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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
OUTLOOK
Wildfire smoke from out west will be transported into the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia leading to hazy conditions the next few days. Diurnal shower and thunderstorm chances gradually increase heading into the weekend. A backdoor cold front will track out of the north early next week bringing an increase for shower and thunderstorm chances. Highs should run a few degrees above normal this weekend into next week.
...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT...
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
Children, active people, older adults, and those with heart or lung disease (like asthma): limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
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Local News
Final Beam Placed at New Angel Medical Center [LINK]
Macon County Board of Education, July 2021
For more information, visit [MaconMedia.com].
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 Sunday Night
Franklin area
Today (Air Quality Alert)
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy through midmorning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 4am. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 40%.
Sunday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Highlands Plateau
Today (Air Quality Alert)
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Light winds out of the south. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs oin the upper 70s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 50%.
Sunday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Otto area
Today (Air Quality Alert)
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy through midmorning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, then becoming cloudy toward daybreak, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 50%.
Sunday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Nantahala area
Today (Air Quality Alert)
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Areas of fog before midmorning. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 1am. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 80s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs near 82. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 40%.
Sunday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Isolated thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening. The main potential threat will be cloud-to-ground lightning.
...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT...
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in Raleigh NC has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Fine Particulates for Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Graham, Macon, Transylvania, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell, Rutherford, Polk, Alexander, Catawba, Iredell, Cleveland, Lincoln, and Gaston Counties, until midnight EDT tonight.
This particular alert is due to smoke from wildfires in the western United States and central Canada.
An Air Quality Action Day means that Fine Particulates concentrations within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Fri Jul 23 2021
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
1. A trough of low pressure located just offshore of the coasts of southeastern Georgia and southern South Carolina is producing limited shower and thunderstorm activity. Environmental conditions are forecast to be marginally conducive for some gradual development over the weekend and into early next week while the system drifts offshore of the southeastern United States.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...30 percent.
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Almanac
Air Quality
Air quality is in the lower range of orange for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of orange.
Fire and Smoke Map
(There is haze from the wildfires out on the west coast.)
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (3.1 out of 12) today with Grasses, Plantain, and Chenopods being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (3.2 out of 12).
Weather Extremes for Macon County on July 16th
Highest Temperature 96°F in Franklin in 1952
Lowest Temperature 44°F in Highlands in 1915
Greatest Rainfall 2.89 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1970
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)
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].
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
WeatherBrains 809: For God’s Sake Take Cover
Audio version and links to items discussed in podcast [LINKTEXT]
Level1News July 23 2021: 📎 It Looks Like You're Trying To Stay Relevant. Do You Want Help WIth That?
Pelosi Nixes GOP Reps Nominated For Jan. 6 Committee Who Would Back Trump (July 21st, 2021)
Replay - First Human Flight Post-Flight Press Conference VICE NEWS: Exposing Dirty Cops to the FBI | BETRAYING THE BADGE
NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - July 21st, 2021
PBS NewsHour full episode, July 21st, 2021
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COVID-19 News and Updates
Since it looks like we may be in for a new wave of infections, here is a section on COVID-19. It will include local, regional, state, national, and global items.
Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant [New England Journal of Medicine]
Breakthrough Infections of SARS-CoV-2 Gamma Variant in Fully Vaccinated Gold Miners, French Guiana, 2021 [CDC]
SARS-CoV-2 spike P681R mutation, a hallmark of the Delta variant, enhances viral fusogenicity and pathogenicity [BioRxiv Preprint]
title [LINKTEXT]
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Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials (07-22-2021)
b>CDC advisory panel discusses third COVID-19 shot for immunocompromised
Dr John Campbell: US third wave (07-20-2021)
TWiV 782: An antibody for all sarbecoviruses
In this episode, broadening of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 after mRNA vaccine booster to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, five-fold underestimation of the number of cases in the US during the first six months of the pandemic, and a monoclonal antibody that broadly neutralizes many different sarbecoviruses.
