ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Town of Franklin Asks Residents to Observe Voluntary Water Restrictions [Macon Media]
• Nine N.C. counties in exceptional drought as statewide drought continues [Macon Media]
WEATHER OUTLOOK
1. Very active convective weather is expected through the end of the week, as a frontal boundary moves into the area and stalls. Isolated severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening, with an escalating risk of heavy rainfall and potentially flash flooding from tonight through at least Friday.
2. A return to typical late July weather is expected next week.
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SPONSORSHIPS
WEATHER SPONSOR
This space available
This half price sale is for those who sign up during July and remains effect for the rest of the year. Current sponsors receive the half price discount automatically.
DAY SPONSOR
This space available
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FORECAST
(since this is a quick forecast intended to cover the whole county, bear in mind that higher elevations may experience cooler temperatures than this and the lower elevations may experience higher temperatures than those in the forecast)
.TODAY....Mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely this afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.
.TONIGHT....Showers with thunderstorms likely in the evening, then showers with a chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. lows in the upper 60s. Southwest winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent.
.THURSDAY....Showers. A chance of thunderstorms in the morning, then thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Patchy fog. Humid with highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds around 5 mph in the morning, becoming light and variable. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
.THURSDAY NIGHT....Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Showers likely. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent. .FRIDAY...Showers likely in the morning, then showers with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 70s. South winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT....Showers with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then showers likely after midnight. Lows in the mid 60s. Chance of rain 80 percent.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER
The severe storm threat continues today but chance is lower. Forecast heavy rainfall the threat for isolated flash flooding continues, but the best locations and timing remain uncertain.
POLLEN REPORT
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (1.0 out of 12) today with Grasses, Plantain, Chenopods being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (2.2 out of 3.0).
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MACON CALENDAR
(send your event to editor@maconmedia.com)
Benefit for Randy Drinnon
July 25th at 5pm
Learn more on Facebook
Friends of the Greenway would like to invite you to our Christmas in July sale, July 22-25, 9-2 each day. Do some Christmas shopping early with 20% off everything in the Gift Shop. On Saturday, July 25th, have a Christmas cookie and enjoy great music from 11-1. Greenway Visitor Center/FROG Quarters, 573 E Main St, Franklin.
The many ways you can connect to Mountain Findings to arrange donation pick-ups, drop-off location, shopping hours, volunteering, and to learn more on our community grants programs and graduating seniors scholarships.
Facebook: @MountainFindings
Phone: 828-526-9929
Email: MountainFindings1@gmail.com
Webpage: MountainFindings.org
Location: 452 Spruce St, Highlands, NC
LIVE SATURDAY MIDDAY MUSIC CALENDAR FOR JUNE/JULY 2026
11a to 1p at Friends of the Greenway, Inc.
573 E Main St, Franklin, NC 28734
contact: frog28734@gmail.com; 828-369-8488
7-25-2026---Bill Petersen will be singing the blues along with maybe some originals. Then, up from Florida, hear John Bois and the Emotional Support Band.
To find out more about the Greenway and our organization, our website is: littletennessee.org.
