Lowering of the US and NC Flags to Half-Staff Until Noon for Memorial Day

Photo taken at the 2014 Memorial Day Observance at the Macon County Veterans Memorial Park in Franklin, NC.

In tribute to the sacrifices of our armed services personnel, Governor Roy Cooper has ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities be flown at half-staff on Monday, May 31 until 12 noon in honor of Memorial Day.

Statement from Governor Cooper:

"I am profoundly grateful for those who have lost their lives in the line of duty protecting our country and our freedom. I salute them, their families, their friends and their comrades in arms as we take this day to reflect upon and appreciate their ultimate sacrifice for all of us."

A copy of Governor Cooper's Memorial Day proclamation is posted below.

Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are also encouraged to fly flags at half-staff for the duration of time indicated.

Please note, all North Carolina flag announcements are issued in accordance to regulations outlined in the US Flag Code.

State of North Carolina

ROY COOPER GOVERNOR

MEMORIAL DAY 2021 BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, since 1868, American have observed Memorial Day to honor the sacrifices of the brave men and women who gave their lives in defense of our great nation; and

WHEREAS, North Carolinians have proudly served and continue to serve to protect our freedoms in our nation's wars and conflicts, beginning with the American Revolution in 1776; and WHEREAS, today, approximately 120.000 active-duty military personnel and mort than 720.000 military veterans and their families live in Nonh Carolina. making us the state with the MTh-largest military presence in the United States; and

WHEREAS. North Carolina's military history has played an integral role in the development of our state. as well as our nation. and it is our duty to honor our men and women, and all Americans. who have given their lives in service; and

WHEREAS, more than 13.700 North Carolinians died defending our nation in World War I, World War II. Korea. Vietnam. Desert Storm. Afghanistan. and Iraq; and

WHEREAS, in observance of Memorial Day, communities will gather across ow state to grieve and remember these and other brave soldiers. known and unknown; and

WHEREAS, we owe these men and women. and their loved ones, a debt of gratitude and respect for their honor, valor, selflessness, and sacrifice; and

WHEREAS, on May 31. flags statewide will be lowered to half mast in remembrance of our fallen soldiers and their dedication and commitment to freedom. independence, and the spirit of patriotism:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER. Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim May 31. 2021. as "MEMORIAL DAY^ in North Carolina. and commend its observance to all citizens.

Roy Cooper Governor

IN WITNESS WHERETO, have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of Nobs Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-sixth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-one and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

Read More

Weather Briefing for Memorial Day, 2021

OUTLOOK

Cool and dry high pressure will migrate across the region to start the week, with temperatures a little below normal today and near normal Tuesday. A small chance of showers and thunderstorms will develop Wednesday afternoon as seasonably warm and humid air returns to the region, and chances increase further Thursday and Friday.


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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

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DAY SPONSOR

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Today is Memorial Day, it is the day set aside for remembering those who died while in uniform. A Memorial Day Ceremony will take place at the Macon County Veterans Memorial located at 1288 Georgia Road. The ceremony starts at 11am. A National Moment of Remembrance will take place at 3pm for people to pause and reflect on the sacrifice of those who died while in service to our republic.

General Order No. 11

"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic." -- General Logan - May 5, 1868

The History of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Memorial Amphitheater



Below is a copy of General Order No. 11, which established Memorial Day as an observance by General Logan and a brief history of Memorial Day from the Veterans Administration.

HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC

General Orders No.11, WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 1868

The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.

It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to lend its friendly aid in bringing to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith. Department commanders will use efforts to make this order effective.

By order of

JOHN A. LOGAN,
Commander-in-Chief

N.P. CHIPMAN,
Adjutant General

Official:
WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G.

