Meeting Agenda Franklin Town Board of Aldermen September 2, 2014 Meeting Updated with video

**update 10:45am 09-03-2014** Here is the video of the meeting: You can read the play by play I posted as the meeting happened on Facebook. The Franklin Town Board of Aldermen will be meeting Tuesday night at 7pm instead of the usual Monday night because of the Labor Day Holiday. The public agenda and the agenda packets have been released to the local media outlets and they are posted below in the interest of transparency. The agenda...

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Macon County Commissioners 08-26-2014

Last night, the Macon County Commissioners reconvened a meeting that was recessed on August 12th. The agenda that was released to the general public is posted below, and below that is the agenda that was released to the local news media. The bulk of the meeting was taken up discussing changes that were made to the Parker Meadows Recreation Facility due to the discovery of a tooth during archaelogical investigation of the site. It is estimated...

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Macon County Airport Authority 08-26-2014

The Macon County Airport Authority met on Tuesday, August 26, 2014. Among the items discussed was the passage of a resolution honoring the late Harlod Corbin as an eternal friend of the Macon County Airport. I will post a copy of that as soon as it is provided to me. Here is the video of the proceedings. ...

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MAMA-2 at Cullasaja Assembly of God

Video and photo essay of MAMA-2 landing at the Cullasaja Assembly of God on the Highlands Road at around 10:30am this morning. This spot is often utilized by the Cullasaja Gorge Volunteer Fire Department as a safe place for MAMA-1 and MAMA-2 to medevac patients from the area to Memorial Mission Hospital. The patient being transferred today was a medical patient. These photos are also on my personal Flickr account. ...

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Highlights from the 2014 Riverfest Raft Regatta

The Franklin Daybreak Rotary sponsored a series of fundraisers this past Saturday. Here are highlights from the Raft Regatta.  The photographic highlights may be seen on by clicking the arrow buttons on the above photo or on Flickr. A video montage from the event is below. I look forward to this becoming an annual tradition, and may enter it next year. ...

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Highlights from the Riverfest 2014 Ducky Derby

The Franklin Daybreak Rotary sponsored a series of fundraisers this past Saturday. Here are highlights from the Ducky Derby. About a thousand ducks were dropped from the town bridge and were allowed (herded, mostly) down to Crawford Branch. The photo graphic highlght may be seen on by clicking the arrow buttons on the above photo or on Flickr....

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Highlights from the 2014 Riverfest 5K

The Franklin Rotary Daybreak sponsored a series of fundraisers this past Saturday. Among them was a 5K Run held on the greenway that started and finished at the Tassee Shelter. Macon Media was the only member of the local press present for the duration of the event. Here are the video highlights: You can see some of the photos I took on Flickr.&nbs...

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School Starts Today in Macon County: School Bus Safety Tips

School starts today in Macon County, so be on the lookout for children at bus stops, getting on and off buses and be on the lookout for the buses themselves and don't be passing stopped school buses whether they are in your lane or not! It could cost a child his or her life or a $500 fine and 5 points on your driver's license. Here is the law in North Carolina regarding when drivers are required to stop for school buses: When a school bus...

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Public Education -- Reform or Decline? Panel Discussion hosted by the League of Women Voters

The Macon County League of Women Voters hosted a panel discussion entitled "Public Education in North Carolina -- Reform or Decline?" Susan Ervin, the President of the local League of Women Voters, moderated the panel. Panelists included: Chris Baldwin - Superintendent of Macon County Schools Gary Brown - Iotla Valley Elementary Principal Stephanie Laseter - Parent Melissa Faetz - Region 8 Teacher of the Year Tyler Faetz –Franklin...

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Franklin Main Street Board Called Meeting 08-19-2014

The Franklin Main Street Board held a called meeting to hear from Liz Parham, the Director of the Office of Urban Development, on what a successful Main Street Program is supposed to be doing. This was the first Main Street Program meeting that I have covered because I have been told in the past that this board is not subject to open meeting laws and I was not welcome to record the meetings. This information was backed up by the town...

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NCACC Members Tour Macon County

This past Thursday, county commissioners from across North Carolina toured Macon County as part of an activity during the annual convention of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners [NCACC] in Asheville, NC. Commissioner Beale was inducted as the President of the organization on Saturday night. So, here is coverage of the tour presented in video excerpts at the various stops during the day. Introduction by Macon County Commissioner...

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Rabun County Wildcats at Franklin Panthers 08-15-2014

The Rabun County High School Wildcats met the Franklin Panthers at the the Panther Pit for a scrimmage game that lasted for two quarters on Friday, August 15th. The Panthers won 20-14. Here is video of the game. CROWD FUNDING I'm still trying to raise money to take this thing to the next level. Visit my Patreon page to find out more at www.patreon.com/MaconMedia...

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Macon County Commissioners 08-12-2014

The Macon County Commissioners met Tuesday night and had a lot of material on the agenda. The two public hearings on proposed telecommunications tower (cellphone towers) took about an hour and public comment lasted about an hour as a number of people spoke for and against fracking. Overall, the meeting lasted a little over three and a half hours (not counting the closed session). After the closed session, Vice Chairman Ronnie Beale recessed the meeting until August 26th. I divided the video into three parts: Part 1 Public Hearings Part 2...

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A Rally for Public Education 08-13-2014

The local chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators hosted a rally for public education today at noon at the town gazebo in downtown Franklin, NC. Educators and supporters gathered in parrallel with other rallies across the state to protest the edeucation policies of the North Carolina Legislature and the Governor. Speakers at the local rally were: John DeVille, President of the local chapter of the NCAE was the Master of Ceremonies. Jane...

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