Show notes a [https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-782/]
Coronavirus Update 127: Delta Variant and Vaccines
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On This Day
July 22nd is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 162 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)
811 – Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I plunders the Bulgarian capital of Pliska and captures Khan Krum's treasury.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Pliska]
• [Wikipedia: First Bulgarian Empire]
• [Micahistory 2: The Battle of Pliska]
• [Kings and Generals: Pliska 811 - Byzantine - Bulgarian Wars]
1319 – A Knights Hospitaller fleet scores a crushing victory over an Aydinid fleet off Chios.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Chios (1319)]
1632 – Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe, France.
1677 – Scanian War: Denmark–Norway captures the harbor town of Marstrand from Sweden.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Marstrand]
• [Wikipedia: Scanian War]
• [Scanian War | 3 Minute History]
1793 – Kingdom of Prussia re-conquers Mainz from France.
• [Wikipedia: Siege of Mainz (1793)]
• [Wikipedia: French Revolutionary Wars]
1813 – Sir Thomas Maitland is appointed as the first Governor of Malta, transforming the island from a British protectorate to a de facto colony.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Thomas Maitland (British Army officer)]
1821 – The Greeks capture Monemvasia Castle. Turkish troops and citizens are transferred to Asia Minor's coasts.
• [Wikipedia: Greek War of Independence]
• [The Greek Revolution | How Did Greece Get Its Independence?]
1829 – In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the typographer, a precursor to the typewriter.
1840 – The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union.
1862 – American Civil War: Henry Halleck takes command of the Union Army.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Henry Halleck]
• [Union Leaders: The Civil War in Four Minutes] (American Battlefield Trust)
1874 – Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos is appointed the Archbishop of the Portuguese colonial enclave of Goa, India.
1881 – The Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina is signed in Buenos Aires.
1885 – President Ulysses S. Grant dies of throat cancer.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company sells its first car.
1908 – The Second Constitution accepted by the Ottomans.
1914 – Austria-Hungary issues a series of demands in an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia demanding Serbia to allow the Austrians to determine who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Serbia accepts all but one of those demands and Austria declares war on July 28.
• [Wikipedia: July Crisis]
• [World War I: The Seminal Tragedy - The July Crisis - Extra History - #3]
• [#1 The July Crisis of 1914 (and the Never-Ending Debate of Who Caused War)]
1919 – Prince Regent Aleksander KaraÄ‘orÄ‘ević signs the decree establishing the University of Ljubljana
1921 – The Communist Party of China (CPC) is established at the founding National Congress.
• [Wikipedia: 1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party]
• [Wikipedia: Chinese Communist Party]
• [Opening of CPC's 1st National Congress Memorial in Shanghai] (recorded Live)
• [Why didn't Communism Collapse in China as in other countries?] (Knowledgia Video)
1926 – Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film.
1927 – The first station of the Indian Broadcasting Company goes on the air in Bombay.
1936 – In Catalonia, Spain, the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia is founded through the merger of Socialist and Communist parties.
• [Wikipedia: Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia]
1940 – The United States' Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles issues a declaration on the U.S. non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and incorporation of three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
1942 – World War II: The German offensives Operation Edelweiss and Operation Braunschweig begin.
• [Wikipedia: Operation Edelweiss]
• [Wikipedia: Battle of the Caucasus]
• [LThe Unknown War Ep12 The Battle of Caucasus]
• [Soviet Storm. WW2 in the East - The Battle for Caucasus. Episode 8]
• [Wikipedia: Operation Braunschweig]
1942 – Bulgarian poet and Communist leader Nikola Vaptsarov is executed by firing squad.
1943 – The Rayleigh bath chair murder occurred in Rayleigh, Essex, England.
1943 – World War II: The British destroyers HMS Eclipse and HMS Laforey sink the Italian submarine Ascianghi in the Mediterranean after she torpedoes the cruiser HMS Newfoundland.
