Macon County Republican Party Holds Candidate Forum

On Saturday, February 6, 206, the Macon County Republican Party hosted a forum for candidates. Headlining the forum was Buck Newton, a Republican candidate for North Carolina Attorney General. Other candidates included NC Senator Jim Davis (running for re-election to the 50th District NC Senate seat), Commissioner Kevin Corbin and Elliott Southworth (both running for the NC House 120th District seat of the retiring Roger West), Karl Gillespie and Ron Haven (both seeking the County Commissioner District II seat that is being vacated by Kevin Corbin), and Commissioner Paul Higdon, Greg Boyer and Manny Carrion (all seeking the County Commissioner District III seat currently held by Paul Higdon). All candidates will face Democratic opposition in the General election this fall.

Due to technical problems and illness, this material was delayed in being published. I apologize for that delay.


MEDIA ROLL CALL
(media outlets with representatives present at the event)
Macon Media (me)
The Franklin Press (a photographer, but no reporter was present)
Macon County News and Shopping Guide

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Dollar-A-Day Boys at the Macon County Library

Press Release

Contact: Karen Wallace

Phone: (828) 524-3600

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE





DOLLAR-A-DAY BOYS



On May 28, 1933 a CCC Camp Neorakada opened 2 miles south of Franklin. The men came into town on weekends, and patronized stores, movie theatres, billiard rooms, dance halls, churches and restaurants. Many enrollees met their wives while in camp. The C’s also helped out during emergencies, such as fires or floods. The enrollees spent approximately $5,000 a month in Franklin, which was a boast to the local economy during the depths of The Great Depression.



The Franklin Press reported that 108 young men arrived in Franklin on a special train from Fort Bragg. “Clad in army shirts, fishing hats, blue denim and khaki work pants and carrying dunny bags loaded with bedding and personal belongings, the boys looked like they were starting out on a vacation camping trip. Jesting and jostling each other good-naturedly, they were happy over the prospect of working in the Nantahala National Forest instead of staying at home in Piedmont North Carolina vainly hunting for jobs that do not exist.” Thirty men from Macon County had been accepted in the Civilian Conversation Corps and were undergoing twenty-two days of intensive training at Fort Bragg. Two weeks later, 24 of the local men arrived at the camp, and the C. C. Camp Boys had defeated Cowee in a baseball game. The camp quota of 200 men was filled by June 15. In addition to a mess hall and other camp buildings, a baseball field, basketball court, volleyball court, and boxing arena were constructed at the camp.



Many local young men worked at Civilian Conservation Corps camps in western North Carolina starting in 1933 during the Great Depression. CCC camps in the area included those built near Franklin, Bryson City, Smokemont, Aquone, Cowee, and Topton.



Author Bill Jamerson presents a music and storytelling program about how the CCC camps improved the surrounding area as well as the lives of the young men and their families. Join us on March 12 at 2:00pm for this entertaining and nostalgic program with laughter and many heartfelt stories!



This program is co-sponsored by the Macon County Public Library and the Macon County Historical Museum.

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Franklin TDA - Feb 2016 Meeting

The Franklin Tourism Development Authority met today, February 8, 2016 in the lower level of town hall. The video and agenda packet that is share with members of the press are posted below. The next meeting will be on Monday, March 14, 2016.


MEDIA ROLL CALL
(Members of the local media present at the meeting)

Macon Media (me)
Macon County News and Shopping Guide
The Franklin Press

Feb 2016 Franklin TDA Agenda Packet

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Governor Proclaims School Bus Driver Appreciation Week

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed the week of Feb 8-12, 2016 as 'School Bus Driver Appreciation Week." A copy of the proclamation is below.

2016 Proclamation School Bus Driver Week

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Landslide Temporarily Closes Ellijay Road

A small landslide has closed Ellijay road for a day or two just past Rocky Branch Road in the 3200 block. The Supervisor at the scene expects the road to be closed most of the day and may not be re-opened until tomorrow. The overall cleanup at the slide location will take longer. You can check whether or not the road has been opened to traffic at the NCDOT TIMS website.

The NCDOT detour is as follows: Slide is 1 mile south of SR 1528 (Little Ellijay Rd).

Residents south of SR 1528 will travel south on SR 1001(Ellijay Rd) to US 28/64.

Residents north of SR 1528 will travel north on SR 1001 to SR 1521(Mtn Grove Rd) to SR 1513(Cat Creek Rd) then to US 441.

Video and Photos taken at the scene earlier this morning are posted below. Click on the images to embiggen them to a larger size.

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US Action Committee Installs US Motto on Macon County Courthouse

The US Motto Action Committee installed the US Motto on the outside of the Macon County Courthouse on the Iotla Street and Main Street entrances, and thanks to members of the public who messaged Macon Media about it, I was able to capture some photos and video of the event and have put the video to music and sped it up.



The Macon County Commissioners heard a presentation from Rick Lanier in September 2015 and approved the request to put the US Motto on the courthouse. The Us Motto Action Committee paid for the materials and did the labor on their own dime. The committee is funded through donations from the public. See video of that meeting at this link.

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Franklin Aldermen Attend 2016 Retreat

The Franklin Town Board of Aldermen and Staff held a retreat in the lower level of town hall on Saturday, January 30, 2016. A copy of the agenda and the full video of the retreat are posted below.

Town of Franklin Board of Aldermen

Retreat

Agenda Saturday January 30, 2016 9:00 a.m.

1. Call to Order- Mayor Bob Scott

2. Adoption of the January 30, 2016 Retreat Agenda

3. Public Comment Session

4. Upgrade Existing Tablets for Town Board Members

5. Update on Computer Software for Accounting, Tax and Utility Billing

6. Guidelines for Street Closing Requests

7. Update on Crosswalks

8. Speeding

9. Littering Campaign

10. Parking

11. Festivals

12. Whitmire Property

13. Other Considerations/Discussions

14. Adjourn





MEDIA ROLL CALL
(media outlets physically present at the meeting)

Macon Media (me)
WFSC-AM/WNCC-FM
The Macon County News and Shopping Guide
The Smoky Mountain News
The Franklin Press




PREVIOUS RETREATS COVERED BY MACON MEDIA




2013 Retreat (Video is split into multiple parts)

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