Notice

I am working on the template of this blog today in order to chase down some problems that have developed with my template and widgets.

Macon County Commissioners

Coverage of the meetings of the Macon County Board of County Commissioners.

Franklin Town Board of Aldermen

Coverage of the meetings of the Franklin Town Board of Aldermen.

Macon County School Board

Coverage of the meetings of the Macon County School Board.

Photoblog

Photos from my photoblog.

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

News and Weather Briefing for Wednesday, March 22, 2023



Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.

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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Russo-UKrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
Support Macon Media


GENERAL OUTLOOK

Dry high pressure moves east and off the Carolina coast today as a warm front crosses Tennessee bringing small shower chances to the mountains and foothills today. A warming southerly flow of air will then be seen for Thursday and Friday followed by a cold frontal passage on Saturday. Another rain maker crosses our region early next week.

Spring begins today at 5.24pm. Tomorrow will be the first full day of spring.

• March Equinox Fun Facts [xxx]

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Local Weather

General Forecast Through Friday Night





Franklin Area

Today

Rain likely, mainly between 11am and 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday

Sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Light winds out of the south early in the morning increasing and shifting to come out of the southwest 10 to 15 mph by midmorning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 70s.

Friday Night

Showers, mainly after midnight. Lows in the mid 50s. Chance of rain is 80%.
Highlands Plateau

Today

A 50 percent chance of rain, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 50. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 70. Winds out of the southwest 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the southwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 70. Windy.

Friday Night

Showers, mainly after midnight. The rain could be heavy at times. Lows in the mid 50s. Chance of rain is 80%.
Otto and South Central Macon County

Today

A 50 percent chance of rain, mainly between 7am and 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. Light and variable winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday

Sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 15 mph early in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest by midmorning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s.

Friday Night

Showers, mainly after midnight. Lows in the mid-to-upper 50s. Chance of rain is 80%.


Nantahala Area

Today

Rain likely, mainly between 9am and 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 54. Light south wind. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 40s. Winds out of the east 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday

Sunny, with highs near 70. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Friday

Partly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 70s.

Friday Night

Showers, mainly after 10pm. The rain could be heavy at times. Lows in the mid-to-upper 50s. Chance of rain is 80%.


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Hazards and Tropical Weather

Hazardous weather is not expected today.





Latest US Drought Monitor Map for North Carolina.

Space Weather Mystery Farside Blast and Earth-Directed Storms Launch | Solar Storm Forecast: 14 March 2023




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Almanac

24 Hour Smoke Forecast

No known appreciable smoke field will be crossing Macon County today or tonight.















PM2.5 AQI is 51 (MODERATE) for most of the county, and the ridges and other higher elevations PM2.5 AQI is 51 (MODERATE)


Fire and Smoke Map




Local Air Monitor

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium range (5.1 out of 12) today with Maple, Juniper, and Oak being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the high range (10.1 out of 12).



Record Weather Events for March 22nd

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 85°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2017
Lowest Temperature 10°F in Franklin in 1965
Greatest One-Day Rain 3.49 inches in Highlands in 1955
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 3.5 inches in Highlands in 1981

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of March Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 87°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 03-29-2020
Lowest Temperature -7°F in Highlands on 03-07-1899
Greatest Rainfall 6.61 inches in Highlands on 03-26-2021
Greatest Snowfall 25.5 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 03-13-1993

Record Weather Events for March 22nd in North Carolina

Highest Temperature 95°F in Belhaven, Beaufort County in 1921
Lowest Temperature 0°F in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 2013
Greatest Rainfall 4.70 inches in Henderson, Vance County in 1903
Greatest Snowfall 20.0 inches in Grandfather Mountain, Avery County in 2001
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of March Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 98°F in Belhaven, Beaufort County on 03-27-1921
Lowest Temperature -11°F in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 03-03-1980
Greatest Rainfall 10.10 inches in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County on 03-04-1979
Greatest Snowfall 36.00 in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 03-13-1993




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Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)

Friends of the Macon County Public Library Sets Used Bookstore Half-price Sale March 31 and April 1

WHAT: Friends of the Macon County Public Library (FOL) Used Bookstore Half-Price Sale
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1, 2023
WHERE: Friends of the Macon County Public Library Used Bookstore, 115 Highlands Rd., Franklin
WHY: Raise money to support programs and events at the library





