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Macon County Commissioners

Coverage of the meetings of the Macon County Board of County Commissioners.

Franklin Town Board of Aldermen

Coverage of the meetings of the Franklin Town Board of Aldermen.

Macon County School Board

Coverage of the meetings of the Macon County School Board.

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About

Friday, May 31, 2024

Mountain Credit Union Provides Financial Literacy Resources to Local Students and Community



PRESS RELEASE
MOUNTAIN CREDIT UNION


May 2024 -- Mountain Credit Union is bringing financial literacy education to over 3,140 students and residents in several North Carolina counties. Students at 20 schools and the surrounding community have free access to Banzai, an award-winning online program and content library that allows users to practice real-world finance from the safety of their home or classroom using any internet-enabled device. At a time when a solid foundation of practical financial knowledge is critical, these resources will make a huge impact on users.

Through the Banzai online courses, students try out managing a budget, saving for a goal, and dealing with unexpected financial pitfalls. Teachers are able to easily monitor and grade student progress remotely. Other resources, which include articles, calculators, and personalizable Coach sessions, explain everything from the basics of filing your taxes to how health insurance works. These resources are available at mountaincu.teachbanzai.com/wellness.

“Thanks to Mountain Credit Union, area students will now have access to a wide array of courses and resources designed to help prepare them for our increasingly complex world,” says Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. “We wouldn't be able to provide these tools without their support.”

Mountain Credit Union is working with Banzai to build financial literacy in the community by investing time, money, industry experience, and a variety of credit union resources. Now, they’re taking their commitment to education a step further. Through their help, students have access to Banzai learning tools, virtual or in-classroom presentations from a Mountain Credit Union expert, and even class visits to a branch to see it all in person.

Banzai resources are used by over 120,000 teachers across the U.S. These educational tools align with North Carolina’s state curriculum requirements, making the program a fun way for students to gain vital skills and an ideal way for anyone in the community to increase their financial literacy. After finishing the Banzai courses, users will know how to track where their money is and what it’s for, recognize financial trade-offs, and plan for a financially sound future.

Teachers interested in using Banzai can visit mountaincu.teachbanzai.com or call 888-8-BANZAI.

For more information about Banzai visit banzai.org For more information about Mountain Credit Union visit mountaincu.org





DAY SPONSOR


Macon Media is being underwritten today by Franklin Office Supply. Visit their store at 161 Highlands Road in Franklin or check out their website.

News and Weather Briefing for Friday, May 31, 2024

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Thursday, May 30, 2024

News and Weather Briefing for Thursday, May 30, 2024



Here is the news and weather briefing for Macon County.

GENERAL OUTLOOK

A cooler and drier air mass will gradually build into the region through the end of the week, with high pressure moving across the region at the start of the weekend. Once the high moves off to our east on Sunday, we should see a slow warm up with a return of the mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms.


Budget Work Session Between County Commissioners and Schoolboard (05-28-2024) | Macon Media






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Local Weather

General Forecast Through Saturday Night





Franklin Area

Today

Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the upper 70s. Calm winds.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Light winds out of the northwest.

Friday

Sunny, with highs near 80. Calm winds.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 50. Calm winds.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 80.

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s.


Highlands Plateau

Today

Sunny, with highs near 70. Winds out of the north around 5 mph becoming light and variable by midmorning.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Winds out of the north 3 to 7 mph.

Friday

Sunny, with highs near 70. Light and variable winds early in the morning increasing to come out of the northeast around 5 mph by midmorning.

Friday Night

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

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 70.

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s.


Otto and South Central Macon County

Today

Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Calm winds.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows around 50. Light winds out of the northwest.

Friday

Sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Light and variable winds.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 50. Calm winds.

Saturday

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

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s.


Nantahala Area



Today

Sunny, with highs near 70. Winds out of the northeast 3 to 5 mph.

Tonight

Clear, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming light and variable before midnight.

Friday

Sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Light and variable winds.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 50. Light winds out of the southeast.

Saturday

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

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s.




Hazards



Hazardous weather is not expected today or tonight.

• New preseason hurricane forecast is highest ever issued. Brace yourself, Florida [Miami Herald (via Yahoo News)]




Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium-high range (7.1 out of 12) today with Grasses, Mulberry, and Poplar being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range (6.4 out of 12.0).



Record Weather Events for May 30th

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 90°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2019
Lowest Temperature 34°F in Highlands in 1984
Greatest One-Day Rain 5.97 inches in Highlands in 2018
Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since record-keeping began in 1871)

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of May Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 92°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 05-20-1996
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

Record Weather Events for May 30th in North Carolina

Highest Temperature 101°F in Smithfield, Johnston County in 1941
Lowest Temperature 27°F in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 2006
Greatest One-Day Rain 7.09 inches in Lake Buxton, Dare County in 1876
Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since 1872) in 1979

(the excessive rainfall was due to the remnants of Hurricane Gladys)

Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of May Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 107°F in Aurora, Beaufort Countyy on 05-26-2011
Lowest Temperature 14°F in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 05-09-2020
Greatest Rainfall 8.51 inches in Pisgah Forest, Transylvania County on 05-20-1942
Greatest Snowfall 15.00 in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 05-07-1992






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

Music Lineup for Friends of the Greenway, Inc.