Local News Update
(National News is published after the Macon Calendar section)

Cowee Mountain Repair Plans Switching to Stone Change to stone from soil allows crews to speed up massive repair on U.S. 441 [LINK]

Vet's Portrait Project for 2021

The Macon County Art Association in Franklin is pleased to announce that the Vet’s Portrait Project will be held this year. This will be our ninth year for this event. Unfortunately the pandemic precluded the project last year but the artists are ready to go for 2021. This year there are spots for 4-7 veterans as we had applications remaining from 2019. Please announce the call for Macon County Veterans or their family members to apply to have the Veteran’s portrait painted by one of our local artists. Vets or their families may apply at the gallery between Memorial Day and July 4th of this year. There is no cost to apply or for the portraits. The only requirement is that the Veteran or their family member be present to receive the portrait on Veterans Day November 11, 2021. Community members who wish to help support the costs for this program are also welcome. Contact the project chair by email at karen@programservices.org.



National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Wednesday Night


Franklin area

Memorial Day


Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 50. Light winds out of the southeast.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Light and variable winds.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Calm winds.

Wednesday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 80.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the early evening, then a chance of showers after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 60. Chance of rain is 40%.

Highlands area

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 50. WInds out of the south around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Light and variable winds.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Calm winds.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Chance of rain is 30%.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s. Chance of rain is 40%.

Otto area

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Light winds out of the south.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Light and variable winds.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Calm winds.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers in the early afternoon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 80. Chance of rain is 20%.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the early evening, then a chance of showers after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 60. Chance of rain is 40%.

Nantahala area

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Light and variable winds.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Light winds out of the southeast.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Calm winds.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Calm winds.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers in the early afternoon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Chance of rain is 20%.

Wednesday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers after 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 60.

HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not expected today.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Mon May 31 2021

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.



Air Quality

Air quality is in the lower range of yellow for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of yellow.

Fire and Smoke Map
(There are no significant sources of smoke in the region as of 3am on 04-22-2021.)

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium range (6.7 out of 12) today with Grasses, Mulberry, and Poplar being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range range (6.5 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on May 31st


Highest Temperature 90°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2011
Lowest Temperature 31°F in Franklin in 1984
Greatest Rainfall 2.94 inches in Highlands in 2018
Greatest Snowfall (No snowfall recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)

May Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 92°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 05-20-1966
Lowest Temperature 23°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 05-02-1963
Greatest Rainfall 5.97 inches in Highlands on 05-30-2018
Greatest Snowfall 2.5 inches in Highlands on 05-07-1992

Macon Calendar

The Macon County Art Association (a not for profit member organization) is offering classes in encaustic painting on Specified Fridays from 10AM-12PM at the Uptown Gallery 30 E Main St Franklin NC. Specific class dates are Friday July 9 and 23, August 3 and 27, September 3 and 17, October 29.

For more information contact the instructor, Karen Smith, at karen@programservices.org