No events have been submitted for Macon Calendar.
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Local and State News



• Missing: Macon County authorities ask public for help locating teenager [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• North Carolina Is Working On Cleaning Up Voter Rolls [ WRGC-AM/FM (Sylva, NC) ]

• Transparency bill advances at state legislature, in process lacking transparency [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• Under the Dome Updates: Domestic violence victims could be allowed to testify remotely [Raleigh News and Observer]

• Q&A: Why did the State Employees Association of North Carolina sever ties with the SEIU? [BPR]

Proposed State Budget for 2023-2025 [Download PDF]



• Macon County Board of Commissioners March 2023 Regular Meeting [Macon Media]


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National and World News Roundup

The System that Fuels Media Negativity | Wendover Productions



• Bomb Threat Called In to New York Court Where Trump Hearing Held [Bloomberg]

• The Legal Intricacies That Could Make or Break the Case Against Trump [New York Times]

Legal expert warns this is 'most serious violation of the rule of law’ | Fox Business



Schiff: GOP targeting Manhattan DA is right from ‘autocratic playbook’ | MSNBC



LIVE: Biden to announce new national monuments at conservation summit | NBC News



• A Proclamation on Establishment of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument [The White House]

• A Proclamation on the Establishment of the Castner Range National Monument, 2023 [The White House]

• Biden designates area sacred to tribes as largest national monument of his presidency [CNN]

• Group of kids stops man from kidnapping student at Maryland school bus stop, police say [NBC News]

• The potentially deadly Candida auris fungus is spreading quickly in the U.S. [NPR]

• Video shows Va. deputies pile on top of Irvo Otieno before his death [Washington Post]

• Fox News producer files explosive lawsuits against the network, alleging she was coerced into providing misleading Dominion testimony [CNN]

• Death toll rises after earthquake hits Afghanistan, Pakistan [Al Jazeera]

• The FBI raided a notable journalist's home. Rolling Stone didn't tell readers why [Rolling Stone]

• Press freedom is under attack in Europe. Greece is Exhibit A [Courthouse News Service]

• Trump seeks to block Georgia election interference criminal charges [CNBC]

• Man gets 4 years for attacking police at Jan. 6 Capitol riot [AP News]

Washington Today (3-21-23): Speaker says House GOP not focused on possible Donald Trump indictment | C-SPAN RADIO



Global National: March 21, 2023 | Katie Telford to testify in election interference probe



Nightly News Full Broadcast (March 21st)


PBS NewsHour full episode, (March 21, 2022




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COVID-19 News and Updates

Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes local, regional, state, national, and global items.



COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County:






• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]

In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 11:31am CET, 16 March 2023, there have been 102,417,985 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,113,229 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 10 February 2023, a total of 662,514,513 vaccine doses have been administered.

Globally, as of 11:31am CET, 16 March 2023, there have been 760,360,956 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,873,477 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 12 March 2023, a total of 13,232,780,775 vaccine doses have been administered.


• How immune are we? Why answering this question is essential for post-pandemic life [ Los Angeles Times ]

• An observational multi-centric COVID-19 sequelae study among health care workers [ The Lancet ]

• Newly released Chinese Covid data points to infected animals in Wuhan [ The Guardian ]

• From addiction treatment to nursing homes, end of COVID emergency will bring changes across U.S. health care system [ CBS News ]

• Ignoring experts, China's sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives [ ABC News ]

As COVID-19 protection measures go away, high-risk Americans remain concerned | ABC News



TWiV 992: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin | Microbe TV



• TWiV 993: COVID-19 drives autoimmunity [Microbe TV]

• TWiV 992: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]




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Science and Technology News Roundup

• RNA compound and vitamin B3 found in samples from near-Earth asteroid [CNN]

• Hyundai Promises To Keep Buttons in Cars Because Touchscreen Controls Are Dangerous [The Drive]

• Former Meta recruiter claims she got paid $190,000 a year to do ‘nothing’ amid company’s layoffs [UK Independent]

• Amazon kills DPReview, the best camera review site on the web [TechCrunch]

• More than $1.6M stolen in General Bytes hack [SC Magazine]

• Judge dismisses gamers’ claims that Microsoft-Activision merger will spoil gaming [ARS TECHNICA]

• Z-Library returns, aims to avoid seizures by giving each user a secret URL [ARS TECHNICA]