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WEATHER ALMANAC
Record Weather Events for this date in Macon County (1872-2025)
Highest Temperature 97°F in Franklin in 1952
Lowest Temperature 46°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1947
Greatest Rainfall 2.24 inches in Highlands in 1979
Record weather events for July in Macon County
Highest Temperature 101°F in Franklin on Jul 29, 1952
Lowest Temperature 34°F in Highlands on Jul 27, 1911
Greatest Rainfall 21.15 inches in Highlands on Jul 29, 1879
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of July
Highest Temperature 109°F Albemarle, Stanly County Jul 28, 1940
Lowest Temperature 32°F Celo, Yancey County Jul 10, 1961
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 21.15 in Highlands, Macon County Jul 29, 1879
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WNC News
North Carolina to offer elk hunting permits | WLOS-TV Asheville, NC
• County votes to stop Flock camera funding [The Franklin Press]
• Threats made toward public officials [Macon Sense]
• UNC Asheville woods committee recommends development, not soccer stadium [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• Jackson commissioners, school board spar over bond referendum [Smoky Mountain News]
• Opinion: Meet the 8-year-old West Asheville girl who may be the future of journalism [Asheville Watchdog ]
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NC News
Lettuce not being tested in NC as possible cyclospora link | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)
• Diarrhea-causing bug reaches outbreak proportions in NC with 500+ cases [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• Are ‘stay back 200 feet’ signs legal in NC? [Raleigh News & Observer]
• Citing possible investigation, NC elections board declines to name allegedly dead voters [NC Local]
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National News
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir - July 21, 2026 | ABC News
NBC Nightly News Full Episode - July 21 | NBC News
• 5 takeaways from Hegseth, Caine hearing on emergency Iran funding [The Hill]
• Ex-Army soldier jailed on arson charge after fiery attack on Manhattan federal building [AP News]
• Wreckage of Pan Am plane found 74 years after it crashed off Puerto Rico [Yahoo News]
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World News
What the Ship (Ep145) | Geopolitics Afloat | Low Water | Dark Fleet | Arctic | US Shipping | What's Going on With Shipping?
US and Iran face return to all-out war as conflict escalates | BBC News
• Middle East live: US launches 11th night of Iran strikes as diplomacy falters [France 24]
• Iran Update Special Report, July 21, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 21, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Putin’s AI army: Deepfakes posing as Polish soldiers spread Kremlin lies about Ukraine [TVP World]
• Ukraine overhauls its military top brass for the fight against Russia [AP News]
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Iran War News
War threatens fragile Gulf-Iran diplomacy | DW News
• Iran Update Special Report, July 19, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Iran war live: US military completes ninth night of strikes on Iran [AL Jazeera]
• Live Updates: US completes round of strikes against Iran, Gulf State citizens condemn Iranian aggression [Jerusalem Post]
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Russo-Ukraine War
Ukraine's Naval Blitz - The Azov Sea Escalation, Russian Retaliation & Export Economics | Perun
Kyiv hit by Russia’s biggest ballistic missile strike yet | World News Tonight | TVP World
• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 19, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Russia launches largest ballistic missile attack on Kyiv since start of war [Al Jazeera]
• Russian attacks kill 6 in Kyiv and other cities and expose gaps in Ukraine’s air defenses [AP News]
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Financial News
WTF Is Happening to South Korea | Andrei Jikh
Alibaba's Qwen Model Raises Stakes in AI Race | The China Show | 7/20/2026 | Bloomberg Television
• As defaults on student loans surge, millions are trying to get their lives back on track [Fortune Magazine]
• Big Tech earnings test tech's big rotation: What to watch this week [Yahoo Finance]
• From ‘Super El Niño’ to Europe’s extreme heatwave: How this year’s weather shocks are rattling commodity markets [CNBC]
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Science News
What Are the Limits of Human Knowledge? | Isaac Arthur
• A SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the moon—scientists will be watching [Scientific American]
• The Case of the Sun's Missing Silver [Universe Today]
• Scientists found two powerful new ways to destroy forever chemicals [ScienceDaily]
• This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 17 – 26 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]
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Technology News
What's The Difference Between Dolby Cinema And IMAX? | Engadget