National News Update

President Biden Speaks At Annual Memorial Day Service



On This Day

May 29th is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 216 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)
1279BC - Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt (19th Dynasty)
70AD - Rome captures 1st wall of the city of Jerusalem
455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus' and Cumans.
1293 – Mongol invasion of Java was a punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the Mongols. Regarded as establish City of Surabaya
1578 - Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England, to Frobisher Bay, Canada. Eventually mines fools gold, famously used to pave the streets of London.
1578 – King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France.
1621 - Sir Francis Bacon imprisoned in the Tower of London for 1 night
1634 - The colony of Massachusetts Bay annexes Maine colony
1669 – Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
1727 - France, Britain & Netherlands sign accord of Paris
1775 – American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina. [Text of Resolves] [NCpedia] [Wikipedia]
1790 – Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
1795 – French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.
1805 – French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock.
1813 – In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
1836 - HMS Beagle anchors in Simons Bay, Cape of Good Hope
1859 – The clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, which houses Big Ben, starts keeping time.
1861 - American Civil War: General Beauregard is given command of Confederate Alexandria Line
1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia. (Battle of Seven Pines)
1864 – American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.
1868 - 1st Memorial Day parade held in Ironton, Ohio
1879 – Gilmore's Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
1884 – The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
1889 – Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
1902 – Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
1909 – The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
1910 – The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
1911 – The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1911 – The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
1912 - US Marines land in Cuba.
1916 – World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive. British battle cruiser HMS Invincible explodes, only 6 crew members survive.
1919 - NC-4 aircraft commanded by AC Read completes 1st crossing of Atlantic
1921 – The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.
1935 – A 7.7 Mw  earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.
1940 - World War II: Major General Bernard Montgomery leaves Dunkirk
1940 - World War II: Winston Churchill flies to Paris to meet with French Marshal Philippe Pétain who announces he is willing to make a separate peace with Germany
1941 – Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.
1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
1947 – Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, resigns from office after blackmail from the Hungarian Communist Party accusing him of being part of a plot against the state. This grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government. [8]
1961 – The South African Constitution of 1961 becomes effective, thus creating the Republic of South Africa, which remains outside the Commonwealth of Nations until 1 June 1994, when South Africa is returned to Commonwealth membership.
1961 – In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.
1962 – The West Indies Federation dissolves.
1970 – The 7.9 Mw  Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794 and 70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.
1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
1973 – The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
1985 – United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
1991 – Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations' UNAVEM II mission.
2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was "Deep Throat".
2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds
2010 – Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
2013 – The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.
2013 – A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities and over 150 injuries.
2017 – A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.
2017 - Comedienne Kathy Griffin fired from CNN after photo of her holding bloody head resembling Donald Trump by Tyler Shields posted
2019 – A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.
2019 - US President Donald Trump threatens to impose extra 5% tax on Mexican goods if country does not increase its efforts to curb immigration.


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Published at 4:00am on Monday, May 31, 2021

Read More

Weather Briefing for Sunday, May 30, 2021

OUTLOOK

Cool Canadian high pressure will ridge down from the Great Lakes today and tomorrow, providing dry weather across the region. Moisture increases again during the later half of the week, with showers and thunderstorms likely each day.


---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



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, we’ll help you with your next project.


--- END SPONSOR SEGMENT---


Local News Update
(National News is published after the Macon Calendar section)

Cowee Mountain Repair Plans Switching to Stone Change to stone from soil allows crews to speed up massive repair on U.S. 441 [LINK] 

 Flags Lowered Until Sunset on May 30th to Honor Victims of Shooting in San Jose, California by Order of the President and the Governor [LINK]

The Macon County Art Association in Franklin is pleased to announce that the Vet’s Portrait Project will be held this year. This will be our ninth year for this event. Unfortunately the pandemic precluded the project last year but the artists are ready to go for 2021. This year there are spots for 4-7 veterans as we had applications remaining from 2019. Please announce the call for Macon County Veterans or their family members to apply to have the Veteran’s portrait painted by one of our local artists. Vets or their families may apply at the gallery between Memorial Day and July 4th of this year. There is no cost to apply or for the portraits. The only requirement is that the Veteran or their family member be present to receive the portrait on Veterans Day November 11, 2021. Community members who wish to help support the costs for this program are also welcome. Contact the project chair by email at karen@programservices.org.



National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Tuesday Night


Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-40s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 70s. Light winds out of the south.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Calm winds.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Light and variable winds.

Tuesday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s.

Highlands area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-50s. WInds out of the northwest 3 to 7 mph.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-40s. Light and variable winds.

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s. Light winds out of the south.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s.

Otto area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Winds out of the north 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the upper 40s. WInds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Light winds out of the south.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Calm winds.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Light and variable winds.

Tuesday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s.

Nantahala area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-50s. Light winds out of the northwest early increasing to 5 to 10 mph by midmorning.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Calm winds.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Calm winds.

Tuesday

Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Calm winds.

Tuesday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s.

HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not expected today.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Sun May 30 2021

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.




CROWDFUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES


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 6:15am on Sunday, May 30, 2021

Read More

News and Weather Briefing for Saturday, May 29, 2021

OUTLOOK

A cold front crossing the area today will usher in somewhat cooler weather that will last into early next week. Scattered showers and thunderstorms may redevelop near the front today, but dry weather is in store for Sunday and Monday.