Frog Quarters Music Schedule (located at 573 East Main Street in Franklin)

June 2024 Schedule

6/1/24—Dave Stewart—The head of one of our Singer/Songwriters groups here in Franklin takes center stage & brings some great covers along with his originals. It’s folk, it’s country, it’s oldies, it’s blues,….it’s Dave! He’s versatile and it’s relaxed at the Frogs.

6/8/24—Chuck Dorling and Sonia Brooks—Sonia is more about keeping the old folk songs and Chuck’s about several styles including the blues. Their collaboration is appreciated for sure! They promise a good time for us all.

6/15/24—Bloodroot--We are talking Appalachian at it’s best!….You’ll hear songs we heard around here from our parents and grandparents as kids. They have a great sound as they weave harmonies and instrumentation! Zip Robertson, Cricket Woodward, Paul Davis and Judy Kirkland. Don’t miss ‘em.

6/22/24—Bill Peterson and Charlie Simmons—Bill’s deep voice lends itself to his blues & other covers and his originals. Charlie is an award-winning finger-style picker on his covers and great originals. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry with this duo, but not at their musical expertise!

6/29/24—George James—With a collection of around 800 songs, George does covers of folk, country and oldies. Come with your requests to hear George. If he doesn’t have a song, chances are he knows another by your artist!

For other Music and News follow us on Facebook at Friends of the Greenway, Inc. and Instagram at friends_of_the_greenway_inc. To find out more about the Greenway and our organization, our website is: littletennessee.org.

Frog Quarters is open 9a to 2p, Wednesdays thru Saturdays—beside the River Bridge. We are the Non-Profit supporting the Greenway with monies from sales from our Coffee & Gift Shop, Memberships and Donations. As always, thank you for your support!



Mountain Findings
432 Spruce Street (physical)
Highlands, North Carolina 28741
Web: MountainFindings.org

Mountain Findings (a thrift store) is open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm until October 2023.









News Briefing
---STATE AND LOCAL---

Shooting along Blue Ridge Parkway leaves one injured | WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)



Budget Work Session Between County Commissioners and Schoolboard (05-28-2024) | Macon Media



• North Carolina unveils new, more secure driver's licenses with state-inspired designs [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• Ohio man gets probation after pleading guilty to threatening North Carolina legislator [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• From leans Democrat to ‘toss up.’ What to make of the latest NC governor’s race poll [Raleigh News and Observer]

• Dogwood Health Trust announces community listening sessions with new independent monitor for HCA [BPR News]

• A 6th house has collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean along North Carolina’s Outer Banks [AP News]



---NATIONAL---

1st day of deliberations wraps with no verdict in Trump hush money trial | ABC News



Major League Baseball now includes Negro Leagues statistics in record books | NBC News



• DOJ charges Chinese national with operating ‘world’s largest botnet’ that stole $5.9 billion in Covid relief funds [CNBC]

• New Louisiana law will criminalize approaching police under certain circumstances [AP News]

• State trial begins for Paul Pelosi attacker [Courthouse News Service]

• Alito rebuffs critics over flag controversy, says he won’t recuse from Jan. 6 cases [Politico]

• As investors pour in, for-profit nursing homes leave some seniors in need [CBS News]



International News Headlines

India heatwave sees temperatures rise above 50C | BBC News



North Korea sends balloons filled with trash, propaganda into South Korea | NBC News



• N. Korea fires around 10 short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS [Yonhap News Agency]

• 14 pro-democracy activists found guilty of subversion in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case [CNBC]

• From Allies and Advisers, Pressure Grows on Biden to Allow Attacks on Russian Territory [New York Times]

• Mexico: Second mayoral candidate killed days before election [DW News]

• Police raid European Parliament offices amid election interference concerns [France 24]

• Khamenei urges US students: 'Keep fighting against ‘genocidal’ Israeli policies' [Jerusalem Post]



Now, the Gaza Pier has Been Beached! | Video Shows Part of the Trident Pier Ashore in Israel | What's Going on With Shipping?