Evergreen Links

• Red Dead Online player bids farewell to Google Stadia save by releasing horse they named after their departed daughter [Games Radar]

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History 69 - Twilight of the Æsir



Hardcore History: AddendumEP24 Manifesting the Muse with Rick | Dan Carlin



• Neal Stephenson’s Lamina1 drops white paper on building the open metaverse [Venture Beat] [PDF of White paper]

• Yes, the Great Books Make Us Better People [New York Times]


How Do We Know What We Know? Philosophy of Science | Fraser Cain






Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics

The Level1 Show March 22 2023: Bring Out Your Dead (Google Projects)! | Level1 Techs



Amazon Shutters DP Reviews - DTNS 4481 | Daily Tech News



How the Internet was Stolen | Then and Now



Is Aquaponics the Future of Agriculture? | Undecided with Matt Ferrell



Why Construction Projects Always Go Over Budget | Practical Engineering



Strange Object OJ 287 Was Supposed to Erupt in 2022, But Didn't | Antov Petrov



What Is Energy? | Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains… | Star Talk



The Top 10 Astronomical Discoveries of 2022 (part 1) | ParallaxNick



The Top 10 Astronomical Discoveries of 2022 (part 2) | ParallaxNick



Sam Harris: Trump, Pandemic, Twitter, Elon, Bret, IDW, Kanye, AI and UFOs | Lex Fridman Podcast #365





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Special Section: The Russo-Ukrainian War
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)



• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 21 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF for March 21th]

• Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 392 [Al Jazeera]

• Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 391: Blasts in occupied Crimea [Euromaiden Press]


• Putin warns UK over depleted uranium tank shells for Ukraine [Al Jazeera]

• Japan PM vows continued support for Ukraine in unannounced visit [Kyodo News]

• U.S. Abrams tanks to make it to Ukraine this fall: report [TVP World]

• How Ukraine has maintained its energy supply despite the war [DW News]

• Ukraine to clinch first IMF loan to nation at war [BBC News]

Ukraine - Living with war | DW Documentary



How Putin’s meetings with Xi could impact the war in Ukraine | NBC News



Retired Navy SEAL: Ukrainians will go on the offensive as soon as the roads allow | Rock Rachon



Japan and China top-level visits to Russia and Ukraine show global re-alignments | DW News



Japan’s Fumio Kishida heads to Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Al Jazeera




News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or Video About the Russian Perspective

Russia is Annihilating Ukraine's Last Soldiers | Straight Calls with Douglas Macgregor



• Multiple agreements crown historic Putin-Xi meeting [Russia Today]

• Xi Jinping takes beautiful revenge on Biden for Pelosi's Taiwan visit [Pravda]

• Russia investigates Ukrainian drone attack on its oil pumping station [TASS Russian News Agency]





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On This Day

March 22 is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 284 days remain until the end of the year.



Historical Events

(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)




106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.

235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.

871 – Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.

1185 – Battle of Yashima: the Japanese forces of the Taira clan are defeated by the Minamoto clan.

1312 – Vox in excelso: Pope Clement V dissolves the Order of the Knights Templar.

1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.

1621 – The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.

1622 – Jamestown massacre: Algonquians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.

1631 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.

1638 – Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.

1739 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.

1765 – The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.

1784 – The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.

1794 – The Slave Trade Act of 1794 bans the export of slaves from the United States, and prohibits American citizens from outfitting a ship for the purpose of importing slaves.

1829 – In the London Protocol, the three protecting powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.

1849 – The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.

1871 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.

1873 – The Spanish National Assembly abolishes slavery in Puerto Rico.

1894 – The Stanley Cup ice hockey competition is held for the first time, in Montreal, Canada.

1895 – Before the Société pour L'Encouragement à l'Industrie, brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière demonstrate movie film technology publicly for the first time.

1896 – Charilaos Vasilakos wins the first modern Olympic marathon race with a time of three hours and 18 minutes.

1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris.

1913 – Mystic Phan Xích Long, the self-proclaimed Emperor of Vietnam, is arrested for organising a revolt against the colonial rule of French Indochina, which was nevertheless carried out by his supporters the following day.

1916 – Yuan Shikai abdicates as Emperor of China, restoring the Republic and returning to the Presidency.

1920 – Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attack the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).