---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



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, we’ll help you with your next project.


--- END SPONSOR SEGMENT---


Local News Update
(National News is published after the Macon Calendar section)

Cowee Mountain Repair Plans Switching to Stone Change to stone from soil allows crews to speed up massive repair on U.S. 441 [LINK]

Flags Lowered Until Sunset on May 30th to Honor Victims of Shooting in San Jose, California by Order of the President and the Governor [LINK]

The Macon County Art Association in Franklin is pleased to announce that the Vet’s Portrait Project will be held this year. This will be our ninth year for this event. Unfortunately the pandemic precluded the project last year but the artists are ready to go for 2021. This year there are spots for 4-7 veterans as we had applications remaining from 2019. Please announce the call for Macon County Veterans or their family members to apply to have the Veteran’s portrait painted by one of our local artists. Vets or their families may apply at the gallery between Memorial Day and July 4th of this year. There is no cost to apply or for the portraits. The only requirement is that the Veteran or their family member be present to receive the portrait on Veterans Day November 11, 2021. Community members who wish to help support the costs for this program are also welcome. Contact the project chair by email at karen@programservices.org.

The Macon County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday night and the county manager presented his proposed budget. The next budget meeting will take place at 4pm on June 3rd, where Burningtown and Otto VFDs and the school system will present their budget requests to the board.



Download a PDF of the budget message [PDF]





National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Monday Night


Franklin area

Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs near 70. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-upper 40s. Light and variable winds.

Memorial Day

Sunny, with highs near 80.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s.

Highlands area

Today

Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-60s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the north 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-60s. Winds out of the northwest early around 5 mph becoming calm by midmorning.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-40s. Calm winds.

Memorial Day

Sunny, with highs near 70.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around in the lower 50s.

Otto area

Today

Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs near 70. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph becoming light and shifting to come out of the north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Light winds out of the northwest.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the upper 40s. Calm winds.

Memorial Day

Sunny, with highs near 80.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s.

Nantahala area

Today

Isolated showers before 11am, then isolated showers after 5pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-60s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 20%.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Memorial Day

Sunny, with highs in the mid-70s.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s.

HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not expected today.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Wed May 28 2020

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.



Air Quality

Air quality is in the extreme upper range of green for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of yellow.

Fire and Smoke Map
(There are no significant sources of smoke in the region as of 3am on 04-22-2021.)

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium range (5.8 out of 12) today with Grasses, Mulberry, and Poplar being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range range (6.9 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on May 29th


Highest Temperature 91°F in Highlands in 1941
Lowest Temperature 36°F in Highlands in 1894
Greatest Rainfall 2.21 inches in Nantahala in 1976
Greatest Snowfall (No snowfall recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)

May Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 92°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 05-20-1966
Lowest Temperature 23°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 05-02-1963
Greatest Rainfall 5.97 inches in Highlands on 05-30-2018
Greatest Snowfall 2.5 inches in Highlands on 05-07-1992

Macon Calendar

The Macon County Art Association (a not for profit member organization) is offering classes in encaustic painting on Specified Fridays from 10AM-12PM at the Uptown Gallery 30 E Main St Franklin NC. Specific class dates are Friday July 9 and 23, August 3 and 27, September 3 and 17, October 29.