Washington Today (5-29-24): Pres. Biden campaigns in Philly; former Pres. Trump's trial goes to jury | C-SPAN



Global National: May 29, 2024 | US-made bombs used in Israeli strike on Rafah camp



ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - May 29, 2024


"CBS Evening News" Full Broadcast | May 29, 2024


NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - May 29, NBC News


PBS NewsHour full episode, (May 29, 2024)



---Science, Technology, Culture, and History News Roundup---

Several Studies Just Killed MOND Hypothesis of Gravity Once and For All I Antov Petrov



• The Sky This Week from May 24 to 31: Look for the Last Quarter Moon [Astronomy Magazine]

• This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 24 – June 2 [Sky and Telescope Magazine]

The Level1 Show May 29 2024: Samsnitch | Level1 Techs



YouTube's Game & Watch - DTNS 4779 | Daily Tech News Show



What's In Anthropic's Black Box, AI Overviews backlash, xAI gets $6bn // AI Inside 19 | Techsploder



• Coder Radio 572: Foxes In The Henhouse [Jupiter Broadcasting]

• Bilingual AI brain implant helps stroke survivor communicate in Spanish and English [NBC News]

• Man accused of using generative AI to create virus in Japan 1st [The Mainichi]

• Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet [AP News]

• Google confirms the leaked Search documents are real [The Verge]

---Science, Technology, Culture, and History Video Section---

Why Fusion Reactors are a Step-Stone Technology to a Dyson Swarm | John Michael Godier



Microsoft's AI Recall is Creepy! Winamp is opening their source code? | Destination Linux



Alien Megastructure Candidates – Not as Crazy as it Sounds! | Sabine Hossenfelder



Security Now 976: The 50 Gigabyte Privacy Bomb - Google AI Workarounds, Microsoft Recall | TWiT TV





On This Day

May 30 is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 215 days remain until the end of the year.

Historical Events



Historical Events

(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)





