News and Weather Briefing for Tuesday, July 20, 2021

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Local News
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
On This Day
Support Macon Media

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OUTLOOK

An upper-level troough of low pressure will remain just west of the southern Appalachians today through today, while a weak stationary front remains stalled over the region. The trough will finally move southeast of the area on Wednesday. Until then, increased clouds and precipitation chances will keep high temperatures below normal. Somewhat drier air arrives from the north on Thursday and temperatures rebound to near-normal or slightly above.


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Local News

Final Beam Placed at New Angel Medical Center [LINK] Macon County Board of Commissioners, July 2021



Supporting documents can be found at [MaconMedia.com]

Franklin Town Council - July 2021



Supporting documents posted online at [MaconMedia.com]

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Local Weather

National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Wednesday Night


Franklin area

Today

Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Patchy fog between 10am and noon. High near 74. Light east wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight

Showers likely, mainly before 8pm. Patchy fog before 2am, then patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers between 11pm and midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.

Thursday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a chance of showers between 10pm and 3am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Highlands Plateau

Today

Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 8am. Patchy fog between 7am and 1pm. High near 68. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tonight

Showers likely, mainly before 8pm. Patchy fog before 11pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 58. Light east wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Light and variable wind.

Thursday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Thursday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers between 9pm and 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Otto area

Today

Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 9am. Patchy fog before noon. High near 73. Light east southeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Patchy fog before 1am, then patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.

Thursday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers between 9pm and 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Nantahala area

Today

Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. High near 72. Light east wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight

Showers likely, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog before 2am, then patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Calm wind.

Thursday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Thursday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers between 9pm and 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Hazards and Tropical Weather

Numerous showers will persist through the day, producing heavy rainfall throughout the day. A flash flooding threat will remain throughout the day as rain falls on saturated soils and raised stream levels already primed by last night`s rainfall.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Tue Jul 20 2021

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

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

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Almanac

Air Quality

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

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 low range (0.5 out of 12) today with Grasses, Plantain, and Chenopods being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (0.5 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on July 16th


Highest Temperature 97°F in Franklin in 1986
Lowest Temperature 47°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2009
Greatest Rainfall 3.79 inches in Highlands in 1959
Greatest Snowfall (No snowfall recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)

July Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 101°F in Franklin on 07-29-1952
Lowest Temperature 34°F in Highlands on 07-27-1911
Greatest Rainfall 21.15 inches in Highlands on 07-29-1879
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1872

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

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Katie Dean announces Macon Co. Townhall

Katie Dean is running for Congress in North Carolina’s 11th District. Katie is holding a Townhall on Thursday, July 15, 6pm – 7pm at the Big Bear Shelter [E. Main St. and Little Tennessee River].

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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

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National News Roundup

Replay: First Human Flight Pre-Launch Mission Briefing (July 18th, 2021



LIVE at 7am: Blue Origin Launches Jeff Bezos to Space on First Crewed New Shepard Mission



Private Israeli spyware used to hack cellphones of journalists, activists worldwide [LINKTEXT]

Level1 News July 20 2021: BeZzZZzzzZos





NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - July 19th, 2021



PBS NewsHour full episode, July 19th, 2021

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COVID-19 News and Updates

Since it looks like we may be in for a fourth wave, here is a section on COVID-19. It will include local, regional, state, national, and global items.

b>Dr John Campbell: Saturday update (07-17-2021)



TWiV 781: My genome is left to tell the tale



Long COVID Treatment, Symptoms, and Recovery (Long Haulers)

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On This Day

July 20th is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 164 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)


AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots.
• [Wikipedia: Siege of Jerusalem]
• [Invicta: The Siege of Jerusalem (70 AD) - The Great Jewish Revolt]
• [Invicta: The Siege of Jerusalem (70 AD) - The Destruction of the Second Temple]
• [Fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD (Flavius Josephus)] (Librivox Recording)
• [A Temple in Flames The Final Battle for Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Second Temple]

792 – Kardam of Bulgaria defeats Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI at the Battle of Marcellae.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Marcellae]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Kardam of Bulgaria]
• [Wikipedia: Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria]

911 – Rollo lays siege to Chartres.
• [Wikipedia: Siege of Chartres (911)]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Rollo]
• [The Real Rollo & the Foundation of Normandy // Vikings Documentary]

1189 – Richard I of England officially invested as Duke of Normandy.