For more information contact the instructor, Karen Smith, at karen@programservices.org

On This Day

May 29th is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 216 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)
363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city. [VIDEO: The Emperor Julian and the last stand of the old gods (331 - 363)] [Wikipedia]
1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a Castile and León alliance under the command of Prince Sancho Alfónsez. [Wikipedia]
1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio: A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel. [Wikipedia]
1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I. [Wikipedia]
1233 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols entered Kaifeng after a successful siege and began looting in the fallen capital of the Jin dynasty. [Wikipedia Overview] [VIDEO: The Mongol Conquest of Song China, 1230s-1279]
1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
1416 – Battle of Gallipoli: The Venetians under Pietro Loredan defeat a much larger Ottoman fleet off Gallipoli. [Wikipedia]
1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih capture Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire. [Wikipedia] [VIDEO: Fall Of Constantinople 1453 - Ottoman Wars ]

Byzantium - Last of the Romans (Part 1 of 2)



Byzantium - Last of the Romans (Part 2 of 2)



1658 – Battle of Samugarh: decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659). [Wikipedia]
1660 – English Restoration: Charles II is restored to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland. [Charles II and the English Restoration (The Stuarts: Part Three)] [When The British Monarchy Almost Ended | Stuarts: Charles II | Absolute History]
1733 – The right of settlers in New France to enslave natives is upheld at Quebec City.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Waxhaws, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained. [Waxhaws: Blood in the Backcountry | The Southern Campaign] [Wikipedia]
1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of North America's original Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution and become one of the United States.
1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500 United Irishmen are executed as rebels by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland. [Wikipedia]
1807 – Mustafa IV became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam. [Wikipedia article]
1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.
1852 – Jenny Lind leaves New York after her two-year American tour.
1861 – The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.
1864 – Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time. [Wikipedia]
1867 – The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 ("the Compromise") is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire. [Wikipedia] [Austrian Empire vs. Austro-Hungarian Empire - EXPLAINED]
1868 – Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia is assassinated. [Serbia Before World War 1 I THE GREAT WAR Special]
1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal. [John Pemberton and Coca-Cola] [The Sad Story of John Pemberton, the Man Who Invented Coca-Cola]
1900 – N'Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander Émile Gentil. [Wikipedia]
1903 – In the May Coup, Alexander I, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization. [Wikipedia]
1913 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, France, provoking a riot. [Stravinsky The Rite of Spring // London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle] [BBC Movie About the Riot] [Keeping Score | Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (FULL DOCUMENTARY AND CONCERT)]



1914 – The Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Of the 1,477 people on board, 1,012 died, making it the worst peacetime marine disaster in Canadian history. [Wikipedia] [Disasters of the Century | The Empress of Ireland]
1918 – Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarabad. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sardarabad]
1919 – Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin [How an Eclipse Proved Einstein Right] [Einstein, Eddington and the 1919 eclipse] [Wikipedia]
1920 – The Louth flood of 1920 was a severe flash flooding in the Lincolnshire market town of Louth which occurred 29 May 1920, resulting in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in Britain during the 20th century. [Wikipedia]
1931 – Michele Schirru, a citizen of the United States, is executed by Italian military firing squad for intent to kill Benito Mussolini.
1932 – World War I veterans begin to assemble in Washington, D.C., in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945. [PBS Documentary: The March of the Bonus Army] [Bonus Army: US military attacks demonstrating American War Veterans]
1935 – First flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter airplane.
1945 – First combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber. [B-32 Dominator - The Last Air Battle (Days After WW2 Was Already Over)]
1948 – United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is founded.
1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday. [Sir Edmund Hillary on climbing Mt. Everest, 1977: CBC Archives | CBC] [Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climb Everest - 1953 archive video] [BBC: Sir Edmund Hillary - The Race for Everest]
1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization. [Al Jazeera Documentary] [Wikipedia article]
1964 – Having deposed them in a January coup South Vietnamese leader Nguyen Khanh had rival Generals Tran Van Don and Le Van Kim convicted of "lax morality".
1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
1982 – Falklands War: British forces defeat the Argentines at the Battle of Goose Green. [Wikipedia] [VIDEO: The Battle for Goose Green] [VIDEO: The Battle Of Goose Green (Short Overview)]
1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine association football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses. [LIVE VIDEO] [Wikipedia article]
1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
1988 – The U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union when he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. [President Reagan's Arrival at Vnukovo II airport in Moscow on May 29, 1988] [Wikipedia article on the Summit]
1989 – Signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United States, allowing the manufacture of parts of the F-16 jet fighter plane in Egypt.
1990 – The Russian parliament elects Boris Yeltsin as president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. [Wikipedia article]
1993 – The Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant is held in war-torn Sarajevo drawing global attention to the plight of its citizens.
1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station. [AP VIDEO] [NASA Article] [VIDEO REVIEW OF FLIGHT]
2001 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments. [VIDEO LECTURE] [Text of Decision]
2004 – The National World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. [Website]








