings, are not necessarily rabid or dangerous. In addition, residents can take action to avoid conflict with these common animals. Simply seeing a fox is not typically a cause for alarm. In most cases, people who merely […]
Bellyak! ACT profiles a local invention, local entrepreneurs
“Bellyak is a noun — a type of boat and a sport. The verb is to bellyak or to go bellyaking, or bodyboating. It is an adjective synonymous with fun, as in: ‘Adam Masters has a bellyaching lifestyle,’” the Asheville Citizen-Times‘ Karen Chavez reports in “Riding the Bellyak wave Asheville entrepreneurs create new boat, new […]
NC DOT will hold public meeting Monday, June 25, on redesign of Airport Road, I-26 interchange
If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic at the Airport Road, Interstate 26 interchange south of Asheville, you might be interested in the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s new idea for addressing the problem: a “divergent diamond interchange.” A DDI “allows two directions of traffic to temporarily cross to the left side of the road. […]
Citizen-Times: Local fire chiefs oppose downtown Business Improvement District
” Fire chiefs and some town officials are opposing a proposed downtown tax district, saying it would drain important money from rural fire stations and small municipalities,” the Asheville Citizen-Times‘ Joel Burgess reports. “District proponents, though, say fire departments and other sales tax recipients will actually get more money because of downtown improvements.”
After heavy rains, power outage, Transit system customer service phone lines down
PRESS RELEASE Damage from heavy rains this afternoon caused a power outage at transit operations, severely limiting the number of working customer service phone lines available for the ART system. Citizens will likely experience a busy signal until repairs can be made. Updates will be sent as more information becomes available. This release can be […]