1225 – Treaty of San Germano is signed at San Germano between Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX. A Dominican named Guala is responsible for the negotiations.
• [Wikipedia: Treaty of San Germano]
• [Frederick II a bridge between East and West]

1398 – The Battle of Kellistown between the forces of the English led by Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March against the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles under the command of Art Óg mac Murchadha Caomhánach, the most powerful Chieftain in Leinster.
• [The Irish at War: The Battle of Kellistown]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Art Óg mac Murchadha Caomhánach]
• [Ireland’s Wars: How Art MacMurragh Brought Down The English Monarchy]

1402 – Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara: Timur, ruler of Timurid Empire, defeats forces of the Ottoman Empire sultan Bayezid I.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Ankara]
• [Wikipedia: Ottoman Interregnum]
• [Timur against Bayezid - Battle of Ankara 1402] (Kings and Generals)

1592 – During the first Japanese invasion of Korea, Japanese forces led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi captured Pyongyang, although they were ultimately unable to hold it.
• [Wikipedia: Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)]
• [Imjin War - Beginning of the Japanese Invasion of Korea] (Kings and Generals)

1715 – Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Empire captures Nauplia, the capital of the Republic of Venice's "Kingdom of the Morea", thereby opening the way to the swift Ottoman reconquest of the Morea.
• [Wikipedia: Ottoman–Venetian War (1714–1718)]

1738 – Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reaches the western shore of Lake Michigan.

1799 – Tekle Giyorgis I begins his first of six reigns as Emperor of Ethiopia.

1807 – Nicéphore Niépce is awarded a patent by Napoleon for the Pyréolophore, the world's first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France.

1810 – Citizens of Bogotá, New Granada declare independence from Spain.

1831 – Seneca and Shawnee people agree to relinquish their land in western Ohio for 60,000 acres west of the Mississippi River.

1848 – The first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, a two-day event, concludes.

1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek: Near Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate forces led by General John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General William T. Sherman.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Peachtree Creek]
• [March 2018 Chicago Civil War Round Table: Robert D. Jenkins: The Battle of Peach Tree Creek]

1866 – Austro-Prussian War: Battle of Lissa: The Austrian Navy, led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea. Also known as the Seven Weeks' War.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Lissa (1866)]
• [Wikipedia: Austro-Prussian War]
• [Drachinifel: The Battle of Lissa - Special]
• [Ocean Explorers: S01E09 History day - Battle of Lissa 2018]
• [Knowledgia: The Austro-Prussian War - Explained in 11 Minutes]

1871 – British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.

1885 – The Football Association legalizes professionalism in association football under pressure from the British Football Association.

1903 – The Ford Motor Company ships its first automobile.

1906 – In Finland, a new electoral law was ratified, guaranteeing the country the first and equal right to vote in the world. Finnish women were the first in Europe to receive the right to vote.

1917 – World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.
• [Wikipedia: Corfu Declaration]
• [TimeGhost History: Enter Yugoslavia Part 1 | BETWEEN 2 WARS I 1929 Part 2 of 3]
• [The Rise of Yugoslavia - From a Scrambled Kingdom to Brotherhood and Unity by Josip Broz Tito]

1920 – The Greek Army takes control of Silivri after Greece is awarded the city by the Paris Peace Conference; by 1923 Greece effectively lost control to the Turks.

1922 – The League of Nations awards mandates of Togoland to France and Tanganyika to the United Kingdom.

1932 – In the Preußenschlag, German President Hindenburg places Prussia directly under the rule of the national government.

1934 – Labor unrest in the U.S.: Police in Minneapolis fire upon striking truck drivers, during the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, killing two and wounding sixty-seven.
• [Wikipedia: Minneapolis general strike of 1934]
• [The 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters Strike]
• [KTCA-TV: Minneapolis Teamsters Strike Documentary Part 1]
• [Part 2]

1934 – West Coast waterfront strike: In Seattle, police fire tear gas on and club 2,000 striking longshoremen. The governor of Oregon calls out the National Guard to break a strike on the Portland docks.
• [Wikipedia: 1934 West Coast waterfront strike]

1935 – Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen.

1936 – The Montreux Convention is signed in Switzerland, authorizing Turkey to fortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus but guaranteeing free passage to ships of all nations in peacetime.