2008 – A doublet earthquake, of combined magnitude 6.1, strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss, injuring 30 people.
2012 – A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hits northern Italy near Bologna, killing at least 24 people.
2015 – One World Observatory at One World Trade Center opens. [VOA VIDEO]
2019 - US Special Counsel Robert Mueller says charging President Donald Trump with a crime never an option as no legal means to charge a sitting president; and that his report does not exonerate the president [Wikipedia Mueller Report Article] [Robert Mueller press conference on Russia investigation] [PDF VOL 1] [PDF VOL 2] [New York Times Interactive Version]
2019 - British politician Boris Johnson ordered to appear in court over claims he lied to the public during Britain's Brexit campaign
2019 - Israel's Knesset calls a snap election after Benjamin Netanyahu fails to form a governmen


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Published at 4:00am on Saturday, May 29, 2021

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Cowee Mountain Repair Plans Switching to Stone Change to stone from soil allows crews to speed up massive repair on U.S. 441

Photo Credit: NCDOT 

PRESS RELEASE (05-25-2021)
NCDOT

Cowee Mountain Repair Plans Switching to Stone
Change to stone from soil allows crews to speed up massive repair on U.S. 441

DILLSBORO – The slide of U.S. 441 on Cowee Mountain may be stabilized by the end of the year as a contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation changes construction plans.

NCDOT and WNC Paving have recently agreed to change the material stabilizing the embankment above a rock buttress from existing soil to a stone material in order to accelerate completion of the project.

Switching material accelerates the project timeline by allowing crews to work on days during and immediately following a rainstorm instead of waiting for existing soil to dry.

“If it rains, you lose a lot of time,” Division 14 Construction Engineer Mitchell Bishop said. “We still have a few logistics to work out, like an estimated completion date, and we still have to work out a final cost estimate.”

The project will stabilize the hillside, which has been slowly shifting for decades, and will return traffic to its five-lane formation for many years into the future. Traffic on U.S. 441 has been reduced to utilizing one lane in each direction in the construction zone since the fall of 2019.

The first phase of the project included significant drainage repairs and excavating about 18,000 cubic yards of earth material to build a soil-nail wall and maintain traffic in the two-lane pattern.

This second phase is like building one side of a pyramid, by starting with a buttress of large stone at the bottom and working up, now with small stone. It includes adding about 123,000 tons of shot-rock to build the buttress — which is about 50 percent complete — and an additional 105,000 tons of smaller stone to build the embankment.

“The mountain wants to move and we’re keeping it in place to keep drivers safe,” Bishop said. “We ask that drivers remain patient and drive safe through the work zone.”

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

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Weather Briefing for Friday, May 28, 2021

OUTLOOK

An upper ridge will breakdown through Friday allowing afternoon to evening isolated convection focused across the mountains. A cold front passage late Friday into early Saturday will support more widespread activity. Surface high pressure to our northeast will support a cool and mainly dry conditions Sunday into early next week.


---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



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, we’ll help you with your next project.