1945 РThe post-war legal processes against Philippe P̩tain begin.
1952 – General Muhammad Naguib leads the Free Officers Movement (formed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the real power behind the coup) in overthrowing King Farouk of Egypt.
1961 – The Sandinista National Liberation Front is founded in Nicaragua.
1962 – Telstar relays the first publicly transmitted, live trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite.
• [NPR: From The Archives: Cronkite, Live Via Satellite]
1962 – The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos is signed.
1962 – Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
1967 – Detroit Riots: In Detroit, one of the worst riots in United States history begins on 12th Street in the predominantly African American inner city. It ultimately kills 43 people, injures 342 and burns about 1,400 buildings.
1968 – Glenville shootout: In Cleveland, Ohio, a violent shootout between a Black Militant organization and the Cleveland Police Department occurs. During the shootout, a riot begins and lasts for five days.
1968 – The only successful hijacking of an El Al aircraft takes place when a Boeing 707 carrying ten crew and 38 passengers is taken over by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The aircraft was en route from Rome, to Lod, Israel.
1970 – Qaboos bin Said al Said becomes Sultan of Oman after overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur initiating massive reforms, modernization programs and end to a decade long civil war.
1972 – The United States launches Landsat 1, the first Earth-resources satellite.
1974 – The Greek military junta collapses, and former Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis is invited to lead the new government, beginning Greece's metapolitefsi era.
1980 – Phạm Tuân becomes the first Vietnamese citizen and the first Asian in space when he flies aboard the Soyuz 37 mission as an Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut.
(note: due to time limitations, this segment was unable to be completed in time for publication. It will be finished later. --Bobby)
1982 – Outside Santa Clarita, California, actor Vic Morrow and two children are killed when a helicopter crashes onto them while shooting a scene from Twilight Zone: The Movie.
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1983 – Thirteen Sri Lanka Army soldiers are killed after a deadly ambush by the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
• [LINKTEXT]
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1983 – Gimli Glider: Air Canada Flight 143 runs out of fuel and makes a deadstick landing at Gimli, Manitoba.
• [LINKTEXT]
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1988 – General Ne Win, effective ruler of Burma since 1962, resigns after pro-democracy protests.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
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1992 – A Vatican commission, led by Joseph Ratzinger, establishes that limiting certain rights of homosexual people and non-married couples is not equivalent to discrimination on grounds of race or gender.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
1992 – Abkhazia declares independence from Georgia.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
1995 – Comet Hale–Bopp is discovered; it becomes visible to the naked eye on Earth nearly a year later.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
1997 – Digital Equipment Corporation files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
1999 – ANA Flight 61 is hijacked in Tokyo, Japan by Yuji Nishizawa.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
1999 – Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-93, with Eileen Collins becoming the first female space shuttle commander. The shuttle also carried and deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
2005 – Three bombs explode in the Naama Bay area of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, killing 88 people.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
2010 – English-Irish boy band One Direction is formed by judge Simon Cowell on The X Factor (British series 7), later going on to finish at third place. It would go on to become one of the biggest boy bands in the world, and would be very influential on pop music of the 2010s.
• [LINKTEXT]
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2012 – The Solar storm of 2012 was an unusually large coronal mass ejection that was emitted by the Sun which barely missed the Earth by nine days. If it hit, it would have caused up to US$2.6 trillion in damages to electrical equipment worldwide.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
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2014 – TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashes in Xixi village near Huxi, Penghu, during approach to Phengu Airport. 48 of the 58 people on board are killed and five more people on the ground are injured.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
2015 – NASA announces discovery of Kepler-452b by Kepler.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
2016 – Kabul twin bombing occurred in the vicinity of Deh Mazang when protesters, mostly from the Shiite Hazara minority, were marching against route changing of the TUTAP power project. At least 80 people were killed and 260 were injured.