70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres.
1381 – Beginning of the Peasants' Revolt in England.
1416 – The Council of Constance, called by Emperor Sigismund, a supporter of Antipope John XXIII, burns Jerome of Prague following a trial for heresy.
1431 – Hundred Years' War: In Rouen, France, the 19-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake by an English-dominated tribunal. The Roman Catholic Church remembers this day as the celebration of Saint Joan of Arc.
1434 – Hussite Wars: Battle of Lipany: Effectively ending the war, Utraquist forces led by DiviÅ¡ BoÅ™ek of Miletínek defeat and almost annihilate Taborite forces led by Prokop the Great.
1510 – During the reign of the Zhengde Emperor, Ming dynasty rebel leader Zhu Zhifan is defeated by commander Qiu Yue, ending the Prince of Anhua rebellion.
1536 – King Henry VIII of England marries Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting to his first two wives.
1539 – In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal of finding gold.
1574 – Henry III becomes King of France.
1588 – The last ship of the Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel.
1631 – Publication of Gazette de France, the first French newspaper.
1635 – Thirty Years' War: The Peace of Prague is signed.
1642 – From this date all honors granted by Charles I of England are retroactively annulled by Parliament.
1806 – Future U.S. President Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in a duel.
1814 – The First Treaty of Paris is signed, returning the French frontiers to their 1792 extent, and restoring the House of Bourbon to power.
1815 – The East Indiaman Arniston is wrecked during a storm at Waenhuiskrans, near Cape Agulhas, in present-day South Africa, with the loss of 372 lives.
1834 – Minister of Justice Joaquim António de Aguiar issues a law seizing "all convents, monasteries, colleges, hospices and any other houses" from the Catholic religious orders in Portugal, earning him the nickname of "The Friar-Killer".
1842 – John Francis attempts to murder Queen Victoria as she drives down Constitution Hill in London with Prince Albert.
1845 – The Fatel Razack coming from India, lands in the Gulf of Paria in Trinidad and Tobago carrying the first Indians to the country.
1854 – The Kansas–Nebraska Act becomes law establishing the U.S. territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
1866 – Bedrich Smetana's comic opera The Bartered Bride premiered in Prague.
1868 – Decoration Day (the predecessor of the modern "Memorial Day") is observed in the United States for the first time after a proclamation by John A. Logan, head of the Grand Army of the Republic (a veterans group).
1876 – Ottoman sultan Abdülaziz is deposed and succeeded by his nephew Murad V.
1883 – In New York City, a stampede on the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge killed twelve people.
1899 – Pearl Hart, a female outlaw of the Old West, robs a stage coach 30 miles southeast of Globe, Arizona.
1911 – At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ends with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race.
1913 – The Treaty of London is signed, ending the First Balkan War; Albania becomes an independent nation.
1914 – The new, and then the largest, Cunard ocean liner RMS Aquitania, 45,647 tons, sets sails on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, England, to New York City.
1922 – The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C..
1925 – May Thirtieth Movement: Shanghai Municipal Police Force shoot and kill 13 protesting workers.
1937 – Memorial Day massacre: Chicago police shoot and kill ten labor demonstrators.
1941 – World War II: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climb the Athenian Acropolis and tear down the German flag.
1942 – World War II: One thousand British bombers launch a 90-minute attack on Cologne, Germany.
1943 – The Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer of the Zigeunerfamilienlager (Romani family camp) at Auschwitz concentration camp.
1948 – A dike along the flooding Columbia River breaks, obliterating Vanport, Oregon within minutes. Fifteen people die and tens of thousands are left homeless.
1958 – Memorial Day: The remains of two unidentified American servicemen, killed in action during World War II and the Korean War respectively, are buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
1959 – The Auckland Harbour Bridge, crossing the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, is officially opened by Governor-General Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham.
1961 – The long-time Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo is assassinated in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
1963 – A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination during the Buddhist crisis is held outside South Vietnam's National Assembly, the first open demonstration during the eight-year rule of Ngo Dinh Diem.
1965 - Viet Cong offensive against US base Da Nang, begins
1966 – Former Congolese Prime Minister, Évariste Kimba, and several other politicians are publicly executed in Kinshasa on the orders of President Joseph Mobutu.
1967 – The Nigerian Eastern Region declares independence as the Republic of Biafra, sparking a civil war.
1968 – Charles de Gaulle reappears publicly after his flight to Baden-Baden, Germany, and dissolves the French National Assembly by a radio appeal. Immediately after, less than one million of his supporters march on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This is the turning point of May 1968 events in France.
1971 – Mariner program: Mariner 9 is launched to map 70% of the surface, and to study temporal changes in the atmosphere and surface, of Mars.
1972 – The Angry Brigade goes on trial over a series of 25 bombings throughout the United Kingdom.
1972 – In Ben Gurion Airport (at the time: Lod Airport), Israel, members of the Japanese Red Army carry out the Lod Airport massacre, killing 24 people and injuring 78 others.
1974 – The Airbus A300 passenger aircraft first enters service.
1979 – Downeast Flight 46 crashes on approach to Knox County Regional Airport in Rockland, Maine, killing 17.
1975 – European Space Agency is established.
1982 – Cold War: Spain joins NATO.
1989 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: The 10-metre high "Goddess of Democracy" statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square by student demonstrators.
1990 – Croatian Parliament is constituted after the first free, multi-party elections, today celebrated as the National Day of Croatia.
1998 – The 6.5 Mw  Afghanistan earthquake shook the Takhar Province of northern Afghanistan with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), killing around 4,000–4,500.
1998 – Nuclear Testing: Pakistan conducts an underground test in the Kharan Desert. It is reported to be a plutonium device with yield of 20kt TNT equivalent.
2003 – Depayin massacre: At least 70 people associated with the National League for Democracy are killed by government-sponsored mob in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi flees the scene, but is arrested soon afterwards.
2008 – Convention on Cluster Munitions is adopted.
2008 – TACA Flight 390 overshoots the runway at Toncontín International Airport, killing five people.
2012 – Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in atrocities committed during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
2013 – Nigeria passes a law banning same-sex marriage.
2020 – The Crew Dragon Demo-2 launches from the Kennedy Space Center, becoming the first crewed orbital spacecraft to launch from the United States since 2011.
2021 - Tens of thousands of people march in Brazilian cities against President Jair Bolsonaro and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic





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Published at 5:00am on Thursday, May 30, 2024
Author: Bobby Coggins


Resources used to compile the information in this article include, but are not limited to rthe following websites or books: MaconMedia.com, youtube.com, weather.gov, airnow.gov, wikipedia.com, onthisday.com, ncdcr.gov, ncsu.edu, utah.edu, https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/, wolfram.com, biorxiv.org, aps.org, nejm.org, plos.org, cell.com, researchsquare.com, cureus.com, spc.noaa.gov, nhc.noaa.gov, ncdenr.org, medrxiv.org, archive.org, ncpedia.org, nasa.gov, https://ww2days.com, nih.gov, carolinapublicpress.org, microbe.tv, smokymountainnews.com, psypost.org, blogspot.com, pollen.com, franklinnc.com, maconnc.org, spaceweather.com, solarham.com, loc.gov, ncleg.net, senate.gov, house.gov, whitehouse.gov, drudgereport.com, politico.com, realclearpolitics.com, ushmm.org, This Day in North Carolina History, World War II Day By Day, The Holocaust Encyclopedia, The Timetables of History, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The World History and Book of Facts (multiple years), On This Day In History: Over 4,000 facts, The NASA Archives. 60 Years in Space, This Day in North Carolina History, The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future, Spaceflight, 2nd Edition: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Curiousity, The Story of Civilization (11 volumes), The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, American History, Volume 1: 1492-1877, American History, Volume 2: 1877 - Present, A Complete Chronolgy of the Second World War. Weather and Almanac data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, Ian Webster's Github, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and the Weather Prediction Center.