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Local News Update
(National News is published after the Macon Calendar section)

Flags Lowered Until Sunset on May 30th to Honor Victims of Shooting in San Jose, California by Order of the President and the Governor [LINK]

The Macon County Art Association in Franklin is pleased to announce that the Vet’s Portrait Project will be held this year. This will be our ninth year for this event. Unfortunately the pandemic precluded the project last year but the artists are ready to go for 2021. This year there are spots for 4-7 veterans as we had applications remaining from 2019. Please announce the call for Macon County Veterans or their family members to apply to have the Veteran’s portrait painted by one of our local artists. Vets or their families may apply at the gallery between Memorial Day and July 4th of this year. There is no cost to apply or for the portraits. The only requirement is that the Veteran or their family member be present to receive the portrait on Veterans Day November 11, 2021. Community members who wish to help support the costs for this program are also welcome. Contact the project chair by email at karen@programservices.org.

The Macon County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday night and the county manager presented his proposed budget. The next budget meeting will take place at 4pm on June 3rd, where Burningtown and Otto VFDs and the school system will present their budget requests to the board.



Download a PDF of the budget message [PDF]





National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Sunday Night


Franklin area

Scattered showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 1pm. Patchy fog in the morning. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Occasional showers and thunderstorms before 4am, then a slight chance of showers. Patchy fog after 11pm. Lows in the mid-50s. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of rain before 10am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Light winds out of the northwest early incrfeasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph by midmorning.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Sunday

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

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 50.

Highlands area

Today

Scattered showers before noon, then scattered showers and thunderstorms between noon and 3pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. Patchy fog in the morning. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then a slight chance of showers between 2am and 5am. Patchy fog after 11pm. Lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of rain before 10am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s. Winds out of the north 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25mph.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-60s.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s.

Otto area

Today

Scattered showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 1pm. Patchy fog in the morning. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the lower 80s. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Occasional showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers between 2am and 5am. Patchy fog after 11pm. Lows in the mid-50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable by midnight. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of rain before 10am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 70s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. WInds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Sunday

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

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 50.

Nantahala area

Today

Scattered showers before 11am, then scattered showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Light winds out of the southwest early increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight

Occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 11pm, then scattered showers. Patchy fog after 11pm. Lows in ther low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 7 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-60s. Light winds out of the northwest early increasing to 5 to 10 mph by midmorning.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 50.

HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not expected today.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Wed May 28 2020

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.



Air Quality

Air quality is in the extreme upper range of green for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of yellow.

Fire and Smoke Map
(There are no significant sources of smoke in the region as of 3am on 04-22-2021.)

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium range (6.3 out of 12) today with Grasses, Mulberry, and Poplar being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium- ange range (6.7 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on May 26th


Highest Temperature 90°F in Franklin in 1967
Lowest Temperature 30°F in at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1961
Greatest Rainfall 3.60 inches in Nantahala in 1973
Greatest Snowfall (No snowfall recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)

May Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 92°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 05-20-1966
Lowest Temperature 23°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 05-02-1963
Greatest Rainfall 5.97 inches in Highlands on 05-30-2018
Greatest Snowfall 2.5 inches in Highlands on 05-07-1992

Macon Calendar

The Macon County Art Association (a not for profit member organization) is offering classes in encaustic painting on Specified Fridays from 10AM-12PM at the Uptown Gallery 30 E Main St Franklin NC. Specific class dates are Friday July 9 and 23, August 3 and 27, September 3 and 17, October 29.

For more information contact the instructor, Karen Smith, at karen@programservices.org

National News Update

Level1 News May 28 2021: Snuggling In The Salmonella Summer

NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - May 27th, 2021

PBS NewsHour full episode, May 27, 2021

On This Day

May 28th is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 217 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)
585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of Halys, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.



