News and Weather Briefing for Friday, July 30, 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

Hot and dry high pressure persists across the region through Friday. A cold front will approach the area, gradually sinking south across the western Carolinas through the day on Friday. This front will stall in or near the forecast area to keep shower and thunderstorm chances around through the weekend. Early next week, another cold front brings cooler weather along with more shower and thunderstorm chances.




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Local News

Dedication Ceremony - Beloved Man Dr. Jerry Wolfe Highway



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

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs near 90. Winds out of the north 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, 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.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with highs near 90. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 9pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Light winds out of the northwest.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 11am and 3pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 60s. Chance of rain is 40%.

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Highlands Plateau

Today

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Winds out of the north around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the west southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 60s. Light winds out of the northwest. Chance of rain is 30%.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the upper 70s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 60. Chance of rain is 40%.

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Otto area

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs near 90. Winds out of the north 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Light winds out of the northwest. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with highs near 90. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 9pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Light winds out of the northwest.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 11am and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 40%.

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Nantahala area

Today

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Patchy fog in the morning. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph early shifting to come out of the northwest by midmorning. Chance of rain is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 8pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.

Sunday

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 10am, then showers and thunderstorms likely between 10am and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 80. Chance of rain is 60%.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 60s. Chance of rain is 40%.

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Hazards and Tropical Weather

Hazardous weather is not expected at this time.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Fri Jul 30 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 middle range of yellow for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the extreme upper range of yellow.

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 (5.0 out of 12) today with Grasses, and Nettle being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium range (5.5 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on July 16th


Highest Temperature 94°F in Franklin in 1952
Lowest Temperature 44°F in Highlands in 1911
Greatest Rainfall 3.00 inches in Highlands in 1878
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

Final Senate Floor Speech Of Former Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, Who Has Passed Away At The Age Of 87



Major quake hits off the coast of Alaska, triggers tsunami warnings but no large waves [LINKTEXT]

Level1 News July 30 2021: Let My Ice Cream Go



NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - July 28th, 2021



PBS NewsHour full episode, July 28th, 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.

UC Davis Health: COVID-19 Delta Variant - Masks for Fully Vaccinated People Explained



Is now the time to mandate vaccination?



Mask mandate back in Cherokee; Masking encouraged but not required in N.C. [Smoky Mountain News]

COVID-19 cases in 17 states linked back to Transylvania County summer camp [WLOS-TV]

Yes, your employer can require you to receive a COVID-19 vaccine [WRAL-TV]

President Biden Delivers Remarks Laying Out the Next Steps to Get More Americans Vaccinated (July 29th, 2021)



Coronavirus Briefing: NC Gov. Roy Cooper (July 29th, 2021)



PRESS RELEASE (07-29-2021)
GOVERNOR ROY COOPER

 Today, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. announced that state government would begin verifying vaccination status of its workers. Employees not vaccinated are required to wear a mask and be tested at least once a week. Today’s announcement comes as North Carolina’s latest upswing in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is driven by unvaccinated North Carolinians.

“Until more people get the vaccine, we will continue living with the very real threat of serious disease, and we will continue to see more dangerous and contagious variants like Delta,” said Governor Cooper.

NCDHHS updated guidance encourages private sector businesses to, at a minimum, verify vaccination status for their workers as well. The requirement for state government employees applies to cabinet agencies and is included in Executive Order 224.

“There is only one way out of this pandemic and that is vaccination. Our trends are accelerating at an alarmingly fast rate and the highest rates of viral spread are happening in areas with low vaccination rates and among those who are not fully vaccinated,” said Secretary Cohen. “If you are already vaccinated, I call on you to urge your unvaccinated family and friends to get their shot now. It is not an understatement to say that you will save lives by doing so.”

The NCDHHS updated guidance reminds unvaccinated people that they need to continue practicing the three Ws – wear a mask in all indoor public settings, wait six feet apart in all public settings and wash hands often. In addition, unvaccinated people should not gather with other unvaccinated people who do not live with them. If they do, they should stay outside and keep 6 feet of distance. In addition, unvaccinated people should not travel.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new mask guidance this week based on levels of transmission in communities. The new maps designate counties as areas of low (blue), moderate (yellow), substantial (orange) or high (red) transmission. Moving forward, everyone in a red or orange county in North Carolina, including those who have been vaccinated, should wear a mask in public indoor settings.