• India’s first privately-developed rocket reaches orbit on dramatic debut launch [Ars Technica]
• Zoox Issues Recall After Heavy Smoke Caused a Robotaxi to Enter an Active Emergency Scene [Gizmodo]
• FIFA World Cup Triggers a Global Anti-Piracy Crackdown [Torrent Freaks]
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Interesting Videos
We Asked the Universe About Dark Energy Again. It Gave the Same Strange Answer | PBS Space Time
What Would It Cost to Keep The ISS Up? | Q&A 441 | Fraser Cain
Why the Lunar-Mass Primordial Black Hole Discovery Was Just Debunked | Anton Petrov
Nigeria’s mysterious art treasures | DW Documentary
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CRYPTO & AI NEWS
Bitcoin to $70K THIS MONTH? History Says Yes. | The Wolf of All Streets
Ethereum: Dubious Speculation | Benjamin Cowen
• GPT-5.6 vs Fable 5 Review: Which One You Pick Depends on These Factors [Decrypt]
• Will the US get CLARITY this week? Bitcoin’s new $80K target: Hodler’s Digest, July 19 [Coin Telegraph]
• The Man Who Threw Away $900 Million and Spent 12 Years Trying to Dig It Back Up [Bitcoin.com]
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Flock Cameras and Constitutional Rights
We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in under 30 Seconds. 🫥 | Benn Jordan
• Brickbat: Unlicensed Search [Reason Magazine]
• Police say Flock cameras help solve crimes, but critics call them an invasion of privacy [PBS News]
• Schmidt v. Norfolk [ACLU]
• Chatrie v. United States [SCOTUSblog]
• Under Surveillance: Constitutional Concerns Surrounding Flock Cameras [North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology]
• Research Report on Automatic License Plate Readers: Legal Status and Policy Recommendations for Law Enforcement Use [Brennan Cebnter for Justice]
This Flock Camera Leak is like Netflix For Stalkers | Benn Jordan and 404 Media
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Public Records Request for Macon County Flock Safety Cameras
As an independent citizen journalist covering local government in Macon County for over 16 years, I have submitted a public records request to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for documents related to the Flock Safety automated license plate reader system. This request seeks contracts, board approvals, usage policies, camera locations, performance data, and related correspondence to promote full transparency and public accountability in how this surveillance technology is funded, deployed, and operated with taxpayer resources. By making these records available, we can separate facts from myths, address community concerns about privacy and effectiveness, and ensure informed civic dialogue about tools that impact public safety and individual rights in our rural mountain community.
| from: | Bobby Coggins robertcogginsjr@gmail.com | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| to: |
| ||
| cc: |
| ||
| date: | Jul 11, 2026, 2:13 AM | ||
| subject: | Public Records Request – Flock Safety Cameras / ALPR / License Plate Reader Contract & Related Documents – Macon County Sheriff’s Office | ||
| mailed-by: | gmail.com |
Sheriff’s Office Public Records Custodian,
Pursuant to the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. Chapter 132), I request the following records related to Flock Safety (or any automated license plate reader/ALPR system):
- All contracts, agreements, amendments, proposals, invoices, payment records, and correspondence between Macon County Sheriff’s Office (or County) and Flock Safety (or Flock Group, Inc.), including any subscription, installation, maintenance, or data access terms.
- Board of Commissioners agendas, minutes, resolutions, motions, or approvals authorizing the purchase, funding, or use of Flock cameras (including budget line items from FY 2023–2024 onward).
- Policies, procedures, manuals, training materials, or guidelines for use of the Flock system by Sheriff’s Office personnel (including access controls, data retention, audit logs, and privacy protections).
- Any usage statistics, reports, or summaries on camera performance, alerts generated, cases assisted, or data shared (redacted as necessary for law enforcement sensitivity).
- Location list or map of all deployed Flock cameras in Macon County.
- Any privacy impact assessments, legal opinions, or correspondence regarding compliance with NC law or data sharing.
Preferred format: Electronic copies (PDF/email) where possible. I am willing to pay reasonable costs; please notify me in advance if fees will exceed $50.
Please provide these records as soon as practicable. If any portion is denied, please provide a written explanation with the specific legal basis and contact information for appeal.
Thank you for your assistance. I can be reached at robertciogginsjr@gmail.com.
Sincerely, Bobby Coggins, Publisher Macon Media [robertciogginsjr@gmail.com]
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Published at 6:00am on Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Author: Bobby Coggins
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