621 – Battle of Hulao: Li Shimin, the son of the Chinese emperor Gaozu, defeats the numerically superior forces of Dou Jiande near the Hulao Pass (Henan). This victory decides the outcome of the civil war that followed the Sui dynasty's collapse in favour of the Tang dynasty. [Wikipedia article] [Weapons and Warfare]
1037 - Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II removes "Constitutio the Feudis" [Wikipedia article]
1431 - Joan of Arc is accused of relapsing into heresy by donning male clothing again, providing justification for her execution [VIDEO: Joan Of Arc - Dressed As A Man]
1533 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declares the marriage of King Henry VIII of England to Anne Boleyn valid.
1588 – The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, heading for the English Channel. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port.) [An Overview] [Oxford Reference]
1644 – English Civil War: Bolton Massacre (aka Storming of Bolton) by Royalist troops under the command of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby. [Wikipedia]
1754 – French and Indian War: In the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under the 22-year-old Lieutenant colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania. [VIDEO: The French and Indian War Explained] [George Washington in the French & Indian War] [Washington and the French & Indian War]
1802 – In Guadeloupe, 400 rebellious slaves, led by Louis Delgrès, blow themselves up rather than submit to Napoleon's troops. [History and Headlines]
1830 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act which denies Native Americans their land rights and forcibly relocates them. [VIDEO: HistoryPod]
1871 – The Paris Commune falls after two months. [VIDEO: France 24] [The Paris Commune — The First Communist Revolution] [The Paris Commune — The First Communist Revolution] [VIDEO LECTURE: The Ruins of Paris, 1871]
1892 – In San Francisco, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club.
1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō and the Imperial Japanese Navy. [LINK TEXT]
1907 – The first Isle of Man TT race was held.
1918 – The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia declare their independence.
1926 – The 28 May 1926 coup d'état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.
1932 – In the Netherlands, construction of the Afsluitdijk is completed and the Zuiderzee bay is converted to the freshwater IJsselmeer.
1934 – Near Callander, Ontario, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first quintuplets to survive infancy. [LINK TEXT]
1936 – Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication. [PDF] [Lecture Portion] [Lecture by Peter Millican] [Full Oxford University 8 Lecture Series (2018)]
1937 – Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer is founded. [LINK WSJ VIDEO: The History of Volkswagen, 'The People's Car'] [VIDEO: The SECRET Volkswagen Doesn’t Want You To Know]
1940 – World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium. [The Battle of Belgium]
1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first allied infantry victory of the War. [Norway 1940: The Siege of Narvik] [The Battles of Narvik - 3 battles, 3 sides, 1 week] [British Newsreels]
1948 – Daniel François Malan is elected as Prime Minister of South Africa. He later goes on to implement Apartheid.
1958 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero. [Wikipedia]
1961 – Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.
1972 - White House "plumbers" first break in at the Democratic National Headquarters at Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C. [VIDEO: G Gordon Liddy on motives for break-in]
1974 – Northern Ireland's power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists.
1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.
1977 – In Southgate, Kentucky, the Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 people inside. [Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire: Broadcast video with Howard Ain]
1979 – Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community.
1987 – A West German pilot, Mathias Rust, who was 18 years old, evades Soviet Union air defences and lands a private plane in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. [Kremlin Caper: Mathias Rust's Landing on Red Square] [When The Eagle Has Landed In Moscow. Mathias Rust Story #USSR] [Mathias Rust (DR documentary)]
1991 – The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War. [The Ethiopian Civil War | Animated History]
1995 – The 7.0 Mw  Neftegorsk earthquake shook the former Russian settlement of Neftegorsk with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage was $64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt. [The Neftegorsk (Sakhalin Island) 1995 earthquake: a rare interplate event] [Wikipedia]
1996 – U.S. President Bill Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud. [Wikipedia] [Investopedia] [Encyclopedia of Arkansas]
1998 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed Chagai-I, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually. [Video of Test] [President Clinton Condemns Test] [How Saudi Arabia reacted to Pakistan's nuclear tests]
1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display.
2002 – The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City. [Final steel beam removed from Ground Zero]
2003 – Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.
2004 – The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq's interim government.
2008 – The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
2010 – In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.
2011 – Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.
2020 - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declares State of Emergency in Minneapolis and activates the Minnesota National Guard after protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody [KARE-TV Morning news headlines | May 28, 2020] [May 28, 2020 City of Minneapolis provides update following protests.] [National Guard activated in Minneapolis after unrest]


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Published at 4:00am on Friday, May 28, 2021

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