1933 – Cullen–Harrison Act: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an amendment to the Volstead Act, legalizing the manufacture and sale of "3.2 beer" (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume) and light wines.

1933 – Nazi Germany opens its first concentration camp, Dachau.

1934 – The first Masters Tournament is held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

1939 – Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.

1942 – World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy's Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.

1943 – World War II: The entire village of Khatyn (in what is the present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118.

1945 – World War II: The city of Hildesheim, Germany is heavily damaged in a British air raid, though it had little military significance and Germany was on the verge of final defeat.

1945 – The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.

1946 – The United Kingdom grants full independence to Transjordan.

1960 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.

1963 – The Beatles release their debut album Please Please Me.

1972 – The United States Congress sends the Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.

1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.

1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.

1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope suspended between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1982 – NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.

1988 – The United States Congress votes to override President Ronald Reagan's veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987.

1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after takeoff from New York City's LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.

1992 – Fall of communism in Albania: The Democratic Party of Albania wins a decisive majority in the parliamentary election.

1993 – The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.

1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.

1997 – Tara Lipinski, aged 14 years and nine months, becomes the youngest women's World Figure Skating Champion.

1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp reaches its closest approach to Earth at 1.315 AU.

2004 – Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force Hellfire missiles.

2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.

2013 – At least 37 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand.

2016 – Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.

2017 – A terrorist attack in London near the Houses of Parliament leaves four people dead and at least 20 injured.

2017 – Syrian civil war: Five hundred members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are airlifted south of the Euphrates by United States Air Force helicopters, beginning the Battle of Tabqa.

2019 – The Special Counsel investigation on the 2016 United States presidential election concludes when Robert Mueller submits his report to the United States Attorney General.

2019 – Two buses crashed in Kitampo, a town north of Ghana's capital Accra, killing at least 50 people.

2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country's largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

2020 – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announces a national lockdown and the country's first ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

2021 – Ten people are killed in a mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado.

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Support Macon Media

If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.



Become a Patron!



Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia


Published at 5:00am on Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Author: Bobby Coggins


Resources used to compile the information in this article include, but are not limited to the following websites or books: MaconMedia.com, youtube.com, weather.gov, airnow.gov, wikipedia.com, onthisday.com, ncdcr.gov, ncsu.edu, utah.edu, https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/, wolfram.com, biorxiv.org, aps.org, nejm.org, plos.org, cell.com, researchsquare.com, cureus.com, spc.noaa.gov, nhc.noaa.gov, ncdenr.org, medrxiv.org, archive.org, ncpedia.org, nasa.gov, https://ww2days.com, nih.gov, carolinapublicpress.org, microbe.tv, smokymountainnews.com, psypost.org, blogspot.com, pollen.com, franklinnc.com, maconnc.org, spaceweather.com, solarham.com, loc.gov, ncleg.net, senate.gov, house.gov, whitehouse.gov, drudgereport.com, politico.com, realclearpolitics.com, ushmm.org, This Day in North Carolina History, World War II Day By Day, The Holocaust Encyclopedia, The Timetables of History, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The World History and Book of Facts (multiple years), On This Day In History: Over 4,000 facts, The NASA Archives. 60 Years in Space, This Day in North Carolina History, The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future, Spaceflight, 2nd Edition: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Curiousity, The Story of Civilization (11 volumes), The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, American History, Volume 1: 1492-1877, American History, Volume 2: 1877 - Present, A Complete Chronolgy of the Second World War. Weather and Almanac data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, Ian Webster's Github, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and the Weather Prediction Center. 

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Daily News and Weather Briefing for Tuesday, March 21, 2023



Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.

Back to Top
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Russo-UKrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
Support Macon Media


GENERAL OUTLOOK

Dry high pressure continues over the southeast and persists through most of the week, with a quick chance for minimal rain in the mountains on Wednesday. High pressure moves eastward by mid week with warmer temperatures by the end of the week. A weak cold front should approach the area by the weekend, briefly increasing rain chances. Another front arrives to start next week bringing another brief chance of rain.

Spring begins today at 5.24pm. Tomorrow will be the first full day of spring.

• March Equinox Fun Facts [xxx]

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Weather Sponsor



Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.

Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC

All your masonry needs are available. Our phone number is 828.524.8545, the public is welcome, we̢۪ll help you with your next project.





