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Monday, August 3, 2026

News and Weather Briefing for Monday, August 03, 2026

sunday

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. Above average rain chances and below normal temperatures continue through much of the week.

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SPONSORSHIPS
WEATHER SPONSOR

This space available

DAY SPONSOR
Young Tree Service is sponsoring Macon Media for today.

They provide complete tree care, are licensed and insured. Specializing in low ground impact. Danger tree removal. Crane Service, Pruning, Views, 24 hr emergency service. Call 828-421-0967 for more information.

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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....Areas of fog this morning. Mostly sunny this morning, then partly sunny with showers and thunderstorms likely this afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 70 percent.

..TONIGHT....Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms likely with a chance of showers in the evening, then partly cloudy after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. Light and variable winds, becoming east around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 70 percent.

..TUESDAY....Mostly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then mostly cloudy with showers with thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 90 percent.

..TUESDAY NIGHT....A chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Lows in the mid 60s. East winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

..WEDNESDAY....Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the morning, then showers with thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 70s. Light and variable winds, becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 90 percent.

..WEDNESDAY NIGHT....Mostly cloudy with showers with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then partly cloudy after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 80 percent.


HAZARDOUS WEATHER

Additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected through at least mid-week. Locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds will be possible each afternoon.



POLLEN REPORT

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (4.2 out of 12) today with Grasses and Nettle being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (4.2 out of 3.0).

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MACON CALENDAR


(send your event to editor@maconmedia.com)

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



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 94°F in Franklin in 1957

Lowest Temperature 46°F in Highlands in 1998

Greatest Rainfall 2.80 inches in Highlands in 2018

Record weather events for August in Macon County

Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin on Aug 9, 1980
Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Aug 29, 1968
Greatest Rainfall 9.68 inches in Highlands on Aug 13, 1940
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873

Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of August

Highest Temperature 110°F Fayetteville, Cumberland County Aug 21, 1983
Lowest Temperature 31°F Banner Elk, Avery County Aug 23, 1930
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 12.43 in Morehead City, Carteret County Aug 12, 1955

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WNC News


Western NC festival delayed until 2027 | WLOS-TV Asheville, NC


• Flyover ramp to Westgate Parkway reaches scheduled closure date [WLOS-TV Asheville, NC ]
• Asheville homes now taking 88 days to sell, longest market time in a decade [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• One was ‘always clowning,’ the other calm and mature. The best friends died together in latest spasm of gun violence in Asheville [Asheville Watchdog ]

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NC News


NC Democrats' sold-out Unity Dinner in Raleigh hosts Elizabeth Warren as headliner | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)


• Should felons be allowed to own guns? Yes, advocates tell NC Supreme Court [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• Post-election legislative session is one to watch when it comes to Gov. Stein veto [Raleigh News & Observer]
• Balancing public safety and privacy [NC Local]

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Sunday and Weekend News Shows


Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, July 31, 2026 | Washington Week PBS


As Iran war enters 6th month, details are sparse | Face The Nation/CBS News


Meet the Press Full Episode — August 2 | NBC News


This Week with George Stephanopoulos Full Broadcast - Sunday, August 2, 2026 | ABC News


Rand Paul EJECTS Fauci lawyer from hearing; DSA co-chair says ABOLISH ICE, Senate, borders | RISING | The Hill


Melat Kiros | Full Episode 7.31.26 | Firing Line with Margaret Hoover | PBS


Fareed Zakaria GPS 8/2/26 | CNN Breaking News Today August 2, 2026 | CNN


Inside Politics With Manu Raju 8/2/26 | CNN Breaking News Today August 2, 2026 | CNN


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National News


ABC World News Tonight with David Muir - August 2, 2026 | ABC News



NBC Nightly News Full Episode - August 2 | NBC News




After Words: Stuck - How Money, Media and Violence Prevent Change in Congress | C-SPAN



• Blanche rescinds Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' amid AG confirmation pressure [ABC News]
• Senate GOP looks for ‘chorus’ of Republicans to fill void left by Graham [The Hill]
• Senate leaders reach funding deal to avoid shutdown during campaign season [AP News]
• Armed bystander distracted gunman in fatal In-N-Out shooting [Yahoo News]

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World News


Two die after helicopters collide mid-air in Greece while battling wildfires | BBC News


• Morocco blames Ceuta migrant rush on 'misleading information' on social media [France 24]
• Spain's wildfires: Counting the economic cost [DW News]
• Army's 1st Corps commander relieved of duty over unloaded weapons directive: military [Yonhap News Agency]
• Polish patrol aircraft helps EU board Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker [TVP World]
• Japan and US confirm rare joint intervention to prop up yen [Al Jazeera]
• Ceuta grapples with aftermath of border surge after most migrants leave the Spanish territory [AP News]

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Iran War News


Hamas says it agrees to disarm in Gaza as at least eight killed in overnight strikes | BBC News


• Iran Update Special Report, August 2, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Iran war live: Trump says talks to resume; Tehran, Oman near deal on Hormuz [AL Jazeera]
• Live Updates: Trump says canceled strikes against Iran would have been 'biggest attack since World War II' [Jerusalem Post]

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Russo-Ukraine War


Deadly Explosion at Moscow Restaurant: What do we know? | DW News


Russia faces bombing in Moscow and attacks on key infrastructure | World News Tonight | TVP World


• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 2, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Russian and Ukrainian strikes kill 14 on both sides [Al Jazeera]
• Ukrainian drones kill 5 in Russia and set fire to Wildberries warehouse [AP News]

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Financial News


New DeepSeek, Alibaba Models Take On Anthropic, OpenAI | The China Show | 8/3/2026 | Bloomberg Television


• Yen's sudden jump puts traders on alert for further intervention [Yahoo Finance]
• Why the U.S. stepped in after decades to prop up Japan’s yen — and what’s at stake [CNBC]

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Science News


Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast — August 2026



• August 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Solar and lunar eclipses, plus the Perseid meteors [Astronomy Magazine]
• It Took a Century, but Astronomers Imaged Betelgeuse's Companion [Universe Today]
• Two deadly flowers could inspire powerful new medicines [ScienceDaily]
• This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 31 – August 9 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]

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Technology News


When Pilots Used Sounds To Guide Planes | Scott Manley


• Not just Neanderthals: Ghost lineage in Africa left its mark on our DNA [Ars Technica]
• OpenAI Smuggled the Announcement of Astra, Its Next AI Model, Into a Blog Post About Math [Gizmodo]
• World Cup Piracy Crackdown Shows Limits of Domain Seizures, MPA Pushes Site Blocking [Torrent Freaks]

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Interesting Videos


Quantum Computing 2026 Update | ExplainingComputers



How ADSL Quietly Built the Modern Internet | Asianometry



The First Exomoon/Exosatellite Discovered ... And its Weird | John Michael Godier



Ray Dalio: I Predicted The 2008 CRASH, I Know What Comes Next! | The Diary Of A CEO



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CRYPTO & AI NEWS


Bitcoin: The Beauty of Mathematics (Part 72) | Benjamin Cowen


• Coldcard Bitcoin Exploit Balloons to $88 Million as Attackers Keep Draining Wallets [Decrypt]
• Here’s what happened in crypto today [Coin Telegraph]
• Ordinary WiFi Can Now Identify People With Near-Perfect Accuracy [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):

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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).
  4. Any usage statistics, reports, or summaries on camera performance, alerts generated, cases assisted, or data shared (redacted as necessary for law enforcement sensitivity).
  5. Location list or map of all deployed Flock cameras in Macon County.
  6. 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 Monday, August 03, 2026
Author: Bobby Coggins
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