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
2018 – A wildfire in East Attica, Greece caused the death of 102 people. It was the deadliest wildfire in history of Greece and the second-deadliest in the world, in the 21st century, after the 2009 bushfires in Australia that killed 180.
• [LINKTEXT]
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Published at 3:05am on Friday, July 23, 2021
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For more information, visit [MaconMedia.com].
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 Sunday Night
Franklin area
Today (Air Quality Alert)
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy through midmorning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 4am. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 40%.
Sunday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Highlands Plateau
Today (Air Quality Alert)
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Light winds out of the south. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs oin the upper 70s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 50%.
Sunday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Otto area
Today (Air Quality Alert)
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy through midmorning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, then becoming cloudy toward daybreak, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 50%.
Sunday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Nantahala area
Today (Air Quality Alert)
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Areas of fog before midmorning. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 1am. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 80s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs near 82. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 40%.
Sunday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 30%.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Isolated thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening. The main potential threat will be cloud-to-ground lightning.
...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT...
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in Raleigh NC has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Fine Particulates for Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Graham, Macon, Transylvania, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell, Rutherford, Polk, Alexander, Catawba, Iredell, Cleveland, Lincoln, and Gaston Counties, until midnight EDT tonight.
This particular alert is due to smoke from wildfires in the western United States and central Canada.
An Air Quality Action Day means that Fine Particulates concentrations within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Fri Jul 23 2021
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
1. A trough of low pressure located just offshore of the coasts of southeastern Georgia and southern South Carolina is producing limited shower and thunderstorm activity. Environmental conditions are forecast to be marginally conducive for some gradual development over the weekend and into early next week while the system drifts offshore of the southeastern United States.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...30 percent.
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Almanac
Air Quality
Air quality is in the lower range of orange for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of orange.
Fire and Smoke Map
(There is haze from the wildfires out on the west coast.)
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (3.1 out of 12) today with Grasses, Plantain, and Chenopods being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (3.2 out of 12).
Weather Extremes for Macon County on July 16th
Highest Temperature 96°F in Franklin in 1952
Lowest Temperature 44°F in Highlands in 1915
Greatest Rainfall 2.89 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1970
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)
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].
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
WeatherBrains 809: For God’s Sake Take Cover
Audio version and links to items discussed in podcast [LINKTEXT]
Level1News July 23 2021: 📎 It Looks Like You're Trying To Stay Relevant. Do You Want Help WIth That?
Pelosi Nixes GOP Reps Nominated For Jan. 6 Committee Who Would Back Trump (July 21st, 2021)
Replay - First Human Flight Post-Flight Press Conference VICE NEWS: Exposing Dirty Cops to the FBI | BETRAYING THE BADGE
NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - July 21st, 2021
PBS NewsHour full episode, July 21st, 2021
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COVID-19 News and Updates
Since it looks like we may be in for a new wave of infections, here is a section on COVID-19. It will include local, regional, state, national, and global items.
Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant [New England Journal of Medicine]
Breakthrough Infections of SARS-CoV-2 Gamma Variant in Fully Vaccinated Gold Miners, French Guiana, 2021 [CDC]
SARS-CoV-2 spike P681R mutation, a hallmark of the Delta variant, enhances viral fusogenicity and pathogenicity [BioRxiv Preprint]
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Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials (07-22-2021)
b>CDC advisory panel discusses third COVID-19 shot for immunocompromised
Dr John Campbell: US third wave (07-20-2021)
TWiV 782: An antibody for all sarbecoviruses
In this episode, broadening of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 after mRNA vaccine booster to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, five-fold underestimation of the number of cases in the US during the first six months of the pandemic, and a monoclonal antibody that broadly neutralizes many different sarbecoviruses.