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Local Weather

General Forecast Through Thursday Night





Franklin Area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 10 mph.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers before 8am, then a slight chance of showers after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 20%.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the south 3 to 6 mph.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 50s.
Highlands Plateau

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers before 8am, then a slight chance of showers after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 50. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 20%.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 50s.
Otto and South Central Macon County

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Calm winds early in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 9 mph by midmorning.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 30s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers before 8am, then a slight chance of showers after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 20%.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 70s.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 50s.


Nantahala Area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Calm winds early in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph by midmorning.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 30s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly between 11am and 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 50s. Light and variable winds early in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph by midmorning. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the south around 5 mph.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 70.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 50s.


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Hazards and Tropical Weather

Hazardous weather is not expected today.





Latest US Drought Monitor Map for North Carolina.

Space Weather Mystery Farside Blast and Earth-Directed Storms Launch | Solar Storm Forecast: 14 March 2023




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Almanac

24 Hour Smoke Forecast

No known appreciable smoke field will be crossing Macon County today or tonight.















PM2.5 AQI is 50 (GOOD) for most of the county, and the ridges and other higher elevations PM2.5 AQI is 50 (GOOD)


Fire and Smoke Map




Local Air Monitor

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium-high range (8.7 out of 12) today with Maple, Juniper, and Oak being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium range (6.6 out of 12).



Record Weather Events for March 21st

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 81°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1968
Lowest Temperature 8°F in Franklin in 1965
Greatest One-Day Rain 2.80 inches in Franklin in 1980
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 1.8 inches in Highlands in 1960 (also a state record)

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of March Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 87°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 03-29-2020
Lowest Temperature -7°F in Highlands on 03-07-1899
Greatest Rainfall 6.61 inches in Highlands on 03-26-2021
Greatest Snowfall 25.5 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 03-13-1993

Record Weather Events for March 21st in North Carolina

Highest Temperature 91°F in Louisburg, Franklin County in 1948
Lowest Temperature 1°F in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 2013 /> Greatest Rainfall 3.55 inches in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County in 1980
Greatest Snowfall 29.0 inches in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 2001
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of March Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 98°F in Belhaven, Beaufort County on 03-27-1921
Lowest Temperature -11°F in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 03-03-1980
Greatest Rainfall 10.10 inches in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County on 03-04-1979
Greatest Snowfall 36.00 in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 03-13-1993




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Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)

Tuesday, March 14th

Macon County Board of Commissioners Monthly Meeting at 6.00pm in the Commissioners Board on the third floor of the county courthouse. Access is through the rear parking lot. [Download PDF of Agenda Packet]





No events have been submitted for Macon Calendar.
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Local and State News



• NC will soon eliminate corporate taxes. Democrats say it'll force working people to pay more. [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• Blue Cross NC seeks less regulation, more flexibility, but would it affect customers? [Raleigh News and Observer]

• ER wait times increase and contagious virus circulates through WNC [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• The Bambi effect: Are deer a bigger threat to NC forests than climate change? [Asheville Citizen-Times]

Proposed State Budget for 2023-2025 [Download PDF]



• Macon County Board of Commissioners March 2023 Regular Meeting [Macon Media]


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National and World News Roundup

Manhattan grand jury hears from final witnesses in Trump investigation | WABC-TV (New York City, NY)



New York Young Republican Club rallies for Donald Trump | WABC-TV (New York City, NY)



• Some Trump supporters ambivalent on calls for protests [AP News]

• Family of Toddler Who Died After Ingesting Fentanyl at Florida Airbnb Files Suit [WTVJ-TV (Miami, FL)]

• Protesters set rubbish on fire as French govt barely survives no-confidence vote [Reuters]

• Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews [Stars and Stripes]

• Six Oath Keepers convicted in connection with January 6 US Capitol riot [CNN]

Washington Today (3/20/2023): President Biden issues first veto | C-SPAN RADIO



Global National: March 20, 2023 | What Xi and Putin's talks on deeper ties could mean



Nightly News Full Broadcast (March 20th)


PBS NewsHour full episode, (March 20, 2022




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COVID-19 News and Updates

Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes local, regional, state, national, and global items.



COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County:






• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]

In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 11:31am CET, 16 March 2023, there have been 102,417,985 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,113,229 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 10 February 2023, a total of 662,514,513 vaccine doses have been administered.