Additionally, in accordance with the updated CDC guidance, all K-12 schools should require universal masking, regardless of vaccination status. NCDHHS is updating its guidance for schools to align with this recommendation.

To date, North Carolina has administered nearly 9.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 57 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated. 61 percent of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 86 percent of North Carolinians 65 and over.

Learn more about the state’s vaccine distribution at myspot.nc.gov (English) or Vacunate.nc.gov (Spanish). Details on the Your Shot at $1 Million Summer Cash Drawing can be found at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/summervaxcash. Use NCDHHS’ online tool Find a Vaccine Location to find a nearby vaccine site. Call the state’s COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 888-675-4567.

Read the Executive Order.

Read a Frequently Asked Questions document. 

TWiV 786: You make mucus and you move it (July 29th, 2021)



TWiVsters review off-season epidemics of respiratory syncytial virus in Australia after easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and impaired innate immune responses in upper respiratory tract cells from patients with severe COVID-19. Show notes at [https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-786/]

Covid-19 Delta variant affects younger, unvaccinated populations in NC [Carolina Public Press]

How the coronavirus infects cells — and why Delta is so dangerous [Nature]

SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant exhibits higher infectivity and immune resistance [BioRxiv]

Covid-19 Breakthrough Infections in Vaccinated Health Care Workers [New England Journal of Medicine]

Surveillance Data Shows White-Tailed Deer Exposed to SARS-CoV-2 [USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service]

Risk of Myocarditis from COVID-19 Infection in People Under Age 20: A Population-Based Analysis [MedRxiv]

Long covid—mechanisms, risk factors, and management [BMJ]

Six Month Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine [MedRxiv]

A new perspective for mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 infection: priming the innate immune system for viral attack [Royal Society]

CDC Confirms That Viral Loads In Vaccinated People With Delta May Be Infectious, So Masks Are Necessary [SFist]

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On This Day

July 30th is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 154 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)


762 – Baghdad is founded.

1419 – First Defenestration of Prague: A crowd of radical Hussites kill seven members of the Prague city council.
• [Wikipedia: Hussites]
• [Wikipedia: First Defenestration of Prague]
• [Unbiased History: The Defenestrations of Prague]
• [Wikipedia: Bohemian Reformation]
• [First Defenestration of Prague] (1955 Dramatization in Czech, no translation)

1502 – Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras during his fourth voyage.

1609 – Beaver Wars: At Ticonderoga (now Crown Point, New York), Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs on behalf of his native allies.

1619 – In Jamestown, Virginia, the first Colonial European representative assembly in the Americas, the Virginia General Assembly, convenes for the first time.

1627 – An earthquake kills about 5,000 people in Gargano, Italy.

1635 – Eighty Years' War: The Siege of Schenkenschans begins; Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, begins the recapture of the strategically important fortress from the Spanish Army.

1656 – The Battle of Warsaw ends with a Swedish-Brandenburger victory over a larger Polish-Lithuanian force.

1676 – Nathaniel Bacon issues the "Declaration of the People of Virginia", beginning Bacon's Rebellion against the rule of Governor William Berkeley.
• [Wikipedia: Declaration of the People of Virginia]
• [Text at The Avalon Project]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Nathaniel Bacon (Virginia colonist)]
• [33 - 'The History of Colonel Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion' by Ebenezer Cook (1728)]
• [Wikipedia: Bacon's Rebellion]
• [amestown - Bacon's Rebellion] (Khan Academy)
• [Bacon's Rebellion: Racism in America | Michael Trownsell | TS]

1729 – Founding of Baltimore, Maryland.

1733 – The first Masonic Grand Lodge in the future United States is constituted in Massachusetts.

1756 – In Saint Petersburg, Bartolomeo Rastrelli presents the newly built Catherine Palace to Empress Elizabeth and her courtiers.

1811 – Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leader of the Mexican insurgency, is executed by the Spanish in Chihuahua City, Mexico.

1859 – First ascent of Grand Combin, one of the highest summits in the Alps.