Show notes a [https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-782/]
Coronavirus Update 127: Delta Variant and Vaccines
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On This Day
July 22nd is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 162 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)
811 – Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I plunders the Bulgarian capital of Pliska and captures Khan Krum's treasury.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Pliska]
• [Wikipedia: First Bulgarian Empire]
• [Micahistory 2: The Battle of Pliska]
• [Kings and Generals: Pliska 811 - Byzantine - Bulgarian Wars]
1319 – A Knights Hospitaller fleet scores a crushing victory over an Aydinid fleet off Chios.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Chios (1319)]
1632 – Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe, France.
1677 – Scanian War: Denmark–Norway captures the harbor town of Marstrand from Sweden.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Marstrand]
• [Wikipedia: Scanian War]
• [Scanian War | 3 Minute History]
1793 – Kingdom of Prussia re-conquers Mainz from France.
• [Wikipedia: Siege of Mainz (1793)]
• [Wikipedia: French Revolutionary Wars]
1813 – Sir Thomas Maitland is appointed as the first Governor of Malta, transforming the island from a British protectorate to a de facto colony.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Thomas Maitland (British Army officer)]
1821 – The Greeks capture Monemvasia Castle. Turkish troops and citizens are transferred to Asia Minor's coasts.
• [Wikipedia: Greek War of Independence]
• [The Greek Revolution | How Did Greece Get Its Independence?]
1829 – In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the typographer, a precursor to the typewriter.
1840 – The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union.
1862 – American Civil War: Henry Halleck takes command of the Union Army.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Henry Halleck]
• [Union Leaders: The Civil War in Four Minutes] (American Battlefield Trust)
1874 – Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos is appointed the Archbishop of the Portuguese colonial enclave of Goa, India.
1881 – The Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina is signed in Buenos Aires.
1885 – President Ulysses S. Grant dies of throat cancer.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company sells its first car.
1908 – The Second Constitution accepted by the Ottomans.
1914 – Austria-Hungary issues a series of demands in an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia demanding Serbia to allow the Austrians to determine who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Serbia accepts all but one of those demands and Austria declares war on July 28.
• [Wikipedia: July Crisis]
• [World War I: The Seminal Tragedy - The July Crisis - Extra History - #3]
• [#1 The July Crisis of 1914 (and the Never-Ending Debate of Who Caused War)]
1919 – Prince Regent Aleksander KaraÄ‘orÄ‘ević signs the decree establishing the University of Ljubljana
1921 – The Communist Party of China (CPC) is established at the founding National Congress.
• [Wikipedia: 1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party]
• [Wikipedia: Chinese Communist Party]
• [Opening of CPC's 1st National Congress Memorial in Shanghai] (recorded Live)
• [Why didn't Communism Collapse in China as in other countries?] (Knowledgia Video)
1926 – Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film.
1927 – The first station of the Indian Broadcasting Company goes on the air in Bombay.
1936 – In Catalonia, Spain, the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia is founded through the merger of Socialist and Communist parties.
• [Wikipedia: Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia]
1940 – The United States' Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles issues a declaration on the U.S. non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and incorporation of three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
1942 – World War II: The German offensives Operation Edelweiss and Operation Braunschweig begin.
• [Wikipedia: Operation Edelweiss]
• [Wikipedia: Battle of the Caucasus]
• [LThe Unknown War Ep12 The Battle of Caucasus]
• [Soviet Storm. WW2 in the East - The Battle for Caucasus. Episode 8]
• [Wikipedia: Operation Braunschweig]
1942 – Bulgarian poet and Communist leader Nikola Vaptsarov is executed by firing squad.
1943 – The Rayleigh bath chair murder occurred in Rayleigh, Essex, England.
1943 – World War II: The British destroyers HMS Eclipse and HMS Laforey sink the Italian submarine Ascianghi in the Mediterranean after she torpedoes the cruiser HMS Newfoundland.
1945 РThe post-war legal processes against Philippe P̩tain begin.