Globally, as of 11:31am CET, 16 March 2023, there have been 760,360,956 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,873,477 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 12 March 2023, a total of 13,232,780,775 vaccine doses have been administered.


• Lab Leak or Not? How Politics Shaped the Battle Over Covid’s Origin [New York Times]

• Biden signs legislation to declassify certain intelligence on Covid pandemic origins [ CNBC ]

• SARS-CoV-2 infection weakens immune-cell response to vaccination [ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) ]

• Genetic evidence of susceptible wildlife in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples at the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, Wuhan: Analysis and interpretation of data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control [ Zenodo ]

As COVID-19 protection measures go away, high-risk Americans remain concerned | ABC News



TWiV 992: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin | Microbe TV



• TWiV 993: COVID-19 drives autoimmunity [Microbe TV]

• TWiV 992: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]




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Science and Technology News Roundup

• The Internet Archive is defending its digital library in court today (Monday, March 20th) [The Verge]

• EV batteries lack repairability leading some insurers to junk whole cars after even minor collisions [Yahoo! Finance]

• Google was beloved as an employer for years. Then it laid off thousands by email [CNN]

• File-sharing site Zippyshare shutting down after 17 years [Bleeping Computer]

• “Cosmic Concrete” Made From Extra-Terrestrial Dust Is Twice As Strong as Regular Concrete [SciTechDaily]

• Z-Library returns, aims to avoid seizures by giving each user a secret URL [ARS TECHNICA]


Evergreen Links

• Red Dead Online player bids farewell to Google Stadia save by releasing horse they named after their departed daughter [Games Radar]

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History 69 - Twilight of the Æsir



Hardcore History: AddendumEP24 Manifesting the Muse with Rick | Dan Carlin



• Neal Stephenson’s Lamina1 drops white paper on building the open metaverse [Venture Beat] [PDF of White paper]

• Yes, the Great Books Make Us Better People [New York Times]


How Do We Know What We Know? Philosophy of Science | Fraser Cain






Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics

The Level1 Show March 21 2023: The Ant Man and the Grasshopper | Level1 Techs



Qualcomm Beat Apple to the Automotive Punch - DTNS 4480 | Daily Tech News



Open Space March 20th 2023: Live QA with Fraser | Fraser Cain



Something Crashed on the Moon Creating a Bright Flash, But How Frequent Are These? | Antov Petrov



How Quantum Computers Break The Internet... Starting Now | Veritasium



Internet Archive Sued By Book Publishers | TWiT TV



JWST Found Six "Impossible" Galaxies. Here's What The Researchers Have To Say | Fraser Cain



The Top 10 Astronomical Discoveries of 2022 (part 1) | ParallaxNick



The Top 10 Astronomical Discoveries of 2022 (part 2) | ParallaxNick



Sam Harris: Trump, Pandemic, Twitter, Elon, Bret, IDW, Kanye, AI and UFOs | Lex Fridman Podcast #365





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Special Section: The Russo-Ukrainian War
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)



• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 20 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF for March 20th]

• Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 391 [Al Jazeera]

• Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 390: Putin visits occupied Mariupol [Euromaiden Press]


• Slovakia to transfer 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine, after Poland gives four [Defense News]

• China’s Xi praises Putin’s ‘strong leadership’ as they meet in Moscow [TVP World]

• Russia says jet scrambled as US B-52 bombers fly over Baltic Sea [Al Jazeera]

• Donetsk town of Lyman left in rubble after relentless Russian shelling [France 24]

• Ukraine says Russian missiles destroyed in Crimea [BBC News]

• Russia Tried to Freeze Ukraine. Here’s How It Survived the Winter. [Wall Street Journal]

Putin visits Russian-occupied Mariupol in Ukraine | Al Jazeera



Wanted war criminal Vladimir Putin revisits Mariupol crime scene - World News | TVP World



Russia's Winter Offensive in Ukraine - From Bakhmut to Vuhledar, outcomes, lessons, and costs | Perun



Bakhmut Holds - Chinese Plan - Russian Invasion of Ukraine | Kings and Generals




News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or Video About the Russian Perspective

Interview: We Will No Longer Support This War Against Russia | Straight Calls with Douglas Macgregor



• Russia bans SWIFT [Russia Today]

• Russian forces destroy column of NATO armoured vehicles in Ukraine [Pravda]

• US obsessed with idea of dealing strategic blow to Russia, says envoy [TASS Russian News Agency]





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On This Day

March 21st is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 285 days remain until the end of the year.



