Melissa Faetz is Region 8 Teacher of the Year

Melissa Faetz of South Macon Elementary has been named Teacher of the Year in Region 8 of the North Carolina School system that covers the western region of the state. She found out this afternoon at a surprise announcement at a school gathering in the gymnasium at the school where she teaches first grade. She is currently the Teacher of the Year for Macon County. Here is the video and a few photos from the event. ...

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Macon County Planning Board December 2013 Meeting

The Macon County Planning Board held their last meeting of the year yesterday, and the video and supporting documents are posted below. Jimmy Goodman was replaced with Ben Lassiter on the board. MEDIA ROLL CALL Macon Media was the only member of the press present at the meeting. There was also no one from the public at the meeting. The next meeting of the planning board is tentatively scheduled for January 16, 2014 at 4pm, where they will...

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2013 Winter Weather Awareness Week is December 8-14th

This week is Winter Weather Awareness Week [Alternate Link] in North Carolina and I would like to focus on the NOAA Weather Radio as a tool to alert people to potentially severe weather. Unlike outdoor sirens, all-hazards radios save lives by alerting people who are indoors when severe weather approaches. They can also alert people in homes, schools and businesses to other types of emergencies. These radios provide constant,...

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Franklin Aldermen 12-02-2013

Town of Franklin Board of Aldermen  Meeting Agenda Monday December 2, 2013 -7:00 p.m.  Oath of Office for Mayor and Aldermen- Macon County Clerk of Court Vic Perry Call to Order- Mayor Bob Scott Appointment of Mayor Pro Tempore Approval of the November 4, 2013 board minutes. Public session New business Message from Mayor Bob Scott. Application to amend text only of the Unified Development Ordinance for Outdoor Display of Goods-...

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Macon County Commissioners Tap Derek Roland For County Manager

Front: Derek Roland, who starts his new job as Macon County Manager on December 16th. Back: (L-R) Commissioners Ron Haven, Ronnie Beale, Kevin Corbin, Jimmy Tate and Paul Higdon The Macon County Commissioners met tonight for less than half an hour, most of which was spent by the commissioners taking everyone through their thought process of selecting Macon County native Derek Roland to be the new manager of Macon County, then they voted 5-0...

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SECU Foundation Awards Local Hospice House Foundation A $1 Million Challenge Grant

Yesterday, the SECU Foundation awarded the Hospice House Foundation of WNC a million dollar challenge grant to help with the $3.8 million dollar project of establishing a six bed hospice facility in the old Dryman HOuse on Maple Street. The Hospice House Foundation is challenged to promptly raise $2.2 million before actually receiving the funds. The House will include six spacious private patient suites, residential style living areas and other...

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MAVEN Launch Coverage

The newest mission to Mars, MAVEN, will be launching today at 1:28pm EST...provided the weather holds. I have embedded a video player that will show the launch live. I will replace with a recorded video of the launch later today. Below that is some information about the mission, beginning with a PSA by LeVar Burton. More about the mission below: MAVEN stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN Mission Briefing: Features on...

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NCDOT Now November 14, 2013

This week on “NCDOT Now”: •The leaves haven’t even finished changing color yet, and we’ve already seen snow flurries in parts of the state. See how our crews prepared for this first brush with winter weather. •This time last year, NCDOT lost one of its own in a tragic accident on N.C. 12 in Dare County. We’ll show you how Brad Stevenson’s co-workers, family and friends created a lasting memorial in his honor at the maintenance yard where he worked. •NCDOT...

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Beyond Earth: Removing the Barriers to Deep Space Exploration A Panel Discussion Hosted by Marshall Institute and the Space Enterprise Council

It has been a while since I've had time to post something just for the fun of it, so here goes... On Tuesday, November 12, the Marshall Institute and the Space Enterprise Council convened a panel discussion to consider the challenges facing the U.S. space exploration program. William Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, moderated the panel. Panelists included: Julie Van Kleeck, Vice...

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2013 Election Results Infographic: The Pie Chart Edition

Those of you who know me know how much I love the opportunity to express data in visual formats, like charts and maps and so on. So, here are a series of graphs showing the results of Tuesday's election in visual terms. Most of the pie charts should be self-explanatory, but I added a brief description below most of them anyway. Mayor Results Vote split between the different Aldermen. People could vote for a maximum of three candidates...

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2013 Election Results in Franklin, NC

The last three hours have been hectic, so please forgive me for not updating the blog until now. FINAL VOTE TALLY MAYOR Bob Scott -- 493 -- 72.82% Sissy Pattillo- 181 -- 26.74% ALDERMAN (Top three are seated) Barbara McRae -------- 373 -- 19.88% Patti Halyburton Abel -- 337 -- 17.96% Billy Mashburn -------- 292 -- 15.57% Video of Bob Scott at The Rathskeller: ...

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Today is Election Day in Franklin Scroll Down for Updates

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS TODAY POLLS OPEN 6:30AM TO 7:30PM Today is election day and I'll be in town from 6am until probably after 9pm today and will be providing updates throughout the day on social media using the hashtag #FranklinNC on Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook. I will also be adding updates here from time to time today, so if you don't use social media, please check this article every couple of hours or so. I have several friends in...

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