1952 – General Muhammad Naguib leads the Free Officers Movement (formed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the real power behind the coup) in overthrowing King Farouk of Egypt.
1961 – The Sandinista National Liberation Front is founded in Nicaragua.
1962 – Telstar relays the first publicly transmitted, live trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite.
• [NPR: From The Archives: Cronkite, Live Via Satellite]
1962 – The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos is signed.
1962 – Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
1967 – Detroit Riots: In Detroit, one of the worst riots in United States history begins on 12th Street in the predominantly African American inner city. It ultimately kills 43 people, injures 342 and burns about 1,400 buildings.
1968 – Glenville shootout: In Cleveland, Ohio, a violent shootout between a Black Militant organization and the Cleveland Police Department occurs. During the shootout, a riot begins and lasts for five days.
1968 – The only successful hijacking of an El Al aircraft takes place when a Boeing 707 carrying ten crew and 38 passengers is taken over by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The aircraft was en route from Rome, to Lod, Israel.
1970 – Qaboos bin Said al Said becomes Sultan of Oman after overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur initiating massive reforms, modernization programs and end to a decade long civil war.
1972 – The United States launches Landsat 1, the first Earth-resources satellite.
1974 – The Greek military junta collapses, and former Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis is invited to lead the new government, beginning Greece's metapolitefsi era.
1980 – Phạm Tuân becomes the first Vietnamese citizen and the first Asian in space when he flies aboard the Soyuz 37 mission as an Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut.
(note: due to time limitations, this segment was unable to be completed in time for publication. It will be finished later. --Bobby)
1982 – Outside Santa Clarita, California, actor Vic Morrow and two children are killed when a helicopter crashes onto them while shooting a scene from Twilight Zone: The Movie.
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1983 – Thirteen Sri Lanka Army soldiers are killed after a deadly ambush by the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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1983 – Gimli Glider: Air Canada Flight 143 runs out of fuel and makes a deadstick landing at Gimli, Manitoba.
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1988 – General Ne Win, effective ruler of Burma since 1962, resigns after pro-democracy protests.
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1992 – A Vatican commission, led by Joseph Ratzinger, establishes that limiting certain rights of homosexual people and non-married couples is not equivalent to discrimination on grounds of race or gender.
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1992 – Abkhazia declares independence from Georgia.
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1995 – Comet Hale–Bopp is discovered; it becomes visible to the naked eye on Earth nearly a year later.
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1997 – Digital Equipment Corporation files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
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1999 – ANA Flight 61 is hijacked in Tokyo, Japan by Yuji Nishizawa.
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1999 – Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-93, with Eileen Collins becoming the first female space shuttle commander. The shuttle also carried and deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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2005 – Three bombs explode in the Naama Bay area of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, killing 88 people.
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2010 – English-Irish boy band One Direction is formed by judge Simon Cowell on The X Factor (British series 7), later going on to finish at third place. It would go on to become one of the biggest boy bands in the world, and would be very influential on pop music of the 2010s.
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2012 – The Solar storm of 2012 was an unusually large coronal mass ejection that was emitted by the Sun which barely missed the Earth by nine days. If it hit, it would have caused up to US$2.6 trillion in damages to electrical equipment worldwide.
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2014 – TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashes in Xixi village near Huxi, Penghu, during approach to Phengu Airport. 48 of the 58 people on board are killed and five more people on the ground are injured.
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2015 – NASA announces discovery of Kepler-452b by Kepler.
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2016 – Kabul twin bombing occurred in the vicinity of Deh Mazang when protesters, mostly from the Shiite Hazara minority, were marching against route changing of the TUTAP power project. At least 80 people were killed and 260 were injured.
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2018 – A wildfire in East Attica, Greece caused the death of 102 people. It was the deadliest wildfire in history of Greece and the second-deadliest in the world, in the 21st century, after the 2009 bushfires in Australia that killed 180.
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Published at 3:05am on Friday, July 23, 2021
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