Historical Events

(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)




537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius.

630 – Emperor Heraclius returns the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem.

717 – Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid.

1152 – Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

1188 – Emperor Antoku accedes to the throne of Japan.

1556 – On the day of his execution in Oxford, former archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer deviates from the scripted sermon by renouncing the recantations he has made and adds, "And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christ's enemy, and Antichrist with all his false doctrine."

1788 – A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.

1800 – With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché.

1801 – The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis near Alexandria in Egypt.

1804 – Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law.

1814 – Napoleonic Wars: Austrian forces repel French troops in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube.

1844 – The Baháʼí calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Baháʼí calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Baháʼí Faith as the Baháʼí New Year or Náw-Rúz.

1861 – Alexander Stephens gives the Cornerstone Speech.

1871 – Otto von Bismarck is appointed as the first Chancellor of the German Empire.

1871 – Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.

1918 – World War I: The first phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, begins.

1919 – The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.

1921 – The New Economic Policy is implemented by the Bolshevik Party in response to the economic failure as a result of war communism.

1925 – The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee.

1925 – Syngman Rhee is removed from office after being impeached as the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

1928 – Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.

1935 – Shah of Iran Reza Shah Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran.

1937 – Ponce massacre: Nineteen people in Ponce, Puerto Rico are gunned down by police acting on orders of the US-appointed Governor, Blanton C. Winship.

1943 – Wehrmacht officer Rudolf von Gersdorff plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler by using a suicide bomb, but the plan falls through; von Gersdorff is able to defuse the bomb in time and avoid suspicion.

1945 – World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.

1945 – World War II: Operation Carthage: Royal Air Force planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also accidentally hit a school, killing 125 civilians.

1945 – World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully complete their defense of the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills concludes.

1946 – The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in professional American football since 1933.

1952 – Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.

1960 – Apartheid: Sharpeville massacre, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.

1963 – Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (in California) closes.

1965 – Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9, the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes.

1965 – Martin Luther King Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

1968 – Battle of Karameh in Jordan between the Israel Defense Forces and the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and PLO.

1970 – The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Joseph Alioto, Mayor of San Francisco.

1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War.

1983 – The first cases of the 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic begin; Israelis and Palestinians accuse each other of poison gas, but the cause is later determined mostly to be psychosomatic.

1986 – Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships

1989 – Transbrasil Flight 801 crashes into a slum near São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, killing 25 people.

1990 – Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.

1994 – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change enters into force.

1999 – Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.

2000 – Pope John Paul II makes his first ever pontifical visit to Israel.

2006 – The social media site Twitter is founded.

2019 – The 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion occurs, killing at least 47 people and injuring 640 others.

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Published at 5:00am on Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Author: Bobby Coggins


Resources used to compile the information in this article include, but are not limited to the following websites or books: MaconMedia.com, youtube.com, weather.gov, airnow.gov, wikipedia.com, onthisday.com, ncdcr.gov, ncsu.edu, utah.edu, https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/, wolfram.com, biorxiv.org, aps.org, nejm.org, plos.org, cell.com, researchsquare.com, cureus.com, spc.noaa.gov, nhc.noaa.gov, ncdenr.org, medrxiv.org, archive.org, ncpedia.org, nasa.gov, https://ww2days.com, nih.gov, carolinapublicpress.org, microbe.tv, smokymountainnews.com, psypost.org, blogspot.com, pollen.com, franklinnc.com, maconnc.org, spaceweather.com, solarham.com, loc.gov, ncleg.net, senate.gov, house.gov, whitehouse.gov, drudgereport.com, politico.com, realclearpolitics.com, ushmm.org, This Day in North Carolina History, World War II Day By Day, The Holocaust Encyclopedia, The Timetables of History, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The World History and Book of Facts (multiple years), On This Day In History: Over 4,000 facts, The NASA Archives. 60 Years in Space, This Day in North Carolina History, The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future, Spaceflight, 2nd Edition: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Curiousity, The Story of Civilization (11 volumes), The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, American History, Volume 1: 1492-1877, American History, Volume 2: 1877 - Present, A Complete Chronolgy of the Second World War. Weather and Almanac data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, Ian Webster's Github, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and the Weather Prediction Center.