1863 – American Indian Wars: Representatives of the United States and tribal leaders including Chief Pocatello (of the Shoshone) sign the Treaty of Box Elder.
• [Wikipedia: Box Elder Treaty]
• [Wikipedia: American Indian Wars]

1864 – American Civil War: Battle of the Crater: Union forces attempt to break Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia by exploding a large bomb under their trenches.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of the Crater]
• [Battle of The Crater at Petersburg: War Department] (American Battlefield Trust)
• [Battle of the Crater: Everyone Into the Hole]
• [nder Siege! - S01E05: Petersburg 1864 - Full Documentary]
• [Eyewitness to the Battle of the Crater (North)]
• [Cold Mountain - Battle of the Crater (Seige of Petersburg)] (Dramatization)

1865 – The steamboat Brother Jonathan sinks off the coast of Crescent City, California, killing 225 passengers, the deadliest shipwreck on the Pacific Coast of the U.S. at the time.

1866 – Armed Confederate veterans in New Orleans riot against a meeting of Radical Republicans, killing 48 people and injuring another 100.

1871 – The Staten Island Ferry Westfield's boiler explodes, killing over 85 people.

1912 – Japan's Emperor Meiji dies and is succeeded by his son Yoshihito, who is now known as the Emperor Taishō.

1930 – In Montevideo, Uruguay wins the first FIFA World Cup.

1932 – Premiere of Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award winning cartoon short.

1945 – World War II: Japanese submarine I-58 sinks the USS Indianapolis, killing 883 seamen. Most die during the following four days, until an aircraft notices the survivors.
• [94-year-old survivor of the USS Indianapolis sinking, tells his story]
• [Wikipedia: USS Indianapolis (CA-35)]
• [The Story of the Deadliest Shark Attack in US History]
• [An Exclusive First Look Inside USS Indianapolis Wreckage Underwater | TODAY (2017)]

1956 – A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto.
• [Wikipedia: In God We Trust]
• [The Real Reason 'In God We Trust' Is On The U.S. Dollar]

1962 – The Trans-Canada Highway, the longest national highway in the world, is officially opened.

1965 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
• [Wikipedia: Social Security Amendments of 1965]
• [Medicare and Medicaid at 50 (2017)]

1966 – England defeats West Germany to win the 1966 FIFA World Cup at Wembley Stadium after extra time.

1969 – Vietnam War: US President Richard Nixon makes an unscheduled visit to South Vietnam and meets with President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and U.S. military commanders.
• [News Reel Footage]

1971 – Apollo program: On Apollo 15, David Scott and James Irwin on the Apollo Lunar Module Falcon land on the Moon with the first Lunar Rover.
• [Wikipedia: Apollo 15]
• [APOLLO 15 Landing (stabilized video)]
• [Apollo 15: "Never Been on a Ride like this Before"] (NASA Video)
• [Apollo 15 in 60fps: Rover Traverse To Station 4]

1971 – An All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 and a Japanese Air Force F-86 collide over Morioka, Iwate, Japan killing 162.

1974 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon releases subpoenaed White House recordings after being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court of the United States.

1975 – Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at about 2:30 p.m. He is never seen or heard from again.
• [Jimmy Hoffa’s Disappearance: News Reports 1975 - 1980]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Jimmy Hoffa]
• [LINKTEXT]

1978 – The 730: Okinawa Prefecture changes its traffic on the right-hand side of the road to the left-hand side.

1980 – Vanuatu gains independence.

1980 – Israel's Knesset passes the Jerusalem Law.
• [Wikipedia: Jerusalem Law]

1981 – As many as 50,000 demonstrators, mostly women and children, took to the streets in Łódź to protest food ration shortages in Communist Poland.

1990 – Ian Gow, Conservative Member of Parliament, is assassinated at his home by IRA terrorists in a car bombing after he assured the group that the British government would never surrender to them.

2003 – In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line.

2006 – The world's longest running music show Top of the Pops is broadcast for the last time on BBC Two. The show had aired for 42 years.

2011 – Marriage of Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips to former rugby union footballer Mike Tindall.

2012 – A train fire kills 32 passengers and injures 27 on the Tamil Nadu Express in Andhra Pradesh, India.

2012 – A power grid failure in Delhi leaves more than 300 million people without power in northern India.

2014 – Twenty killed and 150 are trapped after a landslide in Maharashtra, India.

2020 – NASA's Mars 2020 mission was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
• [Live NASA Webcast]
• [SciNews Highlight Reel]
• [Wikipedia: Mars 2020]
• [Official Website]

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Published at 4:00am on Friday, July 30, 2021

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