ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Back to School Safety Tips for the 2026-2027 School Year [Macon Media]
• 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. One last dry day today. Then humidity increases on Wednesday along with daily shower and thunderstorm chances that continue through the rest of the week.
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SPONSORSHIPS
WEATHER SPONSOR
This space available
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....Areas of fog this morning. Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Light and variable winds, becoming southwest around 5 mph this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows around 60. Light and variable winds, becoming southeast around 5 mph after midnight.
.WEDNESDAY...Patchy fog in the morning. Mostly sunny in the morning, then partly sunny with showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 80. Light and variable winds, becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 70 percent.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then a chance of showers after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 70 percent.
.THURSDAY...Partly sunny. A chance of showers in the morning, then showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 70 percent.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 70 percent.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER
Isolated to scattered afternoon thunderstorms are possible in portions of the area Wednesday through the weekend.
POLLEN REPORT
Pollen levels are expected to be n the medium-high (8.9 out of 12) today with Ragweed, Chenopods, and Grasses being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range (8.2 out of 12.0)
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MACON CALENDAR
(send your event to editor@maconmedia.com)
IMAGE
CULLASAJA GORGE FIRE AND RESCUE
New Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593295280100
All are welcome for an Open House on Aug 29th.
Hotdog dinner for donations only.
Come out to see the Firehouse with kid-friendly activities
and a state-of-the-art smoke trailer.
9 AM – 7 PM on 29th of August
3 PM VEHICLE TRAINING DEMO
HOTDOG DINNER ALL DAY
(828) 369-5010
104 River Rd
Franklin, NC 28734
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 92°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2023
Lowest Temperature 45°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1952
Greatest Rainfall 2.81 inches in Highlands in 2008
Record weather events for July 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
North Carolina Landslide Preparedness Week starts | WLOS-TV (Asheville), NC
• Asheville City Council to vote Tuesday on ending city's Flock camera contract [WLOS-TV Asheville, NC ]
• From her mother’s care to the statehouse: Pat Hedrick’s mission for seniors [Macon Sense]
• Helene recovery could take 25 years, USDA official says [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• SCC program removes barriers to entry into health care [Smoky Mountain News]
• Trump plan to end roadless rule could worsen fire risk, experts say [Asheville Watchdog ]
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NC News
NC State honors astronaut Christina Koch with campus homecoming, rename building | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)
• WakeMed-Atrium deal ‘deserves close scrutiny,’ governor’s office says ahead of possible merger vote [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• NC State honors astronaut Christina Koch with a building — and something sweeter [Raleigh News & Observer]
• NC failed to protect coastal fisheries, court says [NC Local]
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National News
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir - Aug. 24, 2026 | ABC News
NBC Nightly News Full Episode - August 24 | NBC News
Washington Today (8/24/26): Trump Announces New Iran Sanctions, Threatens Canada With 50% Tariffs | C-SPAN
• U.S. Navy Touts EMALS Reliability As It Starts White House Steam Study [Aviation Week]
• Supreme Court rules blue states sued too early over Trump’s mail voting order [The Hill]
• Trump’s trade war with Canada could rattle economies in states with key Senate races [AP News]
• Mark Carney says there are many things the US needs from Canada — and a very special kind of boat is one of them [Yahoo News]
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World News
What the Ship (Ep 146) | Hormuz, Black Sea & Chokepoint Chaos | Containers | What's Going on With Shipping?
Inside China's robot revolution | BBC News
• Questions grow over Trump's commitment to N. Korea denuclearization goal [Yonhap News Agency]
• Haiti gang members kill around 40 displaced people in church attack near capital [France 24]
• Canada to announce retaliatory tariffs as Trump tells its leaders to ‘fall in line’ [AP News]
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Iran War News
US announces economic D-day and harshest sanctions ever | DW News
• Iran Update, August 24, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Iran war live: Pakistan reports progress on restoring US-Iran MoU [AL Jazeera]
• Live Updates: US sanctions Iranian-linked entities, oil tanker struck near Hormuz [Jerusalem Post]
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Russo-Ukraine War
Russia warns of growing tension as UK hands Ukraine long-range missile blueprints | BBC News
Storm Shadow license for Ukraine: U.K.’s response to Russian threats | World News Tonight | TVP World
• Defying Russia, UK Leader Brings Missile-Making Plans To Ukraine [Yahoo! News/a>]
• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 24, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Russia to seize poorly protected infrastructure amid Ukraine drone attacks [Al Jazeera]
• The UK will help Ukraine make long-range missiles by sharing classified tech information [AP News]
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Financial News
Iran War: Bessent Sanctions Plan Threatens US-China Tensions | Daybreak Europe 8/25/2026 | Bloomberg Television
• Gen Xers fret over Social Security. "I will likely be working in retirement." [Yahoo Finance]
• Gold hits over three-month high on dollar weakness, Treasury bond buyback plans [CNBC]
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Science News
Why These New Quasar Discoveries Challenge Everything We Knew | Anton Petrov
• Earth’s oceans just hit their hottest temperature ever—it’s only going to get worse [Astronomy Magazine]
• TWiV 1350: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]
• TWiV 1351: Ebola Virus Brains and Contagious Catfish Cancers [Microbe TV]
• NASA Starshade Would Enable Astronomers To Directly Image Rocky Exoworlds [Universe Today]
• Bird flu is spreading. Your backyard feeder could make it worse [ScienceDaily]
• This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 21 – 30 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]
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Technology News
This Week in Linux #354 | Michael Tunnell
• As demand for Meta AI glasses explodes, it’s harder to avoid creepy recordings [Ars Technica]
• Dr. Dre Says He Uses AI to Produce Songs [Gizmodo]
• Take-Two Expands GTA 6 Leak Hunt With DMCA Subpoenas to X and YouTube [Torrent Freaks]
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Interesting Videos
Fall of Jerusalem - How Britain Broke the Ottoman Front | Kings and Generals
This Could Be A Solution for The Little Red Dots Mystery | Fraser Cain
LIVE at 7am: NASA and ESA astronauts conduct spacewalk outside International Space Station | Associated Press
How They Did It - Roman Corporations (DOCUMENTARY) | Invicta
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CRYPTO & AI NEWS
Ethereum: Dubious Speculation | Benjamin Cowen
Bitcoin VS Gold in 2026 | Coin Bureau
• Why the Bitcoin Rally Looks Like a Vote Against the Dollar [Decrypt]
• Bitget CEO isn’t buying the Bitcoin rally — She’s waiting for $50K [Coin Telegraph]
• Bitcoin Price Breaches $81,000 as Bull Market Momentum Builds [Bitcoin.com]
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Flock Cameras and Constitutional Rights
Flock Cameras Are Not Even the Worst Part of the System | TREX LABS
• 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 Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Author: Bobby Coggins
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