1938 – The United States Department of Justice files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.
• [United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.]
• [The day the Supreme Court killed Hollywood’s studio system]
• [Why are Movie Theater Concessions So Expensive? (The US v Paramount)]
• [The Paramount Case]

1940 – Denmark leaves the League of Nations.

1940 – California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

1941 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrentiy Beria its chief.

1944 – World War II: Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
• [Wikipedia: 20 July plot]
• [Wikipedia: Operation Valkyrie]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Claus von Stauffenberg]
• [The Secret Plot To Kill Hitler | Operation Valkyrie | Timeline]
• [75th Anniversary of the 20 July plot - Claus von Stauffenberg] (Germand with English subtitles)
• [Conspirators of July 20 Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler appears at People's Court] (German, English translation does not)
• [The German Resistance and July 20 Plot | Operation Valkyrie (1944)]

1949 – The Israel–Syria Mixed Armistice Commission brokers the last of four ceasefire agreements to end the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

1950 – Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Harry Gold]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Klaus Fuchs]
• [Digging for Gold: The Story of Harry Gold, NE Philly's Atom Spy]

1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Abdullah I of Jordan]
• [Newsreel: King Abdullah Assassinated (1951)]

1954 – Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany's secret service, defects to East Germany.

1960 – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world's first elected female head of government.

1960 – The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.

1961 – French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte.

1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces attack the capital of Định Tường Province, Cái Bè, killing 11 South Vietnamese military personnel and 40 civilians (30 of whom are children).

1968 – The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, with about 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities.

1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 11's crew successfully makes the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon six and a half hours later.
• [Apollo 11 landing from PDI to Touchdown]
• [Apollo 11 - Day 5 (Full Mission)]
• [Apollo 11 Real-Time Mission Experience] (blue button for real-time)

1969 – A cease fire is announced between Honduras and El Salvador, six days after the beginning of the "Football War".
• [Wikipedia: Football War]
• [El Salvador-Honduras 1969 Football War] (includes newsreel footage)
• [Football War - MiniWars #2]

1974 – Turkish invasion of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a coup d'état, organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios.

1976 – The American Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.
• [Wikipedia: Viking 1]
• [How Viking Conquered Mars: Entry, Descent, and Landing]
• [Homemade Documentaries: The Viking Mission]
• [Viking Landing Commentary First Picture 7-20-76]
• [Carl Sagan Mars the Search Begins Nasa Mariner & Viking Missions] (Narrated by Carl Sagan)
• [Mission Website]

1977 – The Central Intelligence Agency releases documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind-control experiments.

1977 – The Johnstown flood of 1977 kills 84 people and causes millions of dollars in damages.
• [Wikipedia: Johnstown flood of 1977]
• [WJAC-TV: 1977 Johnstown Flood]

1981 – Somali Airlines Flight 40 crashes in the Balad District of Somalia, killing 40 people.

1982 – Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings: The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in Hyde Park and Regent's Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and leading to the deaths of seven horses.

1985 – The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.

1989 – Burma's ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.

1992 – Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.

1997 – The fully restored USS Constitution (a.k.a. Old Ironsides) celebrates its 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
• [Wikipedia: USS Constitution]
• [The USS Constitution Old Ironsides (Documentary)]
• [USS Constitution: The US Navy's Most Iconic Ship? | Timeline]

1999 – The Chinese Communist Party begins a persecution campaign against Falun Gong, arresting thousands nationwide.

2005 – The Civil Marriage Act legalizes same-sex marriage in Canada.

2012 – James Holmes opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and injuring 70 others.

2012 – Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) capture the cities of Amuda and Efrîn without resistance.

2013 – Seventeen government soldiers are killed in an attack by FARC revolutionaries in the Colombian department of Arauca.

2013 – Syrian civil war: The Battle of Ras al-Ayn ends with the expulsion of Islamist forces from the city by the People's Protection Units (YPG).

2015 – A huge explosion in the mostly Kurdish border town of Suruç, Turkey, targeting the Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100.

2015 – The United States and Cuba resume full diplomatic relations after five decades.

2017 – O. J. Simpson is granted parole to be released from prison after serving nine years of a 33-year sentence after being convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas.

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Published at 4:00am on Tuesday, July 20, 2021

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